W♥M

Minneapolis: April 18 to April 20

04/18 The Academic at 7th St Entry Read More The Academic Irish indie rockers The Academic will open the show. After this US tour, the Choice Music Prize nominee band will be returning to the UK to play some of their biggest headlining gigs this November. …

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

04/18/2023 Tuesday

The Academic
at 7th St Entry
first-avenue.com

Irish indie rock band, The Academic, is touring in support of their sophomore album, Sitting Pretty. The album was produced by award-winning former Kaiser Chiefs member, Nick Hodgson at London’s Snap Studios.

Sitting Pretty is described as a journey into adulthood, “It’s about finding your feet, feeling the weight of time passing on your shoulders, and trying to enjoy the good times and meaningful relationships along the way.”

The Academic’s first headline US tour will stop by the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis on April 18th. The band previously was in town supporting Judah & The Lion, in Sep 2017.

The Academic North American Headline Tour Dates

4/09/23 – Toronto, Axis Club
4/11/23 – Boston, The Sinclair
4/12/23 – New York, The Bowery Ballroom
4/14/23 – Philadelphia, The Foundry
4/15/23 – Baltimore, Ottobar
4/17/23 – Chicago, Lincoln Hall
4/18/23 – Minneapolis, 7th Street Entry
4/21/23 – Denver, Globe Hall
4/22/23 – Salt Lake City, Soundwell
4/24/23 – Seattle, Madame Lou’s
4/25/23 – Vancouver, Biltmore Cabaret
4/26/23 – Portland, Holocene
4/28/23 – San Francisco, Brick + Mortar
4/29/23 – Los Angeles, Troubadour

04/19 Flyte at Turf Club Read More Flyte JADE BIRD + Flyte First Avenue Fri 10/04/2019 (8pm/$20) 09/22/2019 Sea.Hear.Now Festival 09/25/2019 Paradise Rock Club Boston, MA …

04/19/2023 Wednesday

Flyte
at Turf Club
first-avenue.com

London’s Flyte are on tour, stopping by the Turf Club in St Paul on April 19th. Their last album This Is Really Going To Hurt came out in 2021 on Island Records.

Tour dates:

Mar 12 Antwerp, Belgium TRIX
Apr 11 Brooklyn, NY, US Baby's All Right
Apr 19 St. Paul, MN, US Turf Club
Apr 22 Los Angeles (LA), CA, US The Airliner
Apr 28 San Francisco, CA, US The Fillmore
Apr 29 Los Angeles (LA), CA, US The Belasco
May 2 Tucson, AZ, US Hotel Congress Plaza
May 5 Dallas, TX, US The Echo Lounge
May 12 South Salt Lake, UT, US Commonwealth Room
May 13 Boise, ID, US Knitting Factory
May 16 Spokane, WA, US Knitting Factory
May 18 Seattle, WA, US Showbox at the Market
May 19 Vancouver, BC, Canada Commodore Ballroom
Jul 28 Outdoor London, UK South Facing
Aug 3 Outdoor Charlbury, UK Wilderness Festival
Aug 12 Outdoor Bromley, UK Crystal Palace Bowl
Sep 20 Leuven, Belgium Het Depot
Sep 21 Cologne, Germany Live Music Hall
Sep 22 Paris, France Le Bataclan
Sep 23 Rennes, France Antipode
Sep 25 Feyzin, France L'Epicerie Moderne
Sep 26 Zürich, Switzerland Kaufleuten
Sep 29 Mannheim, Germany Alte Feuerwache
Sep 30 Berlin, Germany Festsaal Kreuzberg
Oct 2 Copenhagen, Denmark Byhaven Pumpehuset
Oct 3 Hamburg, Germany Fabrik
Oct 4 Nijmegen, Netherlands Doornroosje
Oct 6 Utrecht, Netherlands TivoliVredenburg
Oct 7 Groningen, Netherlands De Oosterpoort
Oct 8 Maastricht, Netherlands Muziekgieterij

04/20 Bikini Kill at Palace Theatre Read More Bikini Kill Meanwhile, a technology news agency called The Verge recently published a Bikini Kill article called Bikini Kill is making things again (published February 1st). …

04/20/2023 Thursday

Bikini Kill
at Palace Theatre
first-avenue.com

You guys know we love Bikini Kill. We often considered Kathleen Hanna as the one that started the whole Riot Grrrls movement… and we worship the grounds she walks on. We have followed her through her various projects, such as Julie Ruin and Le Tigre (our personal favorite).

One of the biggest disappointment when we heard the BK reunion tour in 2019 was that they weren’t playing Minnesota at all. Many diehard fans bought tickets to the nearest town in Wisconsin. For those who waited this long, and yes, through the COVID cancellations… We’re very excited to say that Bikini Kill will be finally playing Minnesota, in St Paul, at the Palace Theatre, this April 20, 2023.

Kathleen Hanna (09 April 2014)

We caught Julie Ruin in Lincoln Hall (09 April 2014) and wrote, “The importance of Grrl Power was emphasized when Hanna told the story of how she met guitarist Sara Landeau at a Girls Rock Camp. She told a funny tale of how the two of them were roadies for a girl band performance and how people watching them plug in the equipment and set-up the amps, etc. assumed they were bitchy stage moms, but “No, we’re roadies!” And she explained how during band camp, the girls write their own song and then perform it, and this band’s song was called, “Good Luck, You Suck”: “It was really good. We should cover it.” She was visibly touched when she was told that a couple of the teenage girls in attendance were current rock campers, and she talked about how she believes that the younger generation has their act together so much better than her generation – but that she hopes that her generation did a thing or two that will inspire the younger generation too.”

Bikini Kill 2023 North American Tour Dates

3/30: Nashville, TN @ Marathon Music Works
4/1: Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern
4/3: Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel
4/4: Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore Silver Spring
4/6: Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore Silver Spring
4/7: Philadelphia, PA @ Franklin Music Hall
4/9: Boston, MA @ Roadrunner
4/10: South Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
4/12: Montreal, QB @ M Telus
4/13: Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall
4/14: Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall
4/16: Cleveland, OH @ Agora Theatre
4/17: Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre
4/19: Milwaukee, WI @ Miller High Life Theatre
4/20: St. Paul, MN @ Palace Theatre
4/23: Knoxville, TN @ The Mill & Mine

If your band is coming to the Minneapolis/St Paul area, please email details to vu@weheartmusic.com with a good lead time. Thank you.

