Here is what is going on this week in Minneapolis/St Paul, ending on Aug 16, 2026: • Suburbs at Concert in the Commons (Aug 12, 2026) • Big Thief at Surly Brewing Festival Field (Aug 15, 2026) • Crane Wives at First Avenue (Aug 15, 2026)

The Suburbs at Excelsior Concert in the Commons (August 12, 2026)

Suburbs at Concert in the Commons (Aug 12, 2026)

August 12, 2026 Wednesday
The Suburbs
at Concert in the Commons
excelsiorconcerts.com

Local legends The Suburbs will be playing Concert in the Commons, in Excelsior, on August 12, 2026.

Excelsior’s Concerts in the Commons: Well out in the western suburbs, this annual series has free music on seven different Wednesdays from June to August from 6:30 to 8:30pm, with The Suburbs on August 12 being one we are planning on attending.

Mark your calendars—it’s the summer concert line-up you’ve been waiting for!

Get ready to join the Excelsior Morning Rotary Club for FREE LIVE MUSIC all summer long. Here are your Excelsior Concerts in the Commons for 2026 (Wednesday nights):
June 3 – Pandora’s Other Box, with opening band The Basement Kings – Sponsored by Waytek, Inc.
June 17 – Fabulous Armadillos Party Band ft. Chris Hawkey – Sponsored by Garda Capital Partners
July 1 – Rival 5 – Sponsored by Chad Babcock- State Farm Insurance Agent
July 15 – The Good, The Bad and The Funky
July 29 – St. Paul & the Minneapolis Funk All Stars (Prince Tribute Band) – Sponsored by Blaze Credit Union
Aug 12 – The Suburbs – Sponsored by Legion Post 259 MN
Aug 26 – Rumours & Dreams (Fleetwood Mac Tribute) – Sponsored by Oppidan Investment Company

Food trucks start at 5pm and music goes from 6:30-8:30pm!

Free. Fun. Community‑powered. Bring a chair and enjoy Wednesday evenings with Rotary! As the dates approach, more details will be available on social media and online at excelsiorconcerts.com

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

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 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.

If your band is coming to the Minneapolis/St Paul area, please email details to vu@weheartmusic.com with a good lead time. Thank you.

vu ♥ wheartm.com ♥ @weheartmusic ♥ weheartmusicgroup