W♥M

03/26/2025

Bright Eyes w/ Hurray for the Riff Raff at Uptown Theater, Kansas City MO (21 March 2025)

BRIGHT EYES SETLIST

Bright Eyes 2025-03-21 KCMO Uptown Setlist

Bells and Whistles
El Capitan
Method Acting
Bas Jan Ader
Take It Easy (Love Nothing)
We Are Nowhere and It's Now
First Day of My Life
Mariana Trench
Soul Singer in a Session Band
Poison Oak
Loose Leaves
Shell Games
Contrast and Compare (with Waxahatchee)
Rainbow Overpass
Tiny Suicides
Old Soul Song (for the New World Order)
Clairaudients (Kill or Be Killed) (w HFTRR's Alynda Segarra)
Lua (with HFTRR's Alynda Segarra)
Tin Soldier Boy

Encore:
The Calendar Hung Itself...
Dreaming (Blondie cover) (with HFTRR's Alynda Segarra)
Let's Not Shit Ourselves (to Love and to Be Loved)

HURRAY FOR THE RIFF RAFF SETLIST

Hurray for the Rifff Raff 2025-03-21 KCMO Uptown Setlist

Alibi
Hawkmoon
Dynamo
Buffalo
Colossus of Roads
Snakeplant (The Past Is Still Alive)
Pyramid Scheme
Vetiver
The World Is Dangerous
Ogallala

BRIGHT EYES TOUR DATES

Mar 22 The Pageant St Louis, MO
Mar 30 Treefort Music Fest Boise, Idaho
Apr 1 Washington's Fort Collins, CO
Apr 3 The Sylvee Madison, WI
Apr 4 Palace Theatre Saint Paul, MN
Apr 5 The Salt Shed Chicago, IL
Apr 6 The Intersection Grand Rapids, MI
Apr 8 Royal Oak Music Theatre Royal Oak, MI
Apr 9 Agora Theater & Ballroom Cleveland, OH
Apr 10 HISTORY Toronto, ON, Canada
Apr 11 Buffalo RiverWorks Buffalo, NY
Apr 12 The Paramount Huntington, NY
Apr 13 State Theatre, Portland, Maine
Apr 15 Higher Ground South Burlington, VT
Apr 17 Brooklyn Paramount Brooklyn, NY
Apr 18 Citizens House of Blues Boston, MA
Apr 19 The Met Philadelphia, PA
Apr 20 The Anthem Washington, DC
Apr 22 Roxian Theatre Mckees Rocks, PA
Apr 23 MegaCorp Pavilion Newport, KY
Apr 24 Old Forester's Paristown Hall Louisville, KY
Apr 25 Egyptian Room Indianapolis, IN
Apr 26 Val Air Ballroom West Des Moines, IA
Apr 27 The Astro La Vista, NE
Jun 16 Rock City Nottingham, UK
Jun 17 O2 Academy Bristol, UK
Jun 18 O2 Academy Leeds, UK
Jun 20 The National Stadium Dublin, Ireland
Jun 21 Albert Hall Manchester, UK
Jun 22 Barrowland Ballroom Glasgow, UK
Jun 24 The Wulfrun Hall Wolverhampton, UK
Jun 25 O2 Shepherds Bush Empire London, UK
Jun 27 Doornroosje Nijmegen, NL
Jun 28 Fabrik Hamburg, Germany
Jun 29 Huxleys Neue Welt Berlin, Germany
Jul 1 Leiligheten Rockefeller Oslo, Norway
Jul 2 Fållan Johanneshov, Sweden
Jul 3 Roskilde Festival Roskilde, Denmark
Jul 5 Rock Werchter Werchter, Belgium
Jul 6 Bostheater Amsterdam, NL
Jul 7 Carlswerk Victoria Köln, Germany
Jul 9 Teatre Apolo Barcelona, Spain
Jul 10 Mad Cool Festival Madrid, Spain
Jul 11 Gozo Festival Gibraltar Neutral Zone, Spain
Jul 12 NOS Alive Oeiras, Portugal

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Bright Eyes

Bright Eyes, brighter future. Conor Oberst (formerly Bright Eyes) will be at the Palace Theatre in St Paul on Thursday. Oberst recently appeared on Charlie Rose .…

Call it a musical Yahtzee!

Bright Eyes (led by Conor Oberst) has returned to the road in support of latest full-length, “Five Dice, All Threes” and Kansas City and the Uptown Theater crowd was also lucky enough to have Hurray for the Riff Raff along as support (plus a special guest appearance!) to make for a fun and entertaining night out.

The evening began with a solid 45-minute opening set from New Orleans native Alynda Segarra aka Hurray for the Riff Raff, in support of their recent 2024 release, “The Past is Still Alive” (on Nonesuch Records). It was one of the last remaining dates with the headliner before the band makes a headlining tour run of their own.

