“Everyone really needs some love right now.”

Those were the words of Daryl Hall as he addressed a relatively slight audience of 3,217 at the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand. He knew that he had arrived in a state that’s in a lot of pain after Wednesday’s shooting at a Minneapolis church. So he and his six-piece backing band set out to deliver a set full of sweetness, their bouncy pop built on foundations of funky grooves and the kind of catchy choruses ideal for communal sing-alongs.

Add an inspiring opening set from the Rascals — a vintage rhythm-and-blues-based band whose heyday preceded that of Hall and his former partner, John Oates, by about 15 years — and you have an uplifting show, an evening of sonic salve that deserved a considerably more substantial audience.

Hall and his band

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