W♥M (Archive)

Minneapolis: August 22 to August 31, 2019

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from August 22 to August 31, 2019.

Read more: Minneapolis Music Guide.

Phantogram at Palace Read More Phantogram This Sunday's show is sold out, marking Phantogram's triumphant return to Minneapolis, in support of their new album Voices. … Bob Moses Canadian duo Bob Moses (also Grammy winners, btw) came out with guitars and keys a’ blazing with a badass drummer joining them (who’s name I never caught). Lead singer/guitarist Tom Howie was an ...

PHANTOGRAM
+ Bob Moses
Palace Theatre
Sun 08/25/2019 (6:30pm/$39.50)
palacestpaul.com

New York duo Phantogram (Josh Carter and Sarah Barthel) is back with their summer headlining tour. We’ve always liked these guys, and fairly excited about their new song “Mister Impossible”, which was a song that they’ve had an idea of it for a long time. After building their studio called Harmony West in Laurel Canyon, they put together the song in their own space. The song finalized last spring when they took it to Joshua Tree.

Bob Moses to open.

Tour dates:

August 16 Reno, NV Grand Theatre *
August 17 Ogden, UT Twilight Concert Series*
August 18 Denver, CO The Mission Ballroom
August 19 Estes Park, CO Stanley Hotel
August 20 Bellvue, CO Mishawaka Amphitheatre*
August 22 Council Bluffs, IA Stir Cove at Harrah’s*
August 23 Kansas City, MO KC Live!*
August 24 Chicago, IL The Riviera Theatre*
August 25 St. Paul, MN Palace Theatre*
August 27 Madison, WI The Sylvee*
August 28 Columbus, OH Express Live!*
August 29 Detroit, MI The Fillmore*
August 30 Toronto, ON Danforth Music Hall*
August 31 Clifton Park, NY Upstate Concert Hall
September 3 Boston, MA House of Blues*
September 4 New Haven, CT College Street Music Hall*
September 5 Brooklyn, NY Kings Theatre
September 6 Washington, D.C. The Anthem*
September 7 Raleigh, NC Hopscotch Music Festival
September 9 Atlanta, GA Tabernacle*
September 10 Birmingham, AL Avondale Brewing Company*
September 12 Houston, TX White Oak Music Hall*
September 13 Dallas, TX The Bomb Factory*
September 14 Austin, TX Stubb’s*
September 15 El Paso, TX Lowbrow Palace*
September 16 Phoenix, AZ The Van Buren*
September 18 Tucson, AZ The Rialto Theater
September 21 Pomona, CA The Fox Theater Pomona
September 22 Las Vegas, NV Life Is Beautiful
November 22 San Diego, CA Wonderfront Music Festival

* with Bob Moses

Other shows in the area:

MN State Fair 2019 Iron Maiden 2019 Tour Hovvdy/Lomelda at 7th Street Alex Lahey at Turf Club Demons & Wizards at Skyway Nathaniel Rateliff at Surly Brewing Fest Read More Minnesota State Fair Despite my protests, we end up going to the Minnesota State Fair every year. This is the "Great Minnesota Get-together", where everyone goes to enjoy eating something on a stick… Nathaniel Rateliff I think Nathaniel Rateliff and his band The Night Sweats have finally made it. It's hard to believe that we've been writing about him since 2013....

MINNESOTA STATE FAIR
Minnesota State Fairgrounds
Thu 08/22/2019-Mon 09/02/2019
mnstatefair.org

The annual Minnesota State Fair is back, this year running August 22 to Labor Day, September 2nd. I won’t be listing every bands set to attend, but the major ones. Please note in addition to the concert ticket, you’ll also need to spend an entry fee into the fair.

We don’t go every year, as it’s very expensive to attend. On top of the entry fee, the fried foods are marked up - so for a family of four, you’re looking to drop over $150 easily. Personally speaking, I rather take that money and go to smaller concerts or buy yourself some CDs or DVDs.

The last time we went was on Labor Day in Sep 2017, because we had the day off work.

Schedule:

Thu 08/22/2019 Barenaked Ladies, Hootie & The Blowfish

Thu 08/22/2019 Belinda Carlisle

Fri 08/23/2019 Max, Why Don't We, Eben

Sat 08/24/2019-Sun 08/25/2019 Herman's Hermits Starring Peter Noone

Sat 08/24/2019 Dierks Bentley, Caylee Hammack

Sun 08/25/2019 Clint Black, Trace Adkins, Terri Clark

Mon 08/26/2019 The Classics IV, "The Happy Together Tour", Gary Puckett & The Union Gap, The Turtles, Tommy James & The Shondells, The Cowsills, Chuck Negron, The Buckinghams

Tue 08/27/2019 "Weird Al" Yankovic

Wed 08/28/2019 Daryl Hall & John Oates, G. Love & Special Sauce

Thu 08/29/2019 Logic, Prof

Fri 08/30/2019 Lauren Jauregui, Lionel Richie

Sat 08/31/2019 Mavis Staples, Savannah Conley, Brandi Carlile

Sun 09/01/2019-Mon 09/02/2019 Dessa

Mon 09/02/2019 ZZ Top, Cheap Trick

IRON MAIDEN
+ The Raven Age
Xcel Energy Center
Mon 08/26/2019 (6:30pm/$35)
xcelenergycenter.com

Iconic band Iron Maiden is back, and they’re headlining the Xcel Energy Center in St Paul.

Show up early to check out English melodic metalcore band The Raven Age, a band founded by guitarists Dan Wright and George Harris in 2009.

Tour dates:

Aug. 17 - Pittsburgh, Pa. @ PPG Paints Arena
Aug. 19 - Nashville, Tenn. @ Bridgestone Arena
Aug. 22 - Chicago, Ill. @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Aug. 24 - Indianapolis, Ind. @ Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
Aug. 26 - St Paul, Minn. @ Xcel Energy Center
Aug. 28 - Winnipeg, Manitoba @ Bell MTS Place
Aug. 30 - Edmonton, Alberta @ Rogers Place
Aug. 31 - Calgary, Alberta @ Scotiabank Saddledome
Sept. 03 - Vancouver, British Columbia @ Pepsi Live
Sept. 05 - Tacoma, Wash. @ Tacoma Dome
Sept. 06 - Portland, Ore. @- Moda Center
Sept. 09 - Sacramento, Calif. @ Golden 1 Center
Sept. 10 - Oakland, Calif. @ Oracle Arena
Sept. 13 - Las Vegas, Nev. @ MGM Grand Garden Arena
Sept. 14 - Los Angeles, Calif. @ Bank of California Stadium
Sept. 17 - Phoenix, Ariz. @ Talking Stick Resort Arena
Sept. 19 - Albuquerque, N.M. @ Isleta Amphitheater
Sept. 21 - Dallas, Texas @ Dos Equis Pavilion
Sept. 22 - Houston, Texas @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell
Sept. 25 - San Antonio, Texas @ AT&T Center
Sept. 27 - Mexico City, Mexico @ Sports Palace
Sept. 29 - Mexico City, Mexico @ Sports Palace
Sept. 30 - Mexico City, Mexico @ Sports Palace
Oct. 04 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil @ Rock In Rio
Oct. 12 - Buenos Aires, Argentina @ Velez Sarsfield Stadium
Oct. 15 - Santiago, Chile @ Estadio Nacional