As it’s their eight full-length record and set time was limited, Segarra didn’t speak much between songs (not any more than usual anyway) but was verbally thankful to be on the road together, and appreciated the response the band’s been getting, especially to the newer material.

The set began with the recent album’s lead single, “Alibi”, described by Segarra as "a reckoning with time and memory" in an attempt to reach someone that is "destined to be lost"

The rest of the set was also very focused on the new record; playing the majority of it, as lyrical themes seemed to turn bleaker and more overcast.

The brand-new single, “Pyramid Scheme” spoke to the chaotic modern day political climate, and “Ogallala”, set in nearby rural Nebraska, ended things with Segarra and band singing “with a tear in my eye to watch the world burn.”

===

As lights went down again, the audience may have first thought it was at a related Desaparecidos show, from the pre-taped female Spanish-speaking intro voice, but all was reassured as Conor Oberst and Bright Eyes took to the stage for their hundred-minute set to the tune of Dick Van Dyke’s “Bye Bye Birdie”-era, “Put on a Happy Face” (before it screeched to a mid-verse halt).

The new album is “Five Dice, All Threes” (released last September via Dead Oceans) and the voice-related issues Oberst had happen last fall, seem well in the rearview mirror, with the Omaha native now sounding his usual and vintage best vocally.

Like the openers, the initial focus was on the newer material, with the band opening with “Bells and Whistles” from the recent record and working in “Bas Jan Ader,” about a Dutch performing artist and photographer who died in 1975 at age 33, by disappearing into the ocean.

Oberst effortlessly then dialed two decades back for early single, “Take It Easy (Love Nothing)” and he dedicated “We Are Nowhere and It's Now” to the openers, whom he also highly praised. 2020’s “Mariana Trench” was particularly impactful live and “Soul Singer in a Session Band” was described as “about someone that tries to pass as ordinary...but can’t, because they’re so beautiful, that no one buys it”.

Katie Crutchfield (aka Waxahatchee) joined Oberst in the studio on a re-recorded version of his 1998 song “Contrast And Compare” three years ago, and the Kansas City audience was lucky enough to be the very first to see the song performed live by both, filled with horns and a swaying tempo.

The guest vocals weren’t completely over though, as HFTRR’s Segarra re-emerged to duet on both “Clairaudients (Kill or Be Killed)” and another early Oberst single, “Lua”. Both thrilled live and showed how great Oberst and the band are with a co-vocalist like either of them.

New song “Soldier Boy” would end the main set, but the band would “soldier on” too, with an encore as they came back out to begin with 2000’s “The Calendar Hung Itself…” and then brought back Segarra to transform the stage into a dance party (missing the disco ball though) with their upbeat and energetic cover of the Blondie classic, “Dreaming”.

That song again not only proved how well Oberst works with co-vocals but also Segarra’s musical dexterity to expertly sing a pop song, should there ever be a venture in that direction. Going back two decades once more, the night would end with “Let's Not Sh*t Ourselves (to Love and to Be Loved)” and the longtime fans in the audience singing right along (on all seven verses!) gleefully along with the band.

Bright Eyes is clearly back- sounding healthy and with urgent new music, and this show in particular with some “friends” on stage helping sing, made it that much more special of a night-- “Five Dice, All Threes”? This was no game of chance, this was a musical Yahtzee!!

(click on any image to enlarge and see in full)

BRIGHT EYES at Uptown Theater- Kansas City MO (2025-03-21)

BRIGHT EYES (w/WAXAHATCHEE) at Uptown Theater- Kansas City MO (2025-03-21)

HURRAY FOR THE RIFF RAFF at Uptown Theater- Kansas City MO (2025-03-21)

John C ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥X / twitter.com ♥ bsky.ap

Posted at 04:31 PM in Bright Eyes, Conor Oberst, Hurray for the Riff Raff, John, Kansas City, Review, Uptown Theater | Permalink | Comments (0)

Minneapolis: April 24 to April 25, 2025

We♥KC! March 29-31, 2025 Upcoming concerts / shows (Kansas City, MO / Lawrence KS / Topeka KS)

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Bob Dylan

Legendary Bob Dylan is back in town for a residency at the Orpheum Theatre from November 4-November 6th. This should be a much better experience than his last …

Read more Kansas City Music Guide.

Month’s end!

March weather may supposedly go “out like a lamb” (maybe not this wacky year!) but concerts and shows are definitely still “roaring like a lion” as this last weekend is pretty packed, with no less than the Bobfather himself returning to navigate the still-terrible street conditions of Topeka for the first time in decades!

Let’s take look at the Kansas City / Lawrence KS / Topeka KS metro musical happenings for the upcoming weekend, from March 29th-31st:

(ticket hyperlinks are embedded in each show’s headline)

SATURDAY MARCH 29

Warrant, BulletBoys, Mar 29, Uptown, $29-$75

The Down Boys are back!

