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Lindsey Stirling at Armory, Minneapolis (24 Aug 2024)

24 August 2024 Lindsey Stirling with Walk off the Earth at Armory Lindsey Stirling Setlist Eye of the Untold Her The Arena Underground Firefly Alley Roundtable Rival Elements Evil Twin Serenity Found Between Twilight Shatter Me Kintsugi Crystallize Purpose Untamed Inner Gold First Light Les Fées Survive with Walk off the Earth Walk off the Earth Setlist Rule the World Fire in My Soul Crazy (Gnarls Barkley cover) I'll Be There Whatever with Luminati Suns Stick Season (Noah Kahan cover) Better At Love 12 Hit Songs Medley Somebody That I Used to Know / Heatwaves / Industry Baby / Alone / Africa / Oh No / That's What I Want / Myles Erlick Epic Cymbal Kick / Sunroof / Bad Habits / Can't Get You Out Of My Head / Dreams Long Way Home with Lindsey Stirling The Beatles Medley Love Me Do / I Want to Hold Your Hand / A Hard Day's Night / Eight Days a Week / Yesterday / In My Life / I've Just Seen a Face / We Can Work It Out / Eleanor Rigby / Strawberry Fields Forever / Penny Lane / A Day in the Life / With a Little Help From My Friends / All You Need Is Love / Hello, Goodbye / Blackbird / Hey Jude / Here Comes the Sun / Come Together / Let It Be Red Hands On the road Beautiful Things (Benson Boone cover) with Luminati Suns My Stupid Heart with Luminati Suns Read More Lindsey Stirling Arizona's Lindsey Stirling is a super star violinist and dancer. I believe her personality (which you can see on her popular YouTube channel) and talent help her sell half a million of her albums. … Walk Off The Earth Indie-pop band / viral sensations Walk Off The Earth is headlining the Myth on May 18th. We last talked about the band when they lost Mike “Beard Guy” Taylor in December 2018. ...

American violinist, songwriter, and dancer Lindsey Stirling just headlined the Armory, in Minneapolis, last night. The popular violinist has over 13 million YouTube subscribers.

Opening the show, and their last appearance with Stirling, was Canadian indie-pop band Walk off the Earth.

Walk off the Earth at Basilica Block Party (08 July 2017)

We previously saw the band in July 2017 and described the show as: “Walk Off the Earth was undoubtedly the most fun band to see of the weekend. The Ontario, CAN six-piece (+3 live) ensemble threw everything including the kitchen sink, into their energetic hour-long performance, including confetti cannons, drums that “blew” smoke rings when struck, a group kazoo solo, playing plastic pipes and pool noodles, and five members strumming a single guitar. Part jukebox band (they re-interpret several current hit songs) and with multi-genre songs of their own, they nearly define the term, musical melting pot.”

Once again, the band brought out their famous one-of-a-kind, Guiharpulele, which requires all the band members to take part in doing a popular song medley: from Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know” to Toto’s “Africa” to Kylie Minogue’s “Can't Get You Out Of My Head” to the popular Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” (lately everybody is covering this song). If that sounds impossible, head over to their YouTube video and watch how they perform on the one instrument.

While most bands, the Guiharpulele would be the closer or highlight of their set… but the band’s set was full of surprises. Here’s just two examples, Lindsey Stirling would show up to play her violin part for “Long Way Home”, and then their three kids, in an official band called Luminati Suns came on stage to play on a few songs. Their lead singer looks like they’re six years old! We thought The Linda Lindas were the youngest band we ever saw.

Walk off the Earth was such a fun band, can’t wait to see them again in the future.

The thing about the Lindsey Stirling is that it’s more than just a music show. Sure, there’s violins and keys from Ryan Riveros and drums from Drew Steen, but it’s more than that. There’s storytelling, there’s breathing exercise, there’s incredible choregraphed dances, there’s costume changes, there’s even aerial silk and hoops. This Lindsey Stirling show has it all.

Lindsey Stirling at Northrop (04 June 2015)

This shouldn’t surprise anyone who’s seen a Stirling show, as we witnessed in June 2015: “Her show is actually pretty fun, because of the costume changes and choreographed dance sequence by her four dancers (from Los Angeles, Nebraska, Utah, and Michigan), her set is mostly unchanged from show to show. For the time-consuming costume changes, we're shown 2-3 minute videos to allow for setup to the next song.”

While the costume changes were fun, they’re now disguised by very quick pull offs (almost like magic), or are very quick pre-recorded audio that tells us a story like Kintsugi (a Japanese art that repairs broken pottery with gold).

The highlight of the show, at least for Stirling, was knowing that Olympic gymnast Suni Lee was in the audience. Stirling was so excited as she had someone brought out flowers to give to Lee (after the show). Apparently, Lee used Stirling’s music in her gymnast routine.

If you’re on the fence about seeing Lindsey Stirling, just go see her. It’s a very entertaining show, and every dollar of her ticket sale (and 10% of her merchandise) goes to paying for someone’s medical bill.

Stirling’s seventh studio album Duality is out now on Concord Records.

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Lindsey Stirling at Armory (24 Aug 2024)

vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Falling In Reverse at Armory, Minneapolis (08 Dec 2023)

Falling in Reverse Setlist Zombified I'm Not a Vampire Losing My Mind F*** You and All Your Friends The Drug in Me Is You Situations (Escape the Fate cover) Drugs All Star (Smash Mouth cover) Just Like You Watch the World Burn Voices in My Head Popular Monster Read More Falling in Reverse Las Vegas’ Falling in Reverse is touring support of their latest record Coming Home (Epitaph Records). Show up early to check out Massachusetts-based …

You may have read over the weekend about how metal band Falling in Reverse blasted the Armory for wanting to take 25% cut of the band’s merchandise.

