W♥M

Echo and the Bunnymen at Fillmore, Minneapolis (06 Sep 2022)

Echo & the Bunnymen Setlist Going Up Show of Strength All That Jazz Rescue Flowers Bring On the Dancing Horses All My Colours (Zimbo) Seven Seas Nothing Lasts Forever (failed attempt) Bedbugs and Ballyhoo Nothing Lasts Forever / Walk on the Wild Side Over the Wall Never Stop People Are Strange (The Doors cover) The Cutter -- Encore -- Lips Like Sugar -- Encore II -- The Killing Moon -- Encore III -- Ocean Rain Cayucas Setlist California Girl Topo Ride the Wave Sayulita Yeah Yeah Yeah Jessica WJ A Summer Thing High School Lover Summer Moon Read More Echo & the Bunnymen My biggest complaint was the opening bicycling riding sequence which dropped the original "The Killing Moon" by Echo and the Bunnymen, in favor of INXS's "Never Tear Us Apart" song. . … Cayucas I have Santa Monica based indie-pop band Cayucas (featuring twin brothers, Zach and Ben Yudin) is back in the area, playing the Turf Club this July 7th. Cayucas’ latest Real Life is out now via Park The Van Records…

Liverpool’s Echo & the Bunnymen headlined the Fillmore in Minneapolis on Wednesday, September 6th.

We previously wrote about Cayucas as originally named Oregon Bike Trails in 2013. The Santa Monica group features twins Zach and Ben Yudin.

After signing to Secretly Canadian and going on tour with Ra Ra Riot, the band remained relatively quiet since they released Blue Summer during the pandemic…. that is until we caught wind that they were heading out on tour with Echo & the Bunnymen, in August 2022.

As Zach explained on stage, they were asked to support Echo because the band is a big fan of their song, “Yeah Yeah Yeah”, which they happily played on their set. In fact, they made sure the song is played every night, per Echo and the Bunnymen’s personal request.

It’s easy to see why the band likes it - it’s super catchy: “I stopped and stuttered, turned around and muttered, ‘damn, I guess I'm a dork’, yeah yeah yeah…” Even if you didn’t know the lyrics, the ‘yeah yeah yeah’ will have you singing along.

They ended their 40-min set with “Summer Moon”, and there was a very long wait until the main attraction came on stage. The crowd was restless, and you can overhear someone asks, “What time are they coming on?”

About 9:30pm, Echo & the Bunnymen, came on stage, in darkness: Ian McCulloch on vocals and Will Sergeant on lead guitars, with Pete Reilly on guitars, Stephen Brannan on bass, Mike Smith on keyboards and Simon Finley on drums.

They had the audience in the palm of their hands, hand-picking selective tracks from their 13 albums! I don’t know every song on their playlist, but I knew plenty of diehard fans in the audience that knew them all.

McCulloch spent the entire show sitting on his chair, so he didn’t bring his dancing shoes with him, despite singing songs very danceable songs like “Bring In the Dancing Horses”.

I felt that the band really came alive only during the encores, and yes, a triple encore, no less. During the encore(s), Ian can be seen standing up and walking about… which I felt should have been on display during the main show.

Of course, they saved all their well-known songs for the encores. “Lips Like Sugar” on the first encore. Then “The Killing Moon”, for the second encore. By now, the majority of fans have left… and finally, “Ocean Rain”. Those who stayed to the very end, there were no complaints…. in fact, they wanted more.

Talking to a true fan, they said that he once saw them in their hometown in Liverpool, and they had to wait a full five minutes before the band came back on stage (and probably by then they lost a sizeable portion of the audience). I guess the band has a history of making the fans earned it… and get rewarded for the wait.

Remaining tour dates:

September 7th Chicago The Vic Theatre
September 9th Detroit Fillmore
September 10th Toronto Queen Elizabeth Theatre
September 12th Montreal Corona Theatre
September 14th New York Terminal 5
September 16th Philadelphia Union Transfer
September 17th Washington Lincoln Theatre
September 19th Pittsburgh Roxian Theatre
September 21st Boston House Of Blues
31st October Sinners Day Festival
2nd November Paris – Le Trianon
12th November Valencia – Moon
14th November Barcelona – Razzmatazz 1
15th November Madrid – La Riviera
17th November Lisbon – Coliseu
18th November Porto – Hard Club

Cayucas

Cayucas

Cayucas

Cayucas

Fillmore

Echo and the Bunnymen

Echo and the Bunnymen

Echo and the Bunnymen at Fillmore, Minneapolis (06 Sep 2022)

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

Franz Ferdinand at Fillmore, Minneapolis (20 Aug 2022)

Franz Ferdinand Setlist Walk Away Do You Want To Right Action Stand on the Horizon Curious The Dark of the Matinée Billy Goodbye The Fallen No You Girls Lucid Dreams Love Illumination Michael Take Me Out Darts of Pleasure Outsiders -- Encore -- Ulysses Always Ascending This Fire Matthew Dear Setlist Honey Modafinil Blues Hikers Y Slowdance Echo Gem Deserter Read More Franz Ferdinand As I have suspected, Franz Ferdinand will be on a bigger tour in support of their new album Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action, which comes out next week (August 27th) on Domino Records.… Matthew Dear Catch Matthew Dear at an intimate 7th Street Entry venue this November 18th before meet up with MGMT. Dear’s Bunny is out now on Ghostly International. …

NME’s “Best British Group” Franz Ferdinand are on a “greatest hits” tour, in support of their greatest hits album Hits to the Head (Domino Records). The Scottish group headlined the Fillmore in Minneapolis on Saturday, August 20th.