The Hollywood rockers have been around since 1994 and of course, had massive success with their debut album, "Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich," from 1989 with its hit singles "Down Boys," "Sometimes She Cries," and "Heaven." That success paved the way for their second album, "Cherry Pie," which was released in 1990. The title track, "Cherry Pie," became the band's biggest hit, reaching number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The band continued to release successful albums throughout the 1990s, including "Dog Eat Dog" and "Ultraphobic."

They continue to tour and release new music with vocalist Robert Mason, including recent album, "Louder Harder Faster," and we covered them live last, back in Minnesota in late 2016.

Arrive early for longtime rockers BulletBoys who are welcoming back a founding member after a few years absent from the band. Lonnie Vincent, who left the band in 2022, is coming back and joining him will be guitarist Jake Faun who’s worked with David Lee Roth and Winger. Smooth Up!

Giovannie and the Hired Guns, Mar 29, Bottleneck-Lawrence, $23-$25

Giovannie and The Hired Guns are back on tour in support of their fourth full-length album, Quitter, just out earlier this month and prefaced by the title track as a lead single. We saw them live at this same venue in 2023, and the band has a continued strong Kansas fan base, as evidenced by booking four KS shows on this tour.

Since their inception in 2015, the group has merged alt-metal, Red Dirt country, Latin pop, Americana, and much more. The new record is their second LP since signing with Warner Music Nashville through Warner Music Latina and was recorded at the famed Sonic Ranch (a residential studio near the Mexican border in Tornillo, TX).

““Quitter” is about being out on tour all the time and never getting to be at home and also feeling like you don’t deserve the person who’s back at home waiting for you,” says Giovannie Yanez. “Everything kind of clicked for this album after we wrote ‘Quitter,. Jerrod came up with a riff and I just jumped in and started singing those opening lines: ‘Here we go again/Pass me a Xan.’ It was exactly what I was going through at the time, but I didn’t even mean for it to come out.”

Harlem Globetrotters, Mar 29, T-Mobile Center, $20-$200

Don't bet on the Washington Generals! The basketball team that brings the most fun, the Harlem Globetrotters level-up every game with all-new, exciting challenges in 2025! You'll see all that you've come to expect at every Globetrotters game, plus new trials as players face-off to see who can pull off trick shots and more! See you favorite Globetrotter stars versus their renowned rivals, the Generals. Packages and VIP available, we saw them about ten years ago and they’re still a fun show.

SUNDAY MARCH 30

Killswitch Engage w Kublai Khan TX Fit for a King, Frozen Soul, Mar 30, The Midland, $39-$81

The Massachusetts three-time Grammy-nominated hard rockers (Jesse Leach, vocals; Adam Dutkiewicz, guitar; Joel Stroetzel, guitar; Mike D'Antonio, bass; and Justin Foley, drums) are back on tour with a renewed energy, in support of their brand-new album, “This Consequence” released February 21 via Metal Blade, with lead single, “I Believe.”

"We are very excited to be back out on the road in support of our incoming new album," states singer Jesse Leach. “['This Consequence'] means the world to us so we will be giving it our absolute all on these shows. Be sure to come out; it will be one for the memories!"

This tour leg started March 5 in Nashville and runs through April 12 in Portland, ME and is a packed four-band lineup, so make sure to arrive early to secure a good spot!

Bob Dylan, Mar 30, TPAC- Topeka, $65-$262

The Bobfather has expanded his touring schedule yet again, still on his “Rough and Rowdy Ways Tour,” named after his 2020 album of the same name, which mark his most recent original, full-length release to date. ahead of his participation in the 2025 “Outlaw Music Festival Tour.”

He returns to Topeka for the first time in years, having played TPAC in 1994 and the old Expocentre back in Spring 2001.

Of course, his early days were recently chronicled in the Timothée Chalamet-starring Oscar-nominated bio film A Complete Unknown, and believe it or not, he also recently joined TikTok. Live, Bob plays what he wants to play (so don’t expect a hit parade), doesn’t say much at all between songs, and the stage is usually dark, but that’s the legend for you!

Waylon Wyatt, Mar 30, Knuckleheads, Sold Out

This is one hot sold-out show! The teen rising Red Dirt Country singer-songwriter from Hackett, AR is out on his 13-date headlining Til The Sun Goes Down Tour.

He was recently named a 2025 Artist To Watch by Amazon and Music Mayhem Magazine and released his debut EP, Til The Sun Goes Down, in 2024, a project that he solely produced and wrote (in his childhood home!), which has racked up over 5 million streams across platforms.

Here’s what he said about the tour: "Going on my first tour ever!! Might just be coming to a town near you!! Thank y’all so much for supporting me. I’ll be on spring break from school during this tour so I’m actually gonna have some time to travel. Hope to see y’all at this next string of shows!!"

MONDAY MARCH 31

Kraftwerk, Mar 31, The Midland, $39-$100

Ze fun, fun, fun of fifty years of the Autobahn! Kraftwerk co-founder Ralf Hutter still leads the iconic German synth outfit and is celebrating five decades on this “Multi-media Tour-50 Years of Autobahn” paying tribute to the band’s first US tour in 1975 to promote their fourth album of the same name.

