W♥M

Def Leppard / Journey / The Steve Miller Band at Target Field, Minneapolis MN (2024-08-19)

DEF LEPPARD SETLIST intro music: Gods of War ("Drastic Symphonies" version; countdown) / Pyromania Intro Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop) Rocket Foolin' Armageddon It Animal Love Bites Just Like '73 Billy's Got a Gun Too Late for Love Die Hard the Hunter Thrust Stage(acoustic) Two Steps Behind This Guitar Bringin' On the Heartbreak Switch 625 Rock of Ages Photograph Encore: Hysteria Put Some Sugar on Me JOURNEY SETLIST Only the Young Be Good to Yourself Escape Who's Crying Now Faithfully Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin' Piano Solo Open Arms Line of Fire Dead or Alive Guitar Solo Wheel in the Sky Lights Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) Don't Stop Believin' Any Way You Want It THE STEVE MILLER BAND SETLIST Space Intro Swingtown Serenade The Stake Living in the U.S.A. Fly Like an Eagle Abracadabra Rock'n Me Jungle Love Take the Money and Run The Joker Jet Airliner (Paul Pena cover) DEF LEPPARD TOUR DATES AUG 23 Chase Field Phoenix, AZ AUG 25 SoFi Stadium Los Angeles, CA AUG 28 Oracle Park San Francisco, CA AUG 30 Petco Park San Diego, CA SEP 2 Moda Center Portland, OR SEP 4 T-Mobile Park Seattle, WA SEP 6 Spokane Arena Spokane, WA SEP 8 Coors Field Denver, CO SEP 10 Credit Union Amphitheatre West Valley City, UT JOURNEY TOUR DATES Aug. 23 Phoenix, AZ Chase Field Aug. 25 Los Angeles, CA SoFI Stadium Aug. 28 San Francisco, CA Oracle Park Aug. 30 San Diego, CA Petco Park Sep. 2 Portland, OR Moda Center Sep. 4 Seattle, WA T-Mobile Park Sep. 6 Blackfoot, ID Eastern Idaho State Fair Sep. 8 Denver, CO Coors Field Sep. 15 Rio De Janeiro, Brazil Rock in Rio Sep. 17 Santiago, Chile Santa Laura Stadium Oct. 19 大阪市, 日本 Ａｓｕｅアリーナ大阪 Oct. 21 横浜市, 日本 パシフィコ横浜 Oct. 23 Tokyo, Japan Nippon Budokan Read More Def Leppard Def Leppard, on the other hand, have a solid new album out, Diamond Star Halos, their twelfth full length and first since 2015. Despite a few recent health scares, Poison continues on as does Joan Jett...

“Every band on the planet has been here this weekend!”

Def Leppard front man Joe Elliott wasn’t wrong after Minneapolis played host to not one, but two Metallica shows, and a Green Day/Smashing Pumpkins/Rancid/The Linda Lindas extravaganza at this same venue, an under the weather Hozier at the arena across the river, and countless club and theater shows.

The closing show of this very busy weekend likely crossed the most generations as Def Leppard, Journey, and The Steve Miller Band joined forces to headline outdoors to play for some 35,000 fans of all ages at Target Field in downtown Minneapolis.

With all three acts being recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2016, 2017, 2019), it was a star-studded affair of classic rock and our “Fan in the Stands”, was there to capture the moments.

 

 

With Heart and Cheap Trick sidelined by some health issues, The Steve Miller Band got the party started with an hour of mostly late 60’s/1970’s-era radio hits and album rock. The gray-haired Miller is now 80, but still has the guitar chops of his youth, and their music was always a very palatable mix of blues, rock, some jazz, funk, and more, and his hits like “Fly Like an Eagle” and “Rock’n Me” helped defined rock radio of that decade.

Miller even reminisced about a rainy 1978 stadium show with The Eagles at the old outdoor Vikings stadium in Bloomington (where the Mall of America stands now). 1982’s “Abracadabra” has found a new audience with the recent Eminem hit, “Houdini” and Miller dedicated the original to the Detroit rapper (probably appreciating the royalty checks) and a shout-out to the several musical Peterson Family members, who played with Miller along the way, prefaced his closing “Jet Airliner.”

