Nicotine Dolls Light Up Minneapolis with Unforgettable Performance After Tour Delay
March 30th, 2025 - Minneapolis, MN
“After a lot of very stressful conversations and sleepless nights, we’ve decided to postpone this upcoming tour,” were Nicotine Dolls words before postponing the tour that would finally come to fruition for Minneapolis fans on March 30th. This show has been a long time coming, and fans were more ready than ever to hear what the band had in store for them.
Formed in 2017, Nicotine Dolls consists of lead singer Sam Cieri, guitarist John Hays, bassist John Merritt, and drummer Abel Tabares. Despite being a band for 8 years, they had never put out a full-length album until An Attempt at Romantic, which was released earlier this month.
Like many other fans in the audience, this was not my first Nicotine Dolls concert. The last time I saw them was in 2023 in a tiny club in Minneapolis called 7th St. Entry. Now, just about 2 years later, they’ve moved on up to Varsity Theater. Even though the intimacy of the smaller venue was gone, Nicotine Dolls still made their show feel like a conversation with friends.
The band came onstage and started off their set with a slower song, “Have a Little Faith in Me,” followed by “Let Me Know” and “Walk Again.” Cieri, Hays, Merritt, and Tabares have a synergy to them that radiates complete comfortability with one another and the music. It was displayed throughout the show as Cieri danced around and consistently interacted with his bandmates and how the others would look at Cieri when he was singing with just his acoustic guitar.
Things were all fun and games at this show as Cieri seems to have his degree in yapping. That’s my type of show. I’m a sucker for a lead singer who likes to talk, and Cieri fits the bill. In between each song, he spent time interacting with fans, sharing stories, and being goofy. With an ongoing Dodge Ram joke and fans yelling at Cieri to take off his shirt, there was never a dull moment.
They played some of their popular songs like “What Makes You Sad,” “nothin’ i do,” “Backseat,” and “How Do You Love Me.” Cieri’s high-energy performance came to a crescendo with “SLIP.” In need of a much-deserved break, he slowed things down as his band left him alone onstage. While alone, Cieri spoke briefly about the loss of his grandmother and the grief he felt during that time before playing the song he wrote about it, called “30 Somehow.” It was a beautiful way to honor the memory of his grandmother.
Known for recording and releasing covers, Nicotine Dolls covered various iconic songs during their show. In the middle of their set, they did “In Your Eyes” by Peter Gabriel and “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” by Cher. Towards the end of the show, Cieri came out into the crowd and sang “Believe” by Cher with the audience and wrapped up the night with “The Best” by Bonnie Tyler. Cieri has the vocal versatility to cover all of these songs incredibly well, and if he’s got it, he might as well flaunt it.
Nicotine Dolls found a way to make everything fun. In a time when things are serious and daunting, their lightheartedness and wonderful energy were a much-needed respite. It was a great reminder of what concerts should be about: a love for music and a space to share it with others.
