Here are some shows in Minneapolis/St Paul from August 14 to August 15, 2026: • Empire of the Sun at Mystic Lake Amphitheater (Aug 14, 2026) • Big Thief at Surly Brewing Festival Field (Aug 15, 2026) • The Crane Wives at First Avenue (Aug 15, 2026) • Lakeside Guitar Fest at Lake Como Pavilion (August 14-15, 2026)
Empire of the Sun at Mystic Lake Amphitheater (Aug 14, 2026)
August 14, 2026 Friday Empire of the Sun at Mystic Lake Amphitheater first-avenue.com
Australia’s Empire of the Sun returns to America with their latest show called That God: Afterlife 2026.
Empire of the Sun at the State Theatre, Minneapolis (09/16/13)
We saw the band in Sep 2013 and wrote, “Empire of the Sun started shortly after 8pm with a drummer and keyboard/bassist and two dancers, warming up to “Lux”. Then, like a Christ-figure, Luke Steele is slowly risen via a platform with his helmet and costume, as two additional dancers are revealed. What an entrance! There were a few technical difficulties plaguing the show, including Luke Steele’s guitar not working out and microphone mix issues, but overall, the synchronized dancing, light show, smoke, and overall theatrics made up for any issues. The thing I noticed and mentioned in the audio recording, is that each song and set piece were all planned and designed for, indicating to me that Luke Steele (or whoever is the creative force behind it) has this amazing vision for this band. You can tell they worked really hard on the setlist, the dance routine and especially the costumes. It wasn’t just the band on stage, the audience was also part of the event, with a few fans dressing up for the occasion (the face makeup, the funky headbands, etc).”
EMPIRE OF THE SUN FESTIVAL PERFORMANCES
8/1 – Montreal, QC – Osheaga
8/7 – Aspen, CO – Up in the Sky
8/7 – 8/9 – San Francisco, CA – Outside Lands
EMPIRE OF THE SUN – ASK THAT GOD TOUR: AFTERLIFE
Polo & Pan and Midnight Generation will support on all headline dates
8/11 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre
8/14 – Shakopee, MN – Mystic Lake Amphitheater
8/16 – Kansas City, MO – Morton Amphitheater
8/18 – Milwaukee, WI – BMO Pavilion
8/20 – Sterling Heights, MI – Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre
8/21 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH – Blossom Music Center
8/23 – Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center
8/25 – Toronto, ON – RBC Amphitheatre
8/28 – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center
8/29 – Queens, NY – Forest Hills Stadium
8/30 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell at Jones Beach Theater
9/2 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center
9/4 – Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion
9/5 – Philadelphia, PA – TD Pavilion at Highmark Mann
9/6 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
9/9 – Charlotte, NC – Truliant Amphitheater
9/10 – Richmond, VA – Allianz Amphitheater at Riverfront
9/12 – Birmingham, AL – Coca-Cola Amphitheater
9/13 – Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
9/16 – Miami, FL – FPL Solar Amphitheater
9/17 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
9/20 – Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion
9/21 – Austin, TX – Moody Center
9/24 – Houston, TX – The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion Sponsored by Huntsman
9/26 – Rogers, AR – Walmart AMP
9/29 – Phoenix, AZ – Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
10/1 – Salt Lake City, UT – Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre
10/3 – Bend, OR – Hayden Homes Amphitheater
10/7 – San Diego, CA – Gallagher Square at Petco Park
10/8 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl
10/9 – Las Vegas, NV – PH Live at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino
Big Thief at Surly Brewing Festival Field (Aug 15, 2026)
August 15, 2026 Saturday Big Thief at Surly Brewing Festival Field first-avenue.com
Big Thief will be headlining the Surly Brewing Festival Field, in Minneapolis, on August 15, 2026.
The ticket limit is strict. Any attempt to exceed the posted ticket limit 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 prior to the show.
Big Thief
We saw Big Thief in Oct 2019 and wrote, “Adrianne Lenker and her full band Big Thief (with guitarist Buck Meek, bassist Max Oleartchik, and drummer James Krivchenia) closed out the night. When Big Thief is on a break, Lenker is busy with her solo work. In January 2019 she released abysskiss on Saddle Creek Records. Now with Big Thief, the group released Two Hands 4AD and touring in support of the new record. This is the group’s biggest tour yet, and what a start – by appearing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Most of their shows are sold out, with others on the way of selling out.”