Our friend Briana, who attended the show, had first hand knowledge of what went down. First of all, the band pulled their merch, so you couldn’t buy anything from the band. Then the singer Ronnie Radke said to the venue, “F**** you guys. I’ll say it to your f****ing face too.”

Radke explained, “If you haven’t noticed there’s no merchandise in the back. I want to let you know something, it had nothing to do with the radio station, it had to do with this venue. This venue is trying to charge us 25% of our fees. We had to pay this venue. That would mean we have to charge you guys way more money to make any money. So what I did was, f*** them. F*** that. We’re not paying you f**** s****.”

I’m not surprised at the high cut, as I’ve seen artists complained about it at the Varsity Theater, and other Live Nation events… it got so bad that Live Nation said that they would stop taking a percentage of the artists’ merch (but this will only last until the end of this year).

Falling in Reverse (27 Sep 2017)

And I’m also not surprised that Radke is thinking about his fans. You see, when we last saw the band in Sep 2017, the band would not cancel the show, even though Radke fell ill. We noted, “…it was clear that vocalist Ronnie Radke was sick, due to his raspy voice, Radke said he wouldn’t cancel the show because of his fans. He gave it his all, jumping, screaming “mother****rs!” and being his usual hyperactive self. If this was an ill Radke, wait until you see Radke in tip top form.”

Also, the other cool report that we got from the Armory show was that AEW Wrestler Saraya Bevis (aka Paige), was at the show. She was off to the side of the stage. Radke and Bevis have been in a relationship since 2018.

Falling in Reverse is currently touring with Daughtry and Sleep Theory as support bands.

Remaining tour dates.

Jan 19 2024 Peoria, IL, US Peoria Civic Center
Jan 19 2024 Peoria, IL, US Peoria Civic Center
Jan 22 2024 Grand Rapids, MI, US Van Andel Arena
Jan 22 2024 Grand Rapids, MI, US Van Andel Arena
Jan 23 2024 Green Bay, WI, US Resch Center
Jan 23 2024 Ashwaubenon, WI, US Resch Center
Jan 25 2024 Des Moines, IA, US Wells Fargo Arena
Jan 25 2024 Des Moines, IA, US Wells Fargo Arena
Jan 27 2024 Oklahoma City, OK, US Paycom Center
Jan 27 2024 Oklahoma City, OK, US Paycom Center
Jan 29 2024 Omaha, NE, US CHI Health Center
Jan 29 2024 Omaha, NE, US CHI Health Center
Jan 31 2024 Sioux Falls, SD, US Denny Sanford
Jan 31 2024 Sioux Falls, SD, US Denny Sanford
Feb 2 2024 Kansas City, MO, US T-Mobile Center
Feb 5 2024 Evansville, IN, US Ford Center
Feb 5 2024 Evansville, IN, US Ford Center
Feb 6 2024 Toledo, OH, US Huntington Center
Feb 6 2024 Toledo, OH, US Huntington Center
Feb 8 2024 Knoxville, TN, US Food City Center
Feb 8 2024 Knoxville, TN, US Food City Center
Feb 10 2024 Uncasville, CT, US Mohegan Sun Arena
Feb 10 2024 Uncasville, CT, US Mohegan Sun Arena
Feb 13 2024 Baltimore, MD, US CFG Bank Arena
Feb 13 2024 Baltimore, MD, US CFG Bank Arena
Feb 15 2024 Huntington, WV, US Mountain Health Arena
Feb 15 2024 Huntington, WV, US Mountain Health Arena
Feb 17 2024 Nashville, TN, US Bridgestone Arena
Feb 17 2024 Nashville, TN, US Bridgestone Arena
Feb 19 2024 Lexington, KY, US Rupp Arena
Feb 19 2024 Lexington, KY, US Rupp Arena
Feb 20 2024 Greenville, SC, US Bon Secours
Feb 20 2024 Greenville, SC, US Bon Secours
Feb 22 2024 Savannah, GA, US Enmarket Arena
Feb 22 2024 Savannah, GA, US Enmarket Arena
Feb 24 2024 Biloxi, MS, US Mississippi Coast
Feb 24 2024 Biloxi, MS, US Mississippi Coast
Feb 26 2024 Orlando, FL, US Amway Center
Feb 26 2024 Orlando, FL, US Amway Center
Feb 29 2024 Austin, TX, US Moody Center ATX
Feb 29 2024 Austin, TX, US Moody Center ATX
Mar 2 2024 Phoenix, AZ, US Talking Stick
Mar 3 2024 Las Vegas, NV, US Bakkt Theater
Mar 3 2024 Las Vegas, NV, US Bakkt Theater
May 9 2024 Daytona Beach, FL, US Welcome to Rockville
May 16 2024 Columbus, OH, US Sonic Temple Art
May 17 2024 Columbus, OH, US Historic Crew Stadium

Falling In Reverse at Armory, Minneapolis (08 Dec 2023)

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

ZHU at the Armory (10-14-23)

10/14 ZHU with Noizu at Armory Tour Dates 10.17 Boise, ID Revolution Concert House 10.19 Sacramento, CA Sacramento Memorial Auditorium 10.24 Spokane, WA The Podium 10.26 Vancouver, BC Harbour Events Centre 10.27 Vancouver, BC Harbour Events Centre 10.28 Portland, OR Roseland Theater 10.29 Portland, OR Roseland Theater 11.01 Morrison, CO Red Rocks Amphitheatre 11.04 Magna, UT The Great Saltair 11.09 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Palladium 11.10 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Palladium 11.11 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Palladium 11.17-19 Mexico City, MX Corona Capital Read More Zhu American (Chinese heritage) Zhu is headlining the Armory in Minneapolis this Saturday, October 14th. The electronic music producer and singer is described as “the next Daft Punk.” …

Before the show, as people filtered into the cavernous, yet strangely intimate Armory, a guy was moving through the crowd. He was wearing an open, lava-lamp-inspired bathrobe, a pink Speedo and a pastel Burger King crown. He twirled about the floor with glow sticks in his hand for that’s what you are supposed to do when you are wearing his ensemble. And as he glided through the crowd with a calm, silky ease, he passed by another dancer who had the moves of a cop directing traffic with a groove and a beat. The dancer also had a multi-colored outfit. And on the back of his shirt were the words in bold print: HOUSE MUSIC ALL DAMN DAY.

