Icon for Hire (Decatur, IL)
September 22nd, 2026
The Fine Line in Minneapolis, MN
There’s a group of bands I have in my head that I sort of categorize as personal legacy bands. Not legacy in the sense that they’re old or anything, or that I even have a legacy, but in the sense that they’re all integral in shaping me as a photographer and making me feel like I belong at what I was trying to do. Icon for Hire is one of those bands for me.
I first got to see them play at the Triple Rock (rip) in 2017, one of the few shows I got to see there before it closed down, and have been catching them ever since over this past decade. From a small room like the Triple Rock to other similarly smallish rooms like The Garage in Burnsville, Turf Club in Saint Paul, and the Studio B room at Skyway Theater. Last night I got to see them at The Fine Line in downtown Minneapolis and it was the most rewarding time seeing them play for such a packed and good crowd.
I’ve always loved seeing Icon for Hire play, they were one of my favorite of the late 10’s, but there was something about this time in town being for a 15 year anniversary of their first album and seeing all the people that turned out for it, that made it feel the most special. It’s a feel good story of a band that decided to say fuck you to the system and go indie, and still be supported by such die hard fans a decade and a half later.
Performance-wise this night is going to go down as one of my favorites of the band’s. I guess that was sort of a given as I do tend to like the older stuff more than the new, but all around there was a looseness, yet technical prowess through the set. I loved that both singer Ariel Bloomer and guitarist Shawn Jump were able to take moments to talk to us in the crowd about their trials and tribulations, including Shawn’s health scare that kept him bedridden for many days. Ariel posted earlier in the day and started the show off telling us that she was starting to have a bit of issues with her voice, so through the night three guests from the crowd that helped sing multiple songs. Props to Ariel for powering through and still being the focal point on the songs, it made for some sweet moments and certainly made the night stand out from others.
On the way to and from the show I ran into a very friendly guy John, and if I were to sum up the night, it’d be what I ended up telling him after finding out that it was his first time both seeing Icon for Hire and being at the Fine Line; Icon for Hire might be a bit different from what the pop punk and metal I normally lean towards, but they have a perfect blend of pop rock melodies with moments here and there that metalheads would be happy to headbang to. “Get Well,” “Make a Move,” and “Off With Her Head” were easy highlights of the night for me that quickly reminded me of why I loved watching the band years ago.
I’m proud of these guys for still doing the thing 15+ years later and proud I’ve been able to see them for 10 years of it almost.