Tour Dates
Aug 2, 2026 Waterfront Park Concert Series Burlington, VT
Aug 4, 2026 L’Olympia Montreal, QC
Aug 5, 2026 L’Olympia Montreal, QC
Aug 6, 2026 Meridian Hall Toronto, ON
Aug 8, 2026 MASS MoCA North Adams, MA
Aug 10, 2026 Masonic Temple Detroit, MI
Aug 11, 2026 Rock The Ruins Indianapolis, IN
Aug 13, 2026 The Salt Shed (Outdoor) Chicago, IL
Aug 14, 2026 The Sylvee Madison, WI
Aug 15, 2026 Surly Brewing Festival Field Minneapolis, MN
Aug 17, 2026 Val Air Ballroom West Des Moines, IA
Aug 19, 2026 The Momentary Bentonville, AR
Aug 22, 2026 Ryman Auditorium Nashville, TN
Aug 23, 2026 Ryman Auditorium Nashville, TN
Sep 16, 2026 The Santa Fe Opera Santa Fe, NM
Sep 17, 2026 Arizona Financial Theatre Phoenix, AZ
Sep 19, 2026 Libbey Bowl Ojai, CA
Sep 20, 2026 Libbey Bowl Ojai, CA
Sep 22, 2026 Grand Sierra Resort Reno, NV
Sep 24, 2026 Malkin Bowl Vancouver, BC
Sep 25, 2026 Remlinger Farms Carnation, WA
Sep 26, 2026 Knitting Factory Spokane, WA
Sep 28, 2026 Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium Calgary, AB
Sep 29, 2026 Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium Edmonton, AB
Oct 2, 2026 KettleHouse Amphitheater Bonner, MT
Oct 3, 2026 The ELM Bozeman, MT
Oct 4, 2026 Center for the Arts Jackson, WY
Oct 6, 2026 Red Rocks Amphitheatre Morrison, CO
Oct 7, 2026 Ogden Twilight Series Ogden, UT
The Crane Wives at First Avenue (Aug 15, 2026)
August 15, 2026 Saturday The Crane Wives with Brye at First Avenue first-avenue.com
The Crane Wives will be returning to Minnesota, stopping by First Avenue, on August 15, 2026.
In related news, The Crane Wives’ Emilee Petersmark announced a new solo debut projected, under the stagename Lee Emi. Her song “Black Hole” can be see on YouTube. Stay tuned for more details later this year.
The ticket limit is strict. Any attempt to exceed the posted ticket limit 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 prior to the show.
The Crane Wives at Palace Theatre, St Paul MN (July 12, 2025)
We saw The Crane Wives in July 2025 and wrote, “They had a brilliantly dramatic set up before getting started, building the crowd anticipation up before ever coming on stage. But when they did, it was a stunning opening and Scars was outstanding. Petersmark and Pillsbury played excellently off each other and although one of them may have lead vocals, their comfort in sharing lead was extremely obvious. The crowd, particularly the younger teens in the front section were singing along to nearly every song. Bitter Medicine was alarmingly good, with Petersmark’s “bull sh*t” lyric hitting hard. As the band rolled into older material, Allies or Enemies had the audience in full throated sing along mode, with Pillsbury thanking them for joining in. We also got a brief moment as they asked how many people were at their first The Crane Wives concert, with many hands and screams. A quick question followed if it was anyone’s first ever concert and a surprising number of hands went back in the air. With a “We’ll try to make it a good one”, the band was back in full action and I can’t find enough ways to say it was simply tremendous.”
Brye to open.
Lakeside Guitar Fest at Lake Como Pavilion (August 14-15, 2026)
August 14, 2026 Friday August 15, 2026 Saturday Lakeside Guitar Fest at Lake Como Pavilion musicmissionmusic.com
The Lakeside Guitar Fest returns to Lake Como Pavilion, in Minneapolis, on August 14-15, 2026.
We were at the Lakeside Guitar Festival in Aug 2023 and wrote, “The annual free Lakeside Guitar Festival at the Como Lakeside Pavilion took place over the weekend, taking place on Friday, August 11st with Brothers in Mud, The Mood Swings, and Charlie Parr. It continues to Saturday, August 12th, and ending with the afterparty at the Turf Club on Sunday, August 13th. Saturday’s day event was very well organized, thanks to the direction of Molly Maher and Todd Clouser. There were four stages, starting with The Grand Lawn, which featured El Diablo Pedal Swap and “Strum Along/Sing A Song” led by Kith and Kin Chorus. The Waterfall Stage features Paul Metzger and Mexico-Minnesota Collaboration Flow… New York, by the way of New Jersey, Marc Ribot closed out the event. As you may have known, Ribot worked extensively as a session guitarist, famously worked with Tom Waits, Caetano Veloso, John Zorn, Cibo Matto, Elvis Costello, Tift Merritt, Allen Ginsberg, Robert Plant, The Black Keys, Elton John, Neko Case, Joe Henry, and many, many others.”
Details:
Friday Aug 14th
6:00-6:45 Zacc Harris “American Reverie”
7:00-7:35 Chastity Brown (w/Terrell X)
7:45-810 Jeronimo Gonzalez / Jorge Servin w/ Dan Newton at the floating Swan Stage
8:15-9:15 Yasmin Williams
Saturday Aug 15th
Grand Lawn
11:00-11:45 “Strum Along/Sing a Song” led by SheRock SheRock
12:00-1:00 El Diablo Pedal Swap
Promenade Stage
11:15-12:00 Erik Koskinen w/ Nieves del Norte
12:15-1:00 Jeff Ray Trio
1:15-1:45 St. Rangers
2:00-2:45 Pat Donohue w/ Richard Kriehn
3:00-4:00 Gary Louris
Cafe Stage
11:15-11:45 Dan Gjelten
12:00-12:30 The Daily Norm
12:45-1:15 Gabriela Sweet presented by MN Guitar Society
1:30-2:00 Jeronimo Gonzalez
Waterfall Stage
12:00-2:00 – Open Mic hosted by SheRock SheRock
6:00-9:00 The Last Waltz