HOVVDY and LOMELDA
+ Nadine
7th St Entry
Tue 08/27/2019 (7pm/$13)
first-avenue.com

Lomelda and Hovvdy are on a co-headlining tour for their Covers split EP (Double Double Whammy Records). Both bands are longtime friends from Texas.

Nadine to open.

Tour Dates:

8/22 - Oxford, MS - Proud Larry's
8/23 - Nashville, TN - DRKMTTR
8/24 - Columbus, OH - Big Room Bar
8/25 - Milwaukee, WI - The Back Room
8/26 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
8/27 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry
8/29 - Omaha, NE - Reverb Lounge
8/30 - Columbia, MO - Cafe Berlin
8/31 - Norman, OK @ Opolis
9/1 - Denton, TX - Andy's Bar

ALEX LAHEY
+ Kingsbury
Turf Club
Wed 08/28/2019 (7pm/$16)
turfclub.net

Australian songwriter Alex Lahey is headlining the Turf Club in support of her new album The Best Of Luck Club (Dead Oceans).

Los Angeles’ Caroline Kingsbury, billed as Kingsbury will open.

Tour Dates:

Tue. Aug. 13 - Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
Wed. Aug. 14 - Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
Fri. Aug. 16 - Austin, TX @ Antone’s
Sat. Aug. 17 - Dallas, TX @ Deep Ellum Art Co.
Mon. Aug. 19 - Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
Tue. Aug. 20 - Nashville, TN @ Exit / In
Thu. Aug. 22 - Washington, DC @ U Street Music Hall
Fri. Aug. 23 - Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Sat. Aug. 24 - Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
Sun. Aug. 25 - Allston, MA @ Great Scott
Tue. Aug. 27 - Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
Wed. Aug. 28 - St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
Sat. Aug. 31 - Seattle, WA @ Bumbershoot
Sun. Sep. 1 - Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret
Tue. Sep. 3 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge

DEMONS & WIZARDS
+ Lizzy Borden & TYR
Skyway Theatre
Thu 08/29/2019 (6:30pm/$39.50)
skywaytheatre.com

Legendary metal band Demons & Wizards is headlining the Skyway Theatre in Minneapolis this August 29th. This is the band’s first shows in 19 years.

Lizzy Borden and TYR to open.

Tour Dates:

August 17 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern
August 20 - Seattle, WA - Showbox SODO
August 21 - Vancouver, BC - The Commodore
August 22 - Portland, OR - Roseland
August 24 - Denver, CO - The Summit Theater
August 26 - Dallas, TX - Gas Monkey Live
August 28 - Chicago, IL - Concord Music Hall
August 29 - Minneapolis, MN - Skyway Theater
August 31 - Toronto, ON - Danforth Music Hall
September 1 - Montreal, QC - Corona Theatre
September 4 - Worcester, MA - The Palladium
September 5 - New York, NY - Playstation Theater
September 7 - Atlanta, GA - Progpower

NATHANIEL RATELIFF & THE NIGHT SWEATS
+ Hiss Golden Messenger
Surly Brewing Co. Festival Field
Fri 08/30/2019 (5:30pm/$49.50/Sold Out)
surlybrewing.com

The very popular Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats sold out the Surly Brewing show on August 30th, thanks to being the #1 most played artist and #1 most played song (“You Worry Me”).

Special guests Hiss Golden Messenger to open.

Tour Dates:

August 19—Vail, CO—Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater
August 21-22—Morrison, CO—Red Rocks Amphitheatre
August 25—Columbia, MD—Merriweather Post Pavilion
August 29—Moorhead, MN—Sister Cities Smokeout
September 11—Forest Hills, NY—Forest Hills Stadium
September 14—Fredericton, Canada—Harvest Jazz
September 17—Philadelphia, PA—Mann Center
September 20—Louisville, KY—Bourbon & Beyond
September 22—Franklin, TN—Pilgrimage Music
September 29—Dana Point, CA—Ohana Fest

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

Minneapolis: August 24 to August 31, 2018

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from August 24 to August 31, 2018.

Read more: Minneapolis Music Guide.

MN State Fair Read More Minnesota State Fair Despite my protests, we end up going to the Minnesota State Fair every year. This is the "Great Minnesota Get-together", where everyone goes to enjoy eating something on a stick…

MINNESOTA STATE FAIR
MN State Fairgrounds
Thu 08/23/2018-Mon 09/03/2018
mnstatefair.org

It’s that time of the year again. The annual gettogether called the Minnesota State Fair.

As usual, in additional to the Fair’s entrance fee, there may be extra cost to get to the Grandstand music events. Personally speaking, sometime the free music is good enough!

Grandstand:

Aug. 23, 2018 · Niall Horan ($49)

Aug. 24, 2018 · Sugarland ($57)

Aug. 25, 2018 · Trampled by Turtles with Lord Huron and Lissie ($35)

Aug. 26, 2018 · Earth, Wind and Fire ($39)

Aug. 27, 2018 · The Beach Boys ($38.50)

Aug. 28, 2018 · Jason Mraz ($39)

Aug. 29, 2018 · Old Dominion ($25)

Aug. 30, 2018 · Tenderloins ($50)

Aug. 31, 2018 · 311 and Offspring ($49)

Sep. 1, 2018 · Hairball: A Bombastic Celebration of Arena Rock ($15)

Sep. 2, 2018 · Minnesota State Fair Amateur Talent Contest Finals (Free)

Sep. 3, 2018 · Culture Club and B-52s ($35)

Leinie Lodge Bandshell Stage (Free):

August 25 BoDeans

August 27 En Vogue

August 28 En Vogue

September 2 The Secret Sisters

Full schedule at mnstatefair.org/schedule

Chuck Prophet 2018 Poster Lil Baby 2018 Tour Read More Chuck Prophet Other shows in the area: 03/15/2017 Chuck Prophet will be at the Turf Club in Saint Paul. 03/15/2017 The Revivalists is headlining Fine Line Music Café. .…

Other shows in the area:

CHUCK PROPHET
+ Jeremy & the Harlequins
Turf Club
Fri 08/24/2018 (8pm/$17)
turfclub.net

Chuck Prophet will be playing the Turf Club in St Paul in support of his latest album Bobby Fuller Died For Our Sins.

