W♥M

Apocalyptica at First Avenue, Minneapolis (26 Apr 2022)

Apocalyptica Setlist Ashes of the Modern World Path Grace Franky Perez on vocals I'm Not Jesus Not Strong Enough Rise Scream for the Silent En Route to Mayhem Franky Perez on vocals I'll Get Through It Shadowmaker I Don't Care Nothing Else Matters (Metallica cover) Inquisition Symphony (Sepultura cover) Seek & Destroy (Metallica cover) -- Encore -- Farewell -- Encore 2 -- In the Hall of the Mountain King (Edvard Grieg cover) Lacuna Coil Setlist Blood, Tears, Dust Trip the Darkness Reckless Apocalypse Layers of Time Heaven's a Lie Save Me Veneficium Our Truth Nothing Stands in Our Way Read More Apocalyptica Finnish rockers Apocalyptica will be bringing their cellos to the Pantages Theatre in Minneapolis this September 17th. Expect them to cover some great Metallica tunes. 7pm, $30 … Lacuna Coil Italian metal giants Lacuna Coil will open the show. Their new live album Live From The Apocalypse, is set for release on June 25th. This is the perfect companion album to their latest album …

Apocalyptica finally made their way back to Minneapolis on April 26th, at First Avenue.

Italy’s Lacuna Coil opened the show. The gothic metal band, on stage, was still apologizing for having to cancel their previous Minneapolis appearance from 2019, due to blizzard conditions and their tour bus went off the road.

photo courtesy of Lacuna Coil

Originally posted on Oct 11, 2019: “We are sorry to inform you that due to a snow blizzard we are stuck in North Dakota with our tourbus offroad. We are all fine but we are forced to cancelled todays meet and greet at “Down in the Valley” and tonights show at “The Cabooze” in Minneapolis. We will try to make it up to you guys as soon as possible, we are really bummed ☹ Special thanx to the “North Dakota Sheriff” and “State Police” for the quick assistance, you guys rule!”

“As soon as possible” didn’t exactly happened, as the gobal pandemic put a stop on all social gathering… forcing the band to delay their Minneapolis appearance until the world opens up again. That’s why after years of trying, the band was so grateful to finally appear in Minneapolis and make up for their 2019 promise.

Lacuna Coil had two large runic backdrops (which are the B and A symbols to indicate the name of their studio album Black Anima) and the backing band had face paint with some custom black clothing. They just looked great as a band. Vocally it was appealing with two singers: Cristina Scabbia hitting those high notes and Andrea Ferro balancing with a deeper, darker tone.

My favorite moment in their set was for “Our Truth”, which the lights turned Green, White, and Red - the colors of Italy’s flag. It was a really nice visual touch.

Lacuna Coil’s new live album Live From The Apocalypse is out now.

Finnish cello metal band Apocalyptica is cellists Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lötjönen, and Perttu Kivilaakso, and jazz drummer Mikko Sirén. They were originally a Metallica cover band, but eventually expanded in original compositions.

Their set is broken down to three sections, the first is instrumental Apocalyptica songs, the second features vocalist Franky Perez, and the third are mostly cover songs.

Franky Perez was originally from Scars on Broadway, before playing with guitarist Slash… so he has a great resume, before joining Apocalyptica as a touring vocalist.

Apocalyptica’s new album Cell-0 is available now.

Remaining tour dates:

30 Apr 2022 Albany, NY (US) Empire Concert Hall
01 May 2022 Hartford, CT (US) Webster Theater
02 May 2022 New York, NY (US) Webster Hall
03 May 2022 Boston, MA (US) Big Night Live
04 May 2022 Montreal, QC (CA) MTleus
05 May 2022 Toronto, ON (CA) Queen Elizabeth Theatre
20 May 2022 Dresden (DE) Dresdner Musikfestspiele
21 May 2022 Ikaalinen (FI) Ikaalinen Spa
02-07 Jun 2022 () FULL METAL CRUISE
17 Jun 2022 Terchová (SK) Amfiteáter
18 Jun 2022 Bratislava (SK) Amfiteáter Raca
22-26 Jun 2022 Kauhajoki (FI) Nummirock Festival
02 Jul 2022 Raasepori (FI) Raasepori Festival
09 Jul 2022 Kiev (UA) Atlas Weekend Festival
15 Jul 2022 Tjentiste (BA) OK Fest
05 Aug 2022 Savonlinna (FI) Olavinlinna Boxing Night
20 Aug 2022 Saint-Nolff (FR) Motocultor
31 Aug 2022 Cluj-Napoca (RO) Form Space Tickets
01 Sep 2022 Bucharest (RO) Arnele Romane
03 Sep 2022 Plovdiv (BG) Summer Theater
06 Sep 2022 Athens, GA (US) Georgia Theatre
07 Sep 2022 Charlotte, NC (US) The Underground
08 Sep 2022 Asheville, NC (US) The Orange Peel
09 Sep 2022 Baltimore, MD (US) Baltimore Soundstage
10 Sep 2022 Danville, VA (US) Blue Ridge Rock Festival
13 Sep 2022 Portland, ME (US) State Theatre
14 Sep 2022 Huntington, NY (US) The Paramount
15 Sep 2022 Montclair, NJ (US) The Wellmont Theater
16 Sep 2022 Philadelphia, PA (US) TLA
17 Sep 2022 Buffalo, NY (US) Town Ballroom
18 Sep 2022 Cleveland, OH (US) House Of Blues
19 Sep 2022 Ft. Wayne, IN (US) Pierres
21 Sep 2022 Grand Rapids, MI (US) The Intersection
22 Sep 2022 Louisvilee (US) Louder Than Life Festival
23 Sep 2022 Nashville, TN (US) Brooklyn Bowl
24 Sep 2022 Indianapolis, IN (US) The Vogue
25 Sep 2022 Milwaukee, MI (US) The Rave / Eagles Club
26 Sep 2022 Sauget, IL (US) Pops
27 Sep 2022 Lawrence, KS (US) Liberty Hall
28 Sep 2022 Denver, CO (US) Summit
30 Sep 2022 Tuson, AZ (US) Rialto Theatre
01 Oct 2022 San Diego, CA (US) The Observatory North Park
02 Oct 2022 Santa Ana, CA (US) The Observatory
04 Oct 2022 Las Vegas, NV (US) Brooklyn Bowl
05 Oct 2022 Ventura, CA (US) Majestic Ventura Theater
06 Oct 2022 Santa Cruz, CA (US) The Catalyst
07 Oct 2022 Sacramento, CA (US) Aftershock Festival
12 Nov 2022 Wroclaw (PL) Hala Stulecia
16 Nov 2022 Tampere (FI) Pakkahuonen
17 Nov 2022 Oulu (FI) Tullisali
18 Nov 2022 Seinäjoki (FI) Rytmikorjaamo
19 Nov 2022 Kuopio (FI) Musikkikeskus
20 Nov 2022 Helsinki (FI) Ice Hall

Lacuna Coil

Lacuna Coil

Lacuna Coil

Lacuna Coil

Apocalyptica

Apocalyptica

Apocalyptica

Apocalyptica at First Avenue, Minneapolis (26 Apr 2022)

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

We♥KC - February 16-28 Upcoming Shows (Kansas City / Lawrence KS)

02/16 Patrick Droney at recordBar Read More Patrick Droney Singer/songwriter Alexz Johnson is currently on her Let 'Em Eat Cake tour, with Jared & The Mill and Patrick Droney, fresh off her appearances at CMJ 2014. You may recall Johnson from Disney's "So Weird" or Final Destination 3 …

Read more Kansas City Music Guide.

What a strange winter- not a lot of overall snow and it’s 60 one day and 20 degrees the next, but generally warmer temps usually signal a ramp-up in upcoming live shows, and despite the pesky Covid, 2022 is gradually roaring back. 

This last part of the month has a few noteworthy arena shows- Eric Church goes in-the-round and two concerts mean driving out east past the stadiums to Independence, but who’s better at rock theater right now than Ghost [joined by Volbeat!], and Tyler the Creator is white-hot.

Don’t forget the club-size shows either as those are often the most memorable. A few more postponements/cancellations to note, and the 1D fan base is still strong as Louis Tomlinson’s Uptown show has been long sold-out. 

Given the current public health state, assume masks and/or vaccination proof are required for entry.

Here’s what’s happening in the Kansas City/Lawrence area for the Last half of February:

Wednesday February 16
Patrick Droney, recordBar, $18-$70

The buzzing soulful pop singer/songwriter (a la John Mayer) whose career began at age thirteen, just released his Miley Cyrus “Wrecking Ball” cover. 

Cautious Clay, Riot Room. CANCELED

Thursday February 17
Manchester Orchestra w/ Michigander, Uptown. $28

The headliner is neither from Manchester nor is an orchestra but still has a long, loyal following, while the opener (aka Jason Singer) is actually from Midland, MI and we’re fans.

Chris Duarte, Knuckleheads, $15

Get your fix of Texas rockin’-punk blues with this always-entertaining veteran guitarist. 

02/18 Eric Church at T-Mobile Center Read More Eric Church Reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year and current ACM Entertainer of the Year nominee Eric Church is returning to the road with The Gather Again Tour. ...

Friday February 18
Eric Church, T-Mobile Center. $39-$169

The CMA Entertainer of the Year and current ACM Entertainer of the Year nominee returns to the road with The Gather Again Tour that is in-the-round and in support of the new triple album, Heart & Soul. 