Noizu aka Jacob Plant opened up the evening with an energetic dance beat. Originally from London, he moved to Los Angeles to recharge his career under the name Noizu, creating dance hits like “Vogue,” “Summer 91” and “Push to Start.”

Fun Fact: If Plant had not gone into music, he believes he would have attended culinary school for he loves to cook. He even has his own line of hot sauce.

ZHU aka Steven Zhu is not your normal DJ. In fact, I would describe him more as a multi-dimensional musician who found his way into the industry through electronic dance music.

Zhu grew up in San Francisco, playing in jazz bands and learning orchestral music. He graduated from UCS’s Thornton School of Music in 2011 and had already produced the Grammy Award nominated song “Faded” in 2014 before reaching #1 on the US Dance Chart with his debut album Generationwhy.

Zhu didn’t stop there for the show he put on last night involved more than standing behind a table and mixing other people’s music. He brought along a band. He played the keyboards. He sang. And what was impressive is how seamlessly the music flowed from his dance hits, to extended guitar and saxophone solos to introducing new songs from his upcoming album Grace, set to release in January of 2024.

At the start and for some time after Zhu cloaked himself in anonymity, at first not revealing his identity and granting few interviews. He was quite insistent that he did not want his race as an Asian American to prejudice his music. So it was a refreshing scene to see him step out from behind the DJ table and sing songs that he wrote with a small band of musicians backing him, his falsetto voice unaided by autotune, soulful with an R&B vibe.

Noizu Noizu Noizu

Zhu

Zhu Zhu Zhu

Zhu at Armory, Minneapolis (14 October 2023)

dave ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Yellowcard at The Armory (07/15/2023)

Yellowcard Setlist Way Away Breathing Lights and Sounds Believe Life of a Salesman Rough Landing, Holly Fighting Holly Wood Died One Year, Six Months Hang You Up with Derek Sanders Empty Apartment Childhood Eyes Light Up the Sky Always Summer Awakening Back Home -- Encore -- With You Around Only One Ocean Avenue Read More Yellowcard This will be the last time you will ever see Yellowcard (Ryan Key, Sean Mackin, Ryan Mendez, and Josh Portman). The band is on their farewell tour, in support of their latest self-titled album via Hopeless Records .… Mayday Parade Tallahassee’s Mayday Parade returns to touring in celebrating of their 11-year anniversary of their self-titled debut record. In addition to the 11 year old album, the band also released a new album What It Means To Fall Apart .… Story of the Year Fans of St Louis's Story of the Year will be lining up in line tomorrow to get their much anticipated album, The Black Swan, their debut on legendary punk label Epitaph. So a little background on SOTY, that they .… This Wild Life Long Beach, California indie alt duo This Wild Life will be stopping by the Garage in Burnsville this Monday. As usual with these all-ages show, expect a million bands on the bill, including: Dryjacket .…

Speaking from the view of a former soccer player, what a great name for a band, yellow card, a card that is indeed yellow and pulled out by a referee if a player causes some infraction like tripping an opposing player or kicking him in the knee. Yellowcard, the band, got their name from an iteration of the sport’s penalty, meaning if someone spilled a beer at a party, the offender was issued a yellow card for the party foul.

Out of Jacksonville, FL, they are comprised of Ryan Key on vocals and guitar, Sean Mackin on violin, Ryan Mendez on lead guitar and Josh Portman on bass. They were also joined on stage by a Swede on drums, Jimmy Brunkvist. They are touring this summer to promote the 20^th Anniversary of the fourth and most successful album, Ocean Avenue, an album that in Key’s words moved them from a struggling garage band to a leading one on the pop punk scene and wildly popular Warped Tour.

Yellowcard brought along with them a few friends to start off the evening while the crowds slowly filtered into the cavernous venue of The Armory. This Wild Life kicked off a brief set, followed by Story of the Year and finishing with Mayday Parade.

By the time the headliner stepped onto the stage, the venue was at capacity as the crowd surged ahead for some punk antics to give security more than to do than the normal show.

Although Yellowcard has recorded ten albums, the night was focused on the album that got them into the limelight, playing nine of the thirteen songs like “Way Away” “Breathing” and “Life of a Salesman.” “Empty Apartment” was an early favorite of the crowd with Mackin playing a zippy solo from his violin as he dashed around the stage. A personal favorite was “Holly Wood Died” a sweet lament that involved a little bit of crowd surfing and moshing.

Yellowcard_2023_credit_Jason-Hackett_design_Mara-Bearcat

Childhood Eyes EP (photo by Jason Hackett, designed by Mara Bearcat)

Key said it was unbelievable that they were even performing, considering their last tour in 2016 was to be their last for the band was to dissolve. He even remembered their stop in Minneapolis at The Varsity Theater in front of a meager crowd and thought it best to try something new. But an invite last year for the band to play for Riot Fest in Chicago lit a spark, for they not only started touring again, they are about to release a new EP this month, Childhood Eyes. The promotional material sent to us even has a cool photo, an ode to the movie Trainspotting with Mendez flashing the backhanded Begbie peace sign and Key cocked with the double-barrel Sick Boy “hand” gun.

They played “Childhood Eyes” before moving back to the Ocean Avenue canon, finishing with the self-titled song that launched their career twenty years ago.