Jeremy & the Harlequins to open.

Tour dates:

08/18/2018 Levitt Pavilion Denver Denver, CO
08/21/2018 Off Broadway Nightclub St. Louis, MO
08/22/2018 SPACE Evanston, IL
08/23/2018 Shank Hall Milwaukee, WI
08/24/2018 Turf Club Saint Paul, MN
08/25/2018 Orton Park Festival Madison, WI
08/26/2018 The Waiting Room Omaha, NE
08/31/2018 San Jose Improv San Jose, CA
09/01/2018 San Jose Improv San Jose, CA
09/02/2018 San Jose Improv San Jose, CA
10/06/2018 The Venue Hammond, IN
10/21/2018 Hopmonk Tavern Novato, CA

LIL BABY
Varsity Theater
Fri 08/24/2018 (7pm/Sold Out)
varsitytheater.com

Atlanta’s fastest rising star Lil Baby will be headlining the Varsity Theater in support of his Harder Than Ever project, out now on Quality Control Music / Motown Records / Capitol Records / Wolfpack Global.

Tour dates:

8/13 Phoenix, AZ @ The Pressroom
8/15 Dallas, TX @ House of Blues
8/16 Houston, TX @ House of Blues
8/19 Denver, CO @ Cervantes' Masterpiece
8/21 Kansas City, MO @ The Truman
8/22 St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant
8/24 Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater
8/25 Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
8/26 Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
8/28 Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews Hall
8/29 Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues
8/31 Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
9/01 Providence, RI @ The Strand
9/02 New Haven, CT @ Toad's Place
9/05 New York City, NY @ Irving Plaza
9/06 Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts
9/08 Washington DC @ The Filmore
9/09 Richmond, VA @ The National
9/11 Norfolk, VA @ The Nova
9/12 Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz
9/13 Charlotte, NC @ The Filmore

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

Minnesota State Fair: Kids & Last Chance Day (04 September 2017)

Read More Minnesota State Fair Despite my protests, we end up going to the Minnesota State Fair every year. This is the "Great Minnesota Get-together", where everyone goes to enjoy eating something on a stick…

I went to the Minnesota State Fair on Labor Day, September 4th, 2017. Since we were just attending as paid guests, I wasn’t obligated to cover or stay for any music shows (wanted to see Hippo Campus, couldn’t stay because it started to rain).

Typically, when we go to the fair, we don’t really have a plan and tend to just wander around and get lost. Sometime we get lucky and see a new vendor, like the Fried Olive or Que Viet... but we don’t actively seek out new food.

Since it was “Last Chance Day” at the Fair, some vendors had some deals (but they never seem to be that good). For example, a coffee vendor was only offering deals on a certain flavor that they had overstock, or buy one and get one half off.

We always visit the International Bazaar to see what’s on stage. We caught some traditional Spanish Chinelos de Axochiapan costume and dancing on the main stage.

Saw a bit of Axiom (not to be confused with countless other Axiom bands, especially the St Paul metal band) at the DNR Outdoor Stage. They ended their set with a cover of The Clash’ ‘Should I Stay Or Should I Go’. Staying at the DNR Stage, we caught The Raptor Center showcasing various raptors, like kestrels, owls, or bald eagles.

The Hmong Minnesota Day was happening over at Dan Patch Park. Hmong-related vendors were set up all around the main stage, which featured Hmong dresses and “Hmong Americans Got Talent”. There was also a sepak takraw (kick volleyball) game taking place in the park.

Over at the Leinie Lodge Bandshell, we saw New Orleans-based funk-soul musical group Tank and the Bangas. The group is fronted by Tarriona Ball (aka Tank), and was the winner of NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest this year for their song ‘Quick’. They were probably the highlight of the State Fair for us.

MN State Fair

Chinelos de Axochiapan

Sepak takraw

Axiom at DNR Stage

The Raptor Center

Minnesota State Fair

Beef Expo

Turtles

Fried Olives

Putin & Trump shares a corndog

Hmong MN Day: Hmong Americans Got Talent

Tank and the Bangas at Leinie Lodge Bandshell, Minnesota State Fair (04 September 2017)

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

JD McPherson at Leinie Lodge Bandshell, Minnesota State Fair (01 Sept 2017)

Setlist Bossy Crazy Horse Wolf Teeth Rome Wasn't Built in a Day (Nick Lowe cover) You Must Have Met Little Caroline Mother of Lies Desperate Love On the Lips Country Boy North Side Gal Read More JD McPherson Broken Arrow, OK native JD McPherson lived up to his latest album’s title and Let the Good Times Roll (on Rounder Records) for his rollicking 40 min. set on a more crowded …

“Oh… I think I ate too many caramel apples!”

Oklahoma native JD McPherson stopped by the Leinie Lodge Bandshell at the Minnesota State Fair for a two-day/two-sets-per-day mini-residency, and we caught the first of his four scheduled shows. 

The retro sounding McPherson, who draws his sounds from a mix of rock n’ roll, rhythm and blues, and rockabilly is out in early support of his upcoming album, Undivided Heart and Soul (New West Records) due out October 6, and gave the crowded bandshell a preview of the new tracks, as well as played some old favorites. 

With his regular band in tow (Jimmy Sutton -upright bass; Jason Smay –drums; Ray Jacildo –keys; Doug Corcoran-sax, guitar, keys). McPherson soon had the front of the stage filled with bobbing heads and clapping hands, and the edges swaying with swing dancers on the extreme right and left, up front.

Opening with 2014’s ‘Bossy’, the set moved quicker into rockabilly (and more all-ages) with ‘Crazy Horse’, a song written for the Netflix Mr. Peabody and Sherman animated series, with bassist Sutton and Jacildo on the keys, shining early to the fans’ delight.   “…I wasn’t kidding about those caramel apples”, he said, gently strumming the intro to his feather light cover of a 2007 Nick Lowe song.