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Lens Update: 24-70mm F2.8

Read More Sony What I am eyeing, is the rather expensive Sony 70-200mm G-Master Lens. It retails for $2,500, but I have seen it as low as $2,000 during the Black Friday/Christmas sale. I know the price is way more expensive than the …

Now that I’m enjoying my Sony 70-200mm GM F2.8 OSS lens (honestly, I should have bought this lens much sooner). That expensive price was a deterrent, but now that I have it, I can truly see why the price was justified.

The autofocusing is just the best I’ve used, and the clarity in the GM glass is much, much better than my previous lens. Maybe I’m spoiled, but now I’m just interested in GM-quality lens. Also, the F2.8 is the best that you can get in a telephoto lens, so it’s just much better than what I was using previously.

Sony 70-200mm GM vs Subway Sandwich

Unfortunately, the large size and weight of the lens takes planning and commitment. That’s perfectly fine for a concert or event shooting, but now that I need is an “everyday” general street-style lens. What I’m looking for is a small lens under 70mm, so I can have the whole spectrum of focal length - from 24 to 200mm between these two lens.

I also need the lens to be F2.8 or better… plus, price is also a big factor in this.

Looking over my options (see chart below), the Sony GM lens are out of the question, based on their prices of $1,698 (for version 1) and $2,298 (for version 2).

For the cheapest lens in this category is between the Samyang 24-70mm F2.8 FE and the Tamron 28-75mm F/2.8 Di III VXD G2, both for $800.

However, I am eyeing on the Sigma lens… which is available as “Art” ($1,100) and the budget “Contemporary” lens ($900). The main difference is the Art lens has higher quality optics and starts at 24mm while the Contemporary version starts at 28mm. I tend to want to spend a little more for the better quality… but is it worth the extra $200?

I’ll have to do a little more research on the matter… but at the moment, it looks like the Sigma lens might be my next purchase. At the moment, there’s no hurry for me to buy one right now. Basically I’ll wait for a sale... or perhaps I will look at the used market (but I have a fear that the used lens might have scratches or dust).

Also, I do want to get a 2x Teleconverter for my 70-200mm GM F2.8 OSS, so it’ll essentially make it a 140-400mm. I have heard that it might be better to just spend the extra money to get a 400mm native lens, rather than using a teleconverter because it’s not as a good as a native lens.

Brand	Lens Name	F	Price	Release Date
Samyang	AF 24-70mm F2.8 FE	f/2.8	$800	2021-10
Sigma	24-70mm F2.8 DG DN | Art	f/2.8	$1,100	2019-11
Sigma	28-70mm F2.8 DG DN | Contemporary	f/2.8	$900	2021-02
Tamron	28-75mm F/2.8 Di III RXD	f/2.8	$800 (discontinued?)	2018-02
Tamron	28-75mm F/2.8 Di III VXD G2	f/2.8	$800	2021-08
Sony	FE 24-70 mm F2.8 SEL2470GM	f/2.8	$1,700	2016-02
Sony	FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II SEL-2470GM2	f/2.8	$2,300	2022-04

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Yo La Tengo at First Ave (03/26/2023)

Yo La Tengo Setlist Set 1 Sinatra Drive Breakdown Tonight’s Episode Let's Do It Wrong The Summer Aselestine I'll Be Around Polynesia #1 (Michael Hurley cover) Apology Letter Miles Away Set 2 This Stupid World Stockholm Syndrome I Should Have Known Better Autumn Sweater Fallout Today Is the Day Shaker Tom Courtenay Deeper Into Movies I Heard You Looking  with Alan Sparhawk -- Encore -- Time Fades Away (Neil Young cover) with Mark Freeman of NNB Dreams (Fleetwood Mac cover) with Alan Sparhawk Dreaming (Sun Ra cover) Tour Dates Apr 10 Dublin, Ireland 3Olympia Theatre Apr 12 Manchester, UK Manchester New Century Apr 13 Bristol, UK SWX Apr 14 London, UK The London Palladium Apr 18 Amsterdam, Netherlands Paradiso Grote Zaal Apr 19 Rotterdam, Netherlands LantarenVenster Apr 20 Hamburg, Germany Uebel & Gefährlich Apr 21 Copenhagen, Denmark Bremen Teater Apr 23 Cologne, Germany Gloria Theater Apr 24 Prague, Czech Republic MeetFactory Apr 25 Berlin, Germany Huxley's Neue Welt Apr 27 Paris, France La Cigale Apr 29 Barcelona, Spain Sala Apolo Apr 29 Murcia, Spain Warm Up festival May 2 Madrid, Spain Warner Music Station May 3 Bilbao, Spain Santana 27 May 4 Bordeaux, France Rock School Barbey Read More Yo La Tengo Hoboken rock trio Yo La Tengo (“I have it”) is touring in support of their sixteenth studio album This Stupid World (Matador Records). For the first time, Yo La Tengo put together this album entirely on their own, including doing their own mixes. ...

A sold out show and the crowd showed up early for the headliner was also the opening act. That’s what a band can do after releasing 19 albums over a 37-year span.

How best to describe Yo La Tengo, a band that may have not achieved commercial success as much as the respect of its fellow musicians and critics alike. All Music has a pretty good description:

In many respects, Yo La Tengo are the quintessential indie rock band, melding elemental, often noisy guitar work against melodies infused with an understated sweetness that made even their noisiest freakouts feel accessible and their extended jams compelling in their exploration.

Based out of Hoboken, NY, Yo La Tengo was formed in 1984 by the husband and wife team of Ira Kaplan and Georgia Hubley. After a run of bassists, James McNew joined in 1992 and stayed.

Why isn’t Yo La Tengo a salsa dance band? Funny story! The origin of the band’s name comes from a 1962 baseball incident where two New York Mets players ran into each other on a fly ball for Venezuelan shortstop, Elio Chacón, had no idea what centerfielder, Riche Ashburn, was saying when he shouted: “I got it.” (“Yo la tengo.”)

Ashburn decided to learn a little Spanish to avoid future collisions.

Yo La Tengo may not play many cumbias, but they have been described as musical omnivores with a penchant of melding different musical styles while covering songs from other bands.

They started the evening on a rather mellow vibe. Even after a fan shouted out “We love you!” Kaplan only responded with a subtle “Thanks.” They were there mostly to play, but Kaplan did wonder where the First Ave pinball machines had gone. Then he tried to remember when that would have been.

A highlight was a Kaplan guitar solo during “Apology Letter” from the group’s latest album This Stupid Word. It started out, distant and soulful, as if deep in some musical harbor before moving into a noisy crescendo then back to the distant fog.

Hubley finished the first set singing “Miles Away” establishing an atmospheric tone in which the lyrics melded into a repeated incantation of: “Nah… Nah… Nah…”

After a break the trio started the second set with Kaplan turning his guitar upside down and pounding the strings with his fist. From there, the noise and distortion became amplified.

