W♥M

Frankie Rose at Turf Club (05/31/2023)

05/31 Frankie Rose with SRSQ and Collin Gorman Weiland at Turf Club Tour Dates 6/01 Milwaukee, WI - Cactus Club $ 6/03 Chicago, IL - TBA 6/04 Ferndale, MI - The Magic Bag $ 6/05 Toronto, ON - Monarch Tavern $ 6/06 Montreal, PQ - Bar Le "Ritz" PDB $ 6/07 Troy, NY - No Fun $ 6/08 Brooklyn, NY - TV Eye $ $ = w/ SRSQ Read More Frankie Rose Frankie Rose is touring in support of Love As Projection (Slumberland Records). We last saw Rose in Oct 2013 and said, “Brooklyn-based Frankie Rose opened the evening with … SRSQ The Black Queen will be headlining Studio B (at the Skyway Theatre) on Sunday, March 17th. Show up early to check out The Uniform and SRSQ (featuring Kennedy Ashlyn of Them Are Us Too). ..…

Wednesday night was 80’s night at the Turf Club with the Pet Shop Boys playing through the speakers and Frankie Rose soon to take the stage.

Local musician Collin Gorman Weiland warmed up the crowd with a dirge of industrial dance music that ripped through the club. His latest album is Now & Thus Suite on the Moon Glyph label, a label in which he also works as a regular mastering engineer.

SRSQ aka Kennedy Ashlyn next took the stage to promote her new album Ever Crashing, a dream pop album involving 100 separate tracks all done by the Texas based musician.

Vice Magazine described SRSQ’s debut Unreality as “… floating and abstract.” Songs from her latest album create a lush musical landscape that allow Ashlyn to sing an almost defiant, wounded delivery of someone searching for meaning, yet using music to heal.

The pain is real for Ashlyn never set out to be a solo artist, but part of a duo with Cash Askew. But Askew died in a tragic warehouse/concert venue fire in Oakland, California. So, the theme through most of the evening was the temporal, fleeting nature of being alive. Like in “Saved for Summer” where Ashlyn sang:

Oh, wasted time, is it folly or despair?
Or somehow, in between?

Frankie Rose next took the stage with her band. We last saw her in 2013 opening up for Franz Ferdinand at the Skyway Theater, promoting her album Herein Wild. And it has been over six years since she last released an album. She actually completed one close to three years ago, but due to the pandemic and being a victim to vinyl production backlogs, she is finally on the road promoting Love as Projection, which The Big Takeover Magazine thought could be part of the Stranger Things soundtrack. It is a retro love letter to the type of electronic pop that would find a home in any John Hughes movie.

A highlight was “Sixteen Ways”, a perfectly formed pop song to sing in the car. Another highlight was “Comeback”, a hypnotic dance groove.

A funny moment occurred when Rose moved into the prerequisite merch plug. Then she remembered: “Were out of our record. Just wanted to let you know.”

For the encore she asked the crowd if they had any requests. Someone joked and shouted: “Anything!” So she played “Anything” from her sold out album.

SRSQ Collin Gorman Weiland SRSQ Frankie Rose Frankie Rose

Frankie Rose at Turf Club, St Paul (31 May 2023)

dave ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Aladdin (musical) at The Music Hall, Kansas City, MO (30 May- 4 June 2023)

ALADDIN   ACT ONE: "Overture" - Instrumental "Arabian Nights" - Genie and Company "Once Jump Ahead"- Aladdin, Ensemble "Once Jump Ahead (Reprise)" - Aladdin "Proud of Your Boy"- Aladdin "These Palace Walls"- Jasmine and Female Attendants "Babkak, Omar, Aladdin, Kassim" - Babkak, Omar, Aladdin, Kassim, Jasmine, Ensemble "A Million Miles Away"- Aladdin, Jasmine "Diamond in the Rough" - Jafar, Iago, Aladdin "Friend Like Me" - Genie, Aladdin, Ensemble "Act One Finale" (Friend Like Me (Reprise) / Proud of Your Boy (Reprise 1)) - Genie, Aladdin ACT TWO: "Prince Ali" - Genie, Babkak, Omar, Kassim, Ensemble "A Whole New World" - Aladdin, Jasmine "High Adventure" - Babkak, Omar, Kassim, Ensemble "Somebody's Got Your Back" - Aladdin, Genie, Babkak, Omar, Kassim "Proud of Your Boy (Reprise 2)"- Aladdin "Prince Ali (Sultan Reprise)" - Sultan and Company "Prince Ali (Jafar Reprise)" - Jafar "Finale Ultimo (Arabian Nights (Reprise) / A Whole New World (Reprise)" - Company Bows ("Friend Like Me (Reprise 2)" - Company ALADDIN Tour Dates JUN 7-11 POPEJOY HALL 203 Cornell Dr Albuquerque, NM JUN 13-18 DCPA - BUELL THEATRE 1350 Curtis St Denver, CO JUN 20-25 MORRISON CENTER 2201 W. Cesar Chavez LN Boise, ID JUN 27 - JUL 2 FIRST INTERSTATE CENTER FOR THE ARTS 334 W Spokane Falls Blvd Spokane, WA JUL 11-16 NORTHERN ALBERTA JUBILEE AUDITORIUM 11455 87 Ave NW Edmonton, AB JUL 18-23 SOUTHERN ALBERTA JUBILEE AUDITORIUM 1415 14 Ave NW Calgary, AB JUL 25-30 QUEEN ELIZABETH THEATRE 630 Hamilton Street Vancouver, BC AUG 2-13 ORPHEUM THEATRE 1192 Market San Francisco, CA SEP 5-10 CENTENNIAL HALL 1020 E University Blvd Tucson, AZ SEP 12-23 HOLLYWOOD PANTAGES THEATRE 6233 Hollywood Blvd Los Angeles, CA SEP 26 - OCT 1 TULSA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 110 E 2nd St Tulsa, OK OCT 3-8 LIED CENTER FOR PERFORMING ARTS 301 N 12th St Lincoln, NE OCT 10-15 OVERTURE CENTER 201 State St Madison, WI OCT 17-22 MARCUS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 929 N Water St Milwaukee, WI OCT 25-29 CHRYSLER HALL 215 St. Paul's Blvd Norfolk, VA OCT 31 - NOV 11 TANGER CENTER 300 N Elm Greensboro, NC NOV 8-12 LANDMARK THEATRE 374 S. Salina St Syracuse, NY NOV 14-19 ARONOFF CENTER FOR THE ARTS 650 Walnut Street Cincinnati, OH NOV 28 - DEC 3 WASHINGTON PAVILION 301 S Main Ave Sioux Falls, SD DEC 5-10 ORPHEUM THEATRE 910 Hennepin Minneapolis, MN DEC 12-17 THE FABULOUS FOX THEATRE 527 N Grand Blvd St. Louis, MO   2024 JAN 3-7 DR. PHILIPS CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS 445 S Magnolia Ave Orlando, FL JAN 9-14 FOX THEATRE 660 Peachtree St NE Atlanta, GA JAN 16-21 DEVOS PERFORMANCE HALL 303 Monroe Ave NW Grand Rapids, MI JAN 24-28 BIRMINGHAM JEFFERSON CC 1 Richard Arrigton Jr Blvd N Birmingham, AL JAN 31 - FEB 4 BASS PERFORMANCE HALL 525 Commerce St Fort Worth, TX FEB 20-11 PLAZA THEATRE 125 W Mills Ave El Paso, TX MAR 19-24 MORRIS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 211 N Michigan St South Bend, IN MAR 26-31 WALTON ARTS CENTER 495 W Dickson St Fayetteville, AR APR 3-7 CIVIC THEATRE 1100 3rd Ave San Diego, CA APR 10-21 ATWOOD CONCERT HALL 621 West 6th Avenue Suite ACH Anchorage, AK APR 24-28 PARAMOUNT THEATRE 911 Pine St. Seattle, WA MAY 1-5 SAROYAN THEATRE 730 M Street Fresno, CA MAY 7-12 COSTA MESA, CA 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

 We were excited to witness opening night of the last selection from this season of PNC Bank Broadway and came away unexpectedly very impressed.  