Following the howls of ‘You Must Have Met Little Caroline’, the set went more rockabilly again with a bass-plucking ‘Mother of Lies’, featuring some exemplary sax from Corcoran.  A couple of the new album’s songs were next- the album opener, ‘Desperate Love’, a mid-tempo number that chugs like a train through a dark tunnel, and ‘On the Lips’, a smoldering song that takes a jangly ‘60s guitar riff and re-invents things from there.

The slower ‘Country Boy’ led into the swing-ready ‘North Side Gal’, which closed the short forty-minute set, with McPherson skipping the planned encore of ‘Scratching Circles’, local radio hit ‘Fire Bug’, and even the lead single from the upcoming album, ‘Lucky Penny’. 

Maybe he was just conserving his strength for the shows ahead, hoping the crowd would return later in the day for his second show, or maybe it was those caramel apples.  McPherson plays two shows again today as well as makes a stop at the MPR/89.3 Current booth, before continuing his tour on. 

With his local following already growing and no doubt, boosted further by this four-show stand, expect JD McPherson and the band to return soon on a future tour leg, after the album is released. 

Tour dates:

09/02/2017 Minnesota State Fair 09/03/2017 Copper Mountain, CO The Villages 09/07/2017 Madison, WI Central Park 09/08/2017 Kalamazoo, MI Bell's Eccentric Cafe 09/09/2017 Akron, OH University Of Akron 09/14/2017 Americana Music Festival 09/14/2017 Nashville, TN Little Harpeth Brewing 09/22/2017 Tahlequah, OK Diamondhead Resort 09/23/2017 Helotes, TX Floore's Country Store 09/28/2017 Kansas City, MO Knuckleheads 09/30/2017 Englewood, CO Gothic Theatre 10/01/2017 Grand Junction, CO Mesa Theater 10/02/2017 Salt Lake City, UT The State Room

10/04/2017 Seattle, WA Neumos 10/05/2017 Portland, OR McMenamins Crystal Ballroom 10/07/2017 Saratoga, CA The Mountain Winery 10/08/2017 San Francisco, CA Independent 10/11/2017 Solana Beach, CA Belly Up Tavern 10/12/2017 Pioneertown, CA Pappy And Harriet's 10/13/2017 Santa Ana, CA The Observatory 10/14/2017 Los Angeles, CA The Regent Theater 10/15/2017 Phoenix, AZ The Crescent Ballroom 10/18/2017 Dallas, TX The Kessler Theater 10/19/2017 Austin, TX Scoot Inn 11/05/2017 Philadelphia, PA World Cafe Live 11/10/2017 Toronto, ON Lee's Palace 11/11/2017 Buffalo, NY The Tralf Music Hall

JD McPherson at Leinie Lodge Bandshell, Minnesota State Fair (01 Sept 2017)

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

Minneapolis: August 19 to August 25, 2017

Here are some concerts taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from August 19 to August 25, 2017.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Read More Minnesota Fan Fest Vu and John on W♥M Radio, talking about Minnesota Fan Fest (19-20 Aug 2017). The event at Rivercentre in St Paul will feature celebrity guests Jason David Frank from Power ...

MINNESOTA FAN FEST
at St Paul Rivercentre
08/19-08/20/2017 ($30)
myfanfest.com

We’ll be covering Minnesota Fan Fest this weekend (August 19-20, 2017). You can hear us talking and breaking down some of the guests we’re excited to see on W♥269.

Guests:

Jason David Frank
Green Ranger | Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Garrett Wang
Star Trek: Voyager

Eddie McClintock
Warehouse 13, Backstrom

Sean Patrick Flanery
The Boondock Saints, The Dead Zone

Cara McGee
Over the Garden Wall

Hope Nicholson
The Spectacular Sisterhood of Superwomen

Francis Manapul
The Flash, New 52, Trinity

Zander Cannon
Heck, Big Time Attic, Double Barrel

Dave Wheeler
The Misadventures of Wonderboy

Gordon Purcell
Star Trek, The X-Files

K. Lynn Smith
Plume, Cards Against Humanity

Ken F. Levin
Preacher, Sable; Painkiller Jane

Mike McKone
Teen Titans, Exiles, Fantastic Four

Jae Lee
Hellshock, The Inhumans

Bob Layton
Iron Man, Valiant Comics

Dan Jurgens
Superman

Peter J. Tomasi
Superman, Batman & Robin

Phil Hester
Green Arrow, Swamp Thing

Christopher Jones
Young Justice, The Batman Strikes

Jim Calafiore
Aquaman, Red Lanterns

Francis Manapul
Flash, Detective Comics

Benjamin Percy
The Dark Net, The Dead Lands

Read More Father John Misty J. Tillman under his moniker Father John Misty will be back in Minneapolis this April 4th, in support of his latest Sub Pop album I Love You, Honeybear. … Tennis Husband/wife duo Tennis is back in town. Their forthcoming album Yours Conditionally will be out March 10th via Mutually Detrimental / Thirty Tigers. … Tour de Fat New Belgium brewery again brings its Tour de Fat festival back to Loring Park this Saturday. The completely free event features a bike parade, vendors and booths, beer on tap (of course), and a handful of musical acts … Carrie Rodriguez Country singer and fiddler Carrie Rodriguez is coming back to the Cedar Cultural Center next Tuesday, March 1st. The current tour is for Rodriguez's highly anticipated album, Lola . .… Minnesota State Fair Despite my protests, we end up going to the Minnesota State Fair every year. This is the "Great Minnesota Get-together", where everyone goes to enjoy eating something on a stick… George Clinton The major headliners are pretty popular (George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelic, Michael Franti and Spearhead & The Neville Brothers), but it .... 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) .…

Other shows in the area:

08/19/2017 Father John Misty and Tennis will play Surly Brewing Festival Field. There will be beer there. 5pm, $45.

08/19/2017 This day festival Tour de Fat is taking place over at the Cabooze this Saturday, August 19. The event was previously free at Loring Park, but the paid version will bring in some big acts, including The Record Company, Kolars and Monica LaPlante. NOTE: These type of shows ends about 10pm, so plan accordingly. 4pm, $20.

08/19/2017 Carrie Rodriguez is returning to the The Cedar Cultural Center on Saturday. Support from Pat Donohue. 7pm, $18.

08/19/2017 19-year-old singer-songwriter Khalid is headlining The Myth on Saturday. Yep, it’s sold out. 6pm, Sold Out.