Opening the show was Matthew Dear, playing some tracks from his Preacher’s Sigh & Potion: Lost Album (Ghostly International) … his first LP since 2018.

As you can see from the setlist, he played a minimalist version of “Hikers Y”, the second single from the new album. If you’re wondering about the song, it’s about isolation, and very much a song about Matthew Dear. He described it as, “I hear the dark of night in my voice and delivery. This song comes from the isolation of being a musician alone in a studio after midnight.”

The loneliness of the song reflects what you’re seeing on stage: a sole Matthew Dear, producing the audio, and loops, and adding in the live vocals.

What can I say about Franz Ferdinand that haven’t been said? The Scottish band is one of our favorite bands, and with their ability to write really catchy songs, the band had numerous hits in the UK. Unfortunately, only a few of those songs were beloved in the US… but let me tell you, those who found those Franz Ferdinand songs, they swear by it. They love it, and you can see the evidence at the Fillmore show, where everyone is singing and dancing to all the hit songs.

We’ve always loved the band… but it wasn’t until we attended Popscene in Toronto, Canada, when we realized how Franz Ferdinand was. The dance club would play “This Fire” and almost immediately, the audience was dancing and singing in sync to the song… that was same atmosphere at the Fillmore show.

Setlist

As you can see from the setlist, all your favorite FF songs were played, including “Take Me Out”, “This Fire”, “Do You Want To”, and “The Dark Of The Matinée”.

If there is a Franz Ferdinand tour that you absolutely cannot miss… it’s this Hits to the Head tour. This will have all your favorites, so bring your dancing shoes.

Remaining Tour Dates:

Thu, AUG 4 House of Blues Dallas Dallas, TX
Fri, AUG 5 White Oak Music Hall Houston, TX
Sat, AUG 6 Stubbs BBQ Austin, TX
Mon, AUG 8 Tabernacle Atlanta, GA
Wed, AUG 10 9:30 Club Washington, DC
Fri, AUG 12 The Fillmore Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA
Sat, AUG 13 Pier 17 New York, NY
Mon, AUG 15 House Of Blues Boston Boston, MA
Tue, AUG 16 MTELUS Montreal, Canada
Wed, AUG 17 HISTORY Toronto, Canada
Fri, AUG 19 Riviera Theatre Chicago, IL
Sat, AUG 20 Fillmore Minneapolis Minneapolis, MN
Mon, AUG 22 Ogden Theatre Denver, CO
Tue, AUG 23 The Complex Salt Lake City, UT
Thu, AUG 25 Showbox SoDo Seattle, WA
Fri, AUG 26 The Orpheum Vancouver, Canada
Sat, AUG 27 McMenamins Grand Lodge Forest Grove, OR
Tue, AUG 30 Fox Theater Oakland, CA
Thu, SEP 1 Shrine Expo Hall Los Angeles Downtown, CA

Matthew Dear

Matthew Dear

Franz Ferdinand

Franz Ferdinand

Franz Ferdinand

Franz Ferdinand

Franz Ferdinand

Franz Ferdinand

Franz Ferdinand at Fillmore, Minneapolis (20 Aug 2022)

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

Hanson at Fillmore, Minneapolis (19 Aug 2022)

Fillmore Marquee Hanson Setlist Where's the Love A Minute Without You Against the World Thinking of You If Only And I Waited Child at Heart Weird Go Strong Enough to Break For Your Love Write You a Song Dressed In Brown Eyes Penny & Me This Time Around Cold as Ice Thinking 'Bout Somethin' Juliet Rambling Heart I Will Come to You Where's the Love I Was Born MMMBop Voice in the Chorus Lost Without Each Other -- Encore -- Don't Let Me Down Read More Hanson Brothers band Hanson recently released their new Christmas album Finally It’s Christmas (available on 3CG/S-Curve Records). … Allen Mack Myers Moore 10 – Kansas City, MO – Uptown Theatre + 11 – Wichita, KS – Cotillion Ballroom + 13 – Austin, TX – Emo’s + 14 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues + # Allen Mack Myers Moore supporting …

Celebrating their 30th anniversary, Hanson (Taylor, Isaac, and Zac Hanson) headlined the Fillmore in Minneapolis on Friday, August 19th, 2022.

Open the show, their second to their last appearance with Hanson, was Allen, Mack, Myers, & Moore or AMMM for short. The band did mention that the band’s name is a mouthful, “just a string of random names!” and as they said their name, they added in, “… Crosby, Stills & Nash”.

The group is probably most famous for one of their lead singers, Zach Myers, as he’s the guitarist for Shinedown (who headlined the much-larger Target Center in September 2021) and the singer/guitarist for The Fairwell.

With AMMM, it seems like it’s more of a collaborative effort… since the band only Voltron assemble whenever there’s a special tour or project. In fact, Myers mentioned that the group (which also includes J.R. Moore, Chris Allen, and Zack Mack) had not played together for over a year… but when they got back on the road, it was just like how they last left off. They didn’t need to rehearse and it was just like riding a bike.

AMMM’s latest Just South of Moonlight is out now.

As for Hanson, it’s hard to believe that they all started as a band in 1992 (although their big hit, “MMMbop” didn’t land until 1997), when they were still teenagers. In all that time, we’ve watched the band grow to selling over 16 million records.