Disney's Aladdin is well-paced and staged, features a mesmerizing Marcus M. Martin as the genie, is not overly kid-friendly with plenty of adult-level humor, and much more than a simple retread of either the animated or live-action films.  

With bright costumes and effects and a dazzling huge ensemble version of "Friend Like Me", this very entertaining show was the surprise of our season to witness.  

More info to come!

====

From the producer of The Lion King comes the timeless story of Aladdin, a thrilling new production filled with beauty, magic, comedy and breathtaking spectacle. It’s the theatrical event where one lamp and three wishes make the possibilities infinite.

Aladdin features all your favorite songs from the Disney film versions as well as new music written by Tony® and Academy Award® winner Alan Menken with lyrics penned by the legendary Howard Ashman (Beauty and the Beast), Tony Award winner Tim Rice (The Lion King, Aida), and book writer Chad Beguelin (The Wedding Singer).

Directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon, Something Rotten!), this new musical boasts an incomparable design team, with sets, costumes and lighting from Tony Award winners Bob Crowley (Mary Poppins), Gregg Barnes (Kinky Boots), and Natasha Katz (An American in Paris).

Aladdin The Broadway Musical is playing at The Music Hall in downtown Kansas City, from now through Sunday June 4th.  

 (Photos courtesy of the official website /  Click on any image to enlarge and see in full)

ALADDIN (Touring Musical)

ALADDIN (Touring Musical)

ALADDIN (Touring Musical)

ALADDIN (Touring Musical)

ALADDIN (Touring Musical)

ALADDIN (Touring Musical)

ALADDIN (Touring Musical)

ALADDIN (Touring Musical)

ALADDIN (Touring Musical)

ALADDIN (Touring Musical)

ALADDIN (Touring Musical)

ALADDIN (Touring Musical)

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

Alex Lahey at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (30 May 2023)

05/30 Alex Lahey with Liza Anne at 7th St Entry Alex Lahey Setlist On The Way Down They Wouldn’t Let Me In You’ll Never Get Your Money Back Wes Anderson Makes Me Sick Congratulations You Don't Think You Like People Like Me Misery Guts Permanent Good Time Torn (Ednaswap cover) Every Day's the Weekend The Answer Is Always Yes I Haven't Been Taking Care of Myself Read More Alex Lahey Australian songwriter Alex Lahey is headlining the Turf Club in support of her new album The Best Of Luck Club (Dead Oceans). ... Liza Anne Next was Liza Anne (with full band of Josh on bass, Cody on drums, and Robbie on guitars), who could not get over at how cold it was in Minneapolis (it was randomly snowing throughout the day). The Nashville-based band …

05/30/2023 Tuesday

Alex Lahey
with Liza Anne
at 7th St Entry
first-avenue.com

Australian songwriter Alex Lahey will stop by the 7th Street Entry in support of her forthcoming album The Answer Is Always Yes (Liberation Records).

Lahey was last seen in town in August 2019 at the Turf Club, in St Paul.

Liza Anne (12 Oct 2019)

Liza Anne to open. We last saw Liza in Oct 2019 and said, “Next was Liza Anne (with full band of Josh on bass, Cody on drums, and Robbie on guitars), who could not get over at how cold it was in Minneapolis (it was randomly snowing throughout the day). The Nashville-based band only packed T-Shirts and jeans, so they were not prepared for the change in temperature.” I know it’s going to be in late May, but I hope they pack a sweater.

Alex Lahey Tour Dates:

Fri. May 19 - Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room
Sat. May 20 - Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon
Sun. May 21 - San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
Tue. May 23 - Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall
Wed. May 24 - Seattle, WA @ Madame Lous
Fri. May 26 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
Sat. May 27 - Denver, CO @ Lost Lake
Tue. May 30 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street entry
Wed. May 31 - Chicago, IL @ Schubas
Fri. June 2 - Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups
Sat. June 3 - Cleveland, OH @ Mahalls
Sun. June 4 - Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground
Tue. June 6 - Boston, MA @ Crystal Ballroom
Wed. June 7 - New York, NY @ Baby’s All Right
Fri. June 9 - Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brendas
Sun. June 11 - Washington, DC @ Songbyrd
Mon. June 12 - Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall
Tue. June 13 - Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade Purgatory
Thu. June 15 - Houston, TX @ White Oak Music
Fri. June 16 - Austin, TX @ Parish
Sat. June 17 - Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
Tue. June 20 - Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel Lounge
Wed. June 21 - San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar

Liza Anne Allie Liza Anne Liza Anne Liza Anne

Liza Anne

Alex Lahey Alex Lahey Alex Lahey Alex Lahey Alex Lahey

Alex Lahey at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (30 May 2023)

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

shame at The Bottleneck, Lawrence KS (27 May 2023)

shame SETLIST   Fingers of Steel Alibis Alphabet Concrete Six-Pack Tasteless Burning by Design 6/1 Born in Luton The Fall of Paul Adderall Orchid Water in the Well One Rizla Snow Day Gold Hole   Been Stellar SETLIST   Start Again My Honesty Passing Valentine Shimmer Manhattan Youth Sweet Kids 1995 Ohm shame Tour Dates MAY 28 George's Majestic Lounge Fayetteville, AR MAY 30 Granada Theater Dallas, TX JUN 02 Scoot Inn Austin, TX JUN 03 White Oak Music Hall Houston, TX JUN 04 Toulouse Theatre New Orleans, LA JUN 15 Bergenfest 2023 Bergen, Norway JUL 04 Giardini Ducali Modena, Italy JUL 20 Bukta Tromsø Open Air Festival Tromsø, Norway Jul 27-29 Tsunami Xixón Festival Gijón, Spain JUL 27 CASTELLO VOLANTE DI CORIGLIANO D’OTRANTO Corigliano D'otranto, Italy AUG 04 Espace Maurice Melois / Plein Air Malestroit, France SEP 28 Pappy & Harriet's Pioneertown, CA SEP 29 The Regent Theater Los Angeles, CA OCT 04 Revolution Hall Portland, OR OCT 06 The Crocodile Seattle, WA OCT 07 Hollywood Theatre Vancouver, BC Read More shame It’s a shame, but London’s Shame had to cancel their appearance. They were replaced by U.S. Girls, who said, “We’re the best replacement...

What a way to kick off Memorial weekend in Kansas!

London post-punk band shame turned The Bottleneck in Lawrence into their own room of controlled mayhem and activity center as lead singer Charlie Steen directed the crowd all night into clapping along on cue, forming and surging the mosh pit, catching him as he stage dove, and holding him up to end the sweaty ninety-minute set, standing on the crowd's hands.  

Bassist Josh Finerty was constantly running and jumping from one end of the stage to the other, and is maybe the only bass player we've ever seen, doing somersaults as he continued to play.

NY indie band Been Stellar impressed as well, in support of their EP, with a Pearl Jam meets Strokes hard-edged street approach to their style of indie-rock.  

=====

The rising London post-punk band has returned with their third full-length, Food for Worms, which just came out at the end of last month. Three buzzing singles were released beforehand, doing exceptionally well on the other side of the pond, “Fingers of Steel", "Six-Pack" and "Adderall".

After they missed Rock the Garden in 2018, we finally caught the band live, last summer headlining in Minneapolis. They've been busy touring the UK and Europe, so are ready to hit our shores with a bang.

(Update: NYC indie five-piece Been Stellar will provide support, in support of last August's self-titled EP.) 

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

shame

shame

shame

shame

shame

shame

shame

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BEEN STELLAR

BEEN STELLAR

BEEN STELLAR

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

Minneapolis: June 17 to June 18

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

06/17 Liturgy with Big|Brave at Turf Club Read More Liturgy Although this black metal Liturgy band's second album, Aesthethica isn't out until May 10th via Thrill Jockey, it didn't stop them from premiering "High Gold" on stereogum.com. ...

06/17/2023 Saturday

Liturgy
with Big|Brave
at Turf Club
first-avenue.com

Metal band Liturgy is touring in support of their double-album 93696 (Thrill Jockey).