08/19/2017 Please note that our favorite Australian kids San Cisco has canceled their 7th Street Entry show: “Due to unfortunate circumstances it is not possible for San Cisco to play the Eastern Coast of USA shows they had planned. It is with great sadness we have to postpone these shows for now. We will endeavour to reschedule in the near future.” 7pm, Canceled.

08/19/2017 Nashville indie-rock trio The Lonely Biscuits will be playing the Turf Club in St Paul. Their San Francisco EP will be out September 22 via Most Lonely Records. Okey Dokey to open. 8pm, $12.

08/21-08/22/2017 Charlotte’s Sinners & Saints is playing the Black Dog Café on Thursday (August 21) and Acadia Café on Friday (August 22), in support of their new album On The Other Side. 8pm, Free and Free.

08/22/2017 Simple Plan is headlining First Ave as part of their “No Pads, No Helmets….Just Balls” 15th Anniversary Tour. Patent Pending and Set It Off to open. 6pm, $30.50.

08/22/2017 Tyler Childers to play the 7th Street Entry, in support of his debut record Purgatory (Hickman Holler Records/Thirty Tigers). Sammy Brue will open. 7:30pm, $10.

08/23/2017 Charlottesville’s Lowland Hum (duo Daniel and Lauren Goans) will be playing the Aster Café in support of their new album Thin. NPR’s Bob Boilen said, “Sincerity, community and beauty is how I think of Lowland Hum; the sounds of Lauren and Daniel Goans.” 8pm, $7.

08/24/2017 Washed Out is touring in support of Mister Mellow. They are stopping by First Avenue on Thursday. Dega to open. 8pm, $20.

08/24-09/04/2017 The great Minnesota State Fair is running from August 24 to Labor Day, September 4th. As usual, they book some paid and free concerts, so look up their website for additional details. Band we’re interested in will be free shows: The Pointer Sisters on August 24-25, George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic on August 26-27, Hippo Campus on Sep 3-4. 10am, $14.

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

Minneapolis: August 28 to August 31, 2016

We are closing out the month of August with these shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from August 28 to August 31, 2016.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Read More Bayside Out of all the bands I listen to, Bayside is definitely in my top three favorite bands of all time. There's something about them that makes me obsess over them .…

BAYSIDE
at Mill City Nights
Sunday, 08/28/16, 7:30pm ($18/$23)
millcitynights.com

We caught Bayside last September 2015 and wrote that it was “Absolute perfection”.

The American rock band is currently back on tour in support of their seventh studio album Vancancy, available now on Hopeless Records in North America.

Singer/guitar player Anthony Raneri (who recently move to Nashville) tells the story of his his marriage and finding himself alone in Nashville: “The hotel on the album cover reflects the feelings I had while working on Vacancy. Writing this album, I felt as if everything was uncertain, I could move back to New York, buy a house in Nashville… I just didn’t know what was going to come next. I felt very isolated and as if everything in my life was temporary at that moment.”

The Menzingers and Sorority Noise to open.

Tour dates:

08/20 Sayreville, NJ Starland Ballroom
08/21 Boston, MA House of Blues
08/23 Pittsburgh, PA Altar Bar
08/24 Cleveland, OH Agora
08/25 Toronto, ON Opera House
08/26 Detroit, MI The Majestic
08/27 Chicago, IL Beer Festival
08/28 Minneapolis, MN Mill City Nights
08/30 Denver, CO Ogden Theatre
08/31 Salt Lake City, UT The Complex
09/02 Seattle, WA The Showbox
09/03 Portland, OR Hawthorne Theatre
09/04 San Francisco Regency
09/06 Santa Ana, CA The Observatory
09/07 Los Angeles, CA Regent Theater
09/08 San Diego, CA The Observatory North Park
09/09 Las Vegas, NV Brooklyn Bowl
09/10 Phoenix, AZ The Pressroom
09/11 Albuquerque, NM The Sunshine Theater
09/13 San Antonio, TX Alamo City Music Hall
09/14 Houston, TX House of Blues
09/15 Dallas, TX Gas Monkey Live
09/16 Lawrence, KS Granada Theater
09/17 St. Louis, MO The Ready Room
09/18 Nashville, TN Exit/In

Read More A Silent Film As soon as Greycoats set ended, A Silent Film's fans raced up front to the stage: clearly, they were the band of the hour. The English alternative band had great energy, with a dedicated singer …

A SILENT FILM
at 7th Street Entry
Monday, 08/29/16, 7:30pm ($15)
first-avenue.com

Oxford’s A Silent Film is back in the USA, touring in support of their new album Sand & Snow.

We previously caught the band on their first visit in 2013 and again last October 2015 and wrote, “Oxford, UK band A Silent Film has pared down to a duo since we last saw them, bringing a fellow Oxford resident on bass and two Americans, on tour to play with them.... As a result, the band is in the midst of a rebirth of sorts themselves, and as evidenced by their newest and self-titled full-length.”

Grayshot to open.

Tour dates:

08/20 Las Vegas, NV Brooklyn Bowl*
08/21 Reno, NV Grand Sierra Resort*
08/23 Bend, OR Century Center Events*
08/24 Boise, ID Revolution Center*
08/29 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entry
08/30 Kansas City, MO The Riot Room
08/31 St. Louis, MO Duck Room at Blueberry Hill
09/02 Dallas, TX Club Dada
09/03 Stroud, OK Backwoods Music Festival

* supporting Silversun Pickups

Read More Guided by Voices Current DJ Mark Wheat went on-stage to intro the legendary Guided by Voices, but first gave the crowd a score update to the US game of the World Cup. This led into chants of “USA …

GUIDED BY VOICES
at First Avenue
Wednesday, 08/31/16, 7:30pm ($25/$30)
first-avenue.com

Cult indie rock band Guided by Voices will be headlining First Avenue next Wednesday, August 31st, in support of Please Be Honest.

Broncho will open the show. We’ve previously seen the band early in their career, in 2014 and 2013, and have written that this is a very lucky band to have been on tour with Billy Idol and now with GBV.

Broncho’s Double Vanity album is out now on Dine Alone Records.

Broncho’s tour dates:

8/22 - The Independent - San Francisco, CA*
8/23 - The Independent - San Francisco, CA*
8/26 - Neumos - Seattle, WA*
8/30 - Total Drag - Sioux Falls, SD
8/31 - First Avenue - Minneapolis, MN*
9/1 - Turner Hall - Milwaukee, WI*
9/2 - Northside Tavern - Cincinnati, OH
9/3 - Metro - Chicago, IL*

* w/ Guided By Voices

Read More Minnesota State Fair Despite my protests, we end up going to the Minnesota State Fair every year. This is the "Great Minnesota Get-together", where everyone goes to enjoy eating something on a stick…

MINNESOTA STATE FAIR
at Minnesota State Fair Grandstand
08/25/16 - 09/05/16, 7am ($13)
mnstatefair.org

It’s that time of the year again: The Great Get-Together Minnesota State Fair! As usual, they have booked some great musical lineup this year.