Like a set of utility baseball players, the trio then kept switching positions. For “Stockholm Syndrome” McNew sang lead; on “I Should Have Known Better” he played guitar. Then he moved to join Hubley on percussion for a crowd favorite “Autumn Sweater” from the band’s seminal I can Hear the Heart Beating as One.

During “I Heard You Looking” Alan Sparhawk from Low nonchalantly stepped onto the stage and manned the keyboard to join in on the jam session that had Kaplan switching between three guitars. It was by far their longest and best song of the evening.

For the encore, Mark Freeman of NNB was invited to play along to Neil Young’s “Time Fades Away”. Then Sparhawk rejoined with his guitar to help with Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams”.

Then after all the noise and distortion, Hubley stepped up to the mic to sing a lullaby: “Dreaming” by Sun Ra. She sang with an understated sweetness to send the crowd home.

Yo La Tengo

Yo La Tengo

Alan Sparhawk of Low

Yo La Tengo

Yo La Tengo

Yo La Tengo

Yo La Tengo at First Avenue, Minneapolis (26 Mar 2023)

dave ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Minneapolis: April 16 to April 17

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

04/16 Daisy The Great with Olive Klug at 7th St Entry Read More Daisy the Great Openers Daisy the Great are actually a Brooklyn-based duo, fronted by Kelley Nicole Dugan and Mina Walker who made waves last fall when they teamed with AJR on the song, “Record Player”, a re-worked version of their own 2017 folk-pop song. …

04/16/2023 Sunday

Daisy The Great
with Olive Klug
at 7th St Entry
first-avenue.com

Brooklyn’s indie pop band Daisy the Great (Kelley Nicole Dugan and Mina Walker) will be headlining the 7th Street Entry on April 16. The group recently recently shared a new version of “Tell Me Have You Been Dancing” remixed by and featuring vocals from indie pop artist Claud.

“We were so happy to have Claud remix our song. We love Claud, and it was such an honor to have their voice and their production on this song. The original is off of our latest album All You Need Is Time, and it's about missing someone that you’ve loved. Claud layered a lot of the vocals and created some beautiful canons that really bring out the way your thoughts swirl when you never really stop thinking about someone that you had to let go of.”

Tour Dates

04/12 – Allston, MA – Brighton Music Hall
04/14 – Columbus, OH – The Basement
04/15 – Chicago, IL – Beat Kitchen
04/16 – Minneapolis, MN – 7th St. Entry
04/18 – Denver, CO – Marquis Theater
04/19 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court
04/21 – Portland, OR – Holocene
04/22 – Seattle, WA – Barboza
04/25 – San Francisco, CA – Café Du Nord
04/28 – Los Angeles, CA – The Echo
04/29 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues San Diego
05/02 – Dallas, TX – Dada Dallas
05/03 – Austin, TX – Antone’s
05/05 – New Orleans, LA – Gasa Gasa
05/06 – Atlanta, GA – Shaky Knees Festival*
05/07 – Nashville, TN – The End
05/10 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore Philadelphia
05/11 – Washington, DC – Songbyrd Music House
05/12 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
05/28 – Pittsburgh, PA – WonderWorks Music Festival*

*without Olive Klug

04/16 Goose at Palace Theatre Read More Goose Connecticut rockers Goose is continuing their tour in 2022. You can catch them live this upcoming Feb 9 at First Avenue in Minneapolis. …

04/16/2023 Sunday

Goose
at Palace Theatre
first-avenue.com

Connecticut-based rock quintet Goose has added additional headline dates to their summer schedule … the group returns to the Minnesota state at the Palace Theatre this April 16th.

In support of building a safer and more supportive music industry through access to quality mental health care providers, Goose will donate $1 from each tour ticket to Backline, a 501(c)(3) non-profit that connects music industry professionals and their families with mental health and wellness resources.

Tour dates:

03/02-03/05 – Okeechobee, FL – Okeechobee Music †
03/08 – Port Chester, NY – The Capitol Theatre
03/09 – Port Chester, NY – The Capitol Theatre
03/10 – Port Chester, NY – The Capitol Theatre
03/11 – Port Chester, NY – The Capitol Theatre
03/12- Port Chester, NY – The Capitol Theatre
03/23 – Boston, MA – Roadrunner
03/24 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met
03/25 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met
03/26 – Cleveland, OH – Agora
03/31 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
04/01 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
04/02 – Birmingham, AL – Avondale Brewing Co.
04/13 – Madison, WI – The Sylvee
04/14 – Chicago, IL – The Salt Shed
04/15 – Chicago, IL – The Salt Shed
04/16 – St. Paul, MN – Palace Theatre
04/18 – Bozeman, MT – The Elm
04/19 – Bozeman, MT – The Elm
04/21 – Boise, ID – Knitting Factory
04/22 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre
04/23 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre
04/25 – Eugene, OR – McDonald Theatre
04/27 – San Francisco, CA – The Warfield
04/28 – San Francisco, CA – The Warfield
04/29 – San Diego, CA – CalCoast Credit Union
05/02 – New Orleans, LA – Daze Between New Orleans †
05/03 – New Orleans, LA – Daze Between New Orleans †
05/26-05/28 – Chillicothe, IL – Summer Camp Music Festival †
06/04 – Lexington, KY – Railbird Music Festival †
06/22-06/25 – Rothbury, MI – Electric Forest †
06/27 – Columbus, OH – KEMBA Live!
06/29-07/02 – Scranton, PA – Peach Music Festival †
06/29-07/01 - Garrettsville, OH – Resonance Music and Arts Festival †
07/03 – Asbury Park, NJ – Stone Pony Summer Stage
07/04 – Asbury Park, NJ – Stone Pony Summer Stage
07/07 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Saratoga Performing Arts Center
07/26-07/30 – Floyd, VA – FloydFest †

† Festival Appearance

04/16 The Nude Party with Breanna Barbara at Turf Club Read More Nude Party The Nude Party is headlining the 7th Street Entry on Monday, August 5th. Their debut album came out on New West Records in 2018 to critical acclaim. Rolling Stone compared them to Velvet Underground. …

04/16/2023 Saturday

The Nude Party
with Breanna Barbara
at Turf Club
first-avenue.com

North Carolina’s six-piece band The Nude Party (Austin Brose, Alec Castillo, Shaun Couture, Patton Magee, Don Merrill and Conor Mikita) will be headlining the Turf Club in St Paul on April 16th, 2023. The band is touring in support of Rides On (New West Records).