 

 

Can it be over fifty years for Bay Area band Journey already?! Those five decades plus have not been without their share of drama, as veteran members (and band co-managers) guitarist Neal Schon and keyboardist Jonathan Cain (sporting a MN Twins jersey) have continued feuding over finances, perceived working conditions, and anything else on their minds; filing inter-band lawsuits as recently as last week, so it’s a bit of a litigious miracle they’ve continued ‘together’ with this tour.

Schon is now 70 but has been in the game since his days playing with Santana as a teenager, and Cain’s career runs deep as well after a successful pre-Journey stint with The Babys. Schon in particular, seemed in good spirits, taking in the second Metallica show the night before, and working part of Prince’s “Purple Rain” into his solo.

Despite some previous vocal issues (what Journey singer hasn’t had any?!), vocalist and pride of the Philippines, Arnel Pineda seems to have recovered; not only hitting those unreachable vocal heights fabled singer Steve Perry created, but worked each side of the audience, jumping and running along the large stage ramps of the set design.

Hits like “Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'” and “Wheel in the Sky” were extended beyond the radio versions so the band could flex their instrumental muscles during their ninety-minute set, and Pineda got a well-deserved break as drummer Deen Castronovo took on the lead vocals for their hit, “Lights.” Pineda quickly returned for the sing-along finish of “Don’t Stop Believin’” (he changed the line from “south Detroit” to “Twin Cities” which got a roar) and “Anyway You Want It”, to end on a literal high note.

Sheffield, UK’s Def Leppard have taken this tour as the occasion to help celebrate the 40^th (ok, now 41^st) Anniversary of their breakthrough album, “Pyromania” and all its many hits, with a deluxe reissue also released to help commemorate the record.

The setlist during their ninety minutes leaned on that album, plus the mega-selling “Hysteria” (how could it not?!) with a few of the songs being shortened versions (i.e. “Armageddon It” and “Die Hard the Hunter”) which allowed them to work in more songs but may have annoyed the purists.

Brand new, classic-sounding single, “Just Like '73” was worked in mid-set, and followed by the welcome deeper cut, “Billy’s Got a Gun”, with the band making its way more up front the so-called Thrust Stage for slower, acoustic versions of “Two Steps Behind” (played solo by Elliott) and “This Guitar” before “Bringin’ on the Heartbreak” which started acoustic, ending electrically and with full volume.

From there, it was mega-hits to close the night, with the Leps ending the main set with signature song, “Photograph”, stretching out the end of “Hysteria”, and finishing with their planet-size smash, “Pour Some Sugar on Me”.

Rock royalty in Def Leppard, Journey, and The Steve Miller Band at Target Field to close out the biggest, busiest musical weekend in Minneapolis in recent memory- every city should have it this good.

REPORTING and PHOTOS BY JOHN RAFALSKI

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

DEF LEPPARD (Joe Elliott) at Target Field- Minneapolis MN (2024-08-19)

VIVIAN CAMPBELL

RICK ALLEN

PHIL COLLEN

JOURNEY (Neal Schon) at Target Field- Minneapolis MN (2024-08-19)

ARNEL PINEDA

TODD JENSEN

THE STEVE MILLER BAND at Target Field- Minneapolis MN (2024-08-19)

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

Go Fest '15

poster: Coley Lind Matt & Kim Setlist Overexposed Hey Now w/ snippet of "Party Up" by DMX) I'm A Goner Let's Go Hoodie On Cameras Tonight Ignition (Remix) (R. Kelly cover) Now w/ intro "No Sleep 'Till Brooklyn" by Beastie Boys Get It w/ intro "Push It" by Salt-N-Pepa Daylight -- Encore -- Just a Friend (Biz Markie cover) w/ intro "Bring Em Out" by T.I. It's Alright Cold War Kids Setlist All This Could Be Yours Loner Phase Miracle Mile Audience One Song at a Time We Used To Vacation Louder Than Ever Hot Coals Hang Me Up to Dry I've Seen Enough Minimum Day Drive Desperate First Hospital Beds Something Is Not Right With Me Yelawolf Setlist Outer Space Good to Go Box Chevy V Growin' Up in the Gutter Push 'Em Friends in Low Places (Garth Brooks cover) Let's Roll Pop the Trunk I Wish / Whole Lotta Love / War Pigs Heartbreak American You MS MR Setlist Reckless Fantasy Think of You How Does It Feel Criminals Painted Hurricane Big Data Setlist Snowed In Clean Big Dater Private Eyes (Hall & Oates cover) The Business of Emotion Dangerous Meg Myers Setlist Adelaide Motel A Bolt From The Blue Go Desire Sorry Heart Heart Head (partial; cut off) Read More Go 96.3 We were really impressed with Go 96.3 FM's first Go Show #1 (featuring New Politics and Banks at Aria on Mar 2015). We were wondering how they can top that debut show … Matt & Kim This is one of the best band to see live is Matt and Kim. The duo is returning to Minneapolis at the Mill City Nights next, next Friday … Cold War Kids It's the big 10 year anniversary of local radio station The Current, and they've been selling out all their shows. I believe most, if not all, of their shows will be broadcasting live .... Yelawolf I was only given a link to the video for Yelawolf's new video "Let's Roll" (watch it in HD on vevo.com). The song is from his latest album, Radioactive, which came out November of last year. .... MS MR NYC duo MS MR came to Minneapolis “for the first time as a band and as people” ...and ‘rocked it like a ‘Hurricane’. ‘Hurricane’, of course, refers to their infectious single of the same name…

