What’s happening this week.

05 May 2025 Monday
Edwin McCain
at Dakota Jazz Club
dakotacooks.com

American singer/songwriter Edwin McCain is actually on tour with Train, but between supporting shows, he’s booked a few side shows, including headlining the Dakota Jazz Club, in Minneapolis, on May 5, 2025.

McCain is known for his hit songs “I’ll Be” (which The Lone Bellow covered in 2014) and “I Could Not Ask for More”. His brand-new album Lucky is his first in 15 years.

As with all Dakota Jazz Club events, show up early to grab a bite and drink before enjoying the live show.

Tour dates:

MAY 3
Whiskey Roadhouse-Horseshoe Council Bluffs Casino
Council Bluffs, IA
MAY 5
Dakota
Minneapolis, MN
MAY 15
The Park Theater
Mcminnville, TN
Jun. 5 – 8, 2025
Carolina Country Music Fest 2025
Myrtle Beach, SC
JUN 6
CMA Fest 2025
Nashville, TN
JUN 14
Riverwind Casino
Norman, OK
JUL 3
The Windjammer
Isle Of Palms, SC
JUL 25
Fun Fest @ Kingsport, TN
Kingsport, TN
AUG 1
Ozarks Amphitheater
Camdenton, MO
AUG 2
Pavilion at Ravinia
Highland Park, IL
AUG 3
Meijer Gardens Amphitheater
Grand Rapids Charter Township, MI
AUG 5
Toledo Zoo Amphitheater
Toledo, OH
AUG 7
OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino
Niagara Falls, Canada
AUG 8
CMAC Performing Arts Center
Canandaigua, NY
AUG 9
Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course
Grantville, PA
AUG 12
The Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre
Youngstown, OH
AUG 15
Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena
Atlantic City, NJ
AUG 17
South Shore Music Circus
Cohasset, MA
AUG 19
Cape Cod Melody Tent
Hyannis, MA
AUG 20
Filene Center at Wolf Trap
Vienna, VA
AUG 22
Mohegan Sun Arena
Uncasville, CT
AUG 23
Booster Club Fields
Otsego County, NY
AUG 24
Elmwood Park
Roanoke, VA
AUG 26
Walmart AMP
Rogers, AR
AUG 27
Murphy Arts District Amphitheater
El Dorado, AR
AUG 28
Choctaw Grand Theater
Durant, OK
AUG 30
Concrete Street Amphitheater
Corpus Christi, TX
AUG 31
Round Rock Amp
Round Rock, TX
SEP 5
Eastern Idaho State Fair
Blackfoot, ID
SEP 6
Ford Amphitheater
Colorado Springs, CO
SEP 7
Dillon Amphitheater
Dillon, CO
SEP 9
Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre
Salt Lake City, UT
SEP 10
Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater
Nampa, ID
SEP 12
Ironstone Amphitheatre
Murphys, CA
SEP 13
Rio Theatre
Santa Cruz, CA
SEP 14
Uptown Theatre
Napa, CA
SEP 16
Northern Quest Amphitheater
Airway Heights, WA
SEP 17
Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery
Woodinville, WA
Oct. 9 – 11, 2025
Rockin’ in Paradise with Styx + Friends 2025
Destin, FL

05 May 2025 Monday
06 May 2025 Tuesday
Lucy Dacus
with Katie Gavin and jasmine.4.t
at Palace Theatre
first-avenue.com

Due to overwhelming demand, Lucy Dacus will be playing two shows at the Palace Theatre, in St Paul, on May 5 and 6, 2025.