Five of their songs were featured on Netflix’s hit series Outer Banks, including the brand new song “Sold Out of Love.”

Breanna Barbara to open.

Tour dates:

March 13-19 Austin, TX - SXSW Music Festival
Apr 12 - Toronto, ON - Horseshoe Tavern=
Apr 14 - Indianapolis, IN - HI-FI=
Apr 15 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall=
Apr 16 - St. Paul, MN - Turf Club=
Apr 18 - Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater=
Apr 19 - Salt Lake City, UT - The State Room=*
Apr 21 - Seattle, WA - Neumos=
Apr 22 - Vancouver, BC - The Wise Hall=
Apr 23 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge=
Apr 25 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent=
Apr 27 - Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour=
Apr 28 - Santa Ana, CA - Constellation Room=
Apr 29 - San Diego, CA - Casbah=
May 1 - Phoenix, AZ - Valley Bar=
May 4 - Austin, TX - Antone's Nightclub#
May 5 - Houston, TX - The Secret Group*
May 6 - Dallas, TX - Club Dada*
May 8 - Nashville, TN - The Basement East*
May 9 - Newport, KY - The Southgate House Revival*
May 11 - Greer, SC - SpringSkunk Music Fest
May 12 - Raleigh, NC - Lincoln Theatre*
May 13 - Catonsville, MD - Sun Scape Live Festival
May 19 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg
May 20 - Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts
May 27 - East Meredith, NY - West Kortright Centre
Aug 26-27 - St. Louis, MO - Evolution Festival
2 Jun - Euston, UK - Red Rooster Fest
3 Jun - London, UK - Oslo
4 Jun - Brighton, UK - Green Door Store
6 Jun - Antwerp, BE - Trix
7 Jun - Hamburg, DE - Turmzimmer
8 Jun - Copenhagen, DK - VEGA
9 Jun - Oslo, NO - Loaded Festival
10 Jun - Gothenburg, SE - Woody West
12 Jun - Berlin, DE - Kantine am Berghain
13 Jun - Cologne, DE - Helios 37
14 Jun - Amsterdam, NL - Tolhuistuin
15 Jun - Lille, FR - La Bulle Café
16 Jun - Paris, FR - Point Ephemere
17 Jun - Vitoria, ES - Azkena Rock Festival

= with Breanna Barbara
* with Fonteyn
# with Cactus Lee, Hippie Scum, Fonteyn

 

04/17 Covet with Scarypoolparty and altopalo at Amsterdam Bar & Hall Read More Covet San Jose-based instrumental trio Covet is one of the opener... playing in support of their debut album effloresce. The band features guitar wizard Yvette Young, who came to internet fame for her unique finger tapping technique. …

04/17/2023 Monday

Covet
with Scarypoolparty and altopalo
at Amsterdam Bar & Hall
first-avenue.com

San Francisco’s Covet (Yvette Young, Brandon Dove, and Jessica Burdeaux) is on tour in support of their third album Catharsis (Triple Crown Records).

Tour dates:

April 7 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom
April 8 Vancouver, BC Biltmore Cabaret
April 9 Seattle, WA Neumos
April 11 Salt Lake City, UT Soundwell
April 13 Denver, CO Meow Wolf
April 14 Lawrence, KS The Bottleneck
April 15 St. Louis, MO Delmar Hall
April 17 St. Paul, MN Amsterdam Music Hall
April 18 Madison, WI High Noon Saloon
April 20 Chicago, IL Bottom Lounge
April 21 Ann Arbor, MI Blind Pig
April 22 Toronto, ON Lee’s Palace
April 23 Montreal, QC Café Campus
April 25 Pittsburgh, PA Thunderbird Music Hall
April 26 Brooklyn, NY Brooklyn Bowl
April 27 Boston, MA Royale
April 28 Philadelphia, PA Brooklyn Bowl
April 29 Vienna, VA Jammin’ Java
May 1 Asheville, NC The Grey Eagle
May 2 Nashville, TN Brooklyn Bowl
May 3 Atlanta, GA The Masquerade
May 5 Dallas, TX Studio at The Factory
May 6 Austin, TX Scoot Inn
May 8 Albuquerque, NM Launchpad
May 10 Phoenix, AZ Crescent Ballroom
May 11 Solana Beach, CA Belly Up
May 12 Los Angeles, CA The Roxy

If your band is coming to the Minneapolis/St Paul area, please email details to vu@weheartmusic.com with a good lead time. Thank you.

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

We♥Comics! - Planet Comicon Kansas City 2023 (March 17, 18, 19) recap

Read More Planet ComiCon Planet ComiCon Kansas City (August 20, 21, 22), Bartle Hall, $35-210 The region’s largest comic book and pop culture event returns to downtown Kansas City with a three-day extravaganza that will please fans …

On a chilly mid-March weekend, over 60,000 comic book and pop culture fans descended into downtown Kansas City’s Bartle Hall to attend the three-day Planet Comicon Kansas City, the region’s largest and longest-running comic and pop culture event that celebrates comic books, science fiction, superheroes and fantasy, and its creators.

The show celebrated its 24^th anniversary this year, first beginning in the south suburbs, to continue to grow exponentially to become the Midwest’s premier comics and pop culture gathering.

The show itself remains extremely well-run– with easy to find volunteers happy to answer questions and provide directions, generally orderly celebrity signing lines, and good overseeing of in-person panels in both the larger ballrooms and the smaller side rooms.

The dealer exhibit space covered over seven football fields worth of area and featured comic books, pop culture collectibles, anime, nostalgia and memorabilia, along with gaming, entertainment, and other retail options.

Several related outside evening events (dubbed Planet After Dark) attracted large crowds as well, with the fantasy-themed Fae Ball selling out very quickly, and cosplay remains as popular as ever, with a full house on-hand for the Saturday night Cosplay Contest. Pinball and vintage video games were available, and hands-on workshop presentations were held for would-be creators.

Crowds size stayed healthy all weekend, with Saturday especially busy and the ballroom panels were especially filled for William Shatner, Giancarlo Esposito, and several voice casts.