 

Church has also become very sensibly pro-vaxx: “It became very clear to me that the only way to really get back to normal is through vaccinations. You’ve got to get needles in arms,” he shared in a recent Billboard cover story, so a big thumbs up from us!

Look for Chief's, his namesake six-story BBQ honky-tonk to open in downtown Nashville in 2023 as well.

Rodney Carrington, Ameristar Casino, $60+

Josh Abbott Band, Granada- Lawrence, $22-$25

Dirty Honey and Mammoth WVH, Uptown, POSTPONED to March 13

02/19 Lucy Dacus at Liberty Hall Read More Lucy Dacus American singer-songwriter Lucy Dacus will be headlining First Avenue’s mainroom on Saturday, October 9th, 2021. Bartees Strange will open. Dacus is touring in support of her new album Home Video, which …

Saturday February 19
Lucy Dacus with Indigo De Souza, Liberty Hall- Lawrence, $25-$32.

We’re fans of both acts on this solid double-bill, having seen Dacus in 2018 twice and in 2019 and she’s returning (after pandemic delays), in support of last year’s acclaimed Home Video (on Matador Records) where she mostly looks back on the good/bad of her teenage years. 

Be there early for De Souza, in support of 2021’s Any Shape You Take (on Saddle Creek Records), who has a loyal fan base, and already has her next record completed, so is only getting bigger– we liked what we heard when we caught her live last fall in Minneapolis. 

Tyler the Creator w Kali Uchis, Vince Staples, Teezo Touchdown Cable Dahmer Arena- Independence, $39-$99

One of the hottest acts in hip-hop is out in support of his latest, Call Me if You Get Lost, and has stacked the deck with a top-to-bottom set of support acts that would also draw a good-sized crowd on their own.

Bruce Dickinson, Uptown. $34.50-$64.50

The certified airline pilot and Iron Maiden frontman embarks on a spoken word tour, in advance of finishing his newest solo album, his first since 2005’s Tyranny of Souls. A Q+A session will commence, so have your questions ready for the legendary singer.

Tommy Cash, Encore Room at Uptown. $15

Whitney Cummings(comedian), Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland. $29.50-$45

Prof, recordBar, Sold out

 

Representing the Twin Cities, the longtime rapper has seemed to get past 2020 accusations of misconduct and misogyny and has sold out many stops on the tour- MN area fans can still get tix to his April 15 Palace Theater show, however.

02/22 Low Cut Connie at Bottleneck Read More Low Cut Connie Low Cut Connie (Adam Weiner, James Everhart, Will Donnelly, Larry Scotton, and Lucas Rinz) will be in town in support of their latest Dirty Pictures (Part 1) via Contender Records. …

Rodney Carrington, Ameristar Casino, $60+

The Weeknd, T-Mobile Center. CANCELED



Tuesday February 22
Low Cut Connie, Bottleneck- Lawrence, $18-20.

They’ve been on our radar ever since MN music maestro GoJohnnyGo tipped us off in 2015 to this Philadelphia band, and they’ve knocked us out every time we’ve seen them play live since.

The band’s 2020 release, Private Lives, is their sixth in ten years and received widespread acclaim, but the best way to experience their music is live and in-person. 

Beach House w/ Colloboh, Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland. $35-$50

The Baltimore duo has its new record, Once Twice Melody, due out this Friday via SubPop. Heralded as bigger and more cinematic than anything previous, that’s probably a result of Dave (Flaming Lips) Fridmann and Alan (NIN, Killers) Moulder behind the mixing desk. 

Terry Fator (comedian), Ameristar. $62-$225

Wednesday February 23

02/23 Ghost at Cable Dahmer Arena Read More Ghost Sweden’s Ghost (also known as Ghost BC) will be headlining the Myth in Maplewood (St Paul area), this July 28th, touring in support of their new album Meliora (which came …

Ghost / Volbeat w/Twin Temple, Cable Dahmer Arena – Independence, $39-$99.

This solid co-headlining bill is worth the extra drive to the east metro- Volbeat’s Servant of the Mind was released in December (via Vertigo Records) and single “Shotgun Blues” topped the Mainstream and Active Rock charts and we saw them play the very first rock show at the $1.1 billion-dollar US Bank Stadium.

No one does rock theater any better than this Swedish melodic metal band (formerly Ghost B.C.), as evidenced when we caught them in very different live shows in 2016, opening in 2017, and again headlining in 2018.  Ghost’s single “Hunter’s Moon” was right behind Volbeat on both charts and the GRAMMY-winning band releases its fifth studio album, Impera, on March 11 (via Loma Vista Records) and has debuted new steampunk-inspired live costumes.

LA high priests of satanic doo-wop Twin Temple to open.