Label mates Big|Brave will be providing support on this 2023 tour.

Liturgy 2023 tour dates:

Mar. 23 - Brooklyn, NY - TV Eye
Mar. 30 - Knoxville, TN - Big Ears Festival
May 7 - Brooklyn, NY - Long Play Festival
Jun. 10 - Montreal, QC - Bar Le Ritz PDB *
Jun. 11 - Toronto, ON - The Garrison *
Jun. 13 - Buffalo, NY - Mohawk *
Jun. 14 - Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop *
Jun. 15 - Detroit, MI - Sanctuary *
Jun. 16 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle *
Jun. 17 - St Paul, MN - Turf Club *
Jun. 18 - Fargo, ND - The Aquarium *
Jun. 21 - Calgary, AB - Sled Island Festival *
Jun. 23 - Vancouver, BC - Vancouver Jazz Fest *
Jun. 24 - Seattle, WA - Substation *
Jun. 25 - Portland, OR - Star Theater *
Jun. 27 - Sacramento, CA - Cafe Colonial *
Jun. 28 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent *
Jun. 29 - Los Angeles, CA - Resident *
Jun. 30 - Mesa, AZ - The Nile Underground *
Jul. 1 - Albuquerque, NM - Sister Bar *
Jul. 3 - Austin, TX - The Lost Well *
Jul. 4 - Houston, TX - The End *
Jul. 5 - New Orleans, LA - Gasa Gasa *
Jul. 7 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl *
Jul. 8 - Raleigh, NC - The Pour House *
Jul. 9 - Philadelphia, PA - Milk Boy *
Aug 16-19 - Bristol, UK - ArcTanGent Festival

* w/ BIG|BRAVE

06/17 Temples with Post Animal at Fine Line Read More Temples Along their way to Minneapolis, Temples have been building huge buzz appearing at Great Escape 2013 and (recently) SXSW 2014. With all that excitement for the band, they sold out the Turf Club presale … Post Animal Chicago’s heavy, prog psychedelic rock band Post Animal released their sophomore album Forward Motion Godyssey on February 14, 2020, via Polyvinyl, and will be doing a national tour to promote the new record. …

06/17/2023 Saturday

Temples
with Post Animal
at Fine Line
first-avenue.com

British psychedelic band Temples will be touring in June in support of their latest album Exotico (ATO Records).

The record was produced by Sean Ono Lennon and mixed by GRAMMY® Award-winner Dave Fridmann (The Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev, MGMT).

Temples (12 Oct 2019)

We saw Temples at Desert Daze in Oct 2019 and said, “Oh, man. Temples. The best show of the night. These guys single-handedly made the entirety of Desert Daze worth it all. God bless this British rock band. The mostly played tracks from their newest album Hot Motion, while throwing in Keep in the Dark towards the end of their set. This neo-psychedelic band is like going back to 1968, and I am beyond obsessed.”

Chicago’s heavy, prog psychedelic rock band Post Animal to open.

Tour Dates:

06/06 – Washington, DC – Black Cat
06/07 – Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts
06/09 – Brooklyn, NY – Elsewhere
06/10 – Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club
06/12 – Montreal, QC – Theatre Fairmount
06/13 – Toronto, ON – Lee's Palace
06/15 – Detroit, MI – El Club
06/16 – Chicago, IL – Metro
06/17 – Minneapolis, MN – Fine Line
06/19 – Denver, CO – Bluebird
06/20 – Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge
06/22 – San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall
06/24 – Los Angeles, LA – Teragram Ballroom
08/31 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw
09/02 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
09/03 - Seattle, WA - Bumbershoot Festival

06/18 Lyn Lapid with Stephanie Poetri at Amsterdam Bar & Hall

06/18/2023 Sunday

Lyn Lapid
with Stephanie Poetri
at Amsterdam Bar & Hall
first-avenue.com

20-year-old buzzing songstress Lyn Lapid is out on tour in support of her forthcoming EP to love in the 21st century (Mercury Records/Republic Records). The new single from the EP, “ok with it,” out now on.

Lyn says, “When I was writing ‘ok with it,’ I had my hometown friends in mind. I thought about the friends I grew up with and how we haven’t been much in contact ever since we graduated. I found it a little strange that even though we all promised to call each other at college, neither of us put in much effort to keep in touch right when college started. What was even more strange was that I wasn’t really sad about it at all. I wasn’t sad watching them make new friends or get into relationships they never told me about, because I never bothered to tell them about what was going on in my life either. That’s what I wrote ‘ok with it’ about, how the end of a relationship doesn’t need a clear and conclusive break to be declared over, and that it can just be a matter of realizing that you both stopped keeping tabs on each other.”

With over 550 million global streams across her catalog and 5 million TikTok followers, Lyn Lapid has affirmed herself as a rising artist to watch in 2023.

Stephanie Poetri to open.

“to love in the 21st century” TOUR DATES:

May 31 San Diego, CA House of Blues
June 1 Santa Ana, CA Constellation Room
June 2 Phoenix, AZ The Rebel Lounge
June 4 Dallas, TX Club Dada
June 5 Austin, TX 3TEN
June 6 Houston, TX House of Blues
June 8 Atlanta, GA Vinyl
June 9 Columbia, SC New Brookland Tavern
June 11 Washington, DC Union Stage
June 12 Baltimore, MD The 8x10
June 13 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
June 16 Toronto, CAN Velvet Underground
June 17 Chicago, IL Schubas Tavern
June 18 Saint Paul, MN Amsterdam Bar
June 20 Denver, CO Globe Hall
June 22 Salt Lake City, UT Kilby Court
June 24 Seattle, WA Barboza
June 25 Portland, OR Holocene
June 27 San Francisco, CA The Chapel
June 28 Los Angeles, CA The Roxy Theatre

If your band is coming to the Minneapolis/St Paul area, please email details to [email protected] with a good lead time. Thank you.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Weekend Gamer Update: Memorial Day Weekend

Windows 11 Pro Product Description Instantly productive. Simpler, more intuitive UI and effortless navigation. New features like snap layouts help you manage multiple tasks with ease Smarter collaboration. Have effective online meetings. Share content and mute/unmute right from the taskbar (1). Stay focused with intelligent noise cancelling and background blur. (2) Reassuringly consistent. Have confidence that your applications will work. Familiar deployment and update tools. Accelerate adoption with expanded deployment policies. Powerful security. Safeguard data and access anywhere with hardware-based isolation, encryption, and malware protection built in. Read More MicroSoft That’s because I just bought the Microsoft Office Professional 2021 lifetime license for $30, after reading about it on C-Net. The article referenced Stack Social, which I’ve never heard of until today. …

It’s Memorial Day Weekend, which means I have this Monday off and it’s a long weekend for me. As usual with these holidays, there are a lot of sales and deals all across retailers. I’m planning on going to a few Half-Priced Books to take advantage of their 20% instore purchases. The problem with HPB is that their stocks are limited and are vastly different from store to store. You never know what you are going to see, day to day, store to store.

Best Buy is selling a lot of Bluray for under $10… but the cool thing is that the new Pixel 7a is being sold for $450, the first sale price since it was launched on May 10. That was fast! Even though it’s a $50 savings, it’s still not enough for me to want it. I’ve already committed to buying the upcoming iPhone 15 Pro Max, so I need to set aside roughly $1,200. I was never an iPhone guy, until I started using the $25 unlimited data/phone service from Visible. Now, it’s impossible for me to break away from the Apple ecosystem.

Anyway, over at Stack Social, I just purchased Windows 11 Pro for $40. This is the full product key, not an “upgrade” key, meaning you could use it on a freshly built computer. I just basically upgraded my Windows 11 Home on my current computer.

For most people, Home is just fine for everyone. There are some differences, such as local accounts and Hyper-V and some extra security options (as well as more faster updates), but for the most part, I personally didn’t need to upgrade to Pro… But the sale price was so good (it’s normally $199), that I couldn’t pass it up. As of this writing, I don’t have buyer’s remorse.