Notable guests for the 2023 show included:

• Ming Chen – Comic Book Men actor / Podcaster

• Chris Claremont – X-Men Writer

• Amanda Conner – Harley Quinn Comic Artist

• William Daniels - Actor

• Kevin Eastman – TMNT co-creator

• Giancarlo Esposito – Breaking Bad and Star Wars Actor

• Jonathan Frakes – Star Trek Actor

• David Mack – Comic Book artist / writer

• Bill Morrison – The Simpsons Artist / Writer

• Jimmy Palmiotti - Comic Book Writer / Inker

• Cassandra Peterson – Elvira actor

• Don Rosa – Donald Duck/Disney artist

• William Shatner – Star Trek / TJ Hooker Actor

• Roger Craig Smith – Sonic the Hedgehog Voice Actor

• Brent Spiner – Star Trek Actor

• Jim Steranko – Marvel Comics Pop Art creator / artist

• Roy Thomas – Marvel / DC writer and editor

Paid celebrity meet-and-greets and photo opportunities were available and one of the best ways to learn about these attendees or ask a particular question, was to attend their public Panel discussion/Q&A. We’ll be showcasing those closer, in an upcoming separate post.

Japanese animation and its associated culture aka Anime has become even more popular in recent years; so much so, that a companion show Planet Anime Kansas City will make its inaugural weekend, this October 21-22, to undoubtedly large crowds as well.

As for Planet Comicon Kansas City, plans are already in the works to top themselves with next year being their 25^th anniversary, and a show already confirmed for March 8-10, 2024.

(click any image to enlarge and see in full)

STAR WARS ROGUE ONE

COSPLAY

POKEMON COSPLAY

GI JOE COSPLAY

COMICS FOR SALE

COSPLAY	COSPLAY HOSTS	COSPLAY
COSPLAY	CHAINSAW MAN COSPLAY	KIDS PLAY AREA

STAR WARS COSPLAY

COSPLAY

COSPLAY

SHOWROOM FLOOR

COSPLAY WINNER

Planet Comicon Kansas City, MO Bartle Hall (2023)

john (johnc@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Minneapolis: This Week (04/02/2023)

Here are some shows, this week, in the Minneapolis/St Paul area.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide

03/28 Robyn Hitchcock with Kelley Stoltz at Turf Club Read More Robyn Hitchcock Robyn Hitchcock will be opening the show. The iconic singer is out promoting his 21st studio recording, but first-ever eponymous release. The new record is basically a re-introduction “Robyn Hitchcock” …

03/28/2023 Tuesday

Robyn Hitchcock
with Kelley Stoltz
at Turf Club
first-avenue.com

British legend Robyn Hitchcock is on tour in support of his long-awaited record SHUFFLEMANIA! (Tiny Ghost Records). The record is available in limited edition blue vinyl, classic black vinyl, translucent orange vinyl, CD & cassette.

Robyn Hitchcock (25 Apr 2018)

We saw Hitchock at the Turf Club in Apr 2018 and said, “Hitchcock reached back several times to older Soft Boys songs as well as those done with The Venus 3, even working in a David Bowie-penned Mott the Hoople cover with opener, Tristen, as part of the three-song encore.”

Kelley Stoltz to open.

Tour dates:

Feb 28 Liverpool, UK Philharmonic Music Room
Mar 17 Seattle, WA, US Neptune Theatre
Mar 18 Portland, OR, US Doug Fir Lounge
Mar 19 Portland, OR, US The Old Church
Mar 21 San Francisco, CA, US The Chapel
Mar 22 Santa Cruz, CA, US Kuumbwa Jazz Center
Mar 24 Los Angeles (LA), CA, US Zebulon
Mar 25 London, UK Alexandra Palace
Mar 25 Los Angeles (LA), CA, US Zebulon
Mar 28 St. Paul, MN, US Turf Club
Mar 29 Evanston, IL, US SPACE
Mar 30 Cleveland, OH, US Music Box Supper Club
Apr 1 New York (NYC), NY, US Bowery Ballroom
Apr 2 Boston, MA, US City Winery
Apr 12 Madrid, Spain Independance Club
Apr 14 Barcelona, Spain Barcelona Psych Fest

03/29 Algiers with Party Dozen at 7th St Entry Read More Algiers Atlanta-born-and-raised quartet, and not from Algeria, Algiers, will be stopping by the 7th Street Entry on September 20th. Their latest album There is No Year is out now on Matador Records …

03/29/2023 Wednesday

Algiers
with Party Dozen
at 7th St Entry
first-avenue.com

Atlanta-bred rock band Algiers are touring in support of their fourth album Shook (Matador Records).

The band will play the 7th Street Entry, in Minneapolis, fresh off their appearance at SXSW in Austin, Texas.

Algiers (20 Sep 2021)

We saw Algiers in Sep 2021 and said, “Originally formed in London, with the release of “Blood” in 2012, via Double Phantom Records, Algiers (singer and pianist Franklin James Fisher, bassist Ryan Mahan, guitarist Lee Tesche, and drummer Matt Tong) is based in Atlanta, and produces some interesting dub-style sound, industrial, and Afrobeat sound. Some songs sounds political, but all their songs are explosive, as seen in their live performance. Bassist Ryan Mahan seemed ready to explode. This just shows me that the band is very passionate about their music and their message.”

Party Dozen to open.

Tour dates:

MAR 02 Hole44 Berlin, Germany
MAR 03 Forum Bielefeld Bielefeld, Germany
MAR 04 Club Manufaktur e. V. Schorndorf, Germany
MAR 05 Club Volta Köln, Germany
MAR 07 Petit Bain Paris, France
MAR 08 The Dome London, United Kingdom
Mar 10 - Mar 19 SXSW 2023 Austin, TX
MAR 16 Cheer Up Charlies Austin, TX
MAR 19 The Rebel Lounge Phoenix, AZ
MAR 20 Soda Bar San Diego, CA
MAR 21 Knitting Factory NoHo North Hollywood, CA
MAR 23 Bottom Of the Hill San Francisco, CA
MAR 25 Show Bar East Portland, OR
MAR 26 Madame Lou's Seattle, WA
MAR 29 7th Street Entry Minneapolis, MN
MAR 30 Sleeping Village Chicago, IL
MAR 31 The Whirling Tiger Louisville, KY
APR 02 Big Ears Festival 2023 Knoxville, TN
APR 03 The Pinhook Durham, NC
APR 04 DC9 Washington City, DC
APR 05 PhilaMOCA Philadelphia, PA
APR 06 Racket NYC New York City, NY
APR 07 Casa Del Popolo Montreal, QC
APR 08 The Garrison Toronto, ON
MAY 16 Manchester Canvas Manchester
MAY 17 O2 Institute2 Birmingham Birmingham
MAY 18 Whereelse? Margate
MAY 19 Chalk Brighton
MAY 21 O2 Academy Oxford Oxford
MAY 26 Loppen Christiania, Denmark
MAY 27 Mejeriet Lund, Sweden

04/01 King Tuff with Tchotchke at Turf Club Read More King Tuff King Tuff (aka Kyle Thomas) will be back in town at the Turf Club on Saturday, May 26th. We previously caught him in April 2015 and said, “While I felt King Tuff's music was different from Father John Misty, they …

04/01/2023 Saturday

King Tuff
with Tchotchke
at Turf Club
first-avenue.com

Kyle Thomas, or known by his stagename, King Tuff, is touring in support of his sixth studio album Smalltown Stardust (Sub Pop).