Cheat Codes, Granada– Lawrence, $20-$28

A Place to Bury Strangers, Bottleneck-Lawrence, POSTPONED to May 27

Thursday February 24
Crash Test Dummies, Madrid. $45.50-$79.50

The Winnepeg folk-rock band has been around since 1988, and returns humming, celebrating more than twenty-seven years since their breakthrough single. 

David Archuleta, Knuckleheads. $25-$140

Randy Houser, Prairie Band Casino-Mayetta, $40



Friday February 25

02/25 Slash at Arvest Bank Theatre Read More Slash Legendary Guns N Roses guitarist Slash is headlining Mill City Nights next Wednesday, October 7th. The show has long sold out. ...

Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators with Plush, Arvest Bank Theatre at The Midland. $29.50-$99.50

“The River is Rising” claims the first single of the band’s fourth studio album creatively titled 4 (on Gibson Records) with the chance to see the longtime G’n’R guitarist up close, along with the talented singer who briefly was seriously considered to voice a Led Zeppelin reunion.  The odd choice of using alt-country producer Dave Cobb and recording in Nashville seems to have worked for the band, with very few, if any tickets remaining.

Randy Rogers Band w/ Wade Bowen, Uptown, $25-$39

Lane 8 w/ Sultan+Shepherd, The Truman. $29.50-$55

Geneviève Racette, Folk Alliance International Showcase, POSTPONED to May

Chris Tomlin with Hillsong United, T-Mobile Center, POSTPONED to June 14

Saturday February 26
Louis Tomlinson w/Sun Room, Uptown, Sold out

Now age 30, Tomlinson can’t really be called a boy-band member anymore, but the former One Direction singer sold this solo show out immediately, and to his fans, that’s what makes you beautiful. Walls is his solo debut album, and the opener is a rising SoCal surf rock band. 

Joan, recordBar, CANCELED
Sunday February 27
Dabin, recordBar, $22

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

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet

Read More Guns N’ Roses John and Vu talked about the rumor of a Guns N' Roses song on a 2015 December podcast (being edited as of this writing), and it's semi-confirmed that both Gn'R and LCD Soundsystem will reform for Coachella Music Festival! … Van Halen For Van Halen songs such as ‘Poundcake’ and ‘Finish What Ya Started’, we were all reminded how much bassist Anthony’s harmonies added to those songs’ vocals (he even taking lead on several verses) ...

Read more Coming up roses and A rose by any other name....

GUNS N’ ROSES
GunsNRoses.com

Iconic rock legends Guns N’ Roses announced their rescheduled 2021 stadium & arena tour, courtesy of Live Nation.

This is really the tour to catch GNR, as it does contain the “classic” band lineup, featuring Axl Rose on vocals, Slash on guitars, Duff McKagan on bass, with live players guitarist Richard Fortus, drummer Frank Ferrer, keyboardist Dizzy Reed and additional keyboardist Melissa Reese.

The massive tour will hit all major cities, including Los Angeles, Dallas, and Chicago.

Special guests Mammoth WVH (aka Wolfgang Van Halen) to open.

Guns N’ Roses 2021 Tour Dates:

Jul 31 – Hershey, PA – Hersheypark Stadium*
Aug 03 – Boston, MA – Fenway Park
Aug 05 – East Rutherford, NJ – MetLife Stadium
Aug 08 – Detroit, MI – Comerica Park
Aug 11 – Fargo, ND – FargoDome
Aug 13 – Missoula, MT – Washington-Grizzly Stadium
Aug 16 – Commerce City, CO – DICK'S Sporting Goods Park
Aug 19 – Los Angeles, CA – Banc of California Stadium
Aug 22 – Portland, OR – Moda Center*
Aug 25 – San Jose, CA – SAP Center at San Jose*
Aug 27 – Las Vegas, NV – Venue to be announced*
Aug 30 – Phoenix, AZ – Phoenix Suns Arena*
Sep 01 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center*
Sep 04 – Napa, CA – BottleRock Napa Valley^
Sep 08 – Indianapolis, IN – Lucas Oil Stadium
Sep 11 – Atlantic City, NJ – Etess Arena*
Sep 12 – Atlantic City, NJ – Etess Arena*
Sep 16 – Chicago, IL – Wrigley Field
Sep 18 – Milwaukee, WI – Summerfest
Sep 21 – St. Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center*
Sep 23 – Columbus, OH – Schottenstein Center*
Sep 26 – Baltimore, MD – Royal Farms Arena*
Sep 29 – Raleigh, NC – PNC Arena*
Oct 02 – Hollywood, FL – Hard Rock Live Arena*
Oct 03 – Hollywood, FL – Hard Rock Live Arena*

Read More Esther Rose Nick Murphy Los Straightjackets Esther Rose First Avenue Fri 09/13/2019 (7pm/$25) English songwriter Nick Murphy produced some of Elvis Costello …

ESTHER ROSE
twitter.com/estherrose

How Many More Times is the title of the new Esther Rose covers album. Set for release July 16, 2021, via Father/Daughter Records.