When Windows 11 first launched in late 2021, video gaming was a problem with stutter and lag… but it was related to driver issues for video cards. Now that it’s been out for a few years, there are no issues with gaming. Since I started using Windows 11 Home in Nov 2022, I have been impressed with its performance over Windows 10.

Fallout New Vegas Ultimate Edition

Speaking of games, Epic Games is offering Fallout New Vegas Ultimate Edition for free. You guys know I love Fallout, so naturally, I’m going to encourage you guys to get it for free. Of course, I already own this on various platform (GOG, Steam, Xbox, etc.), and you can usually find it on sale.

This is the Ultimate Edition, which means all the DLC are incorporated in this game, so there’s a ton of great content to go through.

Of all the Fallout games, New Vegas is one of my top three. A lot of fans did not like the game when it first came out, but over time, I believe they’ve turn around and would agree with me that it’s a great game. The game is 13 years old, and it could benefit from a remaster or remake of the game, in my opinion.

Also, ROG Ally Update: On the day that it was available to pre-order on May 11, 2023, I overreacted and immediately ordered it from Best Buy. It was at a location and a time (noon-ish) and at Best Buy, that I normally don’t buy from online, and at such a high amount, that the unusual activity alerted my bank to issue a stop on my bank card. I had to basically go to the bank and told them that I did purchase the ROG Ally. Unfortunately, the bank already put a stop on the payment. That’s fine, I suppose I’ll just have to go to the physical store on June 13th to see if I can just buy one at their store. It kind of sucks because my local Best Buy closed this year, so I need to travel to another city to visit a Best Buy now. You know, all this could have been prevented, if ROG Ally would just make it available at all retailers… meaning if I had purchased it from Amazon, my bank would’ve just allowed it.

I suppose it’s probably better this way. Now that I’ve seen early reviews, it’s not exactly “twice as fast” as they’ve been claiming. The truth is, it sounds like the ROG Ally is about the same as the Steam Deck… the only difference is that the ROG Ally runs Windows 11 out of the box. Basically, once I get the ROG, I’m calling it my ROG GOG because it’ll be my GOG and Battle Net machine. I just cannot wait to play Diablo IV on handheld.

Yours,

Weekend Gamer

Read more Weekend Gamer.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Minneapolis: This Week (06/04/2023)

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

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide

05/30 Alex Lahey with Liza Anne at 7th St Entry Read More Alex Lahey Australian songwriter Alex Lahey is headlining the Turf Club in support of her new album The Best Of Luck Club (Dead Oceans). ... Liza Anne Next was Liza Anne (with full band of Josh on bass, Cody on drums, and Robbie on guitars), who could not get over at how cold it was in Minneapolis (it was randomly snowing throughout the day). The Nashville-based band …

05/30/2023 Tuesday

Alex Lahey
with Liza Anne
at 7th St Entry
first-avenue.com

Australian songwriter Alex Lahey will stop by the 7th Street Entry in support of her forthcoming album The Answer Is Always Yes (Liberation Records).

Lahey was last seen in town in August 2019 at the Turf Club, in St Paul.

Liza Anne (12 Oct 2019)

Liza Anne to open. We last saw Liza in Oct 2019 and said, “Next was Liza Anne (with full band of Josh on bass, Cody on drums, and Robbie on guitars), who could not get over at how cold it was in Minneapolis (it was randomly snowing throughout the day). The Nashville-based band only packed T-Shirts and jeans, so they were not prepared for the change in temperature.” I know it’s going to be in late May, but I hope they pack a sweater.

Alex Lahey Tour Dates:

Fri. May 19 - Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room
Sat. May 20 - Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon
Sun. May 21 - San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
Tue. May 23 - Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall
Wed. May 24 - Seattle, WA @ Madame Lous
Fri. May 26 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
Sat. May 27 - Denver, CO @ Lost Lake
Tue. May 30 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street entry
Wed. May 31 - Chicago, IL @ Schubas
Fri. June 2 - Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups
Sat. June 3 - Cleveland, OH @ Mahalls
Sun. June 4 - Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground
Tue. June 6 - Boston, MA @ Crystal Ballroom
Wed. June 7 - New York, NY @ Baby’s All Right
Fri. June 9 - Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brendas
Sun. June 11 - Washington, DC @ Songbyrd
Mon. June 12 - Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall
Tue. June 13 - Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade Purgatory
Thu. June 15 - Houston, TX @ White Oak Music
Fri. June 16 - Austin, TX @ Parish
Sat. June 17 - Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
Tue. June 20 - Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel Lounge
Wed. June 21 - San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar

05/31 Frankie Rose with SRSQ and Collin Gorman Weiland at Turf Club Read More Frankie Rose Guess who is opening up for Franz Ferdinand for all their U.S. tour dates? That's right, Frankie Rose. She'll be here on Wednesday at the Skyway Theatre in Minneapolis..…

05/31/2023 Wednesday

Frankie Rose
with SRSQ and Collin Gorman Weiland
at Turf Club
first-avenue.com

Frankie Rose is touring in support of Love As Projection (Slumberland Records).

Frankie Rose (09 Oct 2013)

We last saw Rose in Oct 2013 and said, “Brooklyn-based Frankie Rose opened the evening with a brief but solid 30 min. set. After playing in Crystal Stilts, Dum Dum Girls, and Vivian Girls, Rose struck out on her own in 2010 with the release of Frankie Rose and the Outs. She toured under that name (the Outs being her band), but by her sophomore album, Interstellar, she dropped the name the Outs, possibly due to changing band members, or most likely, to keep it simple.”

Tour dates:

5/14 Washington DC - Songbyrd $
5/15 Durham, NC - Pinhook $
5/16 Atlanta, GA - The Earl $
5/18 Denton, TX - Rubber Gloves $
5/19 Austin, TX - Empire Control Room $
5/21 Albuquerque, NM - Sister $
5/23 San Diego, CA - Soda Bar $
5/24 Los Angeles, CA - Zebulon $
5/25 San Francisco, CA - The Chapel $
5/26 Sacramento, CA - Starlet Room $
5/27 Portland, OR - Doug Fir $
5/28 Seattle, WA - Madame Lou's $
5/31 St Paul, MN - Turf Club $
6/01 Milwaukee, WI - Cactus Club $
6/03 Chicago, IL - TBA
6/04 Ferndale, MI - The Magic Bag $
6/05 Toronto, ON - Monarch Tavern $
6/06 Montreal, PQ - Bar Le "Ritz" PDB $
6/07 Troy, NY - No Fun $
6/08 Brooklyn, NY - TV Eye $

* = w/ Donzii
# = w/ Postcards From Paradise
+ = w/ Romeo Blu, Offerings
$ = w/ SRSQ

05/31 Buffalo Daughter with babybaby_explores and Balloon Race at 7th St Entry Read More Luscious Jackson Did you know it's been over thirteen years since Luscious Jackson release their last album, Electric Honey? I did catch them on tour when they were touring in support of that album. I didn't know .…

05/31/2023 Wednesday

Buffalo Daughter
with babybaby_explores and Balloon Race
at 7th St Entry
first-avenue.com

90s Japanese rock band Buffalo Daughter (suGar Yoshinaga on guitar, Yumiko Ohno on bass, and MoOog Yamamoto on turntables) is making a rare appearance at the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis on May 31st.

The group toured America with Luscious Jackson, because the American group met the band in Japan and loved them so much that they introduced them to Beastie Boys’ label Grand Royal Records. After signing with Grand Royal, Buffalo Daughter spent time in the USA touring with Butter 08 (Cibo Matto’s side project that we wrote about in June 2007) and, later with Luscious Jackson.

The band latest release We Are the Times came out in 2021, and they are celebrating reissues of their albums New Rock (1998) and I (2001) on double vinyl. I’m sure the band will bring them on tour, so be sure to grab the new reissues.

babybaby_explores and Balloon Race to open.