And as the crowd surged and danced about, I almost got kicked in the shin by one dancer who was probably not even born when the song was released.

Remaining tour dates:

Jul 16 Chicago, IL Huntington Bank ^*+
Jul 18 Charlotte, NC Skyla Credit Union Amphitheatre ^*
Jul 20 Atlanta, GA Cadence Bank Amphitheater ^*
Jul 21 Jacksonville, FL Daily’s Place ^*+
Jul 22 Jacksonville, FL Daily’s Place ^*+
Jul 23 Tampa, FL Yuengling Center ^*+
Jul 25 Houston, TX 713 Music Hall ^*
Jul 26 Austin, TX Stubbs Waller Creek Amphitheater +
Jul 27 Irving, TX The Pavilion ^#
Jul 29 Phoenix, AZ Arizona Financial Theatre ^#+
Jul 30 Los Angeles, CA YouTube Theater ^#+
Aug 01 San Diego, CA Petco Park - Gallagher Square ^#
Aug 02 San Francisco, CA Bill Graham Civic Auditorium ^#+
Aug 04 Seattle, WA WAMU Theater ^#
Aug 05 Garden City, ID Revolution Concert House +
Aug 06 Salt Lake City, UT USANA Amphitheatre ^#+
Aug 08 Denver, CO Levitt Pavilion Denver ^#+
Aug 10 Indianapolis, IN TCU Amphitheater ^*+
Aug 12 Pittsburgh, PA Four Chord Music Festival ~
Aug 13 Worcester, MA Palladium Outdoors ^*+
Aug 15 Hershey, PA GIANT Center ^*+
Aug 17 Syracuse, NY St. Joseph's Health Amphitheater ^*+
Aug 18 Portland, ME Cross Insurance Arena ^*+

^ signifies dates with Mayday Parade
* signifies dates with Story of the Year
# signifies dates with Anberlin
+ signifies dates with Emo Night Brooklyn DJ set
All dates with This Wild Life
~ Not a Live Nation date

Yellowcard at the Armory, Minneapolis (15 July 2023)

dave ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

O.A.R. and Cory Wong at the Armory (07/08/2023)

07/08 O.A.R. & Cory Wong at Armory Cory Wong Setlist NFL Sports Intro Assassin (The Fearless Flyers song) Flyers Direct (The Fearless Flyers song) Team Sports Let's Go! Meditation Everybody Talks (Neon Trees cover) with Tyler Glenn Animal (Neon Trees cover) with Tyler Glenn Hiding on the Moon with O.A.R. St. Paul Bluebird Lunchtime Tour Dates 07/13 – Snowshoe, WV – 4848 Festival 07/15 - Montreux, Switzerland - Montreux Jazz Festival 07/16 – Sete, France – Jazz a Sete Festival 07/18 – Antibes, France – Jazz a Juan Festival 07/19 – Stuttgart, Germany – Jazz Open Stuttgart 07/20 –Brno, Czech Republic – Groove Brno Festival 07/22 – Katowice, Poland - Jazz Around Festival 07/25 – Marciac, France – Festival Jazz in Marciac 07/28-30 – Nagata, Japan – Fuji Rock Festival 08/25-27 – Tisbury, MA – Beach Road Weekend 09/09-10 – Indianapolis, IN – All In 09/14 – Fredericton, NB – Harvest Music Festival 09/16 – Asbury Park, NJ – Sea Hear Now 09/17 – Paso Robles, CA – Whale Rock Music 09/22 – Las Vegas, NV – Life Is Beautiful Read More O.A.R. Rockville, MD quartet O.A.R. is very familiar with the Basilica stage and has also done several promotional appearances for Cities 97, so their inclusion to headline the Preferred … Cory Wong Guitarist Cory Wong is playing the Fine Line Music Café on February 9th. Wong is bringing Emily C Browning (not to be confused with Australian actress and singer Emily Browning - you can hear the actress sing in God Help The Girl). ...

At first I didn’t know what I was covering. Was it a double-bill featuring O.A.R. and Cory Wong or was it a hockey game featuring members of both bands? Well, it was both, and luckily I covered the show for both bands are much better on the stage than they are on ice.

About seven months ago Wong collaborated on the single “Hiding on the Moon” with O.A.R. And during a little downtime O.A.R. lead singer, Marc Roberge, asked why Wong did a hilarious YouTube video where Wong and members of his band, the Wongnotes, played a mini concert in full hockey gear on an ice-skating rink.

What was an answer soon turned to a boast about Minnesota Wild hockey, which turned into a challenge involving a game between the bands that evolved into a Celebrity/Wild alumni hockey game/charity event with proceeds going to the Minnesota Wild Foundation.

Cory Wong was up first and he and his band did not waste any time bringing the energetic funk.

Wong is from Minnesota. He was introduced to classic rock and jazz by his father and started taking piano lessons at nine, but soon migrated to the Fender Stratocaster in high school. Attending the University of Minnesota and McNally Smith College of Music, he has since made quite a name for himself, playing with the local, legendary band Dr. Mambo’s Combo, sitting in with Chris Thile and John Batiste and now collaborating with O.A.R.

Wong took the stage with his specially designed seafoam green Stratocaster, which matched his beachcombing outfit. He moved about the expansive stage as Downbeat Magazine once described:

“In concert he stalks the stage on spidery legs with unbounded energy, mouth agape, like an exuberant cheerleader at a funky pep rally.”

Although the headliner, Wong gave plenty of limelight to his band, moving towards their direction when Peter Janjic on drums, Nêgah Santos on congos, and Kevin Gastonguay moved into a solo. Then there was the horn section. Wong doesn’t sing, so his horns were his chorus, joyful, exuberant and unbound with energy.