Setlist

Now in 2022, as they celebrate their 30th anniversary as a band, all three brothers reflect on their grown (all with families of their own) and have released Red Green Blue. Each color belongs to each brother. And as you can see from their setlist, each brother dedicated a little section to their songs in the middle of their set.

As expected, the band played their signature song, “MMMbop” near the end of the set, a reward for those diehard fans who sang to every lyric. It’s a dumb song, sure, but it’s so catchy, everyone is singing along.

With their large fanbase, I’m sure we’ll see Hanson again soon. If they’re able, I’m sure they’ll be doing this again in another 30 years.

Remaining tour dates:

AUGUST
5 – Elizabeth, IN – Caesar's Event Center #
6 – Cleveland, OH – Agora Theatre #
7 – Detroit, MI – Royal Oak Music Theatre #
9 – Grand Rapids, MI – 20 Monroe Live #
10 – Indianapolis, IN – Egyptian Room at Old National Centre #
12 – St Louis, MO – The Pageant #
13 – Chicago, IL – Aragon Ballroom #
14 – Madison, WI – The Sylvee #
16 – Springfield, MO – Gillioz Theatre #
18 – Council Bluffs, IA – Stir Cove at Harrah’s #
19 – Minneapolis, MN – The Fillmore Minneapolis #
20 – Fargo, ND – Fargo Brewing Company Outdoors#
21 – Winnipeg, MB – Park Theater +
23 – Calgary, AB – The Palace Theatre +
24 – Edmonton AB – Midway +
26 – Vancouver, BC – The Vogue Theatre +
27 – Seattle, WA – The Moore +
28 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom +
30 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore +
31 – Anaheim, CA – House of Blues +

SEPTEMBER
2 – Los Angeles, CA – Ace Theatre +
3 – San Diego, CA – Humphrey’s Concerts By The Bay +
4 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren +
6 – Las Vegas, NV – Brooklyn Bowl +
7 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot +
9 – Denver, CO – Paramount Theatre +
10 – Kansas City, MO – Uptown Theatre +
11 – Wichita, KS – Cotillion Ballroom +
13 – Austin, TX – Emo’s +
14 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues +

# Allen Mack Myers Moore supporting
+ Zillaz supporting

Allen, Mack, Myers, and Moore

Allen, Mack, Myers, and Moore

Allen, Mack, Myers, and Moore

Allen, Mack, Myers, and Moore

Hanson

Zack

Taylor

Isaac

Hanson at Fillmore, Minneapolis (19 Aug 2022)

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

Big Gigantic at The Fillmore (07/16/2022)

Tour Dates 07/17 – Chesterfield, MO – The Factory 07/20 – Indianapolis, IN – Egyptian Room 07/21 – Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE 07/22 – Garrettsville, OH – Funk ‘N Flow 2022 † 07/23 – Detroit, MI – The Fillmore 07/24 – Cincinnati, OH – Bogart’s 07/27 – Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom 07/28 – Boston, MA – The Roadrunner Boston 07/29 – Washington, DC – Echostage 07/30 – Brooklyn, NY – Rowdytown 08/22 – Long Pond, PA - Elements Music Festival † 09/23 – Morrison, CO – Rowdytown X 09/24 – Morrison, CO – Rowdytown X 10/7-10/9 – Austin, TX – Austin City Limits † 10/14-10/16 – Austin, TX – Austin City Limits † 10/27-10/30 – Live Oak, FL – Suwanee Hulaween † * † FESTIVAL APPEARANCE * with NGHTMRE as GIGANTIC NGHTMRE Read More Big Gigantic Genre-bending Boulder, CO-based duo Big Gigantic is on tour in support of their eight studio album Brighter Future 2, available now at all DSPs and streaming services. …

The Fillmore in Minneapolis’ North Loop in the shadows of Target Field is an impressive music venue, like a compressed orchestra hall with all seats removed from the main floor.  Bracing the expansive dance floor are two full length bars. And behind the bottles of Grey Goose and Tanqueray, two psychedelic paintings with Eve on one side holding an apple and on the other, Adam with long flowing hair like he is in some 80’s hair band video or simply walking through a wind tunnel. 

Big Gigantic was to eventually fill the cavernous space. But first Covex (Brendan Bell) took the stage to warm up the gathering crowd with songs like “Younger” and “I Won’t Run Away”.

Wearing a black T-Shirt with the slogan SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL PLANET there was definitely a nature theme to the videos playing behind him.  “Jealousy” was filled with cherry blossoms.  “Younger” started off with neon fireflies and expanded into natural vistas with mountain ranges and endless horizons. 

Young Franco (Joseph Da Rin De Barbera) a DJ from Brisbane Australia took the stage to keep the party going, mixing songs with an eclectic mix of musicians from Bruno Mars, Ung Bae and Dua Lipa to more old school bands like Chicago and ABBA.  Barbera kept the crowd engaged and dancing as the music ebbed and flowed, building to a crescendo where music, lights, hands and hips all moved as one.

As a nod to the Minnesota Twins home being on the same block, INZO (Mike Inzano) took the stage sporting a baseball cap and jersey much like the Rockies uniform in his home state of Colorado.  (He even had his name stitched on the back.)

Right at the start he had the crowd with a full on attack.  His style of electronica is often atmospheric with songs like “Angst”, “I’m Dreaming” and “Awaken”, but this set was more muscular as if he was launching sound bombs into an ever-ecstatic crowd.   Heavy beats, over-layering sound effects, distortion – at times it felt like you were in the middle of an arcade video game, a powerfully funky one where all you wanted to do was dance. 