Note: The GrandStand’s concert tickets are extra and does not include the State Fair’s entrance fee.

The GrandStand:

08/25/2016: Don Henley ($50)
08/26/2016: Charlie Wilson ($40)
08/27/2016: Dixie Chicks* ($57)
08/28/2016: Dixie Chicks* ($57)
08/29/2016: Happy Together Tour ($21)
08/30/2016: G-Eazy ($33)
08/31/2016: Demi Lovato & Nick Jonas ($33)
09/01/2016: Alabama ($40)
09/02/2016: Garrison Keillor ($27)
09/03/2016: Weezer ($35)
09/04/2016: Minnesota State Fair (Free)
09/05/2016: Bonnie Raitt ($36)

* Please note that one of W♥M favorite souls/blues band Vintage Trouble, along with roots band Smooth Hound Smith, are listed to open for Dixie Chicks, which is a bit of an odd billing.

Leinie Lodge Bandshell (free):

08/25-08/26: High Valley, Tonic Sol-fa, Martin Family Circus
08/27-08/28: The Bros. Landreth, Ashley Campbell, Dave Barnes
08/29-08/30: We Banjo 3, Chris Hillman & Herb Pedersen, Infantry Division "Red Bull" Band
08/31-09/01: Pokey LaFarge The Quebe Sisters, The Sound Exchange
09/02-09/03: BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet, Max Baca & Los TexManiacs, The Railers
09/04-09/05: Tim Cavanagh, The Last Bandoleros, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Peterson Brothers

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

Lou Gramm at Minnesota State Fair (02 and 03 Sept 2015)

Setlist Double Vision* Feels Like the First Time* Just Between You and Me Cold as Ice* Head Games* That Was Yesterday* I Want to Know What Love Is* Long, Long Way From Home* Urgent* Drum Solo Blue Morning, Blue Day* Midnight Blue Juke Box Hero* -- Encore -- Bad Company instrumental / Hot Blooded* * Foreigner song Tour Dates 09/26/15 Oklahoma State Fairgrounds 10/09/15 Las Vegas, NV Golden Nugget Hotel 11/07/15 Green Bay, WI Meyer Theatre 11/11/15 Monterrey, Mexico Arena Monterrey 11/12/15 Mexico City, Mexico Teatro Metropolitan Read More Foreigner Foreigner: Live is a misleading title for a re-issue of the DVD Soundstage: Foreigner - Live, which portion of this show was originally aired PBS on January 22, 2009. ...

With over forty years of rock under his belt, it’s safe to say he’s still a Juke Box Hero—

Lou Gramm, "The Voice of Foreigner"

Lou Gramm, the “Voice of Foreigner” rocked the bandshell at the Minnesota State Fair, with a two-night stand of nothing but hits- songs anyone growing up to AOR (album-oriented rock) radio, all know by heart.

The now 65 year-old Gramm has had more than his share of ups and downs since leaving Foreigner twice (the last time being over ten years ago; with most notably, a life-threatening brain tumor that affected his pituitary gland, weight, voice, and stamina), but after a long and gradual road back, he’s back in much better form and ready to entertain everyone again, that grew up with his music.

Beginning his set with the intro sounds of car engine roars, jungle drums, and police sirens, Gramm and band (Michael Staertow – lead guitar; AD Zimmer – bass; Andy Knoll – keyboards, synthesizer; and Ben Gramm – drums, percussion) stormed the stage with 1978 Foreigner hit, ‘Double Vision’, the title track from the band’s second full-length.

Gramm is in much stronger voice than even a few years ago, his voice retaining that signature growl and tone that was so familiar on FM radio from the late ‘70s onward.  Like most singers of generation still performing, some of the songs were taken to a lower key to accommodate a more limited range, but the crowd didn’t seem to care, happy to sing along to songs most grew up with.

1977’s ‘Feels Like the First Time’ was next, from the band’s debut, followed by Gramm’s solo hit from his second album, ‘Just Between You and Me’.  “On this warm night…we brought some ice to the party”, Gramm mentioned before he and band launched into 1977’s ‘Cold as Ice’.

1984’s ‘That Was Yesterday’ was the full version, complete with first verse piano intro, and with no choir backing him, the crowd become the makeshift “Minnesota Gospel Choir”, singing along to Foreigner’s biggest hit, ‘I Want to Know What Love Is’.

“Now this…is an emergency!” Gramm cried before going into Foreigner’s ‘Urgent’, the keyboards doing double-duty by mimicking the saxophone solo.  Gramm’s brother Ben got a turn in the spotlight with a late-set drum solo before the main set ended with the familiar bass drum and synth intro-ing ‘Jukebox Hero’.

Gramm in Minnesota Twins jersey

Gramm and co. re-emerged for a single-song encore, the band first riffing on the instrumental break of Bad Company’s ‘All Right Now’ before going into Foreigner’s ‘Hot Blooded’ with Gramm donning a Minnesota Twins jersey to crowd applause.  The Rochester, NY native noted that he is a lifelong Twins fan, due to his local minor league team, the Redbirds, being a farm club for the Major League Baseball team.

“We’ve had a lot of fun…we’re gonna do this again”, Gramm said waving to the audience on his way out the first night and was true to his word, bringing those timeless hits back, one more time on the following night.  Anyone curious about Gramm’s journey as a person and performer is encouraged to seek out his 2013 memoir, Juke Box Hero: My Five Decades in Rock 'n' Roll (Titan Books).

“I knew a lot of those songs”, my girlfriend mentioned after the first night, “…more than I thought”.  A State Fair policeman standing nearby that also took in the concert, replied to her, “You should know all of those songs” as anyone growing up in the Heartland to classic rock radio, would also confirm.

Lou Gramm at Leinie Lodge Bandshell, Minnesota State Fair (02 and 03 Sept 2015)

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

Minnesota State Fair: Thrifty Thursday (27 Aug 2015)

Read More Minnesota State Fair Despite my protests, we end up going to the Minnesota State Fair every year. This is the "Great Minnesota Get-together", where everyone goes to enjoy eating something on a stick…

The Minnesota State Fair just kicked off yesterday on "Thrifty Thursday", bringing in 110,267 Minnesotans this opening day (just slightly under their all-time first-day attendance record of 119,145 in 2010). It was pretty crowded, but not as bad as Saturday, and we didn't spend too much time standing in line at the food vendors. That's how we like it.

