Zane Roessell on June 30th, 2019

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With 10 minutes to go before opener Alexandra Savior took the stage, fans still lined the block waiting to enter the sold-out Teragram Ballroom on Friday night. The air buzzed electric as people chirped back and forth about the last time they saw Mini Mansions, discussed their potential set list and bet each other what special guests would show up. Once inside, they quickly dispersed, carving out their own precious vantage point in the packed room.

Boasting a fleshed-out rhythm section with the addition of Queens of the Stone Age compatriot, Jon Theodore, Mini Mansions commenced a 14-song romp through their discography, including their forthcoming album “Guy Walks Into a Bar …” Opening with “Freakout!” off of 2015’s “The Great Pretenders,” the band plied the diverse crowd with a buoyant rendition that would belie the crescendo of pandemonium that would follow. Using the full length of the stage to his advantage, bassist Zach Dawes skulked about seemingly playing the devil on the shoulder of his bandmates — with each pass their collective energies growing more frenetic. By the latter half of their set, frontman Michael Shuman had embraced full acrobatics, swinging his guitar as if it were an ax, stalking the crowd and finally jumping off stage — plowing through them screaming, only to have to fight off their embraces as he returned to join the band. Mini Mansions brought the house down with an extended rendition of “Mirror Mountain.”

Portland-born and L.A.-based Alexandra Savior opened the night. A frequent collaborator of Mini Mansion’s Zach Dawes (who is featured on her 2017 debut “Belladonna of Sadness”), Savior played an assortment of songs off her debut and 2019 release “The Archer.”

Set list: Freak Out!, Death is a Girl, Creeps, Midnight in Tokyo, GummyBear, Any Emotions, Vertigo, I’m in Love, Monk, Works Every Time, Hey Lover, Bad Things. Encore: Honey I’m Home, Mirror Mountain.

Photos and recap by Zane Roessell