Inzano dialed it back when he asked the crowd to indulge him with a mellower offering in “Naked”.  And he finished his set with a remix of Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy.”

Then Big Gigantic (Dominic Lalli and Jeremy Salken) took the stage.  Like INZO, they also sported baseball uniforms (names also on the back) but these uniforms were black and white like the ones worn by the Chicago White Sox.  But instead of SOX in serif flourish it was BG.

photo courtesy of Big Gigantic

Everything about Big Gigantic’s set was impressive. The music, the videos, the lights, the lasers, over an hour and a half of music and not once did they stop or slow down: Salken on drums, standing up, repeatedly, to acknowledge the crowd.  Lalli on keyboards, saxophone and mixer, yet constantly moving around the stage like a combination maître d' at a high end restaurant/guy you see on the tarmac waving jumbo jets to their proper gates. 

The show was a pure shot of adrenaline as they played fan favorites like “Friends”, “Future’s All I See” and “All of Me”.  They also featured songs from their latest album Brighter Future 2 like “Open Your Mind” “Keep on Rising” and “Free”. 

During “I Can Feel It” the video screen showed a multi-colored neon astronaut being hurled through space. I thought it interesting to have an astronaut between two murals of biblical characters. What it meant, I don’t know.  But I’d like to think the astronaut was dancing.

dave ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

OMD at the Fillmore, Minneapolis (07 May 2022)

Fillmore marquee OMD Setlist Atomic Ranch Stanlow Isotype Messages Tesla Girls History of Modern (Part 1) (Forever) Live and Die Souvenir Joan of Arc Maid of Orleans Time Zones Statues Almost Don't Go So in Love Dreaming The Punishment of Luxury Locomotion Sailing on the Seven Seas Enola Gay -- Encore -- If You Leave Secret Electricity In the Valley Below Setlist Pink Chateau Hold On Tight Searching for a Devil Dove Season (Set cut short due to technical difficulties) Tour Dates 5/8 - Kansas City, MO - The Truman 5/10 - Dallas, TX – South Side Ballroom 5/11 - Houston, TX - Bayou Music Center 5/12 - Austin, TX - ACL Live @ The Moody Theater 5/15 - Denver, CO - Paramount Theatre 5/16 - Salt Lake City, UT - Union Events Center 5/20 - Vancouver, BC - Malkin Bowl 5/21 - Seattle, WA - Moore Theatre 5/22 - Portland, OR - Roseland Theater 5/24 - Oakland, CA - Fox Theater 5/25 - El Cajon, CA - Magnolia 5/26 - Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theatre Read More OMD Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (or shortened to O.M.D.) just headlined First Avenue in Minneapolis on Sunday, March 18th. ..… In The Valley Below In The Valley Below (husband & wife duo Angela Gail and Jeffrey Jacob) will be at the Turf Club in St Paul this Wednesday, in support of their new EP Elephant, which came out earlier this week (July 14th). ...

English band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (or popularly known as O.M.D.) is currently enjoying their 40th Anniversary tour. Technically it’s their 43rd Anniversary, as the COVID pandemic delayed their tour until now. The band stopped by the Fillmore in Minneapolis on Saturday, May 7th.

“Family affair” band In the Valley Below opened the show. We previously saw them at the Alamo Drafthouse in April 2019 and wrote, “Married couple Angela Gail and Jeffrey Jacob make up the innovative band, who played for just over an hour under dim red lighting in a front corner of the cinema, singing face-to-face directly into wireless headphones that everyone in the theater was wearing for a sensory experience unlike few others, something an early Pink Floyd might have done, when they were known as The Pink Floyd.”

Of the four songs we heard, they all sounded really good… my favorite being “Hold On Tight”. Unfortunately, the band had to cut their set short as Jeffrey Jacob was having problems with his guitar amp. Angela Gail joked that the ghost in the machine is probably Prince watching over them. While two other tech engineers came on stage to figure things out, Gail introduced their upcoming song “Lie With Me” (which they did not get the chance to play), telling us that the song is about, “the story how Jeff and I fell in love in Austin.” They had a love child called Griffin (?), who was also traveling with them on this tour.

OMD (singer/bassist Andy McCluskey, keys/vocals Paul Humphreys, bass/sax/various Martin Cooper, and drummer Stuart Kershaw) was eager to celebrate their 40th Anniversary. This is basically a greatest hits tour, and they even confessed that their set consists of songs that they just want to play… which meant that there were some “deep cuts”, such as b-sides like “Almost”. “Almost” is an important song, as it is one of the songs that inspired a young Vince Clarke to start his band Depeche Mode.

The last time the band was in town, it was at First Avenue in Mar 2018 … but that show took many years for them to finally arrive. It was a make-up date, as their original drummer Malcolm Holmes, had a heart attack (quote “he tried to die”) that forced cancellation of their entire 2013 tour. Obviously, a similar thing happened, as the group tried to organize their 40th Anniversary in 2019/2020, but it was postponed until now.

After two “new” songs, singer Andy McCluskey put on his bass guitar. “I got my bass guitar on, do you know what that means?” as McCluskey asks Paul Humphreys. He responded, “We’re going to play old songs.”

Without a beat, McCluskey asks, “You did bring your dancing shoes, didn’t you?” to the audience. With that they launched into “Isotype.”