The inaugural Go Fest at the Target Field last Friday. We were already impressed with their first ever Go Show #1 earlier in March 2015, but was absolutely blown away at the size and scale and production of Go Fest '15.

The festival took place in the new baseball open field. Only portions of the stadium seats (no access to the green) were opened to view the concert stage. There was a small standing-only section in the front for VIP access... which Go Radio was more than generous in giving away upgrade passes to fans who showed up early.

Prices ranged from $9.63 to $96.30, which I think was a great price for these bands. Even if they lost a ton of money, it was money well spent for promotion of the new radio station, Go 96.3 FM.

There was a lot of planning and thought involved in orchestrating this music festival... but not everything was set in stone. For example local band Enemy Planes was added last minute (the day of) as first band on the bill with a brief twenty-minute set, and MS MR was switched with Big Data. Otherwise Allan Kingdom (who we previously saw with thestand4rd at Rock the Garden) went on as planned at 4:30.

In between bands RAC (André Allen Anjos) played his DJ sets.

Meg Myers

The first non-local band to play was Los Angeles, by the way of Tennessee, Meg Myers, who we previously saw with Royal Blood at Mill City Nights in 2014. Like her last appearance, she is accompanied by her four-piece band (including a cellist), and she sang dark and delicate songs about relationship and desires.

While we liked her songs, unfortunately most people will likely remember that she was literally played off the stage when she started playing her closing song "Heart Heart Head". Everyone was operating under a very tight schedule, so we were not surprised that they cut off her mic.

Big Data

New York's Big Data was up next. The band was previously in town at the Fine Line Music Café earlier in March 2015. This music project is lead by Alan Wilkis, who teamed up with a variety of artists for their 2.0 album (including guests White Sea, Joywave, Jamie Lidell, Kimbra, Rivers Cuomo, Jenn Wasner, Dragonette, Bear Hands, and Twin Shadow). When they play live, Wilkis had plenty of vocal help from singer Lizy Ryan.

Their set had bookend pre-recorded robotic announcements, and they played it safe by covering Hall & Oates' "Private Eyes" and ending it with their most popular song, "Dangerous"... which is a really catchy song.

MS MR

We've been covering MS MR since 2012, and was happy to be there for them on their first ever Minneapolis appearance in 2013.

The duo Lizzy Plapinger (MS) and Max Hershenow (MR) was happy to announce that they have released a second album How Does It Feel (Columbia Records), which incidentally landed at #1 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers chart. Their new single, "Painted" sounded great live and you can easily see why the song is showing strong support on Top 30 Alternative radio.

They ended their set with their first single "Hurricane", which they kindly note that if you wanted to hear more from them, that they'll be back in Minneapolis at the Varsity Theater on October 15th. Immediately the couple next to me said they'll buy tickets to see them again.

Yelawolf

Based on the biker leather jackets, the tattoos, and hip-hop/rap sound of Yelawolf... they surely stuck out like a sore thumb. Despite being the odd band out, they definitely had their dedicated fans.

Apparently they did not play by the rules. They were slightly rude, spitting, spraying beer in the audience, lighting their setlist on fire and destroying a microphone, and giving the fingers to all the ladies in the audience. After hearing them talk about how they love the south, Hank Williams, and the confederate flag (which is a hot button at the moment), you get the feeling they do and say whatever the f*** they want and they don't care what you think.