Tour dates:

May 24 Brooklyn, NY, US Public Records
May 26 Philadelphia, PA, US Johnny Brenda's
May 27 Montreal, QC, Canada L'Escogriffe Bar Spectacle
May 28 Toronto, ON, Canada The Garrison
May 29 Chicago, IL, US Schuba's
May 30 Cudahy, WI, US X-Ray Arcade
May 31 Minneapolis, MN, US 7th St Entry
Jun 3 Seattle, WA, US Substation
Jun 4 Portland, OR, US Doug Fir Lounge
Jun 6 Los Angeles (LA), CA, US Resident
Jun 7 San Francisco, CA, US Café du Nord
Jun 25 Shibuya, Japan WALL&WALL
Jul 5 Nagoya, Japan Tokuzo / 得三
Jul 7 Kyoto, Japan Metro

06/03 Yeah Yeah Yeahs with Perfume Genius at Armory Read More Yeah Yeah Yeahs As for Yeah Yeah Yeahs, please refer to the setlist to see all the songs played. I'll try to fill in the rest. Karen O, has, as always, a bit of a stage presence. She underwent a few jackets and costumes changes throughout their set. ... Perfume Genius Perfume Genius (aka Mike Hadreas) is stopping by the Cedar Cultural Center in support of his fourth record No Shape (Matador Records). The album was recorded in Los Angeles …

06/03/2023 Saturday

Yeah Yeah Yeahs
with Perfume Genius
at Armory
first-avenue.com

Yeah Yeah Yeahs will be touring in support of their GRAMMY nominated 2022 album, Cool It Down (Secretly Canadian).

Yeah Yeah Yeahs with Har Mar Superstar (24 June 2013)

We last saw YYY in June 2013, which happened to be Karen O’s birthday and said, “YYY fans are a dedicated bunch who showed up two hours before the doors open. They would rush to the front and sing along to all their songs, including new songs (like "Under The Earth", "Slave", "Despair", and "Sacrilege") from Mosquito, which came out April 16th on Interscope Records. Encore was interesting, Har Mar Superstar came on stage to sing "Happy Birthday" to YYY's additional live guitarist David Pajo.”

Perfume Genius (24 May 2017)

Perfume Genius to open.

The last time we saw Perfume Genius, it was in May 2017 and we said, “Perfume Genius is basically the stage name solo artist Mike Hadreas, began recording music under the moniker in 2008 when he moved back to Seattle. His songs often reflect his experience of being an openly gay man in a society that doesn’t always embrace what they don’t understand.”

Perfume Genius last album Ugly Season came out on Matador Records.

Tour dates:

5/3 - Washington, DC @ The Anthem
5/5 - Atlanta, GA @ Shaky Knees Music Festival
5/7 - Houston, TX @ 713 Music Hall +
5/9 - Irving, TX @ The Pavilion +
5/12 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Block Party
5/13 - Pasadena, CA @ Just Like Heaven
5/26 - Allston, MA @ Boston Calling Music Festival
6/1 Chicago, IL @ Huntington Bank Pavilion
6/3 Minneapolis, MN @ Armory *
6/5 Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre *
6/7 Redmond, WA @ Marymoor Live *
6/8 Troutdale, OR @ McMenamins Edgefield *
6/10 Berkeley, CA @ The Greek Theatre *
7/28-30 - Yuzawa, JP @ Fuji Rock Festival
8/25 - London, EN @ All Points East
8/26 - Paris, FR @ Rock en Seine
8/28 - Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
8/29 - Berlin, DE @ Columbiahalle

+ w/ The Faint
* w/ Perfume Genius

06/03 Jess Williamson with Sam Cassidy at Turf Club Read More Plains Plains is the new collaborative project from Jess Williamson and Waxahatchee’s Katie Crutchfield. Their new album I Walked With You A Ways recently came out on ANTI- Records. ...

06/03/2023 Saturday

Jess Williamson
with Sam Cassidy
at Turf Club
first-avenue.com

Texas-born, Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter Jess Williamson (who is also in Plains) is touring in support of her new album Time Ain’t Accidental (Mexican Summer). The tour will stop in Minneapolis on June 3, 2023.

Sam Cassidy to open.

Tour dates:

5/19 - Nashville, TN @ The Basement
5/20 - Nashville, TN @ The Basement
5/23 - Brooklyn, NY @ Union Pool
5/24 - Brooklyn, NY @ Union Pool
5/26 - Woodstock, NY @ Levon Helm Studios
5/27 - Toronto, ON @ The Monarch Tavern
5/28 - Pittsburgh, PA @ WonderWorks Music
5/30 - Indianapolis, IN @ Hi-Fi
5/31 - Chicago, IL @ The Hideout
6/1 - Chicago, IL @ The Hideout
6/3 - Minneapolis, MN @ Turf Club
6/5 - Milwaukee, WI @ The Back Room @ Colectivo
6/6 - Davenport, IA @ Raccoon Motel
6/8 - Dallas, TX @ The Sundown
6/9 - Austin, TX - Continental Club
6/10 - Austin, TX - Continental Club
6/17 - Los Angeles, CA - Zebulon

06/04 Daniel Romano's Outfit and The Dirty Nil at Turf Club Read More The Dirty Nil Ontario punk trio The Dirty Nil will open the show. The Dirty Nil’s debut album Higher Power is out now on Dine Alone Records. The band will likely play “Wrestle Yü to Hüsker Dü” .…

06/04/2023 Sunday

Daniel Romano's Outfit
and The Dirty Nil
at Turf Club
first-avenue.com

The co-headlining tour of Daniel Romano's Outfit and The Dirty Nil will stop by the Turf Club in St Paul on June 4th.

Daniel Romano's Outfit’s new album La Luna (the Moon) is out now on You've Changed Records.

Ontario’s rock ‘n’ roll torchbearers, The Dirty Nil, is touring in support of their new album Free Rein to Passions via Dine Alone Records.

Upcoming North American Tour Dates:

6/1/23 - Ferndale, MI @ Loving Touch
6/2/23 - Grand Rapids, MI @ Pyramid Scheme
6/4/23 - St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
6/6/23 - Winnipeg, MB @ The Park Theatre
6/7/23 - Saskatoon, SK @ Louis Pub
6/8/23 - Red Deer, AB @ Starlite Room
6/10/23 - Calgary, AB @ Commonwealth
6/11/23 - Medicine Hat, AB @ Casa Amigos
6/13/23 - Nelson, BC @ Spirit Bar
6/14/23 - Kelowa, BC @ Runaways
6/15/23 - Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw
6/16/23 - Victoria, BC @ Capital Ballroom
6/17/23 - Seattle, WA @ Madam Lou’s
6/18/23 - Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall
6/20/23 - San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
6/21/23 - Fresno, CA - Strummers
6/22/23 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Troubadour
6/23/23 - San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
6/24/23 - Phoenix, AZ - Valley Bar
6/25/23 - El Paso, TX - Lowbrow Palace
6/27/23 - Austin, TX @ Parish
6/28/23 - Dallas, TX @ Three Links
6/29/23 - Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Halls (Upstairs)
6/30/23 - New Orleans, LA @ Santos
7/1/23 - Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
7/2/23 - Nashville, TN @ Basement East
7/5/23 - Richmond, VA @ Richmond Music Hall
7/6/23 - Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar
7/7/23 - Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
7/8/23 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
7/11/23 - Hamden, CT @ Space Ballroom
7/12/23 - Boston, MA @ Sonia
7/13/23 - Syracuse, NY @ The Lost Horizon
7/14/23 - Buffalo, NY @ Red Room

If your band is coming to the Minneapolis/St Paul area, please email details to [email protected] with a good lead time. Thank you.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Minneapolis: June 15 to June 16

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

06/15 Pansy Division with Bev Rage & The Drinks and Lumari at 7th St Entry Read More Pansy Division In Pansy Division's Pile Up album, Morrissey is mentioned in the song "Homo Christmas": "Don't be miserable like Morrissey, let me do you underneath the Christmas tree...". ...

06/15/2023 Thursday

Pansy Division
with Bev Rage & The Drinks and Lumari
at 7th St Entry
first-avenue.com

I may have told this story before, but I used to be a volunteer radio DJ at Fresno State’s KFSR 90.7 FM. My timeslot was Thursday from 10pm to midnight, I mostly stuck to Britpop … but my friend, the late Melinda (aka Black Velveeta), would play some quirky “cheesy” stuff, everything from April March to the Sleestacks to Cranes to Mr T Experience to Wally Pleasant. She loves those weird bands.

