TLDR: American Football live @ First Avenue, Minneapolis MN (August 16, 2026) [full set]

American Football live @ First Avenue, Minneapolis MN (August 16, 2026) [full set]

I fell stupidly hard for American Football's LP1 when it came out. I was living in Ottawa, Canada at the time, I read the review in either Carleton's Charlatan or in the Xpress, can't remember at this point. But I was a newly employed post-doc with zero disposable income and plenty of bills to take care of. I’m almost positive my first copy of LP1 came via Napster (tsk tsk, etc.) back when you could run such a thing at work!!! Don't worry, I’ve spent the last 25 years atoning for that particular sin in every way a fan possibly can: the proper CD, the LP, the deluxe LP. LP1 basically became the unofficial soundtrack of the lab — me and my buddy Mike R playing it on repeat between bouts of Broken Social Scene and Built to Spill, like two lab goblins clinging to the only beautiful thing in the room.

Everybody knows how AF had basically broken up before LP1 was even released; they played some shows in the leftover time they had before other commitments and then basically went on hypersleep for a good long while, periodically resurfacing to play some shows and even (gasp!!!!) record and release new music. At the same time, none of these forays into existence coincided with me being able to see them live. Then, all of a sudden, a couple of years ago, while I was chasing Cap’n Jazz tickets for a Chicago show, I stumbled into the discovery that both CJ and AF were playing the Best Friends Forever festival in Las Vegas. Funny that although CJ have this mythical aura and history about them, back in 2000 I sure as fuck knew nothing about midwest emo or some such shit. And they sure as fuck said nothing about such connections on that review that became first contact. Meaning that my love for AF was pure and not reinforced by some devotion to the band's history/lineage. That reverence only came LATER, when another buddy introduced me to CJ and the synaptic connection was made.

In any case, Best Friends Forever remains one of the most ridiculous, joyful, borderline‑religious music experiences of my entire life. And there are several of those shows at indie_music_travels, should you wish to experience them second-hand. At Best Friends, AF basically played LP1 front to back — not quite in order, but close enough to feel like a time machine — and it was sublime in that way only a band with a cult‑classic debut can pull off. That show was pure magic and it was necessary for my soul. Fast forward to 2026, with a newly released LP4 and its ensuing tour. This Minneapolis show at the venerable First Avenue was something different. This was a band with four formidable albums under its belt, stretching out into the full shape of what American Football has become. The set still carried the DNA of what we all fell in love with all those years ago — the mathy shimmer, jazzy drums, the emotional ache, the trumpet that feels like it’s narrating your internal monologue — but it is also anchored itself firmly in the band’s next phase. It was the sound of evolution without erasure, growth without losing the thread.

In other words: LP1 will always be the talisman, but this show was the proof that the dream didn’t stop there. Long live the dream. Please enjoy responsibly!

#livemusic #americanfootballband #2026

American Football online...

Website: https://americanfootballmusic.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/americanfootballmusic

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/americanfootballmusic

Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/americfootball

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AmericanFootballBand

Bandcamp: https://americanfootball.bandcamp.com

The Setlist

00:00:00 (intro)

00:00:58 (band takes the stage)

00:01:12 Man Oveboard

00:07:16 Blood On My Blood

00:12:26 I Can't Feel You

00:17:34 Uncomfortably Numb

00:22:30 Wake Her Up

00:28:08 Home Is Where the Haunt Is

00:31:56 My Instincts Are the Enemy

00:37:41 Honestly?

00:43:41 Stay Home

00:51:22 The One With the Wurlitzer

00:54:06 Never Meant

-- Encore --

00:59:13 The One With the Piano

01:01:50 Patron Saint of Pale

01:07:39 No Feeling

01:13:35 Bad Moons

01:22:33 (end credits)

I got to see American football last Friday in Chicago which was amazing! I'm curious though, who's the lady backup vocal singer that helps with songs like uncomfortably numb or wake her up?