After playing "Heartbreak" per request from a fan and ending their set with "American Youth", the band pulled out an autographed baseball and threw it into the audience.

Cold War Kids

We've been covering Cold War Kids since 2008, they are always a good solid live band. In 2013, we saw the band three times (First Avenue (09/26/13), First Avenue (4/5/13), and Target Center (05/31/13)) and didn't feel heartbroken when we didn't see them in late January 2015. Still, we were excited to see them again at Go Fest; it was like seeing an old friend.

By the time CWK took the stage on their first ever baseball field show, it had gotten dark, but the stage direction kept the band in bare minimal lighting (dark blues and dimmed reds).

Songs on their set featured some new songs from their latest Hold My Home ("All This Could Be Yours", "Hot Coals", "Drive Desperate", and "First"), but throwing in fan favorite "Hang Me Up to Dry".

The first time I read about Matt & Kim, they had opened up for Weezer in New York in 2009 and again in 2010. They were described as "dance party", and it wasn't until I saw them in person in Minneapolis in 2012 that I absolutely believed it. Of all the shows I saw in 2012, that one stood out as easily one of my highlight. We've seen them again at Rock the Garden in 2014, and a couple of things you should know about this party band: 1. Kim does this walking on people bit, 2. They go from zero to one hundred percent, 3. They have potty mouths (esp Kim), 4. Plenty of confetti, and 5. Just have a good time. Don't over analyze their songs or question their singing abilities, you're missing the point if you do.

Matt & Kim

I had a lot of fun, and I think the audience did too. Some new gimmick they did tried for this show was getting everyone to blow up balloons and then tossing them up in the air. They also brought out a parachute and had people holding it up (wasn't quite sure this one worked as well as they intended).

The various snippets of DMX's "Party Up", Beastie Boys' "No Sleep 'Till Brooklyn", Salt-N-Pepa's "Push It", went over really well with the crowd, who seemed to know the material. The introduction to "Ignition (Remix)" was pretty funny, Matt explained, "R Kelly was supposed to play Arizona, but he didn't because he wasn't going to get paid... So if R. Kelly won't play R. Kelly songs, Matt and Kim will play R. Kelly songs!"

Seeing as there was only a few minutes until closing time of 11:30, I was surprised to see that the band came back for a quick encore at the eleventh hour. At first with a prerecorded T.I.'s "Bring Em Out" and then they covered Biz Markie's "Just a Friend", which got the crowd singing along. Their finale "It's Alright" ended their set with a couple of audience body surfing with plenty of beach balls that was released by the stage hand.

Go Fest '15 was an experience. They're already talking about doing another one (before the end of the year???), and honestly I can't wait to see how they are going to top this show. Given that the event was nearly 8 hours long, I think perhaps next time, they can have the Go Fest to fall on a Saturday (when most normal people don't have work or school).

Matt & Kim at Go Fest, Target Field (07 Aug 2015)

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

Photos: Go Fest '15 at Target Field, Minneapolis (7 Aug 2015)

Read More Go 96.3 We were really impressed with Go 96.3 FM's first Go Show #1 (featuring New Politics and Banks at Aria on Mar 2015). We were wondering how they can top that debut show …

While we work out the setlists and review, here are some photos from Go Fest '15. For the entry price of $9.63 (for 96.3 FM), this served as a nice promotion for the new radio station Go 96.3.

We've previously seen MS MR, Cold War Kids and Matt and Kim as headliners for their own shows, and seeing them all together in one bill is simply unbelievable.

Lineup and Set Times

4 p.m. - Gates Open
4:05 p.m. - Enemy Planes
4:30 p.m. - Allan Kingdom
5 p.m. - Meg Myers
5:50 p.m. - Big Data
6:40 p.m. - MS MR
7:30 p.m. - Yelawolf
9 p.m. - Cold War Kids
10:30 p.m. - Matt and Kim
11:30 p.m. - End of Show

I don't honestly know how Go Radio will top themselves for their next Go Show.