Advance apologies for the poor photos, they were taken with my Moto E phone because I had forgotten to bring my camera. I've previously said that the Moto E had the worst phone camera I've ever used... so I think in a few weeks I'm going to just buy a new, improved Moto G. It's affordable (under $200), and I think I deserved a better mobile photo option the next time I forget my regular camera.

While the two biggest music draw at the MN State Fair are the paid Grandstand shows and the bigger Leinie Lodge Bandshell stage... the truth are over 20 smaller music stages throughout the fair grounds. The 2015 Free Entertainment overview doesn't even list everything. You'll have to go to another page called Even More Music to get a more microscopic look.

The Good Intentions

The first band we stumbled across was The Good Intentions, lead by Chris Silver, at the Schell's Stage at Schilling Amphitheater. The band played some standard bluegrass/Americana songs. The banjo-picking band proved to be the perfect opener for headliner and local legend Charlie Parr, who was taking the stage at 8pm.

Mark Joseph Project

We grab some crab cakes at the Café Caribe and followed the music... which lead to Mark Joseph Project. He played some Caribbean-inspired songs with reggae jams. According to Mark Joseph's biography, he played over 1,000 shows and is known as one of the hardest working musician in the Midwest.

The final band we checked out was Ecuador Manta, an Andean band playing some traditional tunes and covers, including the Righteous Brothers' "Unchained Melody." The band has been playing the MN State Fair for the past 16 years... well before the time of the little 10-year-old-boy who was on stage playing the pan pipes with the band.

The Minnesota State Fair will continue until Labor Day, September 7th.

Ecuador Manta at the DNR Outdoor Stage, Minnesota State Fair (27 Aug 2015)

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

Minneapolis: August 26 to August 31, 2015

Read More Mekaal Hasan When they told pioneering guitarist Mekaal Hasan, the first Pakistani to attend Berklee, in jazz harmony class that you shouldn’t add certain notes to certain modes, he immediately ....

We are closing out the rest of August 2015 with some of these shows, events, concerts in the Minneapolis/St Paul area.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

MEKAAL HASAN BAND
at Cedar Cultural Center
Wednesday, 08/26/2015, 7pm ($20)
thecedar.org

Guitarist Mekaal Hasan is bringing his Indo-Pakistani band Mekaal Hasan Band to the Cedar Cultural Center next Wednesday, August 26th. If you like world music, you definitely need to check out the band on their first ever North American tour (which started at SXSW 2015).

Band members: Mekaal Hasan - Guitars, Composition, Mohammad Ahsan Papu - Flute, Gino Banks - Drums, Sheldon D'Silva - Bass, and Sharmistha Chatterjee - Lead Vocals.

Upcoming tour dates:

Aug 21 - Bloomington, IN - Player's Pub
Aug 26 - Minneapolis, MN - Cedar Cultural Center
Aug 30 - New York, NY - Joe's Pub
Sep 5 - Los Angeles, CA -The Markaz

Read More Minnesota State Fair The Minnesota State Fair is the largest state fair in the United States, based on average daily attendance. With this year's attendance as the highest it's ever been (new record of 252,092 people on August 30th, 2014) … Def Leppard “You wanted the best, you got the best!”, so is the classic stage intro for Kiss, who come to town alongside fellow hard rock legends, Def Leppard. At least two of the best anyway, as Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons .…

MINNESOTA STATE FAIR
at Minnesota Fair Grounds
08/27/2015 - 09/07/2015 ($12 to $67)
mnstatefair.org

Despite my protests, we end up going to the Minnesota State Fair every year. This is the "Great Minnesota Get-together", where everyone goes to enjoy eating something on a stick. I think it can get really expensive, so I recommend buying a coupon book and splitting it with some of your friends. Your food options will be somewhat limited, but at least you save a couple of bucks.

Already legendary hard rock band Def Leppard sold out their MN State Fair appearance.... but not to worry, I know the band will be back in town soon.

Also, I don't think there's been a replacement for the Meghan Trainor yet, she had to cancel her remaining tour because of a throat surgery.

NOTE: In order to see the Grandstand concerts, you'll have to pay the MN State Fair's entrance fee in addition to the Grandstand prices.

Grandstand shows:

• Aug. 27: Def Leppard with Styx and Tesla
• Aug. 28: Keith Urban with Kelsea Ballerini
• Aug. 29: Carrie Underwood with Native Run
• Aug. 30: Alan Jackson with Brandy Clark
• Aug. 31: The Turtles with Flo & Eddie
• Sept. 1: Meghan Trainor (canceled)
• Sept. 2: Pattie LaBelle with the Commodores
• Sept. 3: Lynyrd Skynyrd with Collective Soul
• Sept. 4: A Prairie Home Companion
• Sept. 5: The Avett Brothers
• Sept. 6: Amateur Talent Contest
• Sept. 7: Merle Haggard and Kris Kristofferson with Sturgill Simpson

If you're a cheapskate like me, the Fair does offer some great free shows. We usually attend the Leinie Lodge Bandshell shows:

Aug. 27 - 28: Gaelic Storm
Aug. 29 - 30: Terri Clark
Aug. 31 - Sept. 1: Andy Grammer
Sept. 2 - 3: Lou Gramm "The Voice of Foreigner"
Sept. 4 - 5: Reel Big Fish
Sept. 6 - 7: Home Free

Read More X For the uninitiated, or for nostalgists such as myself, this compilation serves as either a great introduction or a great recap of one of the finest careers ever in the punk/pop genre. In case you don't already know, X were a …

X
at Mill City Nights
Saturday, 08/29/2015, 8pm ($20)
millcitynights.com

The original Los Angeles punk band (and impossible to Google) X will be in town on August 29th. I'm not entirely sure if their guitarist and X co-founder Billy Zoom will be joining them on this tour, as he is undergoing some bladder cancer treatment, thanks to the $50k plus donation and T-Shirt campaign of "Support Billy Zoom – Nice guy, punk legend". If anything, I'm sure you can pick up the Billy Zoom shirts at their upcoming show to show support.

Dead Rock West to open the show.

