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Music News: First Avenue proposes riverfront amphitheater in North Minneapolis

by Staff

October 17, 2016

The Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal reports that First Avenue is joining with two developers to propose a new amphitheater on a piece of riverfront property in North Minneapolis. The proposal, which will be publicly unveiled on Nov. 3, reportedly pitches a 15,000- to 20,000-seat amphitheater for "music and performing arts festivals" as part of the redevelopment of the Upper Harbor Terminal. (Update: First Avenue's general manager Nathan Kranz says the proposed size is actually closer to 8,000-10,000.) The first phase of development, including the proposed amphitheater, would take place between 33rd and 40th Ave. N.

The site was formerly a barge terminal, a use that's no longer needed since the lock in downtown Minneapolis was permanently closed last year. A committee will consider proposals for the site's redevelopment, with the aim of beginning the redevelopment planning process in earnest next spring.

Chuck Berry announces first new album in 38 years

Rock legend Chuck Berry, 90, has announced his first new studio album since 1979. Chuck, out next year, will "consist mainly of new material written and produced by Berry," reports the Guardian. "It was recorded in St Louis, the musician’s hometown."

Dylan won't say whether he'll pick up his Nobel in person

Will Bob Dylan travel to Sweden to claim his Nobel Prize in Literature at the Dec. 10 ceremony? The music legend isn't saying, and the Swedish Academy has stopped asking. "Right now we are doing nothing," says a representative of the Academy. "I have called and sent emails to his closest collaborator and received very friendly replies. For now, that is certainly enough." (SPIN)

Springsteen remembers Prince

In an interview with Rolling StoneBruce Springsteen talks about his respect for Prince. "I felt a great kinship with Prince," says Springsteen. "And he was a guy, when I'd go to see him, I'd say, 'Oh, man, OK, back to the drawing board.' There was a film of him on the Arsenio Hall show, where he plays a series of songs in a row. It's just some of the greatest showmanship I've ever seen. And he knew everything. He knew all about it, and then could put it to work. Just since the Sixties and Seventies and your Sam and Daves and your James Browns, he's one of the greatest showmen to come along. I studied that stuff a lot and put as much of it to use as I can with my talents. But he just took it to another level."

Charles Bradley on his pen pal Ozzy Osbourne

Charles Bradley says that Ozzy Osbourne wrote him a note after hearing Bradley's cover of Black Sabbath’s "Changes." Bradley performed that song and others on CBC Radio 2, in a session he was able to do despite having recently canceled his tour to seek treatment for a cancerous tumor. (Pitchfork)

Jeffrey Seller hints that Hamilton is coming soon

A plan to bring Hamilton to Minnesota — at least in the form of a touring production — will be announced "in coming months," says the show's producer Jeffrey Seller. The hint comes in a rap directed at Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who rapped about wanting the show to come to town. Klobuchar and Seller have been brought together by a bill, authored by Klobuchar, that would ban the use of ticket bots. (Star Tribune)

Snoop and Martha tease cooking show

Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart have released a new teaser video for their forthcoming cooking show. Martha & Snoop's Potluck Dinner Party will premiere Nov. 7 on VH1. (AV Club)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sp7MWyexcQM

"We Will Rock You" — faster

Queen have shared a rare performance of a high-tempo version of their iconic hit "We Will Rock You." The track, recorded in a 1977 session with DJ John Peel, appears on the forthcoming collection Queen on Air. The album collects 24 tracks the band recorded at the BBC, and will be released Nov. 4. (Rolling Stone)

Viral dance video of the day

Lt. Deuntay Diggs is making waves with his spot-on dance to Beyoncé’s "Formation." Diggs shared his moves at a pep rally for North Stafford High in Virginia. As BuzzFeed notes, Diggs is "the first openly gay cadet to attend the Virginia Military Institute, and also the first openly gay deputy to serve at the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office." Diggs says "the reason I’m doing this is to show kids that they can make it, that they can survive, that they can be successful. I’ve been very fortunate, at this time when people look negatively upon law enforcement, that I’m able to change that narrative and open up some conversations and engage with people."

Clean Water Land & Legacy Amendment
This activity is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment’s Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.