Meg Myers	Meg Myers	Big Data	Big Data	MS MR	MS MR
Yelawolf	Yelawolf	Cold War Kids	Cold War Kids	Matt & Kim	Matt & Kim

Matt & Kim at Go Fest '15, Target Field (7 Aug 2015)

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

A Little Look Ahead: Minneapolis/St. Paul Spring/Summer concert outlook

Read More British Music Embassy SXSW 2015 is taking place March 17–22, 2015. We love this time of the year, as many bands heading down to Austin will likely stop in Minneapolis before or after the event. Keep up with more SXSW coverage at sxsw.weheartmusic.com. .... Coachella Covering Coachella Music Don’t want the expense of hopping a plane to the desert in Indio, CA to fight the crowds and heat, and camp like hermits? Relax and enjoy this Festival’s second weekend from your living room chair, as AXS …

With warm sunshine in short supply, temperatures at or near zero, and a snow pack that seemingly will never melt, it’s probably best to look just past these Winter Blues and preview a taste of what’s ahead in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area this spring and summer.

The official start of Spring may be less than a month away, but these are truly the dog days of what’s turned out to be a pretty frigid winter season.  Even W♥M Head Ringmaster Vu, mostly refuses to venture out for these months, and the bands that are daring to tour, are dramatically less in number than in the warmer months.

So with that, we optimistically look ahead at just a few of the upcoming season’s highlights:

MARCH

This month means SXSW or the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, TX, which brings together multitudes of bands March 17-22.  Thankfully, several of these bands decide to make a short tour out of getting-to, and going-from SXSW, meaning many of them book an area performance.

Just a few of these acts include The Church, The Twilight Sad, Gang of Four, and The Ting Tings, among the almost 1,000 acts playing in Austin for those few days and are also making a local appearance in March.

Promotional-related appearances have even reached this far north, with SXSW-bound Delta Spirit headlining a free but invite-only intimate show sponsored by Lagunitas beer on March 12, and upstart alternative station Go 96.3 holding their first station-sponsored concert the next night (March 13) with New Politics, Banks, and K Flay.

APRIL

April means Coachella, a massive music festival in the desert of Indio, CA that has recently expanded to two separate weekends.  Like SXSW, many bands schedule touring coming or going to the West Coast and Minnesota benefits from some of that.  Clean Bandit, George Ezra, Glass Animals, Father John Misty and Milky Chance are just a few of the bands making a local stop en route.

MAY

Northern Invasion (09 May 2015)

Concerts start to ramp up as the weather warms with Slipknot and friends staging a headbanging Northern Invasion in nearby Somerset, WI on May 9.

Local hip-hop collective Rhymesayers bring its more-successful-than-ever Soundset back to Canterbury Park on May 24, with act details announcing soon.

JUNE

Bonnaroo is a growing music festival in Manchester, TN happening June 11-14, and like Coachella and SXSW, fingers are crossed that MN gets a few of those key acts in transit.

Blue Ox Music Festival (11-13 June 2015)

June brings the inaugural Blue Ox Music Festival to nearby Eau Claire, WI from the 11^th-13^th, focusing on Americana and Bluegrass with acts such as Pert Near Sandstone, Justin Townes Earle, and Sam Bush.

Rock the Garden returns to the Walker Art Center as a two-day affair June 20/21, with acts to be announced on-air March 31^st.  Wishful thinking says Belle and Sebastian w/Courtney Barnett (who are touring together), Run the Jewels, and Florence + the Machine would be great additions, though it’s all pure speculation.

 

UPDATE: 89.3 The Current announced last week that the RTG lineup announcement has been bumped up, now to be revealed on March 10.

Twin Cities Jazz Festival (25-27 June 2015)

Last year’s fun, free, and outdoor Twin Cities Jazz Festival was its biggest yet in its 17 years and this year’s (June 25-27) looks to be even bigger, with the not-yet-officially announced Saturday headliner being Dr. John, so keep those Mardi Gras beads handy.

JULY

Taste of Minnesota recently decided to return to last year’s site of Waconia and will be held July 2-5, with a roster of acts expected to be announced soon.

The annual Basilica Block Party is scheduled for July 10/11 and typically features a diverse range of alternative acts over its two main stages, with local acts on a third stage.  Jason Isbell was briefly listed as a performer (an artist the sponsoring radio station doesn’t even play), but the listing was removed with full announcements expected late next month.