After the song, McCluskey, feeling extremely talkative, addressed someone’s question about his bass guitar. Apparently, when he was younger, he couldn’t afford a “righty bass”, so he bought a cheaper lefty one. He basically had to play it upside-down. This is the kind of information that you wouldn’t know unless you go a live show and hear this kind of chatter.

Of course, the band saved their biggest hit song(s) until the encore, starting with “If You Leave.” They joked that they weren’t going to play it at first. “We already played that one for John Hughes,” they said. They are referring to Hughes’ film Pretty In Pink, which required a different song at the end of the film. Hughes asked the band to write a new song, and, with just two days before OMD were to begin their tour, they quickly wrote and recorded, “If You Leave” for Hughes. As history would have it, the song was a hit, and it became one of OMD’s signature songs.

Next, they played “Secrets”, which was a big hit for them. They said they actually had to pull this single, so they could promote another song.

Finally, the ended their encore with the originally debut single, “Electricity” from 1979. Technically, the song actually wasn’t OMD, it was written under the group The Id (which had McCluskey and Humphreys in the band)… but at that time, the band had broken up. They ended up re-recording the song and released it on Factory Records.

The song was an important part of history. Mojo recognized the song as “the dawn of UK synth-pop”, and it would go on to inspire many other musicians to start their own band or copy that sound. In fact, after hearing “Electricity”, Steve Lamacq decided to become a DJ.

OMD is currently on their 40th Anniversary tour. The band plays the Truman, Kansas City tonight. The group asked the audience to come with them to Kansas City, even offering free entry if you had a ticket stub from tonight. We’re not sure if McCluskey was joking, but the last thing that he said, as he left the stage, pointing to the fans in front, “We’ll see you in Kansas City!”

In the Valley Below

In the Valley Below

Setlist

OMD

OMD

OMD

OMD at the Fillmore, Minneapolis (07 May 2022)

 

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

Bleachers at Fillmore, Minneapolis (2021-10-26)

Tour Dates 11/03 House of Blues Cleveland Cleveland, OH 11/04 GLC Live at 20 Monroe Grand Rapids, MI 11/06 XL Live Harrisburg, PA 11/07 HISTORY Toronto, ON 11/17 Paradiso Amsterdam, Netherlands 11/19 Multi Lieux, Paris Paris, France 11/19 Café de la Danse, Paris, France 11/21 Club Bahnhof Ehrenfeld Cologne, Germany 11/22 HOLE 44 Berlin, Germany 11/23 Nalen Klubb Stockholm, Sweden 11/25 Yes Manchester 11/26 Omeara London 11/28 Birkenhead Central Library Birkenhead 11/29 The Academy, Middle Abbey Street Dublin, Ireland Read More Bleachers Anyway, Charli XCX is doing a co-headlining tour with Bleachers this summer, stopping by the Cabooze Plaza in Minneapolis next Tuesday. … Claud Chicago’s Claud (Claud Mintz) released their album Super Monster on Saddest Factor. This is Phoebe Bridgers’ record label, and Claud had the honor to be the first artist to sign on. ...

Popular American pop band Bleachers sold out the Fillmore, in Minneapolis, on October 26th.

We’ve been meaning to check out Minneapolis’ latest concert venue, The Fillmore, for quite a while now. The venue opened up in February 2020, during the pandemic shutdown, and only started booking shows in August/September 2021. We actually tried to see a show there in October, but the show was canceled at the last minute due to someone in the band getting COVID.

The venue is quite nice and elegant (complete with chandeliers) and large… a massive 22,000 square feet, to accomodate 1,500 attendees. Next to the Varsity Theater, the Fillmore is one of the nicest looking venues around the city.

Opening up this all-ages show was Chicago’s Claud (Claud Mintz), accompanied by a guitarist. Claud played some tracks from their album Super Monster, the first record on Phoebe Bridgers’ record label, Saddest Factory.

Songs, played early in the set, “In or In-Between” and “That's Mr. B**** to You” sounded very personal and introspective.

There was a new song in the set, called “Tommy”, which Claud said they wrote six weeks ago, when they went on tour with Bleachers.

Highlight of the set was “Guard Down”, which Claud played piano and replaced “New York” with “Minneapolis”, making the crowd cheer when they heard their city’s name.

Claud ended their set with “Wish You Were Gay” and song finale, “Soft Spot”… perfectly ending on the 30-minute mark.

We’ve seen Bleachers before, they’re a really fun pop group from New York. This time around, joining songwriter/record producer Jack Antonoff (who is also in Steel Train, Fun, and Red Hearse) on stage were keyboardist Evan Smith, guitarist Mikey Hart, drummer/keys Sean Hutchinson, drummer Mike Riddleberger, and saxophonist Zem Audu.

Starting their set with “Let's Get Married”, followed by “Shadow”, the band had the audience sing along to their high-energy songs.

I think the coolest thing about Bleachers is that Antonoff would personalized random merchandises, like writing on patches, so some lucky fans could get something interesting when they visit the merch table.

Bleachers’ latest Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night is out now on RCA Records.

Claud

Claud

Claud

Bleachers

Bleachers

Bleachers at Fillmore, Minneapolis (2021-10-26)

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

Touring Animals: Toad the Wet Sprocket, Dinosaur Jr. and Beartooth

Read more When Animals Attack.

Toad The Wet Sprocket: Starting Now  Read More Toad the Wet Sprocket Currently on tour with Smash Mouth, the 90's alternative/college music band Toad the Wet Sprocket will be doing a number of side shows...