We saw Dacus in Oct 2019 and wrote, “Richmond-based singer Lucy Dacus ended the all-women show, playing plenty of beloved songs. Fans loved it… but we already this was the case when we saw her headlined the sold-out 7th Street Entry in April 2018: “Still in her early twenties, Lucy Dacus is already showing a musical maturity, years beyond her actual age. The Richmond, VA singer-songwriter is touring in support of her second full-length, Historian (Matador Records), an album of leaps-and-bounds growth for her, that is the exact opposite of any sophomore slump and she seemed genuinely happy to be headlining here, after previously opening for Car Seat Headrest and Hamilton Leithauser. Dacus is so confident in the new album (considering it her definitive musical statement), the first seven songs played were all from the new record, beginning with single, ‘Addictions’. Her seemingly calm voice belies a building sound and lyrics that dive deep into wells of adversity, though provide a glimmer of hope in any darkness.””

Katie Gavin and jasmine.4.t to open.

Katie Gavin is actually the singer from Muna, a band who opened up for Taylor Swift and Lorde, so she is used to playing for a massive crowd. Gavin’s solo album What a Relief is out now.

We saw Muna in Jan 2022 and noted, “MUNA (Katie Gavin; Naomi McPherson; Josette Maskin) would be up first, with a six-song, twenty-five-minute set that was determined to get the crowd moving en masse, and succeeded due to their restless stage presence and catchy, mostly uplifting songs including set opener, “Number One Fan”. Two slower tempo, more “country-ish” songs were done mid-set, including a yet-to-be released new song earmarked for their next album, “Kind of Girl”. The beat would pick back up with 2017’s peace-loving “I Know a Place” and the band singing, “it’s hard to love with a heart that’s hurting, but if you want to go out dancing…” with the crowd complying and ended with arguably the best single of 2021, “Silk Chiffon” which on record featured Phoebe Bridgers, the band even signing with Bridgers’ Saddest Factory Records last May.”

Tour dates:

April 16 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met Philadelphia *
April 18 – Washington, DC – The Anthem *
April 21 – Boston, MA – MGM Music Hall at Fenway *
April 23 – New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall *
April 25 – Toronto, ON – Massey Hall *
April 29 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium *
May 1 – Chicago, IL – Chicago Theatre *
May 5 – Saint Paul, MN – Palace Theatre *
May 7 – Kansas City, MO – Midland Theatre *
May 9 – Dallas, TX – Winspear Opera House *
May 10 – Austin, TX – Moody Amphitheater *
May 12 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre *
May 14 – Los Angeles, CA – Greek Theatre *
* with Katie Gavin

09 May 2025 Friday
Brett Newski
with The Cold Casuals, Make & the Makeouts
at Zhora Darling
zhoradarling.com

Brett Newski (billed as Brett Newski and the Bad Inventions, is back in the Twin Cities. He’ll be headlining Zhora Darling, in support of his latest album ameriCONa Pt. 1: Educate Freeloaders to Buy Art (due out May 2 on Nomad Union).

We saw Newski in July 2016 and said, “Brett Newski opened up the show with his improv-ish songs. Very fun guy, really witty. Highlight of his set was getting an audience member to help play harmonica during ‘In Between Exits’. He ended his brief 30-min set with ‘D.I.Y.’… and newfound fans in the front started to sing along to his catchy lyrics, “I’m D.I.Y., I’m punk as f***. Don’t need your money, I don’t want your love.” Newski also tend to swap out lyrics to make his song more personal and timely. For example, he name dropped The Replacements in the mixtape lyrics on ‘D.I.Y.’”

The Cold Casuals and Make & the Makeouts to open.

Tour dates:

4/11 – LEXINGTON, KY – Al’s Bar
4/12 – CINCINNATI, OH – Southgate House
4/13 – LOUISVILLE, KY – Zanzibar
4/24 – YPSILANTI, MI – Ziggys
4/25 – FORT WAYNE, IN – Brass Rail w/ Middle Names
5/2 – MILWAUKEE, WI – Falcon Bowl
5/3 – ROCKFORD, IL – The Music Box
5/4 – SPRING GREEN, WI – Slowpoke Lounge
5/9 – MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Zhora Darling
6/12 – OSHKOSH, WI – Waterfest (6pm early)
6/20 – CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – Newbo City Market
6/21 – HOLLAND, MI – Park Theatre
6/27 – GREEN BAY, WI – Badger State Brewing
6/28 – APPLETON, WI – Fox River House
7/4 – MADISON, WI – UW Madison Terrace
7/5 – BARABOO, WI – Tumbled Rock
7/15 – TWIN FORKS, ND – North Dakota Museum of Art

09 May 2025 Friday
Squid
at Turf Club
first-avenue.com

Squid is back – headlining the Turf Club, in St Paul, on May 9, 2025.