Eaux Claires Music & Arts Festival (17-18 July 2015)

One of the most anticipated events of the summer is the first Eaux Claires Music & Arts Festival, scheduled July 17-18, in Eau Claire, WI and curated by Justin (Bon Iver) Vernon and Aaron (The National) Dessner. In addition to their own bands, Charles Bradley, Doomtree, Spoon, and The Lone Bellow, round out a very full bill.

The annual Vans Warped Tour returns on July 26 at Canterbury Park, with Blessthefall, Splitbreed, and Family Force 5 among the dozens of bands performing.

Lollapalooza happens in Chicago on July 31- August 2^nd, and with its close proximity to Minneapolis, expect several of the bands playing there, to make a stop here.  Acts to be announced.

AUGUST

Summer Set (14-16 August 2015)

August begins with the mostly EDM and hip-hop related festival Summer Set at Somerset Amphitheater on August 14-16, with acts to be announced.

Chipotle recently announced its free Cultivate Festival is returning on August 22, headlined by Walk the Moon, who has a two-night already upcoming in March at First Avenue, with other acts to be announced.

The end of the month brings the last days of summer and the glorious twelve days of the Minnesota State Fair, running August 27-Sept 7. In addition to the Grandstand evening shows (some already announced include Carrie Underwood, Def Leppard, and Alan Jackson, with more TBA) most of the artists on the free Leinie Lodge Bandshell have leaked out.  Look forward to two-night stands from Pine Leaf Boys, Sonny Knight and the Lakers, ex-Foreigner vocalist Lou Gramm, swamp blues guitarist Kenny Neal, and just maybe, Merle Haggard.

TBD (and rumors)

Will this finally be the year the First Avenue Festival gets off the ground, after a couple years of delays due to bookings and logistics?

Rumors are that Target Field is working on a non-country show to be booked in sometime this summer. As much as I’d like it to be AC/DC and/or The Rolling Stones, who have both announced summer stadium tours, it will more likely be along the lines of Jimmy Buffet, who’s heading out this summer as well.

We ended up loving the first Festival Palomino experience, held last September as a Trampled by Turtles curated festival, and despite the bad weather that chased 10,000 people indoors for two hours we hope it returns again.

Prince has had two new albums out for some time (with no real tour that followed), and a deal with Warner Brothers that returned his masters of the classic songs to him.  2015 is perfect timing to re-establish himself on the concert stage and fingers are crossed that he does something completely memorable locally.

Could 2015 mark the long-awaited return of Jack White (who hasn’t come to town since a two-night stand in 2005 with The White Stripes)?

WHEW!

With this just being the tip of the concert iceberg ahead (expect the unexpected shows too) and warmer days within sight, it’s hard NOT to get excited about live music in the upcoming months.

♥♥♥We Heart Music will do our best to bring you all the details and reports! ♥♥♥

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

Paul McCartney at Target Field, Minneapolis (02 Aug 2014)

Paul McCartney Setlist Eight Days a Week Save Us All My Loving Listen to What the Man Said Let Me Roll It (w/Foxy Lady guitar instrumental) Paperback Writer My Valentine Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five The Long and Winding Road Maybe I'm Amazed I've Just Seen a Face We Can Work It Out Another Day And I Love Her Blackbird Here Today New Queenie Eye Lady Madonna All Together Now Lovely Rita Everybody Out There Eleanor Rigby Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite Something Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da Band on the Run Back in the U.S.S.R. Let It Be Live and Let Die Hey Jude -- Encore 1 -- Day Tripper Hi, Hi, Hi Get Back -- Encore 2 -- Yesterday Helter Skelter Golden Slumbers Carry That Weight The End Soundcheck Setlist Minneapolis Jam Matchbox Drive My Car Celebration Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five > Band on the Run I've Just Seen a Face On My Way To Work Ram On San Francisco Bay Blues Bluebird Queenie Eye Lady Madonna Tour Dates 08/07/14 Salt Lake City, UT EnergySolutions 08/10/14 Los Angeles, CA Dodger Stadium 08/12/14 Phoenix, AZ US Airways Center 08/14/14 San Francisco, CA Candlestick Park 09/28/14 San Diego, CA PETCO Park 10/01/14 San Antonio, TX Tobin Center for the Perf Arts 10/02/14 Lubbock, TX United Spirit Arena 10/11/14 New Orleans, LA Smoothie King Center 10/13/14 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center 10/15/14 Atlanta, GA Philips Arena 10/16/14 Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena 10/25/14 Jacksonville, FL Jacksonville Veterans 10/28/14 Louisville, KY KFC Yum! Center 10/30/14 Greensboro, NC Greensboro Coliseum Read More Paul McCartney Members of Nirvana, Dave Grohl, Krist Noveselic and Pat Smear, reunited for the first time in 18 years after Kurt Cobain's death with Sir Paul McCartney …

Paul McCartney just showed us all up.

