Dream Theater at The Midland Theatre, Kansas City MO (2025-10-13)
read more Kansas City Music Guide DREAM THEATER at THE MIDLAND THEATRE, KANSAS CITY MO...
concert review
The Tubs at Turf Club (October 17, 2025)
The Tubs were on the penultimate stop of the North American tour at St. Paul’s Turf Club. The Welsh band delivered.
Magnetic Fields at Union Chapel, London (October 14th and 15th 2025)
The Magnetic Fields have kept a good thing going by taking their 69 Love Songs tour international. This is, if the internet is to be believed, the 100th to 115th or so performance of 69 Love Songs in its entirety over two nights. I have now seen three of them. Pretty sure that puts me in the top five, or top two even, for number of shows seen by one person. I fancy myself a bit of an expert now. So, sit back and let me describe the show to you as someone who is practically in the band at this point.
Jonathan Richman at First Avenue (October 16, 2025)
Jonathan Richman returned to First Avenue with drummer Tommy Larkins for a phone-free night of unfiltered sincerity. Mixing new songs from Only Frozen Sky Anyway with old favorites, Richman danced between languages, laughter, and tenderness — proving again that simplicity, delivered honestly, can still rock a crowd.
Madilyn Mei at Amsterdam Bar and Hall (October 15, 2025)
Madilyn Mei played to a packed house and a very young crowd at Amsterdam Bar and Hall in downtown St. Paul.
DICE at Turf Club (October 14, 2025)
Australian rock band DICE, alongside opener Ray and Paul delighted a Turf Club audience on their stop in St. Paul.
Molly Tuttle at Liberty Hall, Lawrence KS (2025-10-11)
read more Kansas City Music Guide MOLLY TUTTLE with JOSHUA RAY WALKER at LIBERTY...
Matt Maltese at The Fillmore Minneapolis (October 13, 2025)
Matt Maltese at Fillmore (Oct 13, 2025) Matt Maltese Setlist Always Some MF Buses...
Everclear at Ponte Vedra Concert Hall (October 12, 2025)
Everclear at Ponte Vedra Concert Hall (Oct 12, 2025) Everclear Setlist Electra Made Me Blind...
Bob Mould at Icehouse (October 10, 2025)
Bob Mould was playing the first of two solo Twin Cities shows, and unsurprisingly, played like the rock legend he is.
Young the Giant at Uptown Theater, Kansas City MO (2025-10-05)
read more Kansas City Music Guide YOUNG THE GIANT with CASSANDRA COLEMAN at UPTOWN THEATER,...
Grandaddy at First Avenue, Minneapolis (October 8, 2025)
Twenty-one years after their last Minnesota show, Grandaddy returned to First Avenue to perform The Sophtware Slump in full. Note-perfect and emotionally heavy, the set traced millennial dread and fragile hope before loosening into celebratory encores—including birthday cake for guitarist Jim Fairchild. Vermont’s Greg Freeman opened with a beautifully restrained set.
elbow at First Avenue (October 7, 2025)
British band elbow played a great show at First Avenue, with a full band creating some amazingly layered sounds.
Royel Otis at Uptown Theater, Kansas City MO (2025-10-03)
Australian guitar-pop sensations duo Royel Otis played a crowded Uptown Theater (after being brought indoors and upgraded from GrindersKC) in midtown Kansas City, in support of their second full-length, hickey, released in August (via Ourness/Capitol Records). Explaining the album title, the pair has said "…because love bites harder than any other emotion in the world."
Caroline Kingsbury and Maris at Green Room, Minneapolis (October 4th 2025)
Alright, another Twin Cities music venue under my belt as the Green Room played host to co-headliners, Caroline Kingsbury and Maris. It’s a fun, intimate venue with plenty of great sightlines. The balcony allows for great views of the stage; straight on you still fell plenty close, and from the sides you feel like you’re practically on stage. When I review shows, I tend to move about and really couldn’t find a bad spot. If you haven’t been, check it out.
Ehsan Matoori at The O’Shaughnessy (October 4, 2025)
Ehsan Matoori and friends brought an evening of world music to The O’Shaughnessy in St. Paul, performing original works inspired by the poetry of Rumi.
Joan Osborne at The Dakota (October 3, 2025)
Singer Joan Osborne featured a set of Bob Dylan songs mixed with her own in the first of a two night set at the Dakota in Minneapolis.
Low Cut Connie at First Avenue (October 2, 2025)
Next up and right on time was Low Cut Connie. What more needs to be said about this bawdy, fun-loving house band. We are big fans and have seen them quite a bit over the years. There was John’s review in Nov, 2018
Tune-Yards at Fine Line (October 1, 2025)
Tune-Yards, with opener Kassa Overall, brought a tremendous start to Rocktober at Fine Line in Minneapolis.
Water From Your Eyes and Her New Knife at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (30 Sep 2025)
Water From Your Eyes and Her New Knife at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (30 Sep 2025)
Stacey Ryan at 7th Street Entry (September 29, 2025)
It was an early show at 7th Street Entry, as two young singer songwriters were...
KALEO at The Fillmore (September 29, 2025)
Icelandic blues rock band KALEO wrapped up their successful American tour with a stop at The Fillmore in Minneapolis. They closed on a bang.
John Maus at Green Room (September 28, 2025)
John Maus brought a unique energy to the Green Room in Minneapolis and unleashed an onslaught of music and stage presence.
Big Trouble at The White Squirrel Bar (September 27, 2025)
Big Trouble had their monthly residence performance at The White Squirrel Bar and the instrumental band played a wide variety of genres, highlighting their skills as musicians.
Deltron 3030 at Uptown Theater (September 24, 2025)
Supergroup Deltron 3030 (Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, Dan the Automator and Kid Koala) just rocked the Uptown Theater, in Minneapolis, last Wednesday. They did all the hits (“3030”, “Positive Contact”, “Memory Loss”), and, like the last time, they played “Clint Eastwood”, the song that made Gorillaz famous.
Radio Free Alice at 7th Street Entry (September 24, 2025)
Almost October, and Wednesday night was as balmy as any summer eve. Downtown Minneapolis was...
Bass Drum of Death at Turf Club (September 23, 2025)
Bass Drum of Death brought their garage sound to Saint Paul’s Turf Club, and alongside opener Farmer’s Wife, played a fun show of guitar heavy rock.
James at First Avenue (September 21, 2025)
James was at First Avenue and rewarded the crowd with a marathon set, playing the entirety of the album Laid and much more.
Sparks at the Fitzgerald Theater (September 20, 2025)
Sparks is a musical tandem of Russell and Ron Mael, two brothers born and raised on the coast of California, who found a musical home in London. Their musical journey started quite a while ago in 1971. Since then they have recorded 28 studio albums and over 500 songs. They are currently touring to promote their latest release Mad, but they had plenty of other songs to dip into during their almost two hour concert.
Give In to 2000, Man
So why not go back to 2000? A musical time trip might be a balm to dealing with the horrors of the present. Grandaddy, the Modesto-born band who gained traction in the late ‘90s—is happy to oblige me. Touring in support of the 25th anniversary of their 2000 album, The Sophtware Slump, frontman and songwriter Jason Lytle, a skateboarder-turned-musician, offers a nostalgia-tinged complementary American precursor to the creepy, hi-fi fears on Radiohead’s 1997 album OK Computer.