Bringing together electronic-music computer animations and performance art, Kraftwerk concerts are a true "Gesamtkunstwerk – a total work of art.”The group was founded in 1970 by Ralf Huetter and Florian Schneider. They set up their electronic Kling Klang Studio in Duesseldorf, where they conceived and produced all Kraftwerk albums.

By the mid 1970’s Kraftwerk had achieved international recognition for their revolutionary electronic ‘sound scapes’ and their musical experimentation with robotics and other technical innovations. With their visions of the future, they created the soundtrack for the digital age of the 21st century and were constantly ahead of their time.

In 2014, Huetter and Schneider were honored with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. and in 2021 Kraftwerk were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Danielle Nicole, Mar 31, Kauffman Center, free for Spotlight members

A true KC favorite and winner of eight Blues Music Awards, Danielle Nicole Band, led by vocalist and bassist Danielle Nicole, has carved a niche in the contemporary blues scene. Known for her soulful voice, stage presence and skillful bass playing, Danielle Nicole blends blues with elements of soul, rock and R&B. We caught her live last in 2023.

Her solo debut album, “Wolf Den,” peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Blues Charts and earned 7.5 million Spotify streams. Her follow-up album, “Cry No More” (2018), was Grammy-nominated in the contemporary blues category and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Blues Charts – and can claim more than 10 million Spotify streams. Most recently, “The Love You Bleed” (2024) spun more than 1.2 million streams in its first year.

If not yet a Spotlight member, signup is available and consider supporting the Arts in this fine manner--
5:30 p.m. – Doors open. Complimentary wine, beer, seasonal cocktail and appetizers.
7 p.m. – Danielle Nicole Band performance in Muriel Kauffman Theatre.
8:15 p.m. – Artist meet-and-greet in Brandmeyer Great Hall. Cash bar available.

National Touring act coming to Kansas City, Lawrence, KS, Topeka, KS, or vicinity? Let us know so we can spotlight the appearance-email [email protected]

john c ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ X / twitter.com

Posted at 03:29 AM in Bob Dylan, BulletBoys, Danielle Nicole, Giovannie and the Hired Guns, John, Kansas City, Kansas City Music Guide, Kauffman Center, Killswitch Engage, Kraftwerk, Lawrence, Preview, Topeka, Warrant | Permalink | Comments (0)

03/25/2025

Minneapolis: April 23, 2025

03/24/2025

Lilly Hiatt at Turf Club (23 Mar 2025)

Lilly Hiatt Setlist

Rae
Hidden Day
Trinity Lane
The Night David Bowie Died
Somewhere
Kwik-E-Mart
Rotterdam
Ride
Man
3 Days
Face
Walking Proof
P-Town
Everything I Had
Sucker
Thoughts
Shouldn’t Be
Never Play Guitar

-- Encore --
Machine
Records

Tour Dates

3/24/25 Vinyl Cup Records, Des Moines, IA

3/28/25 Sunset Tavern, Seattle, WA

3/29/25 Trout Lake Hall, Trout Lake, WA

3/30/25 The Showdown, Portland, OR

4/1/25 Bottom of the Hill, San Francisco, CA

4/3/25 The Wayfarer, Costa Mesa, CA

4/4/25 Permanent Records Roadhouse, LA, CA

4/5/25 The Dirty Drummer. Phoenix, AZ

4/8/25 The Continental Club, Houston, TX

4/9/25 Meridian, Buda, TX

4/10/25 Magnolia Motor Lounge, Fort Worth, TX

4/11/25 White Water Tavern, Little Rock, AR

4/12/25 Hernando's Hideaway, Memphis, TN

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Lilly Hiatt

Lilly Hiatt is currently on tour. The new single, “Hidden Day” is out now on New West Records. The song is the first new music issued by New West since her Lately LP in 2021. …

One of the difficulties of music genre is the lines between genres and what all can exist within a genre category. “Americana” is a great example, where nearly straight country can co-exist with Southwest inspired rock or a folk blues band. So, when a pair of Americana singer songwriters invaded Turf Clubon Sunday night, I was intrigued to see which parts of that label we would hear.

Suzie Chism is a multi-media artist (singer & actress) based in Nashville. Having only released singles to this point, she really seems to be introducing herself to new audiences. Playing solo, she came out with acoustic guitar and strong vocals. With a sparkling dress and multiple silver rings on her strumming band, every movement reflected the light around her. As she described being from Tennessee, she said, “We do some country ass music out there” and that was a fair description of her very country style. She described the second song as having being written when playing dice on the back porch at a time with an ex who she needed to get away from. That directness was found through the lyrics (“Love is patient, love is kind, left me hanging on the vine”).

