The Hotel Café Tour rolled through Minneapolis Monday night, thusly adding to the recent volume of Dan Wilson performances that have been taking place since the release of his solo album Free Life last October. Also featuring the Old Navy sweater-theme girl herself, Ingrid Michaelson made sure to play her sweet as sugar, adult-alternative hit “The Way I Am.”  Cary Brothers, Joshua Radin, and singer Meiko managed to hold their own with their genuine, folk-rock sensibilities that didn’t always click. The evening played out like this: The singer/songwriters would play short sets and trade off with their tourmates, almost like a Hootenanny – complete with unintended stand up comedy and sing-a-longs as they often shared the stage together with the communal backing band.

To anyone walking into the Fine Line who missed the memo about the cyclical nature of the show, entering to Dan Wilson covering John Denver’s “Annie’s Song,” sent a few concertgoers into a bit of a panic about the seemingly early set time. However, a kind staffer explained the details as we stepped into the packed club. Within his multiple mini-sets, Wilson played Free Life’s wistfully questioning title track and the heavy, beautiful Breathless as early standouts, and broke out Semisonic’s “DND” to a passionate roar of applause. The show wound down with a commonplace retelling of that other little Semisonic song, “Closing Time.” Talk about appropriate, huh? Even if the song is actually about the birth of his daughter…

- Jen Paulson