NOTE: There is a strict 4 ticket limit. Any attempt to exceed the ticket limit of 4 per customer or household, or to game the system in any way, will result in cancellation of orders without notice. There is a transfer delay for all tickets up to 72 HOURS prior to the show.

We caught the band in Feb 2024 and wrote, “Squid had quite a successful 2023. Their sophomore album, O Monolith, was well received and one of their songs “Blades” won a United Kingdom Music Video Award for Best Rock Video.
The band consists of Ollie Judge on drums and lead vocals, Louis Borlase and Anton Pearson on guitar, Laurie Nankivell on bass and Arthur Leadbetter on keys. They met at Brighton University and had an understanding that the band would not only be egalitarian but also not defined.”

Tour dates:

April 9 – Paris, FR @ Cabaret Sauvage
April 10 – Cologne, DE @ Club Volta
April 11 – Dresden, DE @ Polimagie Festival
April 12 – Berlin, DE @ Lido
April 14 – Schorndorf, DE @ Manufaktur
April 15 – Amsterdam, NL @ Melkweg
April 16 – Antwerp, BE @ Trix
pril 18 – Rotterdam, NL @ Motel Mozaique Festival
April 19 – Nijmegen, NL @ Doornroosje
April 26 – London, UK @ Roundhouse
April 30 – Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall
May 1 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos
May 3 – San Jose, CA @ The Ritz
May 4 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
May 6 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom
May 7 – Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy & Harriet’s
May 9 – Saint Paul, MN @ Turf Club
May 10 – Des Moines, IA @ Wooly’s
May 11 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
May 13 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Spirit Hall
May 14 – Columbus, OH @ A&R Music Bar
May 16 – Detroit, MI @ El Club
May 17 – Toronto, ON @ The Opera House
May 19 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
May 20 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
May 21 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat
May 23 – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw

10 May 2025 Saturday
Sharon Van Etten
& The Attachment Theory
with Love Spells
at Palace Theatre
first-avenue.com

Sharon Van Etten is back, and this time, she has a full band called The Attachment Theory, featuring Jorge Balbi (drums, machines), Devra Hoff (bass, vocals), and Teeny Lieberson (synth, piano, guitar, vocals). The band will play the Palace Theatre on May 10, 2025.

We saw Van Etten in Aug 2022 and said, “Speaking about a long time, wow, we haven’t seen Sharon Van Etten since July 2014. What happened was after the release of Are We There in 2014, Van Etten decided to take a break from music to pursue acting, raise a family, and studied at the Brooklyn College on psychology and mental health counseling. It’s good to have Sharon Van Etten back. She looked and sounded as she did eight years ago… as if she never left. Starting with “Headspace” and “Comeback Kid”, it’s like she’s telling the story of her own journey. She is the comeback kid. Van Etten’s new album, We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong, is out now Jagjaguwar. ”

Love Spells to open.

Tour dates:

Apr. 24 – Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern ^
Apr. 25 – Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl ^
Apr. 26 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel ^
Apr. 28 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club ^
Apr. 30 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer ^
May 1 – Boston, MA @ Roadrunner ^
May 2 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel ^
May 5 – Detroit, MI @ Saint Andrew’s Hall ^
May 6 – Toronto, ON @ History ^
May 8 – Madison, WI @ The Sylvee ^
May 9 – Chicago, IL @ The Salt Shed ^
May 10 – St. Paul, MN @ Palace Theatre ^
May 12 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre ^
May 13 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall ^
May 15 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile ^
May 16 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile ^
May 17 – Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre ^
May 18 – Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall ^
May 21 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern ^
# with She Keeps Bees
* with special guest Nabihah Iqbal
^ with Love Spells