Anyway, one day, we got a CD from Pansy Division in the early 90s and we loved it. I guess, back then, being gay wasn’t something you talk about. But Pansy Division, they were openly gay, and it really inspired so many other bands to follow in their footsteps.

Now, I’ve never seen Pansy Division live (if I had, I probably blacked out and don’t remember), but Melinda did see them with Green Day. I don’t know if I believe her, but she told me that someone had a bag of sh*** and threw it at Billie Joe… because their album was called Dookie.

Anyway, the band is celebrating the 30th anniversary of their debut album Undressed (Lookout! Records) with a special 2023 shows. If you’ve never seen the band live, here is your chance!

Pansy Division will play the 7th Street Entry on June 15th with support from Bev Rage & The Drinks and Lumari.

Tour Dates:

June 15 - Minneapolis, 7th Street Entry
June 16 - Milwaukee, X-Ray Arcade
June 17 - Chicago, Beat Kitchen
September 28 - Portland, Mississippi Studios
September 29 - Vancouver, BC CANADA, Biltmore Cabaret
September 30 - Seattle, Clock-Out Lounge
November 16 - Philadelphia, Johnny Brenda’s
November 17 - Baltimore, Metro Cafe
November 18 - New York (Ridgewood, Queens), TV Eye

06/16 Meet Me @ The Altar with Chloe Lilac and Kid Sistr at Amsterdam Bar & Hall Read More Chloe Lilac 7th Street Entry on July 31st. The show is sold out. This will be her first headlining tour. 17-year-old Chloe Lilac to open. …

06/16/2023 Friday

Meet Me @ The Altar
with Chloe Lilac and Kid Sistr
at Amsterdam Bar & Hall
first-avenue.com

Critically acclaimed rock trio Meet Me @ The Altar is on their “The Pink Couch Tour,” and they’ll stop by the Amsterdam Bar & Hall in St Paul on June 16th.

The group’s debut album Past // Present // Future is out now.

Chloe Lilac and Kid Sistr to open.

Tour Dates:

May 19, 2023 - Gulf Shores, AL - Hangout Music Fest*
May 23, 2023 - Richmond, VA - Richmond Music Hall^
May 24, 2023 - Baltimore, MD - Ottobar^
May 26, 2023 - Harrisburg, PA - Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center^
May 27, 2023 - Atlantic City, NJ - Adjacent Fest^
May 29, 2023 - St. Louis, MO - Blueberry Hill Duck Room^
May 31, 2023 - Fort Collins, CO - Washington's^
June 1, 2023 - Colorado Springs, CO - Vultures^
June 3, 2023 - Addison, TX - Taste Addison*
June 4, 2023 - Los Angeles, CA - OUTLOUD *
June 6, 2023 - Tucson, AZ - 191 Toole^
June 8, 2023 - El Paso, TX - Lowbrow Palace^
June 9, 2023 - San Antonio, TX - Rock Box^
June 10, 2023 - Oklahoma City, OK - Beer City^
June 12, 2023 - Kansas City, MO - recordBar^
June 13, 2023 - Omaha, NE - Waiting Room^
June 14, 2023 - Des Moines, IA - Wooly's^
June 16, 2023 - St. Paul, MN - Amsterdam Hall^
June 17, 2023 - Chicago, IL - Chicago Pride*
June 19, 2023 - Milwaukee, WI - XRay Arcade^
June 20, 2023 - Indianapolis, IN - The Hi-Fi^
June 21, 2023 - Columbus, OH - Ace of Cups^

+ With support from Young Culture and Daisy Grenade
* Festival appearance
^ With support from Kid Sistr and Chloe Lilac

06/16 Billie Marten with Olivia Kaplan at 7th St Entry

06/16/2023 Friday

Billie Marten
with Olivia Kaplan
at 7th St Entry
first-avenue.com

Yorkshire’s Billie Marten is touring in support of her new album Drop Cherries (IMPERIAL Music).

The album was recorded entirely on tape in Somerset and Wales late last summer, and it marks the very first time that Billie Marten has both written and co-produced (with Dom Monks) one of her records.

The title is taken from a tale she heard from a friend just before she was starting to create songs for the album, and the title track came soon after. It’s a metaphor where the gift of cherries stands for offering someone your love; doing anything you can to make them happy. “Dropping cherries,” she begins, “is such a strong, visceral image that I tried to channel throughout recording in Somerset and Wales, to capture the vibrancy, unpredictability, and occasional chaos one experiences within a relationship. Imagine stamping blood-red cherries onto a clean, cream carpet and tell me that’s not how love feels.”

The singer/songwriter will stop by the 7th Street Entry on June 16th.

Olivia Kaplan to open.

Billie Marten Live Dates:

June 6 Los Angeles, CA @ The Roxy Theatre
June 7 San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel
June 9 Seattle, WA @ Madame Lou’s
June 11 Portland, OR @ McMenamins Mission Theater
June 13 Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
June 14 Denver, CO @ Globe Hall
June 16 Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St Entry
June 17 Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
June 20 Toronto, ON @ TD Music Hall
June 22 New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
June 23 Boston, MA @ The Sinclair
June 24 Washington, DC @ Union Stage

If your band is coming to the Minneapolis/St Paul area, please email details to [email protected] with a good lead time. Thank you.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

We♥KC! May 24-31, 2023, Upcoming concerts/shows (Kansas City / Lawrence KS)

shame 2023 Tour poster Read More Shame It’s a shame, but London’s Shame had to cancel their appearance. They were replaced by U.S. Girls, who said, “We’re the best replacement you'll ever get.” …

Read more Kansas City Music Guide.

Let’s take look at the Kansas City/ Lawrence / Topeka KS metro musical happenings from May 24th-31st. Have a good Memorial weekend!

WEDNESDAY MAY 24

THURSDAY MAY 25

The Mavericks, May 25-27, Knuckleheads. $49.50-$74.50

Bueno, Bueno! Widely respected as one of the most dynamic live music bands in the country, The Mavericks return with an added multi-cultural/bilingual energy added to their musical melting pot. The genre-bending band puts their unique spin on Latin American music classics as heard on their acclaimed Spanish language album "En Español,” as well as new originals, and many of their longtime fan favorite greatest hits in this multi-night area stand.

Cirque du Soleil- Corteo, May 25-28, T-Mobile Center, $87-$230

Returning to town with an in-the-round dazzling show that first premiered in Montreal in 2005. Corteo, means "cortege" in Italian, a joyous procession, a festive parade imagined by a clown. The show brings together the passion of the actor with the grace and power of the acrobat to plunge the audience into a theatrical world situated in a mysterious space between heaven and earth.

The clown pictures his own funeral taking place in a carnival atmosphere, watched over by quietly caring angels. Juxtaposing the large with the small, the ridiculous with the tragic and the magic of perfection with the charm of imperfection, the show highlights the strength and fragility of the clown, as well as his wisdom and kindness, to illustrate the portion of humanity that is within each of us.

FRIDAY MAY 26

Chicago, Starlight. $39.50-$129.50

The longtime band is still regularly on the road and also releases new records with last year’s Chicago XXXVIII: Born for This Moment being their latest. With its 38 studio albums and more than 100 million records sold, Chicago is one of the longest-running and best-selling music groups of all time.

This "rock and roll band with horns" found success with their original sound of pop and rock fusion, including hits "Make Me Smile," "Saturday In The Park," "25 or 6 to 4," "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?," and many more.

Les Claypool's Frog Brigade (performing Pink Floyd- Animals), GrindersKC, $45-$201.

After twenty years, Claypool recently resurrected his group the Fearless Flying Frog Brigade for a tour this spring and summer and much like Primus covering Rush during their recent shows, the band will be performing Pink Floyd's 1977 seminal album, Animals, each night on tour.