Chism’s humor was great. As she set up the third song, Til the wheels Fall Off, she said “It’s only doing really well in Ohio of all places…”, getting a good laugh from the crowd. Deciding on the next song, she rhetorically asked “Do y’all want some Nashville sh*t?”. Later in the set, Living Proof, was a bit more bluesy and darker. Banter between songs continued to be as enjoyable as the music itself; “This is the saddest song I’ve ever written, enjoy!”. Chism has a bright vocal quality even with the twang that carries her songs in a distinctive way. Chism mentioned that she’s working on her first vinyl, even to the point of still determining which songs will be on it. A through line of vignettes about her Swedish fiancée got a great resolution that he had gotten his visa while Chism has been on tour. She ended her forty-five minute set with the song My Bar and saying, “This is my first time in Saint Paul, but I promise to come back”. We’ll be waiting.

A side note: I had an out of state relative join me at Turf Club for her first rock concert in multiple decades, and definitely her first in the Twin Cities. It was a lot of fun to see the concert through her eyes. She really liked the venue, appreciating its history as the jazz club that survived. Her perspective on the music, as someone not very familiar with a lot of rock, much less Americana, had a fresh look. She had done her homework, getting a Lilly Hiatt album in the weeks ahead of the concert and definitely enjoyed the experience. It’s a great reminder that there are a lot of ways to get into the music scene and that there are ways regular concert goers can encourage it and make it accessible.

Lilly Hiatt is also a Nashville based artist who has been active since the early 2010’s. With six albums under her belt, that includes this year’s release Forever. The quartet (dual guitars, bass & drums) came out loud and fast. The second song, Trinity Lane, absolutely ripped and the band was pumped up. Hiatt kept initial chatter brief, saying “This is our favorite part of the day, and that’s all I have to say about that” and then proceeded into The Night David Bowie Died. Hiatt and band easily ride between rock and more country sounding songs, exemplified by guitar solos that could be in a my rock song, but having that slide guitar effect. Similarly, Hiatt can sing with a bit of twang or not at all and those small adjustments make major differences to the sound.

Hiatt and band kept the overall pace of the show at a blistering speed, all in the best possible way. A new song, Kwik-E Mart, was fun and engaging, with Hiatt’s lyrics a standout. Rotterdam was right on the razor’s edge of genres and highlighted the band’s overall sound. There’s a deceptively easy feel from the band that is held together by their strong musicianship. Different songs had different back up vocalists, providing further differentiation between songs. When Hiatt introduced a song originally intended to be about a boyfriend who later dumped her is now about her dog, it got the applause it deserved. Perhaps tangentially, the next song, Man, was written about her husband and had a classic country feel.

The quickest of tunings (this band seemingly did everything fast), led to 3 Days, and a lot more of the country tones. A change of guitars for Face almost started in the wrong key before a last second correction. This was part of a country heavy section of the concert, and did seem just a touch slower than the earlier numbers. That pace purposefully hit its lowest for the country blues number Everything I Had and included three part harmony on the chorus. And indeed, Sucker, started picking back up as if we had hit the top of the roller coaster and were heading down towards the finale. Shouldn’t Be is a great rocker and had Hiatt at her best and a smoking guitar solo and led to the close of a band playing a very broad definition of Americana.

Suzie Chism

Lilly Hiatt

Lilly Hiatt at Turf Club (23 Mar 2025)

thaddeus ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Posted at 11:34 AM in Lilly Hiatt, St Paul, Thaddeus, Turf Club | Permalink | Comments (0)

Minneapolis: April 22, 2025

03/23/2025

Transmission 24

Transmission 24 at First Avenue (22 Mar 2025)

Partial Playlist

I Touch Myself - The Divinyls

Kiss Them For Me - Souixsie and the Banshees

Too Shy - Kajagoogoo

West End Girls - Pet Shop Boys

Pure - Lightning Seeds

Everybody Wants to Rule the World - Tears For Fears

Here Comes the Rain Again - Eurythmics

It’s My Life - Talk Talk

Love My Way - The Psychedelic Furs

Psycho Killer - Talking Heads

Roxanne - The Police

One way or Another - Blondie

Don’t Change - INXS

Temptation - New Order

Just Can’t Get Enough - Depeche Mode

Our Lips Are Sealed - The Go-Go’s

Modern Love - David Bowie

Blister in the Sun - Violent Femmes

It’s the End of the World - R.E.M.

Been Caught Stealing - Jane’s Addiction

Laid - James

Mandinka - Sinead O’Connor

Just What I Needed - The Cars

Dancing with Myself - Billy Idol

Lust for Life - Iggy Pop

Are You Gonna Be My Girl? - Jet

Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand

Pressure - Queen & David Bowie

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Transmission

The 23rd Anniversary Transmission, with DJ Jake Rudh, is this March 29, 2024, at First Avenue, in Minneapolis. This is a great social event that you can spend on your Friday night with your friends …

In addition to live music, First Avenue hosts a number of DJ dance parties. King among these is the annual Transmission show hosted by DJ Jake Rudh. Rudh is well known for his weekly show of the same name on The Current radio station, as well as throughout the Twin Cities night club scene.