TOAD THE WET SPROCKET
toadthewetsprocket.com

Platinum-selling American Alternative rock band Toad the Wet Sprocket is returning to Minneapolis as part of their tour for their new album Starting Now.

The 2021 tour is the first time the band is back on the road since their 30th Anniversary tour in 2019. We caught the band in July 2015 and noted what a massive fanbase they have: “Very dedicated fans, driving as far as South Dakota, was at the show on Thursday. Most of them proudly buying the VIP package, which included a pre-signed poster of the current Smash Mouth/Toad tour and other goodies only available on only on this tour and side show.”

More details about the upcoming Pantages Theatre show in Minneapolis on hennepintheatretrust.org.

Tour Dates:

09/07/2021 Chautauqua Auditorium Boulder, CO
09/09/2021 Pantages Theatre Minneapolis, MN
09/10/2021 Park West Chicago, IL
09/11/2021 "Summerfest" (Milwaukee)
09/16/2021 Royal Oak Music Theatre Royal Oak, MI
09/23/2021 The Wilbur Boston, MA
09/24/2021 City Winery NYC New York, NY
10/04/2021 The Birchmere Alexandria, VA
10/05/2021 The Birchmere Alexandria, VA
10/06/2021 Keswick Theatre
10/09/2021 The Eastern Atlanta, GA
10/15/2021 Culture Room Fort Lauderdale, FL
10/17/2021 Bilheimer Capitol Theatre Clearwater, FL
10/23/2021 The Canyon Agoura Hills, CA
10/26/2021 August Hall San Francisco, CA
10/28/2021 The Crocodile Seattle, WA
10/30/2021 Uptown Theatre Napa Napa, CA

Dinosaur Jr.: Sweep It Into Space  Read More Dinosaur Jr Yes, I know, Dinosaur Jr broke up in the late 90's. Then about five years ago, the band got back together and produced their album, Beyond. Since then, J Mascis did some solo stuff ...

DINOSAUR JR.
dinosaurjr.com

Massachusetts rock band Dinosaur Jr. is returning to First Avenue on September 14, 2021, as part of their tour for their fifth new studio album Sweep It Into Space (Jagjaguwar Records). Ryley Walker to open.

Dinosaur Jr Tour Dates

09/07 - Montreal, QC @ Corona Theatre
09/09 - Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall
09/10 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Venue TBA
09/11 - Detroit, MI @ Majestic Theatre
09/13 - Madison, WI @ Majestic Theatre
09/14 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
09/16 - St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant
09/20 - Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
09/21 - Kansas City, MO @ Truman
09/23 - Austin, TX @ Moody Theater
09/24 - Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
09/25 - Dallas, TX @ Canton Hall
09/27 - Birmingham, AL @ Saturn
09/28 - Bloomington, IN @ The Bluebird
09/30 - Columbus, OH @ Athenaeum Theatre
10/01 - Cleveland, OH @ Agora
10/02 - Ithaca, NY @ State Theatre
11/12 - Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl
11/13 - Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
11/15 - Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
11/16 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
11/18 - Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
11/19 - New Haven, CT @ College Street Music Hall
11/20 - Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel
11/26 - Northampton, MA @ Academy of Music
11/27 - Boston, MA @ House Of Blues

Beartooth: Below  Read More Beartooth I Prevail and Beartooth to open. Tour dates: 10/13/2019 - Sacramento, CA - Aftershock Festival 10/15/2019 - Boise, ID - CenturyLink Arena 10/16/2019 - Salt Lake City, UT - USANA Amphitheatre

BEARTOOTH
beartoothband.com

Ohio’s hardcore punk band Beartooth is currently on tour. They are stopping by new venue Fillmore in Minneapolis on August 27, 2021. We’ve never been to the venue before (although I’ve been to Fillmore in San Francisco), more details about Minneapolis’ Fillmore on their website fillmoreminneapolis.com.

Beartooth’s latest Below is out now on Red Bull Records.

Touring with Beartooth is Seattle metal core band Dragged Under.

Tour Dates:

8/24 Billings, MT Zoo Montana
8/26 Fargo, ND Fargo Brewing Co.
8/27 Minneapolis, MN Fillmore
8/28 Kansas City, MO Truman
8/29 Denver, CO Summit
8/31 Oklahoma City, OK Diamond Ballroom
9/01 Dallas, TX HOB
9/03 San Antonio, TX Vibes Event Center
9/04 Houston, TX HOB
9/06 Orlando, FL HOB
9/07 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Revolution
9/08 St. Petersburg, FL Jannus Live
9/09 Atlanta, GA Masquerade
9/13 Philadelphia, PA Fillmore
9/15 New York, NY Terminal 5
9/17 Worcester, MA Palladium
9/18 Baltimore, MD Sound Stage
9/19 New Haven, CT Toad’s Place
9/20 Pittsburgh, PA Stage AE
9/22 Chicago, IL HOB
9/24 Detroit, MI St. Andrew’s Hall
9/25 Grand Rapids, MI 20 Monroe

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Flashback: Juliana Hatfield at Fillmore, San Francisco (23 Jun 1995)

UK Tour Poster Read More Juliana Hatfield As long as I can remember, Hatfield started her music career with the Blake Babies. When they broke up, she had a massive hit with "My Sister" in her newly reformed band Juliana Hatfield Three …

When I grew up, I had a friend who loved Boston rock: like the Pixies and the Blake Babies. I was more of a Britpop kid, but we'd trade CDs or we would dub cassette tapes for each other... so I felt like I've known Juliana Hatfield for a long time.