While most 72 year olds are contemplating a home in Boca Raton or counting the minutes until the early-bird dinner specials start, Sir Paul had the day named after him by the state’s governor and played 39 songs in 2 hours 45 min., at a very sold-out Target Field on a clear Saturday night in Minneapolis.

The evening started less-than-positively, with skies threatening more rain (which thankfully passed) and obscenely slow and long lines at every gate into the venue, thanks in part to Major League Baseball’s requirement that all their parks be equipped with metal detectors.  Staff and McCartney’s people no doubt were aware of the situation and thankfully didn’t begin the show until just after 8:45, 45 min. after the tickets’ start time.

Paul and his solid veteran band that has backed him for almost fifteen years (Rusty Anderson – Guitar, Brian Ray -Bass, Guitar, Abe Laboriel, Jr. - Drums, Percussion, and Paul "Wix" Wickens- Keyboards, Percussion, Guitar, Accordion who has been with him since 1989) rather nonchalantly took to the massive stage, adorned with LED background screen and right and left vertical video boards, for his first area show since the Xcel Center in 2005.

The Beatles’ ‘Eight Days a Week’ had people up and moving from the first chord, with McCartney center stage in a bright blue suit (w/suspendered pants), and white shirt. From a bit of the old to some of the new, as in ‘Save Us’, the opening number from Paul’s latest record, New (Hear Music), then to more Beatles and ‘All My Loving’.

Though the setlist seemed a little overall familiar and Paul didn’t move about much or provide a lot of stage banter (i.e. taking a minute to “drink it all in” and name-checking “Minnesota” and “Minneapolis” a couple times, was it), it didn’t ever seem to matter- this was a living legend playing songs from his last fifty years, that almost everyone knows by heart.  Fingers were crossed for McCartney’s version of MN native’s Eddie Cochran’s ‘Twenty Flight Rock’ with a local shout-out, but it didn’t happen, though he did play the Carl Perkins classic ‘Matchbox’ earlier in soundcheck.

The 1973 classic ‘Let Me Roll It’ from Band on the Run was somewhat surprisingly punctuated by an ending instrumental of Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Foxy Lady’, the only time McCartney and band really roared on guitar and 1982’s ‘Here Today’ was touchingly prefaced by Sir Paul telling the crowd that the lyrics were a conversation that he and John Lennon, never got to have.

McCartney Target Field 080314 screen

Songs, ‘New’ and the romping ‘Queenie Eye’ from the recent album fit in well with the older tracks, though the multi-generational crowd naturally responded strongest to The Beatles classics the most.  People had brought entire families to the show and could be seen swaying in unison to songs half a century old, with cellphones lighting up the night sky for some of the later ballads.

Though he’s done this version in prior tours, it was still endearing to see McCartney professing George Harrison’s love of the ukulele before picking up the instrument and launching into his own luau version of ‘Something’.  ‘Band on the Run’ remains a sprawling three-songs-in-one epic, ‘Live and Let Die’ nearly blinded with the song’s choral fireworks and pyro shots, and classics ‘Let it Be’ and ‘Hey Jude’ were sing-a-longs to end the main set, the way everyone wanted them to perfectly be.

The first encore, over two hours in, was a quick combination of ‘Day Tripper’, Wings’ ‘Hi Hi Hi’, and classic ‘Get Back’, before non-stop applause goaded McCartney and band to err, get back for a second encore, starting with a gentle ‘Yesterday’ that found McCartney solo and acoustic, on a raised platform.

The still-scathing ‘Helter Skelter’ followed, with the Abbey Road-ending ‘Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End’ being the ideal way to send all 40,000+ people back into the streets with smiles on their faces, amidst a barrage of post-show fireworks.  There was no “Maybe” – we were all “Amazed”.

Paul McCartney at Target Field, Minneapolis (02 Aug 2014) Courtesy Paul McCartney Twitter

john ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com