Pride Parade 2011
|
Photos from the 2011 Pride Parade, Sunday, June 26th 2011 through downtown Minneapolis. Continue Reading
MUSIC | Josh Ritter at First Avenue: So happy
|
In the days leading up to a concert, I listen, almost exclusively, to the music of the artist I’m going to see. This way, I familiarize myself with any material I’ve not yet heard and am reminded of their sound and style. Also—and perhaps it’s unwise to admit this as a music reviewer—I’m mildly hard of hearing and it would be unfair to judge an artist based on my inadequacies as a listener.
MUSIC | Kronos Quartet surprise, unsurprisingly, at the Walker Art Center
|
One measure by which to judge a Kronos Quartet performance is the degree to which it challenges your notion of classical music. Yes, Kronos comprises two violinists (David Harrington and John Sherba), a violist (Hank Dutt), and a cellist (Jeffrey Ziegler), which is the standard orchestral quartet; Kronos, however, is anything but standard. For over 30 years Kronos have been pushing the definition of classical music with astounding success, having commissioned over 700 works and arrangements and released more than 45 recordings.
MUSIC | Trampled by Turtles prove fleet-fingered at First Avenue
|
One of my favorite moments of a concert is the crackle of anticipation in the air after the last opener as the crowd grows giddy and impatient for the headliner. This is the atmosphere I walked into at First Ave Friday night as the stage was being prepped for the first of two sold-out Trampled by Turtles shows.
DANCE | Zenon Dance Company’s “Nutcracker According to Mother Goose” is good clean fun for all ages
|
Before the house lights dimmed at the Southern Theater, where the Zenon Dance Company are presenting their holiday children’s production The Nutcracker According to Mother Goose, I swiveled in my seat to see who was in attendance. I couldn’t help but smile as I took in the audience of children, parents, and elderly couples populating the theater. It was the first time in years that I attended a children’s show, and I had forgotten the expectant faces and unselfconscious enthusiasm young children bring to theater.
MUSIC | 30 Epic minutes with Far East Movement
|
By the time Far East Movement took the stage shortly before 1 a.m. Thursday night at Epic, the crowd was ready to “fly like a G6.”
THEATER | “Brett Favre’s Christmas Spectacular II: The Second Coming” at the Brave New Workshop: Face-hurts-you’re-laughing-so-hard funny
|
If you’re an easily offended Catholic who lives in Coon Rapids, loves the Galleria, still worships Brett Favre even after all the crap he’s pulled, and truly love every minute you get with your relatives, avoid the Brave New Workshop’s current show at all costs. If not, buy tickets to Brett Favre’s Christmas Spectacular II: The Second Coming quickly, before they sell out.
THEATER | Theatre in the Round’s “Born Yesterday” is a good alternative to holiday fare
|
Harry Brock’s “got a preposition for you.” Just don’t try to tell him he may not mean what he says or you’ll swiftly be bullied into rewriting grammar rules to suit him. It’s this and other brief lines and small gestures that endeared Theatre in the Round’s staging of Born Yesterday to me.
MUSIC | KT Tunstall plays a solid show to a chatty crowd at Epic
|
As we waited for opening act Hurricane Bells to begin Thursday night at Epic, the ads for upcoming concerts by Far East Movement, DJ Pauly D, and the Wu-Fest Tour cycled on the video screens—artists who are from a different musical planet than Scottish headliner KT Tunstall. As the concert got underway, however, it was the crowd that seemed like it was on a different planet, offering mostly lukewarm cheers and muted applause for KT Tunstall’s mixed breed of pop, folk, and rock music.
MUSIC | Sara Bareilles, in control at the Pantages
|
After the popular success of her 2007 single “Love Song,” it was fitting for Sara Bareilles to take the stage at the Pantages to “You Make My Dreams” by Hall & Oates. Her second album, Kaleidoscope Heart, was released in September, and Bareilles is hoping to keep making her dreams come true.