The band will feature Sean Lennon on guitar, Harry Waters on keys, and Paolo Baldi on drums, along with longtime cohorts Skerik on saxophone, and Mike Dillon on percussion. In 2020, Claypool reissued the 2001 album Live Frogs as Live Frogs: Set 1 & 2, which also includes a full performance of Animals recorded October 8–9 of 2000 shows in San Francisco.

SATURDAY MAY 27

shame w/ Been Stellar, Bottleneck- Lawrence, $20

The rising London post-punk band has returned with their third full-length, Food for Worms, which just came out at the end of last month. Three buzzing singles were released beforehand, doing exceptionally well on the other side of the pond, “Fingers of Steel", "Six-Pack" and "Adderall".

After they missed Rock the Garden in 2018, we finally caught the band live, last summer headlining in Minneapolis. They've been busy touring the UK and Europe, so are ready to hit our shores with a bang.

NYC indie five-piece Been Stellar will provide support, in support of last August's self-titled EP.)

SUNDAY MAY 28

Hammerfall, Granada. $25

The Swedish metallers return to these shores in support of 2022’s Hammer of Dawn, "We can't wait to be back and celebrate our new album with our fans in the U.S. and Canada!" said Helloween vocalist Andi Deris.

"Hammerfall will accompany Helloween on their North American tour next year!" added Hammerfall. "The highly successful 'United Forces' tour will continue across the ocean in May and June, serving as the perfect prelude to the summer. You asked for it so here we go!"

MONDAY MAY 29

TUESDAY MAY 30

The Bros Landreth, Knuckleheads, $20

Canadian sibling duo The Bros. Landreth welcome a new day with Come Morning, an album that marks both a rebirth and refinement of the JUNO-winning band's blend of North American roots music and harmony-heavy soul.

Brothers Joey and Dave lace their melody-driven songs with layers of atmospheric synth, organ, and textured guitar. Come Morning sketches a markedly different picture, showcasing the introspection and clarity that comes with a long period of rest.

Aladdin (musical), May 30-June 4, Music Hall, $35-$125

From the producer of The Lion King comes the timeless story of Aladdin, a thrilling new production filled with beauty, magic, comedy and breathtaking spectacle. It’s the theatrical event where one lamp and three wishes make the possibilities infinite.

Aladdin features all your favorite songs from the Disney film versions as well as new music written by Tony® and Academy Award® winner Alan Menken with lyrics penned by the legendary Howard Ashman (Beauty and the Beast), Tony Award winner Tim Rice (The Lion King, Aida), and book writer Chad Beguelin (The Wedding Singer).

Directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon, Something Rotten!), this new musical boasts an incomparable design team, with sets, costumes and lighting from Tony Award winners Bob Crowley (Mary Poppins), Gregg Barnes (Kinky Boots), and Natasha Katz (An American in Paris).

The Wailers, Bottleneck. $23

The legendary reggae band is hitting the road on tour, continuing the magic of their timeless classics and incredible cuts from Bob Marley‘s vast repertoire under the guidance of Aston Barrett Jr. and featuring the addition of vocalist Mitchell Brunings.

The Wailers are also working on a new album, which is set to be released in the second half of 2023. Produced by Emilio Estefan, the album promises to be some fresh takes on the band’s classic sound.

In 2020, they made a comeback with album, “One World“, which earned a Grammy® nomination for Best Reggae Album.

WEDNESDAY MAY 31

Drain, Bottleneck. $25

One of the most buzzing bands in hardcore right now, known for high-intensity live shows, the Santa Cruz trio is headlining the 2023 edition of the Monster Energy Outbreak Tour, celebrating their anticipated sophomore album, Living Proof (out via Epitaph Records).

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

Minneapolis: June 13 to June 14

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

06/13 Weezer with Modest Mouse + Momma at The Armory Read More Weezer Weezer's singer Rivers Cuomo brought out his dad, Frank Cuomo, and they play "Back to the Shack". One of the most touching things I have witness in my many years of watching Weezer shows. … Modest Mouse Longtime Portland alternative band Modest Mouse is closing out their Golden Casket Tour, in support of the 2021 album of the same name (on Epic Records) and played an outdoor show at GrindersKC in downtown Kansas City …

06/13/2023 Tuesday

Weezer
with Modest Mouse and Momma
at The Armory
armorymn.com

You guys know we love Weezer. The first time I saw them, it was in 1994, they were opening for Lush. Weezer is still going strong, as evident by their upcoming headlining tour. Their biggest tour yet!

Weezer (10 July 2015)

We last saw Weezer at the now-defunct Basilica Block Party in 2015 and wrote, “As soon as the first few chords of ‘Hash Pipe’ were played, the audience immediately recognized it and started screaming and singing. Other big hits blocks included ‘Surf Wax America’, followed by ‘Island in the Sun’ with personalized "Minneapolis" lyrics, and ‘Beverly Hills’ (which did gangbuster in California, but surprisingly did really well in Minnesota as well).”

Modest Mouse and Momma will open the show. Please note that this is an all-ages show, doors at 5:30pm!

Tour Dates:

Jun 3 Lexington, KY, US Railbird Festival
Jun 4 Huntsville, AL, US Orion
Jun 6 Irving, TX, US The Pavilion
Jun 8 Austin, TX, US Germania Insurance
Jun 10 Oklahoma City, OK, US The Zoo Amphitheatre
Jun 11 Outdoor Bonner Springs, KS, US Azura Amphitheater
Jun 13 Minneapolis, MN, US The Armory
Jun 14 Madison, WI, US Breese Stevens Field
Jun 16 Outdoor Cuyahoga Falls, OH, US Blossom Music Center
Jun 17 Indianapolis, IN, US WonderRoad
Jun 18 Clarkston, MI, US Pine Knob Music Theatre
Jun 23 Outdoor Columbia, MD, US Merriweather Post Pavilion
Jun 24 Outdoor Charlotte, NC, US PNC Music Pavilion
Jun 25 Outdoor Alpharetta, GA, US Ameris Bank Amp
Jun 27 Philadelphia, PA, US TD Pavilion
Jun 28 Bridgeport, CT, US Hartford HealthCare
Jun 30 Bangor, ME, US Maine Savings Amph
Jul 1 Outdoor Worcester, MA, US The Palladium Outdoors
Jul 3 Outdoor Canandaigua, NY, US Constellation Brands
Jul 4 Toronto, ON, Canada Budweiser Stage
Jul 4 Huntsville, AL, US Orion Amphitheater
Jul 6 Québec, QC, Canada Festival d'été de Québec
Jul 9 Gary, IN, US Hard Rock Casino
Jul 11 Pittsburgh, PA, US Stage AE
Jul 13 Outdoor Queens, NY, US Forest Hills Stadium
Jul 28 Niigata, Japan Fuji Rock
Aug 19 West Vancouver, BC, Canada Ambleside Music
Aug 20 Outdoor Auburn, WA, US White River
Aug 22 Outdoor Bend, OR, US Hayden Homes
Aug 24 Outdoor Berkeley, CA, US Greek Theatre
Aug 26 Boise, ID, US Hillcrest Country Club
Aug 27 Magna, UT, US The Great Saltair
Aug 28 Outdoor Greenwood Village, CO, US Fiddler's Green
Aug 30 Phoenix, AZ, US Arizona Financial
Sep 1 Las Vegas, NV, US Zappos Theater
Sep 2 Outdoor Irvine, CA, US FivePoint Amphitheatre
Sep 3 San Diego, CA, US Gallagher Square
Sep 15 Windham, NY, US Catskills Music Festival
Sep 15 Catskill, NY, US Catskills Music Festival
Sep 15 Catskill, NY, US Catskills Music Festival
Sep 16 Windham, NY, US Catskills Music Festival
Sep 16 Asbury Park, NJ, US Sea.Hear.Now
Sep 21 Outdoor Louisville, KY, US Louder Than Life Festival
Sep 29 Ocean City, MD, US Oceans Calling

06/13 James McMurtry with Betty Soo at Turf Club Read More James McMurtry James McMurtry’s upcoming Turf Club show in St Paul is sold out. Tour Dates Nov 10 Space Evanston, IL Nov 11 Fitzgerald's Berwyn, IL ...