A highlight of the show was “Meditation” in which Wong showed off his guitar skills, first starting with a quiet solo that echoed shades of Mark Knopfler before moving to an uplifting anthem. Another highlight was “Lunchtime” which can best be described as being strapped to a musical rocket and trying to hold on for dear life.

Wong also invited a musical guest, Tyler Glenn of Neon Trees, to sing a few of his songs “Everybody Talks” and “Animal” to the delight and surprise of the crowd.

O.A.R. aka Of A Revolution was up next and by the reaction of the crowd they are well-loved in Minnesota.

Founded in 1996 in the aptly named Rockville Maryland, they are Marc Roberge on lead vocals and guitar, Richard On on lead guitar, Benj Gershman on bass, Chris Culos on drums, and Jerry DePizzo on sax and guitar. They were joined on stage by Mikel Paris on keyboards and Jon Lampley on trumpet, who is also part of the Wongnotes, so I’m not sure which hockey team he played for.

Although O.A.R. was in town to play a sport that involves fist-to-cuffs, the themes of their music were inclusiveness, acceptance, support and love with songs like “California” “Heaven” and “Peace”. They are definitely a band to see live, granting extended solos to On on guitar, DePizzo on sax and Lampley who seemed to give it his all on his trumpet solos.

A highlight was “That Was a Crazy Game of Poker” which had members of the crowd throwing full decks of playing cards into the air for others to pick up to see who could hold the best hand.

For an encore the stage was flooded with not only both bands but also members of the earlier charity game. They played Otis Redding’s “Hard To Handle” (made famous by the Black Crowes) and it was quite a finish to a “wildly” successful enterprise that started out as a question.

By the way Team Wong won the game as Roberge conceded: “You all can play hockey and sing in key.”

Cory Wong

Cory Wong

Cory Wong

Cory Wong

Cory Wong

Cory Wong

Cory Wong

O.A.R.

O.A.R.

O.A.R.

O.A.R.

O.A.R. O.A.R. O.A.R. O.A.R. O.A.R.

O.A.R. at the Armory, Minneapolis (08 July 2023)

dave ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Trampled by Turtles at the Armory (11/26/2022)

11/26 Trampled by Turtles with Charlie Parr at Armory Setlist It's So Hard to Hold On Starting Over A Lifetime to Find (Wilco cover) Kelly's Bar The Darkness and the Light Victory Central Hillside Blues On the Highway Sounds Like a Movie The Middle Burn for Free Quitting Is Rough Nothing but Blue Skies Wait So Long Help You All the Good Times Are Gone We're Alright Codeine Annihilate Burlesque Desert Window Happy Birthday to bass player Tim Saxhaug When I Go Deaf (Low cover) with Alan Sparhawk -- Encore -- Alone Old Shoes (Tom Waits cover) New Son/Burnt Iron Whiskey Read More Trampled by Turtles Of course, we love Trampled by Turtles as well, the Northern Minnesota band’s short-lived Palomino Festival(here) was one of our annual favorites to cover. Future Islands, Liberty Hall Lawrence. $26-$30 ... Charlie Parr Last of the Better Days Ahead is the new collection of songs from Minnesotan Charlie Parr. What’s important to note is that the album is being released on Smithsonian Folkways, the non-profit record label …

Trampled by Turtles made a long-anticipated appearance in the Twin Cities, bringing along a few of their friends from Duluth, MN to mark the return.

Charlie Parr opened up with his weathered steel guitar and friend, Mick, playing what Parr called: “The washing machine.” Even with no band Parr had no trouble filling the cavernous space of the Armory with an earthy voice that rose to all three levels and into the rafters of the venue.

Born in Austin, MN and now residing in Duluth, Parr’s musical style of folk and blues seems to be from another era. Still, he instantly connected with the sold out crowd with a generous set of 12 songs ranging from a career that has produced 16 albums. A favorite of the evening was “Cheap Wine” in which a liquor owner fails to see much difference between his customers:

All these old ladies
Comin’ in here buyin’ cheap wine
Ain’t no better than all these bums
Comin’ in here and buy cheap wine

Parr then paid homage to a hero of his, Spider John Koerner, with the rollick-driven “Rocky Raccoon”. He then featured the title song from his latest album “Last of the Better Days Ahead”.

It wasn’t far from the venue where Parr got the feel for the life of a blues musician. It was working down the street at the Minneapolis Salvation Army where he met the lives of individuals that would inspire and find prominent roles in his songs.

Parr ended the set with Charley Patton’s “Oh Death” by setting down his guitar and belting out the lyrics with a lament so forceful he held his arms close to his body as if to keep his rib cage from rattling.

Trampled by Turtles is an interesting band in terms of being a popular musical act. They have a front man in Dave Simonett on lead vocal and guitar, but every member is an intricate part of their bluegrass success: Ryan Young of fiddle, Tim Saxhaug on acoustic bass, Erik Berry on Mandolin, Dave Carroll on banjo and Eamonn McLain on cello.

TBT started off the evening with “It’s So Hard to Hold On” and “Starting Over”. Then they featured a song from their latest album Alpenglow. “A Lifetime to Find” is actually a Wilco cover, but the lead singer of the band, Jeff Tweedy, suggested adding it to the collection while producing the album. Tweedy has always admired TBT and didn’t think twice when they asked for help when looking to expand and refine their sound.

Legend has it the impetus to form a bluegrass band in Duluth, MN came out of necessity when Simonett had all of his musical equipment stolen, leaving him with an acoustic guitar. From there only musicians with acoustic instruments need apply. And over twenty years TBT has stayed within the confines of the bluegrass tradition while exploring ways to merrily push the envelope.