Rose was previously in town on September 13, 2019, with Nick Lowe and Los Straightjackets.

Anyway, the idea behind this record is that each song was originally written by Rose, but re-interpreted by six different musicians, including Shamir and Stef Chura.

We got to quickly preview the EP, and we really like the “Songs Remain” remixed by Field Supervisor. There’s something really cool about country music with electronic beats.

If you already own Esther Rose’s How Many Times album, this cover lover EP is the perfect companion record.

Track listing

1. Shamir - Songs Remain
2. Twain - How Many Times
3. Anjimile - Coyote Creek
4. Tasha - Are You Out There
5. Stef Chura - Good Time
6. Field Supervisor - Songs Remain (Remix)

DAN ROSE danrosedk.com Danish indie artist Dan Rose, who has played everywhere from skate-punk club in Russia to a public school at the Iceland Airwaves festival, will be releasing a compilation My Heart Belongs With You on August 6, 2021. The EP will contain songs that are described as “short and cute songs.”

LILY ROSE lilyrosemusic.net “Promsing new talent” (Billboard) Lily Rose recently signed to Big Loud Records / Back Blocks Music and Republic Records and have released “Remind Me of You.” “This is actually my first song that I’ve ever released that I didn’t write,” shares Rose. “The second I heard the demo, I knew it was the perfect combination of swag and country- not to mention that it’s written by some lyrical geniuses, who I admire a ton. When someone asks, ‘what song are you most excited to play live?’ it’s at the top of my list, that’s for sure!”

APACHE ROSE facebook.com Moscow-based rockers Apache Rose (named after a 1947 American Western film) debut their album Attention! in January 2021. The group paid tribute to bands that inspired them, “We wanted to make an album like the ones we love, the one you could listen on repeat. Like Aerosmith's Rocks, Metallica's Kill'em All, Sex Pistols' Nevermind the Bollocks, Nirvana's Nevermind, Soundgarden's Superunknown, Stone Temple Pilots' Core, Arctic Monkeys' first album. We hope we succeeded.”

ROSEMARIE instagram.com Rising R&B singer Rosemarie (not to be confused with actress/singer Rose Marie or Irish singer/television star Rose-Marie) announced that she recently dropped her debut major label single called “Henny Talk” on July 2, 2021. The singer started out uploading cover songs on social media, before gaining the attention of Bird of Bird Vision Entertainment (Roddy Ricch) in 2017. The management team pave the way to signing with Interscope Records.

AMELIAROSE whoisameliarose.com New York’s 19-year-old singer-songwriter Ameliarose (stylized as ameliarose) will be releasing her debut EP this Summer 2021. In the meantime, she dropped the preceding single “Goliath” as a preview to the forthcoming EP.

NOVA ROSE bynovarose.com Montreal’s Nova Rose released Loved By EP last month. The theme and subject of the EP is about the important of mental health, saying that we have to help each other in times of need. The lead single “Loved By” is a chill summer bop featuring R&B/pop artist Josh Sahunta, produced by Joseph Pepe (Noah Davis, Vincent, Molly Moore) and Zack Burke (Mothica).

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

News: 90s news for 2016

Read More Natalie Cole "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons" and this particular version was by the "king of soul" Sam Cooke... Natalie Cole - For Sentimental Reasons/Tenderly/Autumn Leaves (Medley) …

In case you missed it, here are some music-related news this week.

NATALIE COLE
nataliecole.com

Sure, we just compiled and published the 2015 death list in late December, but at early hours of New Year's Day, we found out that the "Unforgettable" singer Natalie Cole died on Thursday night (December 31st) at the age of 65 to ongoing health issues.

Like many of you who grew up in the 90s, we first heard of Natalie Cole when Elvis Presley's musical director Joe Guercio had this idea of remixing her father Nat King Cole into Natalie's cover "Unforgettable", creating a, simply put, an unforgettable duet. While some people criticized her for riding on the coattail of her father, you couldn't ignore that the duet won over fans and respect and remembrance for Nat King Cole. The duet went on to win three Grammy Awards in 1992 (Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance).

Her son, Robert Yancy, and sisters Timolin and Casey Cole issued this statement:

“Natalie fought a fierce, courageous battle, dying how she lived..with dignity, strength and honor. Our beloved mother and sister will be greatly missed and remain UNFORGETTABLE in our hearts forever.”

Read More Guns 'N Roses As expected, the former Guns N' Roses guitarist included several GNR classics throughout their set ("Nightrain", "You Could Be Mine", "Welcome to the Jungle", "Civil War", "Rocket Queen", "Sweet Child O' Mine" …

GUNS N' ROSES
gunsnroses.com

John and Vu talked about the rumor of a Guns N' Roses song on a 2015 December podcast (being edited as of this writing), and it's semi-confirmed that both Gn'R and LCD Soundsystem will reform for Coachella Music Festival!