Thomas described Smalltown Stardust as “an album about love and nature and youth.” But not all the songs were written by him, as with “How I Love”, the song was written by Sasami: “Sasami wrote this song for me way back in 2018, but it didn’t really come together until we started demoing in 2020. This is the type of song I’ve wanted to do for years, but maybe never had the confidence to achieve. I’ve always hid behind loud guitars, but here I’m exposed, and I love how open and empty it is, yet so comfortable too. I wanted to show another side of myself through this record, and I think this song is the perfect example of that.”

Tchotchke to open.

Tour Dates

March 1 San Diego, CA @ Casbah
March 3 Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room
March 4 San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel
March 6 Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
March 7 Vancouver, BC @ The Wise
March 8 Seattle, WA @ Neumos
March 10 Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
March 11 Denver, CO @ Globe Hall
March 15 Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
March 17 Nashville, TN @ The Basement East
March 18 Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
March 19 Durham, NC @ The Pinhook
March 21 Washington, DC @ DC9
March 22 Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda's
March 23 Boston, MA @ The Sinclair
March 24 Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere Hall
March 25 Brattleboro, VT @ The Stone Church
March 28 Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz PDB
March 29 Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern
March 31 Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle
April 1 Minneapolis, MN @ The Turf Club
April 3 Kansas City, MO @ The Record Bar
April 5 Santa Fe, NM @ Meow Wolf
April 6 Phoenix, AZ @ The Rebel Lounge
April 7 Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy and Harriet's

04/02 Chiiild with Isaia Huron at 7th St Entry Read More Chiiild Montreal-based Chiiild has spent years honing a unique blend of pop, R&B, soul and jazz behind closed doors. Chiiild uses music to tell stories about diversity, ask questions about humanity …

04/02/2023 Sunday

Chiiild
with Isaia Huron
at 7th St Entry
first-avenue.com

Multi-talented and genre-bending artist Chiiild is touring in support of Better Luck in the Next Life via Avant Garden/4th & Broadway (Def Jam Recordings, Inc.)

Like many independent bands, they are tour because of SXSW (now that it’s back in full swing). With that said, many of these bands often end up in Minneapolis/St Paul as bonus or side shows.

Chiiild will headline the 7th Street Entry on April 2, 2023.

Isaia Huron to open.

Tour dates:

March 2, 2023 – Santa Ana, CA – Constellation Room
March 3, 2023 – Los Angeles, CA – The Roxy
March 4, 2023 – Phoenix, AZ – M3F Festival
March 7, 2023 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court
March 8, 2023 – Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater
March 11, 2023 – Houston, TX – House of Blues
March 12, 2023 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues
March 13-18, 2023 – Austin, TX – SXSW
March 19, 2023 – New Orleans, LA – Paris
March 21, 2023 – Atlanta, GA – Aisle 5
March 22, 2023 – Nashville, TN – The Basement East
March 24, 2023 – Washington, D.C. – Union Stage
March 25, 2023 – New York, NY – The Bowery Ballroom
March 27, 2023 – Cambridge, MA – The Sinclair
March 29, 2023 – Montreal, QC – Virgin Mobile
March 30, 2023 – Toronto, ON – The Axis Club
April 1, 2023 – Chicago, IL – Schubas Tavern
April 2, 2023 – Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry
April 6, 2023 – Seattle, WA – Neumos
April 7, 2023 – Vancouver, BC – Hollywood Theatre
April 8, 2023 – Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge
April 11, 2023 – San Francisco, CA – The Independent

If your band is coming to the Minneapolis/St Paul area, please email details to vu@weheartmusic.com with a good lead time. Thank you.

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Inhaler and Sun Room at First Avenue, Minneapolis (25 Mar 2023)

03/25 Inhaler with Sun Room at First Avenue Inhaler Setlist These Are the Days My Honest Face Totally Just to Keep You Satisfied When It Breaks The Things I Do My King Will Be Kind Perfect Storm Valentine Love Will Get You There Dublin in Ecstasy Who's Your Money On? Cheer Up Baby -- Encore -- If You're Gonna Break My Heart It Won't Always Be Like This Read More Inhaler Following a sold-out UK tour, Irish quartet Inhaler released My Honest Face EP, which features their cover of Billie Eilish’s single “Your Power”. ....

Irish band Inhaler just headlined an all-ages show at First Avenue today, Saturday, March 25th. The band is touring in support of their #1 on the Irish charts album Cuts & Bruises (Geffen Records).

Opening the show was California’s Sun Room. The four-piece features Luke Asgian (lead vocals & guitar), Ashton Minnich (guitar), Max Pinamonti (bass), and Gibby Anderson (drums). From what we’ve heard, it’s no-nonsense rock ‘n roll. They seemed influenced by Oasis and The Rolling Stones, based on their cover of “Get Off Of My Cloud”.

According to their biography, when they started as a band, they played local house shows in the surf community in Southern California. Two of their songs (“Crashed My Bike” and “Something That You’re Missing”) were included on Netflix’s Outer Banks. Soon enough, the band found themselves headlining sold out shows.

Just last year, the band was asked to support Louis Tomlinson on his sold out North American tour, which they continued to re-joining him on his South/Central American tour. Now the band is playing with Inhaler… this after enjoying a European tour.

Most of their songs on their set were taken from Outta Their Minds, including their two big hit songs.

You find out that “Sol Del Sur” is a song about San Diego, and their latest song is called “Red Dress” (which sounded really good).

Based on head-bopping in the audience, they seemed to have picked up some new fans. You can hear someone near me saying to their friend, “These guys rock!”

Dublin’s Inhaler (vocalist and guitarist Elijah Hewson, bassist Robert Keating, guitarist Josh Jenkinson and drummer Ryan McMahon) came on stage to thunderous cheers. This is one of the hottest band from Ireland. Their debut album It Won't Always Be Like This (Polydor) entered the Irish charts at #1. Their second album, Cuts & Bruises (Polydor), came out 17 February 2023, also entered the Irish charts at #1.

Apology for the iPhone photo of Inhaler. We were actually not given permission to shoot the band.

