From indie house shows to huge arena acts, the past nine months have offered a wide variety of shows.
Here are some memorable concerts that were recently held in the Twin Cities.
The first week of the school year started with performances from artists including Ween and Train at the Surly Brewing Festival Field, Lauryn Hill at Mystic Lake Casino, Janelle Monae at the Armory and Black Country New Road at the Fine Line.
Industrial hip-hop group Death Grips took the stage at The Fillmore on Sept. 13. The group played an extremely high-energy show without any breaks, leaving the entire crowd exhausted.
“There were signs all over saying ‘No Moshing,’ but literally the second the lights went off I was launched and everyone began to mosh and fight to get to the front. Everyone was dressed up in mostly black, and I noticed a few people with lollipops and propeller hats,” said Shamus Von Haden, a University of Minnesota student.
You can read The Minnesota Daily’s in-depth review of the Death Grips concert here.
October saw a variety of artists from contemporary trap rappers Playboi Carti and Lil Uzi Vert to established rock acts such as Slowdive and Tool.
Peter McPoland, a singer-songwriter whose music gained popularity on TikTok, played a show in Dinkytown at the Varsity Theatre on Oct. 21 as a part of his “Piggy Tour.”
“He played into his more alternative, punk music with extreme dance moves, and he even ended up wrapping his microphone cord around the pig statue, strangling him,” University student Cady Marceau said, describing her experience at the concert. “It was very interesting. He is a great performer with an insane amount of energy.”
The Twin Cities saw live collaborations of iconic artists. Wu-Tang Clan and Nas double headlined Target Center on Oct. 7, and Billy Joel played a show with Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac at the U.S. Bank Stadium.
On the other hand, the University community held smaller, yet more personal house shows in venues such as The Chop Shop and Como Backdoor. Their lineups featured a swathe of local bands from the rich Twin Cities music scene.
University student Shae Horning saw Colin Bracewell and The Dalmatian Club at Como Backdoor last fall.
“Como Backdoor is a very intimate venue which made the concert a lot of fun because no matter where you are you have a great view of the stage,” Horning said. “Concerts like these give you the feeling that you’re watching the next big artist before they blow up.”
Spring had an array of artists play at the Xcel Energy Center. The Daily covered an explosive performance by Travis Scott in January. The next month, Pitbull and Enrique Iglesias played a show at the arena with Madonna taking the stage a week later.
Olivia Rodrigo played a sold-out show at the Xcel in March. Bad Bunny was scheduled to play a show there a week later, but the show was canceled due to low ticket sales.
Smaller venues, such as First Avenue, Varsity Theatre, Palace Theatre and The Fitzgerald saw acts such as Silversun Pickups, Cat Power, Babytron, Danny Brown and Sleater-Kinney, which can be reviewed here.
The University held four Battle of the Bands concerts throughout the spring semester. The competition concluded at its annual Spring Jam with indie-rock band Call Me Fritz being declared the winner.
Following the final battle, bands Why Not, Flyana Boss and Between Friends also played sets at the University festival. A review of the show can be found here.
Finally, Fall Out Boy played a show at Target Center with supporting acts Jimmy Eat World and Hot Mulligan, which The Daily reviewed.
More concerts will be held throughout the Twin Cities area as the weather gets warmer. This past school year had a strong lineup of artists playing shows of all calibers which will continue throughout the summer.