After The Blake Babies broke in 1991 (but reformed in late 1999, which I'll address later), I followed her career to Evan Dando from The Lemonheads' It's a Shame About Ray and then her solo album Hey Babe in 1992. I remember the first Hatfield CD I owned was Hey Babe after dubbing all the Blake Babies albums.

By the time I owned my first car (RIP Suzuki Sidekick), I was finally able to escape to see Hatfield at the Fillmore, San Francisco (23 Jun 1995). I think the show was all-ages, as I was still under legal drinking age. This happened 20 years ago and I honestly couldn't tell you who opened up the show, what songs were played, etc.

Juliana Hatfield at Numbers, Houston (15 Jun 1995) photo: Andrew Kieschnick

The other thing is that no one else seem to have any information on this San Francisco show! I'm going to guess that she probably played mostly songs from her then-new album Only Everything and that the opener to all the USA shows were Cold Water Flat, who were also from Massachusetts. UPDATE: Opener was local band Protein. Thanks to Dakin Hardwick for providing this information.

I couldn't find any photographs from the Fillmore show, but her looks is probably the same-ish from the Texas 1995 photos - thanks to Andrew Kieschnick.

I have an advertisement for the Only Everything UK tour, which lists April 1995 dates, but probably did not take place. According to Spin Magazine (July 1995), the brief newsclipping reads:

Spin Magazine (July 1995)

Juliana Hatfield collapsed from nervous exhaustion after a concert in New York on April 13 [1995]. A spokesman for her record label offered this statement: "Overwhelmed by pressures in her personal life, Juliana Hatfield recently sought help from a doctor in a Boston-area hospital. As a result, she postponed her European tour, but the American tour will commence as scheduled on May 19." Hatfield had discussed her depression earlier in a March interview in Britain's NME: "I always used to think I wasn't f***-up enough to be a great artist. But now I don't think that. I'm definitely f***-up enough."

That's basically all the information I can provide, again one of my biggest regret was not writing about my concert attendances (and it is one of the reason why I keep such detailed reports on W♥M for current shows).

Anyway, that was the first time I saw Hatfield in person... but definitely not the last. Here are some other shows I attended:

Blake Babies at First Avenue, Minneapolis (10 Jun 2001) - see my ticket scan

Evan Dando and Juliana Hatfield at Lee's Palace, Toronto (16 Jun 2011)

Minor Alps at the Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis (16 Nov 2013)

I don't know if I've ever seen Some Girls, again, I have bad memories... but I do know that I saw Hatfield when she reformed The Blake Babies for their God Bless the Blake Babies album. I only know this because I have a used ticket stub from that night, and a friend of mine who was also at the show confirmed that I was there. Wheat opened up this show.

On the 2001 night, this person wrote reported:

Blake Babies at First Avenue, Minneapolis (10 Jun 2001) ticket stub

I saw them in Minneapolis on 6/10. (I couldn't figure out why the parking ramp across from First Ave was so crowded, until I got out onto the street, and saw that there was a triple bill at Target Center: Lynyrd Skynyrd, Ted Nugent, and Deep Purple.

... I ended up right in front of the stage, my head right between Juliana's registers, so I mostly only heard what she played; not too much of [John] Strohm. Juliana was playing a Gibson SG, and Strohm was on a Fender; not a Strat or a Tele... maybe a Jag$%#*% I forget the name....

The bass player [Freda Love] was using a PICK!!! Maybe I'm spoiled, growing up worshipping Entwistle and Deacon, but COME ON!!!!

Strohm even poked fun at the show across the road: "I understand there's some archery going on across the street?"

Whatever, My Love American Laundromat Records

So, I'm very excited to report that Juliana Hatfield have reformed The Juliana Hatfield Three, after two decades of hiatus, with original band members drummer Todd Philips and bassist Dean Fisher. They have a new record called Whatever, My Love, which is coming out next week, February 17th, 2015, with an upcoming tour in support of the new record.

The Juliana Hatfield Three 2015 tour dates:

02/26 | Portland, ME | Port City Music Hall
02/27 | Cambridge, MA | The Sinclair
03/01 | New York City | The Bowery Ballroom
03/02 | Philadelphia, PA | Boot & Saddle
03/03 | Philadelphia, PA | Boot & Saddle
03/04 | Washington, DC | Black Cat
03/06 | Cleveland, OH | Music Box Supper Club
03/07 | Chicago, IL | Lincoln Hall
03/08 | St. Paul, MN | Turf Club
03/11 | Seattle, WA | Tractor Tavern
03/12 | Portland, OR | Doug Fir Lounge
03/14 | Napa, CA | City Winery Napa
03/15 | San Francisco, CA | The Chapel
03/16 | Los Angeles, CA | The Roxy Theatre
03/18 | Solana Beach, CA | Belly Up Tavern
03/20 | Austin, TX | SxSW
03/22 | Atlanta, GA | Terminal West
03/23 | Charlotte, NC | Neighborhood Theatre
03/24 | Carrboro, NC | Cat's Cradle

Juliana Hatfield at the Fillmore, San Francisco (23 Jun 1995) ticket stub

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

Dakin Hardwick said... Saturday, 07 March 2015 at 04:32 PM The band that opened at The Fillmore in 95 was a Bay Area group called Protein! I still have the tape the lead singer gave me...