The set up is a familiar one for those who have seen Rudh before. Doors open as he gets started, sliding between songs with the videos on the large screen, while Rudh controls everything from the booth at the back of the second floor. With a focus on New Wave, British Invasion, and similar genres, Rudh weaves a continuous mix of danceable music. An early appearance of The Divinyls’ I Touch Myself had a round of applause from the early revelers.

Rudh has honed this to such a fine point that, superficially, it looks effortless, which to me is a sign of the skill and work that went into the mix. During a great mix of British bands, punctuated by Pet Shop Boys’ classic West End Girls, Rudh briefly got on the microphone to welcome the crowd and his appreciation of those who have supported Transmission before launching back into the music. The Lightning Seeds’ Pure had many in the crowd singing along, as the dance floor really started to get crowded.

Though the crowd might have skewed a little older, it was one united by the wish to let loose on the dance floor. There were a number of people outfitted for the evening, ranging from classic club dance wear to more unique looks (someone dressed up in a Ms. America sash and tiara). The Eurythmics’ Here Comes the Rain Again got a new influx of dancers. The overriding vibe was one of joy, just having this moment of communal music and dance. It was fun to see people having so much fun. Roxanne by The Police continued to amp the crowd, and when that was directly followed by Blondie’s One Way or Another was a masterful way to ramp up the adrenaline.

It was also interesting to watch Rudh time a few exits from the booth to catch up with fans and friends. Although he was clearly pleased to be talking with people, you could see him mentally timing how much time he had before the next transition and needing to get back to the music. Overall, Rudh kept the hits rolling and it was an extremely appreciative audience. Just as you thought there couldn’t be another banger to keep the dancers going, Rudh would transition to the next one that would keep people out the for “just this last one”. For many people, the evening may have been summed up by a latter entry of The Cars’ Just What I Needed. Rudh led yet another evening of enjoyment and forgetting the outside world for a little bit.

Transmission 24 at First Avenue (22 Mar 2025)

thaddeus ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Posted at 10:00 AM in DJ Jake Rudh, Electric Fetus, First Avenue, Minneapolis, Thaddeus, The Current, Transmission | Permalink | Comments (0)

Weekend Gamer: Play Anywhere

Xbox Play Anywhere

Details

Buy once, play anywhere
Games that support Xbox Play Anywhere play on PC and Xbox console at no additional cost.

Progress goes with you
Pick up where you left off on PC, Xbox console, or supported handhelds - bringing all your saves, game add-ons, and achievements with you. Xbox Play Anywhere badge

1,000 games and growing
Games that support Xbox Play Anywhere have a badge in the Store on xbox.com, console, and PC.

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Xbox

The much-rumored Xbox Handheld, codename Keenan, is coming to us closer than you think (I first mentioned this in Nov 2024)! The details are exclusively from a report …

I’ve been a big fan of Xbox Play Anywhere (XPA) program for a few years now, and was happy to hear from the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in California, that Xbox announced over 1,000 titles (they’re also counting the future titles South of Midnight and Doom: The Dark Ages) are now Xbox Play Anywhere.

As you can see from the marketing, “Buy once, play across PC, Xbox consoles, and supported gaming handhelds.” That ‘handheld’ wording is probably referencing the ROG Ally or the future Xbox Handheld.

The announcement via xbox.com:

As we touched on earlier this week, there are now over 1,000 developers utilizing Xbox Play Anywhere (XPA) for their games, bringing their amazing experiences to players across a variety of devices they own.

If you’ve never heard of XPA before, let us give you a refresher: when you buy a digital game that supports XPA through the Xbox Store or the Windows Store, it’s available to play on your Xbox console, Windows 10/11 PC, and supported handheld gaming devices at no additional cost. Even better, your progression comes with you across all platforms.

Yes, lately the only titles I will buy are the ones with Play Anywhere, because it was basically a two-for-one-deal for me. I buy the game once on the PC and it will automatically show up on my Xbox. However, there are some problems with XPA, and I’ll address them below.

First of all, not all games are XPA compatible, as you can see from that 1,000 number (it was much, much lower prior to this announcement). This is due to the game developers needing to opt-in to the XBA terms of service. Also, I suppose some developers wants you to re-buy their game on the Xbox.

The other problem is I bought some games on the Xbox consoles, and they do not show up on my PC Xbox App. In order to take advantage of Play Anywhere, you must purchase the game on the PC using the Windows Store. I don’t know why it’s a one-way street, so now I will only buy Xbox games using the Windows store.

This brings me to the last problem with Xbox Play Anywhere – they rarely have any good or decent sales on the PC store. You see regular weekly sales on the Xbox consoles (and they’re often much cheaper) than the PC store. The last time I bought something on the Xbox App was during Black Friday, and the discount weren’t even that great.