Throughout the evening TBT moved between songs that highlight their fast-paced musical style like “Wait So Long” to more pensive and introspective songs like “Central Hillside Blues”. And being completely acoustic there was plenty of time between songs where they tuned and re-tuned their instruments, giving respite to a crowd electrified by the highflying solos of Young on the fiddle.

Then there was “Sounds Like a Movie”, written by Carroll, featuring his banjo solo buttressed by the rest of the band and a spectacular light show that could have easily topped any heavy metal act playing across the street at US Bank Stadium.

But the highlight of the evening was TBT inviting Alan Sparhawk and his electric guitar onto the stage to play “When I Go Deaf”. Sparkhawk of Duluth’s Low recently lost his wife and musical partner, Mimi Parker to cancer, and it was a moving experience to see him singing one of his songs, playing his electric guitar, surrounded by friends, a tribute that was brief but will be long remembered.

Charlie Parr Charlie Parr Trampled by Turtles Trampled by Turtles Trampled by Turtles

Trampled by Turtles at Armory, Minneapolis (26 Nov 2022)

dave ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

The Head and the Heart at the Armory (10/07/2022)

10/07 The Head and The Heart with Shakey Graves at Armory The Armory Digital Marquee Tour Dates 10/8/22 - St. Louis, MO - Saint Louis Music Park # 10/10/22 - Birmingham, AL - Avondale Brewing Company 10/11/22 - North Charleston, SC - Firefly Distillery 10/13/22 - St Augustine, FL - The Saint Augustine Amphitheatre 10/14/22 - Atlanta, GA - Cadence Bank Amphitheatre 10/15/22 - Nashville, TN - Ascend Amphitheater 10/21/22 - Knoxville, TN - Knoxville Riverbreeze Friday Read More The Head And The Heart Seattle's The Head and the Heart just stopped by First Avenue, in Minneapolis, as part of their national tour in support of Let's Be Still. The album was released last week, October 15th ... Shakey Graves Austin, TX’s Shakey Graves (aka Alejandro Rose-Garcia) immediately followed on the Stars stage, starting and ending his set as a solo artist, but accompanied by a full band, in-between. …

An autumn chill filled the air last night as fans of The Head and the Heart headed into the cavernous Armory in downtown Minneapolis.  It was a full crowd and they were there early to catch the opening act, Shakey Graves.

What a great stage name for Alejandro Rose-Garcia as if acknowledging those from beyond still might have a few more dance moves.  Born and raised in Austin, Texas, he got his start as a solo act, hustling as a busker with a kick-drum made from a Samsonite suitcase.

He had the piece of luggage in toe as he played a couple of songs before his band - with matching suits - filtered onto stage as he set the scene for his next song, “Century City”,  a song about his time in Los Angeles, a time filled with break-ups, sketchy roommates and the cons of bringing home used couches. 

A special note to “Evergreen” played almost a half-note flat with the band lagging behind the drummers, hoping to catch up, but not quite as Rose-Garcia lyrics summed up the tenor of the song:

Please don't wake me please don't call
Let me rest
Let me be
Ovеrgrown and evergreen

The band quickly changed gears with a guttural blues howl of “Excuses” that brought the crowd to a roar. 

We Heart Music caught Shakey Graves at First Avenue in November of 2015 and Rose-Garcia said it was “bananas” to play in a venue as big as the Armory.  He then rose a plastic glass and proposed a toast for all to keep in touch with family and friends. 

The Head and the Heart kicked off their set with “Every Shade of Blue” from their latest album with the same name.

Josiah Johnson mentioned that it had been a while since they last played Minneapolis.  (We Heart Music caught them last at the Festival Palomino in September of 2014.)  Even though they had outgrown the venue, he said they still missed First Avenue, and he couldn’t believe how quiet the immense crowd was while they played “Another Story”.  (A group of people near me took the opportunity to slow dance as if they and the band were the only ones in the room.)

The backbone of The Head and the Heart’s music - which has drawn fans to fill bigger and bigger venues - is soulful folk with hints of gospel as blocks of piano chords rise and fall with the three-part harmony of Johnson, Jonathon Russell and Charity Rose Thielen. 

Thielen gave a special shout out to Minnesota, saying she is from here and has quite a bit a family still in the area.  She said her eighty-three-year-old aunt was in attendance and got the crew to shine a spotlight on the relative waving from the upper deck.  Even Kenny Hensley got in the act by announcing that he is working on a song about Minneapolis, playing a little ditty of the song from his upright piano.

There was quite a bit of love for the band and they thanked everyone for the positive energy for it had been a long tour after a long pandemic and they were grateful as they ended the evening with “River and Roads”, an uplifting song about leaving in hopes of returning again. 

Shakey Grave

Shakey Grave

Shakey Grave

The Head and the Heart

The Head and the Heart

The Head and the Heart

The Head and the Heart at the Armory, Minneapolis (07 Oct 2022)

dave ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Hippo Campus at The Armory – Minneapolis (23 April, 2022)

Hippo Campus at Armory Setlist 2 Young 2 Die Ashtray Bad Dream Baby Blew Its Semi Pro Bang Bang Sex Tape Honestly Suicide Saturday Scorpio Listerine Monsoon Vacation Ride or Die Way It Goes Deepfake Baseball Where to Now? South Boys Understand -- Encore -- Bambi Buttercup Tour Dates 05/06 - Manchester - Academy 3 05/08 - Glasgow - G2 05/09 - London - The Garage 05/10 - Antwerp, BE - Trix Bar 05/11 - Cologne, DE - Jaki 05/13 - Amsterdam, NL - Bitterzoet Read More Hippo Campus The crowd at the music stage began swelling very early on, as local favorites Hippo Campus played first, with a spirited 40 min. set that included new single, ‘South’ (EP out Oct 2 on Grand Jury Records) .…

“We’re Hippo Campus and we’re from here.”

