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Setlist
Tour Dates
07/20/13 "Robert Mondavi Summer"
07/20/13 Oakville, CA R. Mondavi Winery 07/21/13 Brooklyn, NY Warsaw 08/04/13 Hermosa Beach, CA Saint Rocke 08/08/13 "Live On The Green" 08/10/13 "Burnaby Blues & Roots Festival" 08/11/13 Spokane, WA Center Of Spokane 08/13/13 "Music On The Half Shell" 08/30/13 Harley Davidson Anniversary 08/31/13 "Bumbershoot Festival" 09/02/13 Portland, OR Aladdin Theater 09/04/13 San Francisco, CA Fillmore 09/06/13 West Hollywood, CA House Of Blues 09/07/13 Anaheim, CA House Of Blues 09/08/13 San Diego, CA House Of Blues 09/10/13 Tucson, AZ Club Congress 09/11/13 Phoenix, AZ Crescent Ballroom 09/13/13 "Telluride Blues & Brews Festival" 09/14/13 Denver, CO Ogden Theatre 09/16/13 Austin, TX The Parish 09/17/13 Dallas, TX House Of Blues 09/18/13 Houston, TX Bronze Peacock 09/20/13 "Music Midtown Festival" 09/21/13 "Roots N Blues N BBQ Festival" 09/23/13 Fort Lauderdale, FL Revolution 09/24/13 Lake Buena Vista, FL House Of Blues 09/27/13 Charlotte, NC Visulite Theatre 09/28/13 Washington, DC 9:30 Club 09/30/13 New York, NY Irving Plaza 10/01/13 Phila, PA Theatre Of The Living 10/02/13 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club 10/04/13 Cleveland, OH House Of Blues 10/05/13 Toronto, ON Opera House 10/06/13 Detroit, MI Shelter 10/08/13 Indianapolis, IN Deluxe 10/11/13 Kansas City, MO Midland By AMC 10/12/13 Minneapolis, MN Skyway 10/14/13 St. Louis, MO Firebird 10/15/13 Chicago, IL House Of Blues Read More Zsuzsanna Ward, aka ZZ Ward, has sold out all her shows on this current tour as she heads down to SXSW. ZZ is stopping by Minneapolis' Varsity Theater this Friday, February 22nd. …
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The annual Basilica Block Party just kicked off last night at Minneapolis' Basilica of Saint Mary. The music festival's proceeds will go into the restoration of the Basilica and its "light of hope", but judging from the alcohol, the commercialism and the talky crowds, the message might have been lost on event goers.
Weather-wise, it was nice, sunny, and windy; just perfect for an outdoor music event. The sizeable block party had the three bears approach to the three concert stages: Sun Country Stage (the largest), Jefferson Bus Lines Stage (the medium size stage), and Vita.MN Stage (the smallest).
I stayed for the majority of the middle venue, mostly out of commitment, and mostly because I wanted to see Family Of The Year and ZZ Ward (I'd already seen Cactus Blossoms, Father John Misty and Mayer Hawthorne at smaller, intimate settings). I showed up on time, but as far as I knew it, I never saw Churchill on the Jefferson Bus stage.
The first band I saw was Family Of The Year. Both W♥M Brody and John are big fans, having see them in House of Blues in New Orleans and Triple Rock in Minneapolis, respectively. I couldn't wait to see what all the fuss was about.
Family Of The Year may have not been at their peak, with keyboardist/vocals Christina Schroeter confessing that they just arrived from Canada and with delays and layovers and U.S. customs, that everyone in the band was operating on "zero sleep" with her hands making double zeros. If that was them at 0%, I wonder what they'd be like at a hundred?
As expected, the band did a number of songs from their last album Loma Vista, including "The Stairs ", "In the End", "Buried", "Diversity", "St. Croix" (their "Caribbean jam song" as they put it), and big crowd pleaser "Hero".
By the time headliner Matt Nathanson took the stage, I suddenly realized I was surrounded by a sea of young women.
Nathanson's new album Last of the Great Pretenders is coming out next Tuesday (July 16th), so he felt compel to play a few songs from it, including the lead single, "Mission Bells". Of course, he couldn't get away if he didn't do his big hit song "Come On Get Higher" from his 2008 album Some Mad Hope.