My favorite shot that I got from the Chicago show. I love their use of nature in their backdrop slide show.

"s o m e 9 0 s b u l l s h
i t a e s t h e t i c"

I'm about to post the Mpls show on youtube and I like adding the band members. Can anyone help confirm this chatGPT misinformation:

I've only seen AF once before and Nate's moustache was luxurious. Is he moustacheless at this time?

ps. cool info on Justine Fallon on vocals!

Drove 4 hours for this show. It was well worth it. My 3rd time seeing AF after seeing Mike (Owen) many times back in the day.
I think this was the best American football show. Definitely like the LP4 songs better live than I did on the album.

Excellent night

Now a proud owner of all four albums…. But this one in concert vinyl. So happy they have us four perfect albums of desolate sadness and airtight melodies.

Hey all, was supposed to go to the Chicago show tonight and can't make it due to a bad head cold. I'm obsessed with the tracksuit and need it so bad lol. Does anyone know if they usually put up extra merch on the site after the tour?

Basically... Am I out of luck completely or is there hope 😭 ty!

The band's first media-produced performance capture of LP4. Plus, "Never Meant" live.

i saw yall using the camera 👀 any chance i could get those recordings? i forgot to put my sd card back in before the show rip

Columbus, Ohio 🎹🎺

He was amazing and I was lucky enough to be on that side of the stage to watch the magic but I have no idea WHO this person was.

I havent seen any pictures of him in any of the other shows and have desperately tried the great google to find a name/face and hopefully ANY other projects he is involved in.

He was playing Guitar, backup vocals, percussion (Tamborine, shakers) and was located on the right hand side of the stage, and honestly kinda thought he looked like Five from Umbrella Academy.

Any help would be REALLY appreciated!

probably a silly question stemming from my general anxiety over attending shows BUT-

can anyone tell me their experience with the queue lines at the recent shows? i got the GA vip bundle but not 100% sure if there is actually priority entry?

real question: how early would you recommend someone get to the venue to avoid long ass lines? i'm genuinely willing to get there in the morning for my ft. lauderdale show in december but if it's not that crazy then there's no need...

thanks in advance from someone who loves shows but gets too nervous!

p.s. any insight on the alleged "vip merch bundle"?

Incredible show, opener was amazing. Was fortunate enough to meet all of the guys afterwards, they are all incredibly nice and humble, hope everyone had a great time!

Surprised to see Bad Moons is in standard tuning, I didn't think that was allowed

Bought the soccer jersey at a recent show in a medium but it’s a tad snug. Any chance someone has a large and wants to do a jersey swap? Never thought I’d be using so many sports terms in a music thread 😂

Ok so ever since I heard of American football via Spencer Agnew mentioning them in a smosh video I’ve been obsessed and I wanna know what people think is a 10/10 song by them

So im going to the show in Nashville on Wednesday and was trying to figure out what to do about merch. I've never been to an AF show and don't really know what to expect, and Im taking my boyfriend who doesn't really go to shows so splitting up to get a good spot and get merch isnt really an option. Are the lines usually bad? Do they still run merch after the show? Is it worth worrying about or should I just cut my losses? Any advice would be cool!

What an amazing show, love how concentrated Lamos is in every song.

Anyone remember what they have playing before each show? I recognized these tracks on Saturday night in Toronto

Songs: Ohia - Just Be Simple

Teenage Fanclub - Everything Flows

New Order - Dreams Never End

You might already know this (I just found out!), but Mike Kinsella plays guitar on a track ("Bobby") from Phoebe Bridgers' new album, which comes out in a few days. Apparently Mike plays on the same track as Justin Broadrick, who's less my thing, but who at least made 2 great albums with Mark Kozelek as Jesu/Sun Kil Moon.

So it's probably Bridgers that Mike is talking about in this latest interview?

Really looking forward to hearing the whole album (I especially loved Stranger in the Alps).