And so they were, the hometown band, making a stop, midway through their tour to promote their aptly named studio album, LP3.

Quite a spot to land, The Armory, a venue that can hold close to 8,000.  A pretty big jump from the concert We Heart Music covered at First Ave in 2017. But this band of schoolmates (Jake Luppen (lead vocals/guitar), Nathan Stocker (lead guitar/vocals), Zach Sutton (bass/keyboard), and Whistler Isaiah Allen (drums/vocals) has been on a steady ascent since graduating from the Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Arts and releasing a self-assured single/music video Little Grace in 2014.

Right from the start there were those bright, warm, interlocking chords, seeming to overcome the cold and snow.  Breezy, ethereal, it was the kind of pop music to propel you, as you drive, windows down, through a frozen landscape.

Opening act, Ginger Root, making their 19^th and final appearance with Hippo Campus, share the same creative spirit as their lead, even accepting the request from Hippo Campus’ guitar tech to join them on stage for the song Loretta, a song Kai had learned over the first leg of the tour. 

Then Hippo Campus took the stage with a brash, auto-tune-anthem, 2 Young 2 Die, and then proceeded to enliven the hometown crowd. 

Nathan remarked that they have been a band for eight years, which maybe forty in pop years.  And even with the two-year pandemic layoff, there was no rust as they played through an extensive and impressive catalogue. 

For being in a space the size of an airport hanger, the band’s sound was lush, tight and popping.  The crowd was with them from the beginning, joining in on Suicide Saturday, even taking over the refrain at the end of the song. 

DeCarlo Jackson, who joined the group in 2017, was a fan favorite with his laidback flugelhorn solos, especially on Sex Tape, as he sailed above the rollicking skip of the guitars like a cool ocean breeze.  

For a time The Armory was the home court for the Minneapolis Lakers before they moved onto Los Angeles.  Opposing players would often complain of getting shin splints from the rock-hard floors.  That’s why I was surprised when the floor seemed to have some bounce when the crowd started jumping up and down to the jubilant South.

Earlier, when slipping my belt back on, after passing thorough security, I noticed a headline from a 1964 Minneapolis Sunday Tribune newspaper in a display case:  THE BEATLES BOMBED IN MINNEAPOLIS.  The article stated that only 400 fans showed up to The Armory concert.  No such nosedive would happen to Hippo Campus with their sold out show. 

“So good to be back home,” said Jake to the crowd. “The best day of my life!”   It wasn’t hyperbole.  There was a feeling that this concert was a celebration of a venture that started at Seventh Street Entry and culminated earlier that day with the highest form of recognition bestowed on a local band:  Their name on the fabled First Avenue wall. 

dave ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Modest Mouse at Armory, Minneapolis (2021-08-22)

Modest Mouse Setlist Dramamine I Came as a Rat F**k Your Acid Trip Lampshades on Fire Fire It Up Bury Me With It The Sun Hasn’t Left The Tortoise and the Tourist Bukowski King Rat Never F**k a Spider on the Fly 3rd Planet Float On We Are Between We're Lucky Doin' the Cockroach -- Encore -- The World at Large Dashboard Back to the Middle The Ground Walks, With Time in a Box Breakthrough Read More Modest Mouse With concerts slowing coming back to America, Modest Mouse announced their 2021 tour dates, all in support of their new album The Golden Casket (available June 25th via Epic Records). … The Districts The Districts will be headlining the Triple Rock Social Club this Wednesday. The band will release their debut album this Summer on Fat Possum...

Portland’s rock band Modest Mouse just headlined the Armory in Minneapolis on Sunday, August 22nd, in support of their seventh album The Golden Casket.

Opening the show was Pennsylvania’s The Districts. The band was formed while all the members were still in high school.

We saw the band in Oct 2015 when they were touring for their album A Flourish and a Spoil (Fat Possum). At the time, the band was hot, as we wrote, “Their sophomore record has been getting a lot of buzz with indie fans, especially after peaking at #7 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and #28 on the Top Independent Albums chart.”

After over a year or so not being able to play live, because of the pandemic, The Districts are just simply happy to be back live concerts. Singer Rob Grote, quickly commented after their first song, “Man, it’s been a while. Have you guys been to a show since… this (indicating the virus) went down?” The someone in the audience took the opportunity to reply with, “Freebird!”

The Districts ended their brief 30-min set with “Cheap Regrets”.

This was possibly Modest Mouse headlining their biggest venue yet, the Armory. The Armory was originally built for the Minnesota National Guard in 1935. Things changed over time, and eventually it was converted to a concert venue, at the end of January 2018. You can read more about the 8,400-person capacity venue in our Super Bowl 2018 coverage, “This historic venue built originally in the 1930s and that was once home to Minneapolis Lakers and site of Prince’s ‘1999’ music video, has been recently refurbished into a modern entertainment complex, and located nearby the stadium, will be the concert epicenter, hosting the most high-profile shows.” (And yes, we covered the very first Armory show on Feb 1, 2018).

Audience

So, yes, the venue is massive. Even Modest Mouse singer Isaac Brock had to admit, “It’s bigger inside than it is outside!”. While the majority of diehard Modest Moust fans were packed on the dancefloor and close the stage, but there were plenty of premium options, like upper floor booths, etc.

As previously mentioned, we’ve been big fans of Modest Mouse since they hired The Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr to write some of their songs… which they were happy to play the well-received hit song “Dashboard” as one of their songs on their encore.

If you follow Modest Mouse, you’ll know that they play a completely different set list night after night. This showcase the band’s talent and ability to change songs on the fly.

Since the tour is for their new album, The Golden Casket, they sprinkled some of the new songs (“F**k Your Acid Trip”, “The Sun Hasn’t Left”, “Never F**k a Spider on the Fly”, “We Are Between”, “We’re Lucky”, “Back to the Middle”) throughout their set.