After recently seeing Slash on his successful North American tour in Minneapolis, we didn't think he needed Axl Rose, but it would seem the two have kissed and made up.

As you know, Slash left Gn'R in 1996 (his last live performance with the band was in 1993) and never looked back.

Ray Waddell from Billboard is expecting a 25-date stadium tour, and that the band is asking for as much as $3 million per show (!) so tickets could cost as much as $275 per ticket.... making it for one of the most expensive tickets we've seen (discounting the after-market/scalper $10,000 tickets for Adele).

Will fans bear the expense? I think so, because you have to keep in mind that their debut album Appetite for Destruction is the biggest-selling debut in U.S. history, selling over 18 million records. In total, the album sold over 44.5 million units, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.

Of course, Rose or Slash have not confirmed anything at this moment.

Read More Sinéad O'Connor As you know, I'm a huge Sinéad O'Connor fan, having steadily followed her career since the late 80s (you can read more about my journey of discovery here). We recently covered her "American Kindness …

SINEAD O'CONNOR
sineadoconnor.com

I love Sinead O'Connor and I feel lately that she is crying for help. The first alarming thing we learned from her Facebook page (now deactivated!) is that she tried to commit suicide after a fight with her family in late November. Earlier in the year, O'Connor announced that she would stop performing "Nothing Compares 2 U" (no reasons given). She just didn't want fans going to her shows and being disappointed that she no longer performed her #1 hit song.

Then, about a week ago, she published a rather lengthy excerpt from a forthcoming biography (set for release in October 2016?). The story is about her second meeting with Prince (who wrote "Nothing Compares 2 U").

The story is really, really long, and since she deactivated her FB page, I can't really copy and paste the details for you to read, however, from my memory: a driver was sent to pick her up to drive to Prince's house. She described it as dark with no lights.... like Prince was a real life vampire. She was creeped out by the whole thing, and felt actual danger and even if she called the police, she didn't even know where she was.

She said Prince kept calling her "Shine-head" so she fired back at "Prance". It was clear from her writing that Prince was mad at her for recording his song without his involvement or blessing (?)... Possibly more reasons, but I must confess I skipped some paragraphs to get to the point.

At the end of it, she got into a "punch up" fight with Prince and he kicked her out of his home at 5 in the morning with no way of her to get back to her hotel.

I don't believe she made up the story, and if that happened, then you can understand why she does not want to sing "Nothing Compares 2 U"... However the incident happened in the 90s, so it felt a little late to finally bring up the reason why she doesn't sing the song. Perhaps people kept asking why she doesn't sing the song in 2015 and she finally decided to come clean.

As we reported in 2013, she did perform the famous song... but unenthusiastically:

And her biggest hit, “Nothing Compares 2 U,” is given a requisite, unenthusiastic performance (although the crowd greeted the song with immense enthusiasm despite the rather lackluster performance).

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

Slash, feat. Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators, w/ RavenEye at Mill City Nights, Minneapolis (07 October 2015)

Slash Setlist You're a Lie Nightrain* Avalon Standing in the Sun Back from Cali Wicked Stone Ghost You Could Be Mine* Doctor Alibi Welcome to the Jungle* Beneath the Savage Sun Civil War* The Dissident Rocket Queen* Bent to Fly World on Fire Anastasia Sweet Child O' Mine* Slither (Velvet Revolver song) -- Encore -- Paradise City* * Guns N’ Roses songs RavenEye Setlist Get It Started Come With Me Oh My Love Hey Hey Yeah No Bodies Soul Breaking Out You Got It Read More Slash Legendary Guns N Roses guitarist Slash is headlining Mill City Nights next Wednesday, October 7th. The show has long sold out. ... RavenEye Show up early to check out British rock/blues trio RavenEye (singer/guitarist Oli Brown, bassist Aaron Spiers, and drummer Kev Hickman). After a massive successful tour in Europe, Slash extended his invitation ...

Legendary guitarist Slash, featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators, recently played a sold out show at Mill City Nights in Minneapolis last Wednesday, October 7th.

RavenEye

This was RavenEye's first American show!

Looking at the photo of the trio (left to right: drummer Kev Hickman, singer/guitarist Oli Brown, and bassist Aaron Spiers) standing triumphantly before the incredibly packed venue, it said it all: the band is incredibly happy to be playing in the United States and the audience is showing signs of approval.

At times, their music, combined with Oli Brown's vocals, sounded like they were The Black Keys, which is a big bonus if you are a fan of blues rock/southern garage rock. They had a lot of energy during their 40-min set, having fun 'guitar battles' during "Breaking Out" to an epic drumming/jamming on their set closer "You Got It".