Tour dates:

08/28/15 Milwaukee, WI Juneau Park
08/29/15 Minneapolis, MN Mill City Nights
08/30/15 Des Moines, IA Wooly's
09/01/15 St. Charles, MO Bottleneck Blues Bar
09/02/15 St. Louis, MO Blueberry Hill's Duck Room
09/04/15 New Orleans, LA House Of Blues
09/05/15 Birmingham, AL Saturn
09/06/15 Nashville, TN City Winery Nashville
09/08/15 Athens, GA Georgia Theatre
09/09/15 Atlanta, GA Terminal West
09/11/15 Annapolis, MD Rams Head On Stage
09/12/15 Hopscotch Music Festival
09/19/15 Del Mar, CA Kaaboo

Read More Chelsea Wolfe So starting sharply at 7:30pm was Chelsea Wolfe. Wolfe's band played in complete darkness for about half a minute before Wolfe made her grand entrance.…

CHELSEA WOLFE
at Triple Rock Social Club
Monday, 08/31/2015, 8pm ($14)
triplerocksocialclub.com

We previously caught Chelsea Wolfe at Roy Wilkins in 2014 (with Queens of the Stone Age), and at Fitzgerald Theater in 2014 (with Eels)... so we're pretty familiar with her work.

Wolfe's currently headlining a tour in support of her new album Abyss, which came out August 7th on Sargent House.

Denver's Wovenhand (aka David Eugene Edwards) also on the bill.

US tour dates:

08/27/15 Las Vegas, NV Backstage Bar
08/28/15 Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge
08/29/15 Denver, CO Bluebird Theater
08/31/15 Minneapolis, MN Triple Rock
09/01/15 Chicago, IL Thalia Hall
09/02/15 Cleveland Heights, OH Grog Shop
09/03/15 Toronto, ON Lee's Palace
09/04/15 Montreal, QC Théâtre Fairmount
09/05/15 Cambridge, MA The Sinclair
09/09/15 Brooklyn, NY Music Hall
09/10/15 Philadelphia, PA Underground Arts
09/11/15 Washington, DC U Street Music Hall
09/12/15 Hopscotch Music Festival
09/14/15 Atlanta, GA Aisle 5
09/15/15 Nashville, TN Mercy Lounge
09/17/15 New Orleans, LA One Eyed Jacks
09/18/15 Houston, TX Rudyard's
09/19/15 Austin, TX The Mohawk
09/20/15 Dallas, TX The Kessler Theater
09/22/15 El Paso, TX Tricky Falls
09/23/15 Albuquerque, NM Launchpad
09/24/15 Phoenix, AZ Valley Bar
09/25/15 Los Angeles, CA Regent Theater
09/26/15 San Francisco, CA Regency Ballroom
09/28/15 Portland, OR Hawthorne Theatre
09/29/15 Seattle, WA Neumos
09/30/15 Vancouver, BC The Rickshaw Theatre
10/02/15 Bellingham, WA The Shakedown

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

MSP Comicon at Minnesota State Fair, Minneapolis (16 May 2015)

Read More MCBA When the 26th annual SpringCon ended over the previous weekend and the dust settled, it became the largest attended in the group’s history and ended the so-called Minneapolis Comic Convention Wars ....

I originally wasn't going to go to the MSP Comicon (formerly Springcon) this weekend at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds, but ended up going at the last minute on Saturday.

This is the first year the Midwest Comic Book Association (MCBA) decided to rename Springcon to take advantage of the confusing "Comicon" name. No one I know liked the name change. We think it's too acronym-ey, the same way no one I know refer to this as the "MCBA" brand. Look, we understand why they want to rebrand, but given the 28 years of "Springcon" and "Fallcon", it is going to take a while for us to refer to this as the MSP Comicon show.

The last few times I've gone to Springcon or Fallcon, I felt like I wasn't getting anything out of it. Particularly the smaller Fallcon shows, which has no panels and only serves as something of a paid fleamarket for comics. Which is fine, especially if there are some books I'm looking for... but generally I get what I need at my local comic store or order them online.

The only advantage Springcon and Fallcon has right now is the affordable entrance fee. MSP Comicon cost $12 for both days, which is an unbeatable deal compared to Wizard World Minneapolis Comic Con which cost $75 for three days. With the cheaper price, it brought in more attendees/fans and more vendors (with cheaper prices). For example, the V for Vendetta Mask was $10 at Wizard, but only $5 at MSP Comicon. It's probably no secret that exhibitor pay more for a table at Wizard World, so they have to mark up their merchandise to pay for their space.

I'll address some of my complaints now about MSP Comicon/Springcon. While I like the free parking, I'm not a fan of the Minnesota State Fairground. We got lost trying to find the convention (since they move to different buildings depending on the show).

It also took us nearly one hour waiting in a very long line to get inside the convention, which I felt was kind of ridiculous. I understand there are a lot of fans, but how hard is it to take our money and let us in?

You're not going to see any actors like Gillian Anderson, but that's fine, we're only paying $12. We understand it's just going to be focused on (local) artists and writers. We saw/expect to see the same names like Dan Jurgens, Doug Mahnke, Gordon Purcel, Tom Nguyen, etc.

The panels were a joke. First of all, the title/description are all wrong. For example, "Scribbling with a Master" with host Angel Medina... featured no scribbling or drawing. The "DC Comics Today" with Aaron Kuder and Ben Templesmith had nothing to do with DC Comics. Templesmith came in and said he worked for DC but many of his works never saw the light of day and Kuder couldn't really talk much about his involvement in Superman. Instead the two just talk about "mullets" and Templesmith highly endorsed the latest Mad Max: Fury Road movie. Now... if they had change the "DC Comics Today" title to something like "Today in Mullets" or "We Love Mad Max", I would not have an issue. It just felt that none of the speakers were actually prepared for their topics.

The second problem is that it was incredibly noisy. The panel room basically had curtains. No one could hear anything, and even the speakers had trouble hearing each other (and they were speaking with a loudspeaker!) Questions that fans ask could not be heard. Maybe MCBA could set up a microphone for the audience?

Overall, these panels were the absolute worst this year, which is a shame because I've been to better panels from previous Fallcons/Springcons... and especially because we just saw Wizard World two weeks ago that had one thousand percent better panels.

We are not attending the MSP Comicon Sunday show, instead my friends and I would rather see Mad Max: Fury Road on IMAX and call it a day. Anyway, I said this last year, but I think this is probably my last year of going to Springcon/Fallcon. Based on the very strong turnout for the convention, I don't think the MCBA will miss us.

Aaron Kuder and Ben Templesmith at MSP Comicon, Minneapolis (16 May 2015)

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