Right now, I don’t have a large Xbox library, but as more titles are available as XPA, going forward, I would prefer to buy those titles on Xbox, vs Steam… although I hate to say it, but currently, but lately, my go-to launcher is the Epic Games app (I currently have 515 titles). I’m currently playing Vampire Survivors, thanks to getting the game for free last year.

Every week I am adding a free title on Epic Games. This week the free game is Jurassic World Evolution 2, which originally came out in 2021 for full price. While I’m not really that interested in playing a dinosaur game… I still add the game to my library. Who knows, maybe in a few months or years, I will check it out when I’m bored.

Yours,

Weekend Gamer
[email protected]

03/22/2025

flipturn at Palace Theatre (22 Mar 2025)

flipturn Setlist

Juno
Inner Wave
Sunlight
Right?
Window
Swim Between Trees
Tides
Burnout Days
Sad Disco
Churches
August
Chicago
Nickel

Tour Dates

March 23 - Val Air - Des Moines, IA

March 26 - Egyptian Room - Indianapolis, IN

March 27 - KEMBA live! - Columbus, OH

March 28 - Royal Oak Music Theatre - Detroit, MI

March 29 - Danforth Music Hall - Toronto, ON

March 30 - Beanfield Theatre - Montreal, QB

April 2 - Higher Ground - Burlington, VT

April 4 - Terminal 5 - New York, NY

April 5 - Roadrunner - Boston, MA

April 9 - MEGACORP - Newport, KY

April 10 - Stage AE - Pittsburgh, PA

April 11 - Franklin Music Hall - Philadelphia, PA

April 12 - The Anthem - Washington, D.C.

April 16 - Avondale Brewing - Birmingham, AL

April 18 - HOB Orlando - Orlando, FL

April 27 - High Water Festival - North Charleston, SC

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Flipturn

Florida five-piece indie band Flipturn is named after a swimming maneuver, has a new single, “Playground” out this week, and promises their live show to be a complete and total release of inhibitions ....

Arcy Drive

New York’s Arcy Drive is headlining the 7th Street Entry this August 7th. The four friends (Nick, Pat, Brooke, Austin) love playing music, which they coined as “Attic-Rock.” ....

What a triumphant return for Florida’s flipturn at the Palace Theatre, in St Paul, on busy Saturday night (March 22, 2025).

There was a long line to enter the Palace, and the venue was packed full of teenagers seeing their favorite band. Talking to some fans, they discovered the band through word of mouth, TikTok, and social media. It seems like their fanbase steadily grow with each appearance. Speaking of which, this was the band’s sixth time in the area, with their most recent appearance with The Revivalists at the Palace on August 7, 2024.

Flipturn at 7th Street Entry (28 Oct 2022)

We did catch the band early in their career, when they played the much smaller venue, the 7th Street Entry, in Oct 2022: “The band features Dillon Basse on lead vocals, Tristan Duncan on lead guitar, Madeline Jarman on bass, Taylor Allen on synth, and Adrian Walker on drums. Flipturn’s been enjoying selling out multiple shows on their current headlining tour. The reasons that singer recounted was, “People just discovered us on their own. They'd hear about our shows, they'd check us out, and they'd keep coming back. Our live show is the reason we've been able to grow.””

Even back then, they were already outgrowing those smaller venues (having sold out much of their tour). Their next upgrade venue was the First Avenue’s mainroom, which they headlined last year (March 24, 2024), as part of their “Something More Tour” with support from Richy Mitch & The Coal Miners.

flipturn’s current set heavily leaned on their latest album, Burnout Days (Dualtone Records), as they launched into the intro song “Juno” (which also starts off their new record), followed by “Burnout Days” and “Inner Wave.”

You need to wait a bit for some older songs, like “Sad Disco” and their set finale “Space Cowboy” from their 2022 debut album Shadowglow.

Arcy Drive at 7th Street Entry (07 Aug 2023)

Opening the show was Arcy Drive. We previously saw this New York band at the 7th Street Entry in August 2023 and wrote, “Arcy Drive then sauntered on stage to Hot Chocolate's “You Sexy Thing.” Like the Lapdogs, they are a group of childhood friends. They are from Northport, NY, composed of Patrick Helrigel on bass, Brook Tuozzo on drums, Austin Jones on guitar and Nick Mateyunas on lead vocals and guitar. Although new to the scene with a proper debut album still to be released, they had a successful tour in the spring due to heavy social media following on Tiktok. They just played Lollapalooza in Chicago and Minneapolis was the beginning of their Stattic Tour Part II.”

We have the full band, Nick (singer and guitar player), Austin (guitar player), Pat (bass player), and Brooke (drummer), ready to rock out, and not to mention starting right on time… although due to some issues, and playing extended outros… it seems like the band overplayed their allotted set time with the soundboard person warning them about the time after the 30-min mark.

After playing “Seaside”, Nick announced they were going to play “Louie”, “The new one. If you know it, sing it with me.”

