Semisonic says 'it's an honor' carrying on tradition of Minnesota rockers closing down State Fair

The "Closing Time" hitmakers headline the Leinie Lodge Bandshell on the fair's last two days, like some of their pals before them.

By Chris Riemenschneider Star Tribune

August 30, 2024 — 7:30am

You might call it peer pressure. The way John Munson tells it, though, not much pressure of any kind had to be applied to get his trio Semisonic to play for closing time at the Minnesota State Fair on Sunday and Monday.

"If it's a tradition, then it's an honor to be a part of it," said the bassist and co-vocalist in the "Closing Time"-hitmaking trio.

Semisonic fills the same time slot at the fair's Leinie Lodge Bandshell that Soul Asylum played last year and the Jayhawks the year before. Members of all three groups were part of the '80s Twin Cities indie-rock scene that boiled over into mainstream success in the 1990s via major labels, the radio and CD-store shelves.

The fair also has recruited younger Minnesota scene makers for the Leinie Bandshell in recent years, including Dessa, Hippo Campus and Yam Haus.

"We all owe a debt of gratitude to Minnesota music fans," Munson said, likening these gigs to a thank-you.

"None of us would have gotten to where we did without fans at home supporting us the way they did. It was crucial. It made us all feel like we were doing something special."

There was a lot more to his band's decision to play the gigs besides just carrying on with tradition.

For starters, Munson said both he and Semisonic singer/guitarist Dan Wilson are "hard-core lovers of the fair." He called their 2012 performance at the State Fair grandstand "one of the most fun shows" they ever played. The bassist also ran down his own personal history at the fair.

Munson grew up near the fairgrounds and spent many fairs in his youth working the St. Anthony Park United Methodist Church's stand. In more recent years, he has performed on other stages with other acts, including the New Standards (his jazzy trio with the Suburbs' Chan Poling) and his former Trip Shakespeare bandmate Matt Wilson (Dan's brother).

This year, he also has one other big gig at the fair: as a baker. He entered both a sourdough bread and coconut rolls in the baking competitions, a passion he picked up during the pandemic.

"The Semisonic shows are fun and important, but if the Lords of the Creative Activities award me with anything, I'm going to feel exceptionally taken care of at the fair this year," he quipped. [Update: He took a 5th place ribbon with the rolls and placed in the top 25 with the sourdough.]

This year has been a relatively quiet one for Semisonic, but that's after the trio had its most bustling year in two decades in 2023.

First, the group returned to the road on a U.S. tour with Canadian pop-rockers the Barenaked Ladies. Then it put out its first full-length record in 19 years, "Little Bit of Sun," a follow-up to the warmly received 2020 comeback EP, "You're Not Alone." Both releases were filled with buoyant, hopeful, sage pop-rock anthems that helped fans stave off the woes of the pandemic and other tumultuous worries.

And apparently it wasn't just American fans connecting with Semisonic's meaningful melodies. The band found that out in March when it headed down to Mexico City to play a festival there, its only other gig so far this year besides its hometown release party for "Little Bit of Sun" in April at St. Paul's Palace Theatre and a lakeside set scheduled Friday at the scenic Big Top Chautauqua in Bayfield, Wis. The March concert was only the trio's second time performing in Mexico.

"It was 100% magic having all those fans, who primarily speak Spanish, singing our songs back to us that we didn't even know they knew," Munson recounted.

That's quite the contrast from these State Fair gigs, where presumably everybody will know the hometown heroes' music. On the other hand, Munson noted, the fair "is also a great place to reach fans who maybe have never seen us before. We truly hope that's the case with us."