Vermont's Grace Potter and the Nocturnals was headliner for the main stage. The thing about Grace Potter's vocals and singing style, is that she is often compared to Janis Joplin or even Tina Turner. And certainly I can see that, especially at how graceful and comfortable she is in the spotlight, in front with the microphone or sitting behind a piano.
Although they did songs from their previous album The Lion The Beast The Beat, Potter managed to throw in a classic "Apologies" from their sophomore album.
I was looking forward to see ZZ Ward at the sold-out Varsity Theater earlier this year, but unfortunately, due to miscommunication, this never happened. I was even outside the venue, looking at the marquee! I'm glad to have finally caught her at the Basilica Block Party, consider this make-up work.
Ward had a lot to say about her songs, often explaining its origin. For instance, she love, love, love, Etta James' "Waiting For Charlie (to Come Home)" and she decided to write a song in answer to that called "Charlie Ain't Home". Speaking of homage, she did a blues dedication and covered Son House's "Grinnin' In Your Face".
According to my notes (please look over the setlist), she basically did a full set with even a weird "encore" of sort for "Blue Eyes Blind". Let me explain, once she started playing the familiar intro to "Criminal" and had everyone in the audience singing along and the energy of her performance at the maximum - everyone knew that was the final song on her set. It sure felt like it. But just when you think the band was going off stage, Ward asked the audience, "Do you want to hear one more?" to an overwhelming "YES" from the crowd. That's when they brought out the floor tom tom and she started singing "Blue Eyes Blind".
I am not sure if it's officially listed yet, but according to ZZ Ward, she is happy to announce that she is coming back to Minneapolis on October 12th to play at the Skyway Theatre as part of her "Down and Dirty" tour.
Weather-wise, it was nice, sunny, and windy; just perfect for an outdoor music event. The sizeable block party had the three bears approach to the three concert stages: Sun Country Stage (the largest), Jefferson Bus Lines Stage (the medium size stage), and Vita.MN Stage (the smallest).
I stayed for the majority of the middle venue, mostly out of commitment, and mostly because I wanted to see Family Of The Year and ZZ Ward (I'd already seen Cactus Blossoms, Father John Misty and Mayer Hawthorne at smaller, intimate settings). I showed up on time, but as far as I knew it, I never saw Churchill on the Jefferson Bus stage.
The first band I saw was Family Of The Year. Both W♥M Brody and John are big fans, having see them in House of Blues in New Orleans and Triple Rock in Minneapolis, respectively. I couldn't wait to see what all the fuss was about.
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FAMILY OF THE YEAR
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As expected, the band did a number of songs from their last album Loma Vista, including "The Stairs ", "In the End", "Buried", "Diversity", "St. Croix" (their "Caribbean jam song" as they put it), and big crowd pleaser "Hero".
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MATT NATHANSON
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GRACE POTTER
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Although they did songs from their previous album The Lion The Beast The Beat, Potter managed to throw in a classic "Apologies" from their sophomore album.
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Varsity Theater marquee (02/22/13)
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Ward had a lot to say about her songs, often explaining its origin. For instance, she love, love, love, Etta James' "Waiting For Charlie (to Come Home)" and she decided to write a song in answer to that called "Charlie Ain't Home". Speaking of homage, she did a blues dedication and covered Son House's "Grinnin' In Your Face".
According to my notes (please look over the setlist), she basically did a full set with even a weird "encore" of sort for "Blue Eyes Blind". Let me explain, once she started playing the familiar intro to "Criminal" and had everyone in the audience singing along and the energy of her performance at the maximum - everyone knew that was the final song on her set. It sure felt like it. But just when you think the band was going off stage, Ward asked the audience, "Do you want to hear one more?" to an overwhelming "YES" from the crowd. That's when they brought out the floor tom tom and she started singing "Blue Eyes Blind".
I am not sure if it's officially listed yet, but according to ZZ Ward, she is happy to announce that she is coming back to Minneapolis on October 12th to play at the Skyway Theatre as part of her "Down and Dirty" tour.
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ZZ Ward at the Basilica Block Party, Minneapolis (07/12/13) |
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