Lush at the Fillmore, San Francisco (08/07/1994)

Lush: Split Tour USA Summer 1994 (Program Book) photo credit: lightfromadeadstar.org Read More Lush Miki Berenyi, former singer/songwriter from the band LUSH has agreed to join forces with Seinking Ships. Miki will be Seinking Ship's guest vocalist on a few select tracks of our upcoming full-length LP... …

I have mentioned this at various time, I was more of the Britpop-sounding Lush vs their early shoegazing beginning. That doesn't mean I don't occasional enjoy listening to Gala or Spooky, of course.

I love Lush, and I caught the band when they toured America with Weezer at the Fillmore in San Francisco on August 7th, 1994.

It's really funny what I do and don't remember. I remember it was a long drive to San Francisco. Melinda drove us to see her friend near Berkeley and as a result we missed The Dambuilders. Which was fine, Mel didn't want to see them anyway. We did catch Weezer, which they ended their set with "Undone (the Sweater Song)".

As for Lush, of course they did "For Love", which was my all-time favorite Lush song. Since the tour was for Split, I'm sure they did the singles ("Hypocrite"), but I can't be sure since I have such poor memory.

I have vivid memories of watching drummer Chris Acland with his mouth wide open throughout the set (and I thought that was really strange). Little did I know that only two years later, that Acland would commit suicide... and really ending Lush as a band.

I did meet Chris, Miki Berenyi and Phillip King, who were nice enough to talk and sign my Split album. I suppose Emma Anderson was feeling unwell and went straight to their tour bus, ignoring the handful of fans waiting outside. Although this would not be the last time that a musician have shunned me, it's always left a sour taste in my mouth.

Of course, I tried to stay up and follow post-Lush, in particular Sing-Sing, but that sort of went nowhere.

Trivia: I also randomly saw Rivers from Weezer, while waiting for Lush.

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com

Suede: Coming Up Tour 1997

Suede at Fillmore Poster artist: Jason Winters Suede at Fillmore (ticket stub) San Francisco (05/23/1997) May 23, 1997 Setlist She Trash Heroine Animal Nitrate By the Sea So Young Lazy The Wild Ones Saturday Night Starcrazy New Generation Picnic by the Motorway Europe Is Our Playground Beautiful Ones -- Encore -- Filmstar The 2 of Us setlist courtesy of setlist.fm Read More Suede I'm sorry, but I will never refer to Suede as "The London Suede", which they are known in the U.S. It's nice to see that the band is doing well with their release of Bloodsports, out earlier in March 2013 on their own label. …

Second only to Morrissey and the Smiths, Suede (or as they are known in the U.S. as The London Suede) was my then-all-time favorite band. Even Morrissey had to bow down, covering Suede's "My Insatiable One" on his live set.

Select Magazine (Apr 1993) EMAP Metro

I was a massive fan, following their career through various newspaper and magazine covers, starting in 1992. By the time they appeared on the infamous Britpop cover on Select Magazine, published 1993, I knew the band was going to massive.

I'm almost sure I did not attend their debut U.S. tour in 1993 on account that I was still in high school and I could not leave my city to travel to Los Angeles to see the band.

Suede at FNAC Forum, Paris (11/26/1993) photograph by Mark

Instead, I heard about their Paris show from my friend Mark, who saw them on their debut tour in France. Prior to their actual concert, Suede did an acoustic and meet & greet at FNAC Forum in Paris. The four songs they played were "Dolly", "High Rising", "Animal Nitrate", and "Still Life".

Suede at Fillmore (03/05/1995) photos: Vu

I did eventually saw the band for their Dog Man Star tour in 1994-1995. I actually had forgotten all about it, but Melinda reminded that I was at the show with her Rescue Me From This Hollywood Life! article. I remember that I was on a balcony, and I heard the intro song "Introducing the Band" before Brett Anderson and company took the stage. I never saw original guitarist Bernard Butler, but this tour featured new guitarist Richard Oakes.

Suede at El Rey (05/21/1997) ticket stub Suede at El Rey (05/22/1997) ticket stub

By the time Suede came back to the U.S. for their Coming Up in 1997, we (Mel & I) bought tickets to see them on all their California dates, which included two shows at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles and at the Fillmore in San Francisco.

Richard Oakes was the new guitarist, and they still did some old Butler songs (in particular "So Young" and "Animal Nitrate"), which I was happy with. "New Generation", the live version, was quite different in terms of lyrics by the time it had made its way on CD single. I'm going to assume that their setlist were basically the same, although I couldn't tell you for sure since only the Fillmore setlist is available online. There are bootlegs of their Los Angeles shows, but obviously, I don't have a copy to verify what were played.

I believe the Longpigs opened up for all the dates on this 1997 tour. Note that the poster misspelled the name as "Long Pigs". The British band was riding the coattails of Britpop in the mid-90s, but eventually broke up in 2000. A "greatest hits" album called On And On (The Anthology) was released last Summer, and singer/songwriter Crispin Hunt can be found on various projects, including working for Ellie Goulding, Florence and The Machine, Ron Sexsmith, and most recently, co-wrote songs with Jake Bugg (who I saw in Minneapolis last month).

Suede, of course, is still around, probably just as popular with their diehard fans as ever. They reformed in 2009 and released a new album called Bloodsports last year. Their shows (mostly in the UK) have been quite successful, but unfortunately there are no plans on touring in the U.S.

Suede: Coming Up Tour 1997 promotional flyer

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com