Almost all the songs from their debut Breaking Out EP, available via Rook Recordings, plus some extra unreleased songs.

Myles Kennedy & Slash

As for Slash, since the breakup/hiatus of the supergroup Velvet Revolver in 2008, he's released three solo albums, Slash (2010), Apocalyptic Love (2012), and the latest World on Fire (2014). The latter album was recorded with singer/guitarist Myles Kennedy of Alter Bridge, and the rhythm section named The Conspirators (Brent Fitz and Todd Kerns). NOTE: Kerns, demonstrated that he is actually a great singer, in addition to providing the bass, as he took over lead vocals for "Doctor Alibi" and "Welcome to the Jungle" midway into their set.

The current US tour is actually an extension of their "World on Fire" tour, and talking to everyone at Mill City Nights, this was perhaps one of the smallest venue we would ever see Slash... and was no surprise that the show sold out in a matter of minutes.

As expected, the former Guns N' Roses guitarist included several GNR classics throughout their set ("Nightrain", "You Could Be Mine", "Welcome to the Jungle", "Civil War", "Rocket Queen", "Sweet Child O' Mine" and "Paradise City").

Highlight of the show has to go to "Rocket Queen", when Slash played an extended epic guitar solo. What we mean is that this is the mother of guitar solos: it ran about 20 minutes. This guitar solo really served two things: (1) Slash is demonstrating why he is one of the greatest guitarists of our time, and (2) this is a nice 15 minute break for the rest of the band to go backstage and refresh themselves.

Fans who stuck around were rewarded with an amazing encore of "Paradise City". Singer Myles Kennedy knew didn't have to do much singing, instead letting the fans just singing/finishing the lyrics. Slash, for his part, did his signature move of holding and playing the guitar on his back. If that wasn't enough, two cannons blasted a ton of confetti into the audience ... for a very satisfying ending to the nearly two hour long set.

Remaining tour dates:

10/10/15 Edmonton, AB Northern Alberta Jubilee
10/12/15 Vancouver, BC Queen Elizabeth Theatre
10/13/15 Seattle, WA Moore Theatre
10/15/15 Salt Lake City, UT The Depot
10/16/15 Denver, CO Fillmore Auditorium
10/18/15 San Francisco, CA Warfield Theatre
10/20/15 Chandler, AZ Wild Horse Pass Hotel
10/21/15 Anaheim, CA House Of Blues
10/23/15 Hollywood, CA Hollywood Palladium
10/24/15 Temecula, CA Pechanga Resort & Casino
10/31/15 Voodoo Experience
11/19/15 Prague Mala Sportovni Hala
11/20/15 Lodz, Poland Atlas Arena

Slash, feat. Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators at Mill City Nights, Minneapolis (07 October 2015)

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

Rocktober: October 7, 2015

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area on October 7, 2015.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Read More Guns 'N Roses 90s band reforming: Guns 'n Roses Rage Against the Machine My Bloody Valentine Garbage Afghan Whigs …

SLASH
at Mill City Nights
Wednesday, 10/07/2015, 8pm (Sold Out)
millcitynights.com

Legendary Guns N Roses guitarist Slash is headlining Mill City Nights next Wednesday, October 7th. The show has long sold out.

Show up early to check out British rock/blues trio RavenEye (singer/guitarist Oli Brown, bassist Aaron Spiers, and drummer Kev Hickman). After a massive successful tour in Europe, Slash extended his invitation for the UK band to rejoin him on his upcoming US tour.

RavenEye's self-titled debut EP has been riding high in the Amazon best sellers list, be sure to pick up a copy when you see them in person.

Tour dates:

10/02/15 Marksville, LA Paragon Casino Resort
10/04/15 Louder Than Life Festival
10/07/15 Minneapolis, MN Mill City Nights
10/09/15 Calgary, AB Centre At Grey Eagle Casino
10/10/15 Edmonton, AB Northern Alberta Jubilee
10/12/15 Vancouver, BC Queen Elizabeth Theatre
10/13/15 Seattle, WA Moore Theatre
10/15/15 Salt Lake City, UT The Depot
10/16/15 Denver, CO Fillmore Auditorium
10/18/15 San Francisco, CA Warfield Theatre
10/20/15 Chandler, AZ Wild Horse Pass Hotel
10/21/15 Anaheim, CA House Of Blues
10/23/15 Hollywood, CA Hollywood Palladium
10/24/15 Temecula, CA Pechanga Resort & Casino
10/31/15 Voodoo Experience
11/19/15 Prague Mala Sportovni Hala
11/20/15 Lodz, Poland Atlas Arena

Read More Frank Turner Koo Koo Kanga Roo, the fun children music dance duo from Minneapolis will be heading out on tour in October with Frank Turner and The Smith Street Band. ...