Remaining tour dates:

03/27 Denver Summit
03/28 Salt Lake City The Complex Grand
03/30 Seattle The Showbox
03/31 Vancouver Commodore Ballroom
04/01 Portland Wonder Ballroom
04/03 San Francisco The Regency Ballroom
04/05 Los Angeles The Wiltern Theatre
04/06 Los Angeles The Wiltern Theatre

Sun Room

Sun Room

Sun Room

Inhaler

Sun Room at First Avenue, Minneapolis (25 Mar 2023)

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

J.I.D and Smino at Fillmore (03/24/2023)

03/24 J.I.D and Smino at Fillmore Minneapolis Tour Dates Mar 25 Kansas City, MO, US Arvest Bank Theatre Mar 28 Cincinnati, OH, US Andrew J. Brady Music Center Mar 29 Nashville, TN, US Marathon Music Works Apr 19 Berlin, Germany Gretchen Apr 21 Antwerp, Belgium TRIX Apr 22 Paris, France Élysée Montmartre Apr 24 London, UK KOKO Apr 25 London, UK O2 Forum Kentish Town Apr 27 Dublin, Ireland The Button Factory Read More Smino SZA will be appearing in Minneapolis on September 1st. Originally booked at the Cabooze, the show was upgraded to First Avenue’s. Smino and Ravyn Lenae to open. ... J.I.D Atlanta rapper J.I.D’s latest is The Forever Story, which topped many “Best of 2022” lists, including Rolling Stone and Pitchfork, while St. Louis rapper Smino’s third album Luv 4 Rent was his debut with Motown Records, in partnership with Zero Fatigue. ...

J.I.D and Smino brought their popular Luv is 4ever tour to Minneapolis on Saturday night. It was a sold out show with resale tickets toping at $200.00 for general admission. Still one brave soul snaked through the long lines outside the Fillmore asking if anyone had a spare ticket, like that was remotely possible.

Jordan Ward opened with a lively set as he bounced around the multi-tiered stage singing songs from his latest album Forward.

Growing up in St. Louis, Ward started off as a dancer, eventually moving to Los Angeles to become a backup dancer for musicians like Justin Bieber and Becky G. It was on those long tours with plenty of downtime that Ward started to work on the singing side of the industry.

Before his last song, Ward attempted to throw a concert t-shirt into the crowd to promote his merch. With an errant toss, the free giveaway ended up in the pit. “That’s why I went into music and not sports,” Ward joked as his second attempt was more successful.

Fellow St. Louis native Smino aka Christopher Smith Jr. next took the stage, sporting a Minnesota Vikings Shirt and ski goggles as if ready to spray champagne to celebrate the sold out show.

The crowd was an excited one with one person sending up a bouquet of flowers as Smino kicked off his set featuring songs from his latest album Luv 4 Rent, released by Motown in 2022.

With the expanse of the three-tier levels, most of the backup singers, musicians and DJ’s were mostly off stage , only venturing on for a vocal or guitar solo or just to hype Sminio as he tore through his lyrics.

Fun fact: Smino comes from a long line of musicians with his grandfather playing bass for the legendary Muddy Waters.

Fellow Zoink Gang member, J.I.D aka Destin Choice Route finished the evening with an hour plus set, prominently featuring music from his latest album, The Forever Story, which he has described as his origin story growing up in poverty in Atlanta, GA.

J.I.D is ridiculously talented and it is an absolute rush to see him live with his high-wire verbal wizardry spinning lyrics at a rate most hummingbirds flap their wings, especially with “Working Out” where he compares himself to a honey badger, letting you know it wasn’t just talent that got him to this sold out show.

It was the blistering lyrics and pounding beats that the fans came to see, but J.I.D let his fans know that he has bigger ambitions. You could already see the possibilities if you watch his NPR Tiny Desk concert, where he toned down the theatrics and gave a more soulful and jazz-filled sound.

The Forever Story is part of this journey and he even let the crowd know that he now had a personal favorite in “Kody Blue 31”:

And, uh, as I lay myself to sleep
I pray the Lord my soul to keep
The pressure makes me, the journey takes me
To places where history can't stop or break me

But J.I.D gave the crowd one last rush with “Stick” which caused the wall behind me to vibrate, giving the sensation that the whole venue may crumble.

Smino Jordan Ward Jordan Ward Smino J.I.D

J.I.D at Fillmore, Minneapolis (24 Mar 2023)

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

The Church at Fine Line, Minneapolis (23 Mar 2023)

The Church Setlist Ascendence Destination Metropolis Columbus No Other You Kings Is This Where You Live The Hypnogogue Hotel Womb Antarctica Old Coast Road (acoustic) Albert Ross Fly One Day Comedown C'est la vie Under the Milky Way Grind Tantalized Second Bridge -- Encore -- Reptile You Took Read More The Church Australia’s The Church is back in the city. The last time we saw them at the Cedar in 2015 we noted, “The show was performed as one long set, versus the two separate sets done …

Australia’s rock band The Church stopped by the Fine Line, in Minneapolis, last night, to play tracks from their new album The Hypnogogue (Communicating Vessels).

Transmission’s DJ Jake Rudh played a variety of British 60s music videos before the band came on stage. Fans at the show were, of course, on the older scale… who had fun trying to guess the band on the screen (Rolling Stones, Monkees, David Bowie, etc.) The odd-band out seemed to be Chromatics.

When The Church came on stage to an introduction background music, they were greeted with a huge applause. The band proceeded to playing a two plus hour set. This band didn’t need a warm-up band, because they had 18 albums worth of music to choose from.

I first heard of the band on Dave Kendall’s 120 Minutes on MTV. He was a Church fan and played “Ripple”, which had become my favorite Church song. By that time, in 1992, the band was already an “old” band.

So, yes, the band’s been around, with many rotating band members… but the one constant is lead singer and bassist Steve Kilbey. Currently the band features Kilbey, Brisbane’s Ian Haug on lead guitars, Melbourne’s Ashley Naylore on guitars, Birmingham (USA) Jeffrey Cain on keys, and Camden (New South Wales) Nicholas Meredith on drums (who is subbing for regular Church drummer Tim Powles - who had VISA issues).

Kilbey seemed pretty pleased with the new drummer and even joked that when they return back to Australia, that the Church will be a double drums band!

Kilbey also seemed more jaded (but jokingly) since the last time we saw him 2018. It’s fun, the audience loved it.

Since the tour is to promote The Hypnogogue, most of the new songs had introduction from Kilbey, who described it as somewhat of a Sci-Fi story from the future… about a place called The Hypnogogue. Some songs had characters from Hypnogogue, like about a Korean scientists called Sun Kim Jong, who invented a song extraction machine. From what we heard live, the Hypnogogue seems like a weird place that only Kilbey could bring to life.

