I walked into Club Helsinki with high expectations. It’s one of those smaller, intimate venues where you feel like the artist is just there, playing for you and a few dozen others, rather than a massive crowd. Aimee Mann has always had that kind of effect — her songs are personal, the lyrics sharp, a mix of melancholy and wit — so somewhere like Helsinki Hudson is ideal. The lighting was modest, the stage set close to the crowd, no huge visuals or theatrics. Just a band, a voice, and songs that mean something.
Setlist
Here’s the setlist from that night, or very near to it, as far as I tracked:
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Disappeared
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Gumby
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Labrador
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You Could Make a Killing
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Lost in Space
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Living a Lie (with Ted Leo)
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Charmer
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That’s Just What You Are
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Ray
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Save Me
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Wise Up
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One (Harry Nilsson cover)
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Slip and Roll
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Soon Enough
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Goodbye Caroline
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It’s Not Safe
Encore:
17. Ghost World
18. 4th of July
19. Voices Carry (‘Til Tuesday song) (with Ted Leo)
What It Was Like
Opener & Early Energy
She started with “Disappeared,” a song that immediately sets a tone — somewhat wistful, reflective, tinged with criticism, but not bitter. The crowd was warm, attentive, the kind of room where silence between songs feels respectful rather than awkward. “Gumby” followed — more upbeat, playful, and I remember appreciating how her band kicked in so solidly behind her without overwhelming the subtleties in her voice or the guitars.
Then “Labrador,” which pulled from her then-recent album Charmer. That album’s sound gave those songs a sleek quality — still Mann’s trademark lyrical intelligence, but with more polish, more layered production. Live, “Labrador” had a balance: the sheen of the studio version, but with enough looseness that you could hear the edge. “You Could Make a Killing” came through strongly; it’s one of those songs where the melody stays with you and the words keep you thinking.
Middle Stretch: Deep Cuts & Collaborations
As the set progressed, there were a fair number of songs that were more subdued, more emotionally off-center, where Mann’s voice showed its nuance: fragile, but resilient. “Lost in Space” was one of those, quietly intense, and then “Living a Lie,” performed with Ted Leo, added another texture. Their voices together gave a kind of warmth and camaraderie. The crowd definitely perked up when Ted Leo joined: you could sense shared energy, some friendly stage banter, smiles exchanged.
“Charmer,” “That’s Just What You Are,” “Ray” — these songs functioned as bridges between the more pop-inflected and more introspective. Mann’s lyrics onstage that night felt particularly sharp: self-critique, longing, frustration, but always with lyricism and wit. “Save Me” came at a moment where the room was quiet; people hung on the chords and the chorus. “Wise Up” followed, which many were there for, obviously, given its fame from Magnolia. It’s always a balancing act to perform your big known songs and your newer or less well-known ones, and Mann did that well: giving space to both.
“One,” the Harry Nilsson cover, was a special treat. Covers can be hit or miss, but when Mann does them, she tends to pick ones that complement her voice and style. This one was delicate, slower, and felt revelatory more than just homage. Then “Slip and Roll,” “Soon Enough,” “Goodbye Caroline,” “It’s Not Safe” closed out the main set with both melancholy and a sort of acceptance, moving from darker moods back toward something gathering light (even if wistful).
Encore & Climax
When she came back, “Ghost World” opened the encore — a song that always feels like an emotional pulse, a reminder of what her strongest material can do: register loss, disillusionment, hope, all at once. Then “4th of July,” another that tugs at memory and time passing. And finally “Voices Carry,” done with Ted Leo. It felt celebratory, not just for nostalgia, but for what the song represents: Aimee Mann as artist, songwriter, someone whose work has meant something to many people for years. The crowd sang along, quietly but with feeling, especially during the chorus. It wrapped things up with a satisfying arc: personal, bittersweet, and honest.
Musicianship, Performance & Atmosphere
The band backing her was excellent: tight, responsive, able to pull back or push when needed. Sometimes in smaller venues, supporting players can sound over-eager or lose the dynamic, but here they weren’t too loud or showy. Mann’s guitar work alternated between acoustic and electric, and she shifted from one mood to another with fluidity. Her voice, live, has a fragile quality: she doesn’t pretend to power-house belting; instead, it’s about inflection, about emotional resonance. That night, there were moments where she stumbled a bit on intros or lyrics (which she acknowledges openly, with good humor), but that added to the feeling that this was live, human, not a perfect machine.
Club Helsinki is small. The audience was close enough to see facial expressions, to sense when she paused, when she exhaled. There were laughs in the audience (from her jokes or asides), small applause between lesser-known songs, big applause when familiar songs came up. The lighting was simple, ambient; nothing fancy, which suits this kind of show. You go for the songs, the presence, not spectacle.
What Stood Out & What Slightly Missed
High Points
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Emotional honesty: Songs like “Save Me,” “Ghost World,” “Lost in Space,” “Voices Carry” — these were performed with real weight. It’s one thing to sing them; another to inhabit them. Mann did that.
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Song variety: The setlist avoided being too predictable. There was new, there was old, deep cuts, big hits, covers. It kept attention.
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Collaboration with Ted Leo: That partnership on a few songs added warmth, variety, interplay. It wasn’t a gimmick; it helped highlight contrasts in voice and approach.
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Intimacy & pacing: Mann knows how to pace a set so the audience is held: when to pull back, when to let the rock or fuller sound in, when to aim for reflection.
Slight misses or things I wished were different
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Energy peaks: There weren’t many explosive moments. That’s not necessarily a flaw, because it wasn’t what the show was about. But I found myself longing for a song or two where the band pushed further, just more volume, more guitars for contrast.
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Transitions between moods: Moving from darker, slower songs into more buoyant ones sometimes felt a little abrupt or jarring. A show like this depends a lot on emotional transitions; there were a couple of spots where when a lighter song followed a heavy one, the shift left me needing a beat to re-orient.
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Length / encore decision: The encore was good, but after “Voices Carry” I thought, “Is that it?” It closed well, but perhaps a surprise song beyond what people expected (a deep cut or new song) might have made the ending linger more.
My Experience
I remember sitting toward the back, but because the venue is small, even back seats weren’t far. I could see the stage clearly, hear well; occasionally, a guitar amp flickered in the lights, shadows from the audience across the aisle moving in time. I felt connected: the audience was attentive, not shouting or talking over songs, which let the quiet parts breathe. Between songs Aimee made asides — about the tour, about collaborating with others, small jokes about the venue, about how life is strange. It made her feel less distant; songs you know from records become stories she’s telling you. After the show, that feeling persisted — a lyric line here, a story in a song shift there.
Overall Thoughts
That night at Club Helsinki I walked away feeling glad I’d gone. It wasn’t a transcendent show that changed me, but it was one of those rare concerts where what you came for (honest songwriting, emotional shade, voice & guitar & lyrics) was delivered fully. No huge surprises, but no disappointments either. The kind of show that makes you revisit the songs afterward, think about them more, maybe notice something new in the album versions because of what she did live.
If I were to give it a grade, I’d say something like “A-”: strong, beautifully performed, emotionally rich, just missing a couple of more dramatic moments or a longer encore to make it unforgettable.