06/13/2023 Tuesday

James McMurtry
with Betty Soo
at Turf Club
first-avenue.com

Legendary Austin-based songwriter James McMurtry will be heading out on tour, stopping by the Turf Club in St Paul on June 13, 2023. James’ recent CD, The Horses and the Hounds was released by New West in 2021

Betty Soo to open.

Tour Dates:

Jun 6 Tulsa, OK, US The Mercury Lounge
Jun 7 Tulsa, OK, US The Mercury Lounge
Jun 8 St Louis, MO, US Off Broadway
Jun 9 Bloomington, IL, US The Castle Theatre
Jun 10 Chicago, IL, US Old Town School
Jun 11 Milwaukee, WI, US Shank Hall
Jun 13 St. Paul, MN, US Turf Club
Jun 14 Iowa City, IA, US Wildwood Smokehouse & Saloon
Jun 15 Lincoln, NE, US The Royal Grove
Jun 16 Outdoor Wichita, KS, US Wave
Jun 17 Oklahoma City, OK, US Beer City Music Hall
Jul 22 Menlo Park, CA, US The Guild Theatre
Jul 23 Novato, CA, US HopMonk Tavern - Novato
Jul 25 Grass Valley, CA, US Grass Valley Center for the Arts
Jul 26 Bend, OR, US Volcanic Theater Pub

06/13 Rodrigo y Gabriela at The Fitzgerald Theater Read More Rodrigo y Gabriela Rodrigo y Gabriela are truly in a class all their own, playing a unique blend of flamenco, hard rock, soul, and classical in what they call acoustic metal. The pair first met as thrash …

06/13/2023 Tuesday

Rodrigo y Gabriela
at The Fitzgerald Theater
first-avenue.com

Grammy Award-winning guitar virtuosos Rodrigo y Gabriela is touring in support of their new album In Between Thoughts...A New World (ATO Records).

Rodrigo y Gabriela (15 Aug 2014)

We saw the duo in Aug 2014 and wrote, “Rodrigo y Gabriela are truly in a class all their own, playing a unique blend of flamenco, hard rock, soul, and classical in what they call acoustic metal. The pair first met as thrash metal fans in their native Mexico City, then left to find bigger fortunes in Dublin and are in support of their latest, 9 Dead Alive (Rubyworks Records), which pays tribute to a different social champion in each of its songs.”

Tour Dates:

05/18 – Houston, TX – Smart Financial Centre *
05/19 – Austin, TX – ACL Live At Moody Theatre *
05/20 – San Antonio, TX – The Espee Pavilion at St. Paul Square *
05/21 – Dallas, TX – AT&T Strauss Square *
05/25 – Scottsdale, AZ – Virginia G. Piper Theater *
05/26 – San Diego, CA – Humphreys Concerts By The Bay + *
05/27 – San Diego, CA – Humphreys Concerts By The Bay + *
06/01 – Los Angeles, CA – YouTube Theatre + ^
06/02 – San Bernardino, CA – Yaamava’ Theater
06/03 – Oakland, CA – Fox Theater ^
06/04 – Sacramento, CA – Mondavi Center @ UC Davis ^
06/07 – Portland, OR – McMenamins Grand Lodge ^
06/08 – Woodinville, WA – Chateau Ste Michel ^
06/10 – Salt Lake City, UT – Sandy Amphitheater ^
06/11 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre + ^
06/13 – Minneapolis, MN – Fitzgerald Theatre
06/14 – Madison, WI – Orpheum Theater ⁰
06/16 – Chicago, IL – The Chicago Theatre ⁰
06/17 – Detroit, MI – Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre ⁰
06/19 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium ⁰
06/20 – Atlanta, GA – Atlanta Symphony Hall ⁰
06/22 – Durham, NC – Carolina Theatre ⁰
06/23 – Wilmington, NC – Greenfield Lake Amphitheater ⁰
06/24 – Washington, DC – The Atlantis ⁰ (SOLD OUT)
06/25 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club ⁰
06/27 – Brooklyn, NY – Kings Theatre ⁰
06/28 – Philadelphia, PA – Longwood Gardens ⁰ (SOLD OUT)
06/29 – Boston, MA – Chevalier Theater ⁰
07/01 – Montreal, QC – Montreal Jazz Fest, Salle Wilfrid–Pelletier | Place des Arts
07/02 – Niagara Falls, ON – Fallsview Casino Avalon Theatre
09/25 – Hamburg, DE – Mojo Club
09/26 – Berlin, DE – Passionskirche
09/29 – Milan, IT – Santeria Toscana 31
09/30 – Bologna, IT – Estragon
10/2 – Rome, IT – Auditorium Parco della Musica
10/5 – Oslo, NO – Rockefeller Music Hall
10/7 – Stockholm, SE – Södra Teatern
10/9 – Copenhagen, DK – Amager Bio
10/11 – Warsaw, PL – Palladium
10/16 – Dublin, IE – Vicar Street
10/17 – Belfast, UK – Ulster Hall
10/19 – Manchester, UK – Albert Hall
10/20 – Leeds, UK – O2 Academy
10/21 – Birmingham, UK – Town Hall
10/23 – London, UK – Palladium
10/24 – Paris, France – Philharmonie de Paris
10/25 – Lille, France – L’Aéronef
10/27 – Lausanne, CH – Théâtre de Beaulieu
10/29 – Utrecht, NL – Tivoli Vredenburg
10/30 – Brussels, BE – Cirque Royal
10/31 – Antwerp, BE – De Roma
11/2 – Nantes, FR – Stereolux
11/3 – Bordeaux, FR – Le Rocher De Palmer
11/5 – Toulouse, FR – Le Bikini
11/7 – Madrid, ES – Sala La Paqui
11/9 – Barcelona, ES – Razzmatazz 2
11/10 – Nimes, FR – Paloma
11/11 – Lyon, FR – Le Radiant

+ A Special Performance with Antonio Sanchez
* w/special guests Krooked Kings
^ w/special guests Bahamas
⁰ w/special guest Ondara

06/14 Leith Ross with Kevin Atwater and Kai Warrior at 7th St Entry Read More Leith Ross Lord Huron recently released Long Lost (Deluxe Edition) as the definitive version of their critically acclaimed fourth full-length album, Long Lost. The band is also doing a summer headline tour @ with special guest Leith Ross …

06/14/2023 Wednesday

Leith Ross
with Kevin Atwater and Kai Warrior
at 7th St Entry
first-avenue.com

Canadian singer/songwriter Leith Ross is currently on a sold-out North American tour in support of the debut album To Learn, More.

Talking about the record, Ross said, “This debut record o’ mine was written during a couple of major changes in my life. It’s about going through big transitions. Moving, losing, and making friends, deep hurt and betrayal, real and steadfast love, and the years in which I felt like I was truly growing up and becoming something different. Mostly it’s about learning. About myself, about the world, about people, about love. The kind of love I want to foster and nurture until my dying day. To live is to learn and to learn is the best. At least that’s the gist of it.”

Kevin Atwater and Kai Warrior to open.

Tour dates:

May 18 – Vancouver, BC – Hollywood Theatre
May 19 – Seattle, WA – Neptune Theatre
May 20 – Portland, OR – Holocene
May 22 – San Francisco, CA – Rickshaw Stop
May 23 – Los Angeles, CA – Lodge Room Highland Park
May 27 – Austin, TX – The Parish
May 28 – Dallas, TX – Granada Theater
May 29 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall
May 31 – Atlanta, GA – Aisle 5
June 1 – Asheville, NC – The Grey Eagle
June 3 – Washington, DC – Union Stage
June 4 – Philadelphia, PA – Brooklyn Bowl Philadelphia
June 6 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall
June 7 – Cambridge, MA – The Sinclair
June 9 – Ottawa, ON – Bronson Centre
June 10 – Toronto, ON – The Danforth Music Hall
June 13 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall
June 14 – Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry
June 16 – Winnipeg, MB – West End Cultural Centre
June 17 – Winnipeg, MB – West End Cultural Centre

If your band is coming to the Minneapolis/St Paul area, please email details to [email protected] with a good lead time. Thank you.

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