There have been all too many unhappy surprises in 2020, but one of the happy ones was that Bob Dylan released a surprise album: his first studio album of new original songs in eight years. Rough and Rowdy Ways won widespread acclaim, marking yet another chapter in the astonishingly long and successful career of Minnesota’s legendary […]
When I walked up to First Avenue last night, I did the usual. I dug in my wallet and presented my ID. But the doorperson shook their head and just pointed toward my bag, rummaging around and waving me through. As I walked into the building, I realized: All ages. Duh. Lexii Alijai, an incredibly […]
Minnesota winters are magical, if you look in the right places. Icehouse in Minneapolis is one of those hotspots – where late on a Saturday night, you can retreat inside, escaping frigid weather to be warmed by Minnesota sounds. Icehouse is an intimate venue, where friends sip cocktails over candlelit tables, excited for the live […]
All too often, we in the Twin Cities only pay tribute to beloved musicians after they’re gone. So it was a treat to gather with a few hundred others last night at the Turf Club, celebrating someone who’s very much alive: Dolly Parton, whose 74th birthday is Sunday, Jan. 19. Parton feels trendy lately, thanks […]
“We weren’t always this perfect,” said Tegan Quin, dryly, onstage last night at the Fitzgerald Theater. “We weren’t always LGBTQ international icons.” There were a lot of layers to the quip. It got a laugh because although it could read as sarcastic, Tegan and her sister/bandmate Sara Quin have in fact been called “icons” by […]
There were few empty seats at the Xcel Energy Center last night. The arena was packed full of millennials sporting the Northern uniform of warm-toned flannels and denim, eager to see Wisconsin’s Bon Iver. The band’s frontman, Justin Vernon, looked a bit more casual, wearing headphones and a bandana tied tightly around his forehead. In […]
Let’s get this out of the way first: there’s one mention of Minnesota in the new Judy Garland biopic, and it’s not very positive. In fact, it’s essentially a threat. In a scene set around the time Judy Garland was shooting The Wizard of Oz, movie mogul Louis B. Mayer (Richard Cordery) is reminding the young […]
The classic-album tour is, at bottom, a slightly cynical exercise. A band (or whomever) goes out, recreates their best-known or -loved LP or CD (depending on era) in the order released, throws in some greatest hits for the encore; commemorative T-shirts and tote bags do brisk business. No one is challenged, and everyone goes home […]
The Who landed at Xcel Energy Center on Friday night, continuing the St. Paul venue’s recent monthly streak of hosting legendary British rockers – following ELO in July and Queen in August. For this tour, dubbed Moving On, the Who enlisted the musical forces of a 48-piece orchestra. So, naturally, suites from the band’s rock […]
St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center has had the privilege this summer of hosting two of England’s storied rock bands in sold-out shows — both of them Rock and Roll Hall of Famers whose popularity has been re-energized by recent Hollywood blockbusters, and both led by septuagenarians. Jeff Lynne’s Electric Light Orchestra starship landed in late […]
