Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area on March 20, 2016.

JOSE GONZALES
with yMusic
at Pantages Theatre
Sunday, 03/20/16, 6pm ($33-$43)
varsitytheater.org

We’ve seen José González and as Junip before, and every time we are impressed by his rather large fanbase. His shows have always sold out and full of passionate local fans.
The show is presented by our friend The Cedar Cultural Center.

This upcoming North American appearance will also feature yMusic, a group of six NYC instrumentalists playing both pop and classical music.

Tour dates:

15 March – Escondido, CA – California Center
17 March – Denver, CO – Paramount Theatre
19 March – Milwaukee, WI – Pabst Theatre
20 March – Minneapolis, MN – Pantages Theatre
21 March – Chicago, IL – Rockefeller Chapel
23 March – Philadelphia, PA – Kimmel Center
24 March – New York, NY – Beacon Theatre
25 March – Boston, MA – Berklee Performance Hall
26 March – George Washington University

RACHEL PLATTEN
The Wildfire Tour
at Mill City Nights
Sunday, 03/20/16, 6:30pm ($20/$25)
millcitynights.com

Things are going extremely well for Rachel Platten, who sold out her appearance at the Mill City Night in Minneapolis next Sunday, March 20th, on the strength of her recent major label debut album Wildfire. That’s a long way to go from her first Minneapolis appearance as the opener to a four-band showcase at Varsity Theater in March 2015 and a mini-concert at Mall of America in August 2015.

The Wildfire Tour:

3/15 – Pittsburgh, PA – Mr. Smalls Theatre
3/16 – Toronto, ON – The Opera House
3/18 – Detroit, MI – St. Andrew’s Hall
3/19 – Chicago, IL – Park West
3/20 – Minneapolis, MN – Mill City Nights
3/22 – St. Louis, MO – The Ready Room
3/23 – Lawrence, KS – Liberty Hall
3/25 – Denver, CO – Gothic Theatre
3/26 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot
3/28 – Vancouver, BC – The Vogue
3/29 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom
3/30 – Seattle, WA – The Showbox
4/4 – San Francisco, CA – The Regency Ballroom
4/5 – Los Angeles, CA – El Rey Theatre
4/6 – Los Angeles, CA – El Rey Theatre

SWMRS
at Garage (Burnsville)
Sunday, 03/20/16, 5:30pm ($10/$12)
thegaragemn.com

Today Bay Area quartet SWMRS is back in Minnesota… this time touring in support of their debut album Drive North via Uncool Records.
You may recall that the band was previously in town with Wavves last September 2015.

Drive North, produced by FIDLAR frontman Zac Carper, is described as “diverse” and singer Cole Becker responded, “I like to think our sound is very modernist, because it was born out of us having every type of music at our fingertips, a luxury that is distinct to our generation. It has all the raw emotional energy of teenage power pop with the subwoofing low end of your favorite hip-hop albums.”

San Diego’s The Frights and The Everyday Characters to open.

Tour dates:

03/15/16 Smiling Moose Pittsburgh, PA
03/16/16 Now That’s Class Cleveland, OH
03/17/16 1st Ward at Chop Shop Chicago, IL
03/18/16 Firebird St. Louis, MO
03/19/16 Lefty’s Des Moines, IA
03/20/16 The Garage Burnsville, MN
03/21/16 Lookout Lounge Omaha, NE
03/22/16 Los Lake Lounge Denver, CO
03/23/16 Black Sheep Colorado Springs, CO
03/25/16 The Loading Dock Salt Lake City, UT
03/27/16 Real Art Tacoma, WA
03/28/16 Cobalt Vancouver, Canada
04/01/16 Thee Parkside San Francisco, CA
04/02/16 The Catalyst – Atrium Santa Cruz, CA
04/03/16 Strummer’s Fresno, CA
04/05/16 Grange Hall San Luis Obispo, CA
04/06/16 B Ryders Bakersfield, CA
04/07/16 Rock City Studios Camarillo, CA
04/09/16 Chain Reaction Anaheim, CA
05/06/16 Adelaide Hall Toronto, Canada

CHARLIE PUTH
with Phoebe Ryan
at Varsity Theater
Sunday, 03/20/16, 6pm ($20/$25)
varsitytheater.org

Charlie Puth is on a headlining tour… it might be pretty good practice when he opens up for legendary “Piano Man” Billy Joel on a few select dates.

Opening for Puth will be Los Angeles-based songwriter turned indie-pop artist Phoebe Ryan. Ryan recently premiered her new single “Chronic” during Zane Lowe’s Beats 1 show on Apple Music.

Nylon dubbed Ryan “a pop singer primed for stardom,” when they heard her debut EP Mine… so keep a close eye on her.

Tour dates:

03/15/16 Nashville, TN 3rd & Lindsley

03/20/16 Minneapolis, MN Varsity Theater

03/22/16 Chicago, IL Park West

03/23/16 Louisville, KY Mercury Ballroom

03/25/16 Columbus, OH A & R Music Bar

03/26/16 Cincinnati, OH Bogart’s

03/28/16 Toronto, ON Mod Club

03/29/16 Detroit, MI Shelter

03/30/16 Cleveland, OH House Of Blues

04/01/16 Washington, DC U Street