FRANK TURNER
at Varsity Theater
Wednesday, 10/07/2015, 6:30pm (Sold Out)
varsitytheater.org

The always lovely Frank Turner and his band The Sleeping Souls will be in town Wednesday, October 7th at the Varsity Theater to promote his new album Positive Songs for Negative People (released August 7th via Xtra Mile Recordings/Polydor UK/Interscope).

Frank Turner is an English folk singer/songwriter who started as the vocalist of a post-hardcore band called Million Dead. His style has definitely calmed down but his talent just keeps on growing.

Frank Turner's music is perfect for right after a break-up. It's deep and depressing but bright and refreshing at the same time. So grab your lighters and gather up the pieces of your broken heart. Frank Turner is coming to make it all better!

Special guests Skinny Lister and Beans on Toast to open.

Don't have a ticket to the upcoming sold out show? No problem, you can meet & greet Turner at Electric Fetus on the same day at 6pm.

Tour dates:

10/02 Philadelphia, PA The Fillmore
10/03 Baltimore, MD Ram’s Head Live
10/04 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
10/06 Chicago, IL House of Blues
10/07 Minneapolis, MN The Varsity Theater
10/09 Denver, CO The Ogden Theatre
10/10 Boulder, CO The Boulder Theatre
10/12 Salt City City, UT Urban Lounge
10/13 Boise, ID Knitting Factory
10/15 Seattle, WA The Neptune
10/16 Spokane, WA Knitting Factory
10/17 Portland, OR Roseland Theatre
10/19 Sacramento, CA Ace of Spades
10/20 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
10/22 Los Angeles, CA The Mayan
10/23 San Diego, CA House of Blues
10/24 Anaheim, CA House of Blues
10/25 Phoenix, AZ The Press Room
10/27 Austin, TX Emo’s
10/28 Dallas, TX House of Blues
10/29 Houston, TX House of Blues
10/30 New Orleans, LA Voodoo Music Festival

Read More Ezra Furman Last night's show opened with Ezra Furman. The crowd was sparse to begin with but trickled in throughout the night. Ezra's performance had a raw, garage band feeling to it. ...

EZRA FURMAN
at Turf Club
Wednesday, 10/07/2015, 7:30pm ($10)
turfclub.net

Ezra Furman's upcoming tour starts in Twin Cities (St Paul/Minneapolis), and guess what? He recently covered The Replacements "Androgynous".

The upcoming tour is in support of his latest album Perpetual Motion People out now on Bella Union.

Pitchfork wrote, "Perpetual Motion People can never sit right in its own skin, and that's largely where its charm comes from. Furman is the kind of singer who seems to have crammed so many ideas into his head he can hardly decide which ones should fly out of his mouth first. While he's deeply indebted to traditional sounds and familiar structures, he comes alive most when he's sewing fissures into the forms he knows so well."

We previously caught him in June 2013 and described as sound as "raw, garage".

Ezra Furman US Tour Dates:

10/07-St. Paul, MN- Turf Club
10/10-Toronto-Silver Dollar Room
10/11-Montreal-Casa Del Popolo
10/12- Portsmouth, NH- Press Room
10/13-Bridgeport,NY-BSP Kingston
10/14-New York, CMJ –Knitting Factory
12/01-Seattle,WA-Tractor Tavern
12/02-Portland,OR-Mississippi Studios
12/06-San Francisco,CA-Rickshaw Stop
12/08-San Diego,CA-The Casbah
12/09-Los Angeles,CA-The Echo

Read More Jenny & Tyler For Freedom - A Covers EP is the latest release from Jenny & Tyler. All proceeds from the sale of the EP will benefit organizations that fight human trafficking. They encourage you to share the EP …

VARIOUS
Wednesday, 10/07/2015

Once again, thanks to Rocktober, there are too many shows to write about.

We are not covering these shows below, but I thought they were important enough to mention:

Legendary Germany electronic group Kraftwerk will be at Northrop Auditorium (8pm/$59.50)

Jerusalem In My Heart at Bryan Lake Bowl (7:30pm/$12)

Shamir at 7th Street Entry (6pm/$15)

Lindi Ortega with Smooth Hound Smith will be at Cedar Cultural Center (7pm/$15)

You may recall we caught the singer in 2013 at Icehouse when she was touring in support of Tin Star (Last Gang Records).

Jenny & Tyler at Northwestern College (Naz Chapel) (6pm/$15)

Of this I'm not sure: where the venue is, as the college website does not list the show at all.

UPDATE: University of Northwestern - Naz Chapel (3003 Snelling Ave, St. Paul, MN 55113) ... with special guest Jillian Edwards.

The duo is on tour for their latest Of This I'm Sure album.

langen + vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ itunes.apple.com