MUSIC PHOTOS | Dan + Shay at Mill City Nights

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Vocal duo Dan + Shay are currently one of the most buzz worthy new groups in Country music. Having song writing credit for all the tracks on their debut album “Where it all Began” is a statement that assures they can back up the hype. Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney chose Minneapolis to kick off their first headlining tour October 9th in front of a fanatical crowd of mostly women at Mill City Nights. The venue was a good fit for the show and sounded great for their set openers “Somewhere Only We Know” and “Nothin’ Like You”. Some of the standouts were “Party Girl” and of course the song that put them on the map “19 You + Me.”Supporting artist Cam began the evening with a worthwhile performance and will be one to keep an eye out for.Coverage of issues and events that affect Central Corridor neighborhoods and communities is funded in part by a grant from Central Corridor Funders Collaborative. 
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MUSIC PHOTOS | Home Free at the Ames Center

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Minnesota country a cappella band Home Free must have felt the love and support of a home town crowd at their sold-out Ames Center performance on October 7th. As part of their prize for winning Season 4 of The Sing-Off, they have released their debut album Crazy Life and are out on a national tour to support it.Their show last night can simply be described as a lot of fun. They did a beautiful job of creating a more intimate sound on popular songs by artists including Johnny Cash, Zac Brown Band, Josh Turner, Kenny Chesney, and make you hear the songs in a different way. They have also built in a good amount of humor into the show upping the entertainment value. Some of the standouts were “Story of My Life” (you can watch on youtube), “Colder Weather” and “God Bless the USA”.They will be releasing a Christmas album this year and have announced a holiday show at the Fitzgerald on November 30th, which you don’t want to miss and is guaranteed to sell out. Continue Reading

MUSIC PHOTOS | Nick (Carter) & (Jordan) Knight at Mill City Nights

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You could pretty much label the Nick and Knight concert at Mill City Nights September 24th a “Girls Night Out.” What else would you expect from this collaboration between boy band superpowers Nick Carter of Backstreet Boys and Jordan Knight from New Kids on the Block. It was just the 6th night of the 39-date tour and you could feel an energy of anticipation and excitement from the line formed outside the club clear up to the front of the stage. With plenty of material to choose from between the two of them, there was no need for an opening act and a big plus is they perform with a talented band of live musicians unlike many harmony bands who perform to a recorded track. The show opened up with “Nobody’s Better” and included an assortment of tunes from their new album as wells as their respective groups and solo projects.Coverage of issues and events that affect Central Corridor neighborhoods and communities is funded in part by a grant from Central Corridor Funders Collaborative. Continue Reading

MUSIC PHOTOS | Eric Church: The Outsiders World Tour at the Target Center

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Being just the third stop on The Outsiders World Tour, a capacity crowd at the Target Center again demonstrated September 16th that Minnesota has much love for Eric Church and country music. The talent packed line-up nicely represented the range of music now associated with this genre including veteran Dwight Yoakam bringing a flavor of traditional while newbies Brothers Osborne rocked out a more current sound.Although Church started out his set as expected with “The Outsiders” and “Creepin”, he has challenged the band to play some different material every night to keep things fresh and interesting. The fan selection in Minneapolis was “Two Pink Lines”, which is now retired from the set list and will have only been performed here. The show was spectacular with a huge stage designed for 360° viewing and a busy and exciting light show. Church and his band did an excellent job making use of their expansive real estate managing to perform intimately to all parts of the eagerly plugged-in audience. Continue Reading

MUSIC REVIEW | Journey and Joan Jett electrify the Minnesota State Fair

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The Minnesota State Fair was given an explosive final farewell to the 2014 Grandstand Concert Series as Journey and Joan Jett & the Blackhearts came together for an amazing rock sound that electrified the myriad masses out of their food comas and on to their feet.Joan Jett and the Blackhearts opened the show at 7pm sharp, ripping right into “Bad Reputation” and keeping the energy level high as people scrambled to get to their seats and enjoy the show. Jett was absolutely stunning on stage, exuding charm, energy, and a playful stage presence that was captivating. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts know what they’re doing, and they do it well, as they blasted through almost an hour of straight forward, high-octane rock and roll.Journey then took the stage following a fairly lengthy intermission and captivated in their own right. While Joan Jett has that wonderful, fast, heavy hitting sound that conjures visions of energetic nights in small venues, Journey is almost pure arena rock. Journey is sing-along rock, it is “bust out your lighters and sway to the tune” rock, and their performance brought you to all of those moments, from the classic “Any Way You Want It,” to the track with the greatest music video ever in “Separate Ways” (which brought a ridiculous and completely unexpected pop from the crowd), to the more mellow sounds of songs such as “Lights” and “Open Arms.”Arnel Pineda is an amazing frontman, a man with an incredible amount of energy and a million dollar smile who knows how to work a crowd, and while he was given plenty of time as the face, each band member was given their own chance to shine, and each of them did. Continue Reading

MUSIC PHOTOS | Aretha Franklin at the State Fair Grandstand

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The second night of the Minnesota State Fair on Friday, Aug. 22 was legendary with a rare performance by the queen of soul herself Aretha Franklin. She looked and sounded fantastic and it was the kind of performance that made you feel priviledged to have be there to experience it. With one original member and the show dedicated to other past members, the Four Tops was a perfect vehicle to transport the audience back to the feel and attitude of the old Motown days. Continue Reading

MUSIC PHOTOS | Toby Keith kicks off 2014 Minnesota State Fair

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It takes a big boot to kick-off opening night in the Grandstand at the Great Minnesota Get Together and Toby Keith was just the man to fill it August 21st. There is something about the fair that creates and energy and excitement that’s different from any other venue and when you get a beautiful night like we had on Thursday, you just can’t beat it. The Grandstand was packed to the edges with all kinds of music fans fortunate to be in attendance for Keith’s two-hour hit packed “Shut Up & Hold On” tour performance.Showing his Patriotism with Old Glory streaming from a microphone stand and cowboy boots decorated with the stars and stripes, Colt Ford started the evening out in style with a spirited performance. Day one is in the books, but the fun has only just started so don’t miss out on this year’s great line-up and we’ll see you at the Fair. 
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MUSIC PHOTOS | Jamey Johnson at the Weesner Family Amphitheater

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The Music in the Zoo series has a little something for everyone. Country music fans were in the seats August 18th to see proven song writer and rising performer Jamey Johnson. He performed with a full band and his straight forward more traditional style could really be appreciated in the intimate open air setting. In addition to playing guitar in Johnson’s band, Chris Hennessee performed some of his own music to start out the evening. Continue Reading