Of course, as you know most fans were there for the “hits”, meaning “Metropolis” and “Under the Milky Way” were really well received. For Milky Way, Kilbey introduced it, “Ladies and gentlemen, this next song needs no introduction. Should have no f***ing introduction. Should just be played, and that’s that. Without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, here is that song, that you want to hear.”

Yes, of course, that is the song everyone wanted to hear. “Under the Milky Way” is the band’s signature song. The song was #24 on the USA Billboard charts and was massive in 1989. It’s a great song, and we were reminded how good it is, when you hear it on the cult film Donnie Darko.

Remaining Tour Dates

Mar 25 St Louis, MO Delmar Hall
Mar 26 Chicago, IL Thalia Hall
Mar 28 Kent, OH Kent Stage
Mar 29 Philadelphia, PA Theatre of Living Arts
Mar 30 New York, NY Gramercy Theater
Mar 31 Boston, MA The Sinclair
Apr 1 Hartford, CT Infinity Hall
Apr 3 Asbury Park, NJ Asbury Lanes
Apr 4 Alexandria, VA Birchmere Music Hall
Apr 5 Norfolk VA The Norva
Apr 6 Carrboro, NC Cat's Cradle
Apr 8 Pelham, TN The Caverns

The Church

DJ Jake Rudh

The Church

The Church

The Church at Fine Line, Minneapolis (23 Mar 2023)

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Hamilton (musical) at The Music Hall, Kansas City MO thru April 2, 2023 (review)

HAMILTON playbill HAMILTON - US Tour Dates Mar 28 - Apr 7 Norfolk, VA Chrysler Hall Apr 4 – May 7 Minneapolis, MN Orpheum Theatre Apr 11 – Apr 23 Richmond, VA Altria Theater Apr 25 – May 7 Indianapolis, IN Murat Centre May 9 – May 28 Albuquerque, NM Popejoy Hall May 9 – May 21 Appleton, WI Fox Cities PA Center May 24 – Jun 4 Oklahoma, OK Civic Center Music Hall Jun 6 – Jun 18 Wichita, KS Century II Concert Hall Jul 5 – Jul 16 El Paso, TX The Plaza Theatre Jul 19 – Jul 30 Lubbock, TX The Buddy Holly Hall Aug 2 – Aug 13 Lincoln, NE Lied Center Aug 17 – Sep 10 Anchorage, AK Alaska Center Sep 13 – Dec 3 Chicago, IL Nederlander Theatre Jan 30 – Feb 25 (2024) Atlanta, GA Fox Theatre Mar 13 – Mar 24 (2024) Miami, FL Arsht Center Read More Broadway in Kansas City Hadestown, the winner of eight 2019 Tony Awards® including Best Musical and the 2020 Grammy® Award for Best Musical Theater Album....   AMERICAN THEATRE GUILD WEBSITE

The cultural phenomenon has finally returned to a live stage in our area--

HAMILTON, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s game-changing musical and history lesson that tells the story of America then, via America now, has returned to downtown Kansas City, for a two-week engagement at the Music Hall, through Sunday, April 2.

The revelatory score blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B and Broadway, chronicling the rise and fall of founding father Alexander Hamilton and has blossomed into being a lasting creative piece that has transcended the theater genre, to have a rippled effect on politics, education, television, and the arts itself.

Based on Ron Chernow’s 2004 biography, its book, music, and lyrics are by Lin-Manuel Miranda (who dazzled us initially when he was barely known and we saw the first tour of his previous musical, In the Heights) with direction by Thomas Kail.

With choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler and musical supervision and orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire, the show would go on to win 11 Tony® Awards, as well as Grammy®, and Olivier Awards, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and a special citation from the Kennedy Center Honors, with so many in the cast becoming seemingly overnight superstars in the process.

Growing exponentially from its 2013 workshop roots, the show itself has now become so huge, it features an ongoing NYC run, international and Canadian versions, and three concurrently touring US companies – for Kansas City, we were witness to the “Angelica” cast; which proved to be most appropriate as her character and the actress portraying her (Stephanie Umoh), was one of the show’s many highlights.

To be a successful Hamilton cast member, one not only has to be able to act, move, and sing, as most Broadway and touring productions would require; but an additional unique and key element of having lyrical flow is an essential skill necessary to successfully pull off the complicated and often hyper-paced, hip-hop styled lyrics.

Additionally, the nature of hip-hop songs are so much about being “in the moment”- relevant and urgent, both musically and lyrically themed at their time, but often seem to lose their impact ten, five, or even one year later. Hamilton’s lyrics seem to be the exception, perhaps because they double as a civics and history lesson, but are also mostly solid songs, that even the biggest non-hip-hop fan, will still be humming a chorus to, as they leave the theater.

During his relatively short life, the orphaned, Nevis-born Alexander Hamilton served as George Washington's chief aide, and was the first Treasury Secretary, instilling a financial foundation for the nation that still remains mostly intact today.

He had streaks of impetus judgment though and was despised by many of his fellow Founding Fathers, eventually gaining a longtime nemesis in Aaron Burr. Hamilton’s character imperfections, like the show itself, are flaws that add, not take away from the overall charm and appeal. During the show, duels are embellished with expressive dance movements and congressional debates morph into modern-day rap battles to advance the narrative.

For our Wednesday (3/22) performance, a few of the diverse cast was replaced by standbys, notably Kansas City native Bryson Bruce in the lead. From the playbill listing, he’s able to perform in almost any role, and smoothed into the primary, after finding some footing during the opening number, with the hometown crowd quickly accepting him in the role.

All three performers as the Schulyer sisters were strong, particularly stage veteran Umoh whose voice soared during her solo songs along with Josh Tower, who plays a solid Aaron Burr. The nimble and restless Deejay Young as Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson was ever-animated and brought a light playfulness to both roles (in a kind of Katt Williams/vintage Little Richard way), and Peter Matthew Smith’s pomp King George was the ideal blend of snarky vengefulness and spite, to keep the audience enthralled during his three brief on-stage appearances.

The stage design mirrors the Broadway production (complete with rotating center and a rolling staircase), lighting was ahem, spot-on, particularly in the contrasts between the high-energy numbers and the more sullen and sparse scenes of loss, and the precise choreography never missed a beat.

A decade later, Hamilton remains young, scrappy, and hungry and in Kansas City, the only place to be (provided you can find a very still-in-demand ticket) is at the Music Hall, the room where it happens.

===

(Hamilton is playing at the Music Hall through Sunday Aoril 2)

(all photos courtesy of the official touring company website, click on any image to enlarge and see in full)

HAMILTON

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John C ♥ johnc@weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com