The Golden Casket is available now on Epic Records.

Remaining Modest Mouse 2021 Tour Dates:

08/24 - Missoula, MT - KettleHouse Amph 08/27 - Portland, OR - McMenamins - Edgefield 08/28 - Portland, OR - McMenamins - Edgefield 08/29 - Bend, OR - Les Schwab Amphitheater 09/11 - Seattle, WA - Marymoor Park * 09/12 - Seattle, WA - Marymoor Park* 09/16 - San Francisco, CA - The Masonic 09/18 - Las Vegas, NV - Life Is Beautiful Festival 09/19 - Phoenix, AZ - Arizona Federal Theatre 09/20 - Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theatre - Tucson 09/22 - San Diego, CA - Cal Coast Credit Union 09/24 - Pioneertown, CA - Pappy and Harriet's 09/25 - Los Angeles, CA - The Theatre at Ace Hotel 09/27 - Sandy, UT - Sandy City Amphitheater 09/28 - Morrison, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre *

09/30 - Oklahoma City, OK - Diamond Ballroom * 10/01-10/03 - Austin, TX - Austin City Limits 10/04 - Nashville, TN - Ascend Amphitheater * 10/05 - Cincinnati, OH - Andrew J Brady ICON * 10/08-10/10 - Austin, TX - Austin City Limits 10/11 - Huntsville, AL - Mars Music Hall 10/12 - New Orleans, LA - Fillmore New Orleans 10/14 - Orlando, FL - Hard Rock Live 10/15 - Miami Beach, FL - Fillmore Miami Beach 10/16 - St. Petersburg, FL - Jannus Live 10/17 - St. Augustine, FL - St. Augustine Amph 10/19 - Richmond, VA - The National 10/21 - Raleigh, NC - Red Hat Amphitheater 10/22 - Asheville, NC - Rabbit Rabbit 10/24 - Atlanta, GA - Shaky Knees Festival

* - with Future Islands

The Districts

The Districts	The Districts	The Districts	Modest Mouse
Modest Mouse	Modest Mouse	Modest Mouse	Modest Mouse

Modest Mouse at Armory, Minneapolis (2021-08-22)

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

Laserface Halloween, feat. Gareth Emery, at Armory, Minneapolis (26 Oct 2019)

Laserface Halloween 2019 Read More Gareth Emery Gareth Emery will be a special guest at the Laserface Halloween show at the Armory in Minneapolis on October 26th. Minneapolis is only one of five cities to get the special …. Tritonal Austin-based Tritonal is stopping by the Rev Ultra Lounge in Minneapolis on the strength of their 2.5 plus million streams of feel-good track “Out My Mind”, featuring Riley Clemmons. The show is sold out. ….

British trance producer and DJ Gareth Emery’s Laserface: Halloween show just took place last Saturday, October 26th, at the Armory in Minneapolis. This is the last Laserface show for the year.

When we first saw a show at the re-opened Armory in Feb 2018 (as part of the Super Bowl celebration), we were rather impressed by its impressive 8,400 capacity venue… which is perfect place to host the special Laserface show.

Opening up the event was SIMshows contest winner Dylan Bernhardt, who produced a special 30-min playlist exclusively for Laserface. You can listen to his winning set via Soundcloud, and hear how he medleys in songs like “If You Were” (Danny Howard ft. Eli & Fur) with “Marisa” (Yotto).

Next up was local DJ group Euphoric Nation. This was the trance project from Don Ortega, but over time, he enlisted Justin Zanish, to help produce some memorable electronic mixes, such as “Edge of Tomorrow” and set closer “Sonic”. Check out their full setlist at Soundcloud.

Occasionally, Loch Stimpson, from Dimibo, would pop in and out to setup or help them out with their set. He would take over spinning right on the 10 O’Clock hour and kept the music pumping nonstop for the next hour.

Normally, Seattle’s Dimibo is a DJ duo, featuring Filip Pankovcin and Loch Stimpson, but as you can see in these photos, only Loch can be seen center stage. Either Filip was doing stuff behind the scenes, or he was just absent from this Halloween show.

There was a brief pause as they set up the stage for Austin-based Tritonal. The last time we heard about this Astrawerks group was when they were celebrating their 10-year anniversary of Tritonal’s Enhanced Music imprint in 2018 (read all about it here). The duo (Chad Cisneros and David Reed) had massive Spotify hits (over 200 million streams), across top tracks like “Hung Up” and “Until You Were Gone” (with The Chainsmokers).

Not happy with just playing their hits, the two insists on playing new collaborations, such as “Never Be the Same”, featuring Rosie Darling. They also played quite a few new 2019 tunes, taken from their third studio album U & Me (Enhanced Music).

Closing out the show at exactly midnight was Gareth Emery, the mastermind behind Laserface: Halloween. What made this show great is the amazing lasers light show from show designer Anthony Garcia, via Nice Lasers.

We’ve seen a few laser shows, and we’ve heard the equipment and setup can cost up to a million dollars, so it’s quite rare to see these laser shows used at a concert or DJ show.

While the set may be slightly different, I do recognize many of these songs, including Dirty Vegas’ “Days Goes By”, on his Ibiza 2019 set (on YouTube). So, if you were interested in hearing what the show sounded like, the two-hour mix can be found online and features some original and some re-mixes of older songs.

Emery recently released his third “Laserface” single, called “Laserface 03 (Leaving You)”, which follows “Laserface 01 (Aperture)” and “Laserface 02 (Thoughts In Pieces)”.

Dimibo

Euphoric Nation

Euphoric Nation

Dimibo

Dimibo

Tritonal

Dimibo

Tritonal

Gareth Emery

Gareth Emery

Gareth Emery at Armory, Minneapolis (26 Oct 2019)

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