11 May 2025 Sunday
Julien Baker & TORRES
with Ali Macofsky
at First Avenue
first-avenue.com

[UPDATE]:
THIS SHOW HAS BEEN CANCELLED

There is no rescheduled date at this time. If you purchased your tickets via AXS online or by phone, a refund will automatically be issued within 30 business days to the card used to make the purchase. Otherwise, refunds are available at your original point of purchase. For further ticketing questions, please contact AXS via support.axs.com or use the AXS app.

Julien Baker and TORRES are collaborating on a forthcoming album Send a Prayer My Way (out April 18 via Matador Records). Expect to hear those songs on this upcoming show at First Avenue, in Minneapolis, on May 11, 2025.

The first time we saw Julien Baker, she was opening up for Belle & Sebastian, in August 2017: “Julien Baker’s appearance on stage. Baker started her music career in 2010 in the band The Star Killers (renamed themselves Forrister), when she was 15 years old, but decided to go solo in 2015. Unfortunately, the shy singer and guitarist’s songs were often drowned out by the chatty crowd (at least where we were at), who were clearly weren’t there to give the opener a chance. It didn’t help that Baker was seemingly troubled by something with her guitar… and didn’t really get her groove in until ‘Funeral Pyre’… which was a song left off her debut record Sprained Ankle. It was just the wrong venue for Julien Baker, her quiet, sensitive, reflective songs would go over well over at the Cedar Cultural Center, or a smaller, intimate set at the 7th Street Entry… not a big room like the Palace Theatre.”

We saw Torres on her first MN appearance in May 2015 and said, “Turnout to Torres’ very first Minneapolis appearance at the 7th Street Entry last night was very good for a Wednesday night. Brooklyn-based Mackenzie Scott, or better known by her stage name Torres, is currently on tour for her sophomore album Sprinter, available now on Partisan. After a full three minutes of an instrumental introduction song, Torres came on stage, burning an incense to cleanse the room. Clearly she’s been doing this ritual every night.”

Ali Macofsky to open.

Julien Baker & TORRES “Send a Prayer My Way” tour dates

4/23 – The National – Richmond, VA
4/24 – The Orange Peel – Asheville, NC
4/25 – Haw River Ballroom – Saxapahaw, NC
4/26 – High Water Music Festival – North Charleston, SC*
4/28 – Georgia Theatre – Athens, GA
4/29 – The Lyric Oxford – Oxford, MS
4/30 – Iron City – Birmingham, AL
5/1 – Tipitina’s – New Orleans, LA
5/4 – Stable Hall – San Antonio, TX
5/5 – The Heights Theater – Houston, TX
5/6 – Longhorn Ballroom – Dallas, TX
5/7 – Tower Theatre – Oklahoma City, OK
5/9 – Cain’s Ballroom – Tulsa, OK
5/10 – Liberty Hall – Lawrence, KS
5/11 – First Avenue – Minneapolis, MN
5/12 – The Admiral – Omaha, NE
5/16 – Kilby Block Party – Salt Lake City, UT *
6/20 – Green River Festival – Greenfield, MA *
6/21 – Mountain Jam – Highmount, NY *
7/4-5 – Zootown Music Festival – Missoula, MT *
*Festival date

11 May 2025 Saturday
Gráinne Hunt
at Celtic Junction
celticjunction.org

Gráinne Hunt, the hardest working woman in Irish music, according to Glen Hansard will be playing the Celtic Junction, in Minneapolis, on May 11, 2025. The last Celtic Junction event we attended, in March 2025, was a real blast, so any shows organized by the Irish organization will come highly recommended.

Hunt’s appearance in the Twin Cities is part of the Celtic Junction’s Women’s Concert Series, celebrating the powerful voices shaping folk and traditional music.