Highlight of the show was probably around “Desert Song”, which Nick broke a guitar string due to playing and rocking too hard. Normally, there is a guitar technician with an alternative guitar to swap out, but apparently, they didn’t have a guitar available. So Nick just winged it and the band played the rest of the song without that extra guitar. If you’re not familiar with the song, it sounded just fine.

The Palace Theatre Marquee

Arcy Drive	Arcy Drive
Arcy Drive	Arcy Drive

flipturn

flipturn at Palace Theatre (22 Mar 2025)

vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Posted at 11:33 PM in Arcy Drive, Flipturn, Palace Theatre, St Paul, The Revivalists, TikTok | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bella White at Fine Line (21 March 2025)

Bella White at Fine Line (21 Mar 2025)

Tour Dates

March 22 - Milwaukee, WI – Cactus Club

March 23 - Evanston, IL - SPACE

March 25 - Urbana, IL - Rose Bowl Tavern

March 26 - Columbus, OH – Rumba Cafe

March 28 - Toronto, ON – Horseshoe Tavern

March 29 - Montreal, QC – Petit Campus

March 30 - Ottawa, ON – Club Saw

April 1 - South Burlington, VT – Higher Ground

April 3 - Portland, ME – One Longfellow Square

April 4 - Allston, ME – Brighton Music Hall

April 5 - New York, NY – Mercury Lounge

April 6 - Washington, DC – Pearl St Warehouse

April 8 - Raleigh, NC - Kings

April 9 - Charlotte, NC – The Evening Muse

April 11 - Atlanta, GA – Eddie’s Attic

May 17 - London, UK - Highways Festival

Vuart

Bella White in Red (Vuart)

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Bella White

Singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Bella White will stop by the 7th Street Entry on Feb 10. She had recently finished her co-headlining tour with Taylor Ashton, and these new 2023 seems like a …

Singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Bella White kicked off her Spring 2025 Red Rhododendron at the Fine Line, in Minneapolis, on Friday, March 21.

Opening the show was a reluctant Mr. Sam (of Mr. Sam & the People People). Mr Sam (Sam Gelband) is Bella White’s drummer, but with the tour on the way and they didn’t have a support act, Sam agreed to open the tour.

As a result of last-minute decision, he confessed that he wasn’t prepared and didn’t have any merchandise. He did have seven albums he happened to have, so if anyone was interested, he did have those records.

With a 30-40 min set, he needed to fill out a lot of time, so he did give good explanations of some these new songs he was experimenting. He said they were good practice for him, because he needs to “learn these songs”.

Turns out, he used to be an improv comic (he mentioned one of his improv college friend was in the audience), so naturally he did have some hot commentaries and jokes. For example, he said that the New Orleans Pelicans vs Minnesota Timberwolves game was happening that Friday night. He doesn’t keep up with sports, but I would reckon the Timberwolves would dominate the game… but admitted that “wolves can’t fly”.

After a little story about how he was in a wedding cover band and they had to learn to play The B-52’s “Love Shack.” What a missed opportunity, he could have launched into that song, but instead played some songs that started with “Hard to Believe”.

He had songs about his father (sample lyrics “tearing down old buildings”) and his girlfriend (“Now That I Know You”).

After “You Are Kind”, he dedicated the song to Devin Champlin, of The Sons Of Rainier, a band that Sam is also in.

After a brief stage setup, Nashville, by the way of Calgary, Bella White and Sam came on stage to close out the show. White first came to our attention in 2020 when she released her debut album Just Like Leaving. Since then, she released Among Other Things, and her new EP Five For Silver (a cover lover EP).

As I have previously mentioned, usually the first and the last night of the tour are the most interesting. Rarely are the first night of the tour goes as planned. Usually there is something wrong. Like equipment not working (which are sometime caught during soundcheck), or bands forgetting how to play or messes up their own songs… but in Bella’s case – she was missing the bassist Gina Leslie.

Gina couldn’t make it out last night, but she said she will be available on a few dates (as support band) for Milwaukee (03/22) and Urbana (03/25), and a few other dates, so the rest of the tour will have Mr Sam and Maddy Kirgo to open on the East Coast.

As a result of no bass, Bella White decided it was going to be somewhat of “an indie mellow show.” The audience (what a good turnout) was very attentive and didn’t seem to mind a quiet set.

Bella White at 7th St Entry (10 Feb 2023)

This was not Bella’s first rodeo, she’s been on several tour, including a stop in Minneapolis in 2023, but she was nervous for this 2025 tour, because she had brought a puppy (named Indy) on tour with them. She’s now distracted with the thought of her dog downstairs as she’s singing songs like “Flowers on my Bedside” and “Trouble.”

Songs on her set were from both her albums, but she was working on some brand-new and previously unreleased songs. Some had working titles, but it seems like she has enough songs to release a third album. Perhaps it’ll be released this or next year.

In the meantime, Bella White’s latest covers EP Five For Silver is out now.