Welcome to Event Horizon, your weekly roundup of the best events in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
TUESDAY 4.4
Lil Wayne
The Fillmore
It’s incredible to think that Lil Wayne is still only 40 years old. The New Orleans MC got his start as a teen in the '90s, achieved Best Rapper Alive status by the ‘00s, and has been chasing his own (often space-alien odd, sometimes sneakily trailblazing) artistic indulgences ever since, health and legal problems be damned. Oh yeah, he also was pardoned by President Trump, thus securing his place in U.S. presidential history. Securing local Weezy appearances has proven much trickier; between 2015 and 2017, Wayne was a no show for three different dates. Odds are possibly improved for this show, considering it kicks off the 28-city "Welcome to Carter Tour,” which’ll have the real-life Dwayne Carter Jr. spitting bars from his voluminous discography at smaller clubs. When he’s fully committed, Wayne can still summon the generational talent that solidified him as one of the all-time greats. All ages. $215-$450. 6 p.m. 525 N. 5th St., Minneapolis; find more info here.—Jay Boller
St. Paul Saints Home Opener
CHS Field
Last month, we lost a precious celebrity local angle: Bill Murray is no longer a co-owner of the St. Paul Saints. Murray, Marv Goldklang, and Mike Veeck bought the independent team together back in ’92, but in March they announced they were selling it to Diamond Baseball Holdings, which owns 12 additional minor league franchises. Kind of a bummer! Will you notice the ownership shift when you’re guzzling yellow beers on the berm? Almost certainly not, though you can find out for yourself at Tuesday’s home opener. Track down tickets here, and pop in the password “OpeningNight2023” to get a limited edition hoodie in your size (while supplies last, of course). $20+. 6:37 p.m. 360 N. Broadway St., St. Paul.—Em Cassel
WEDNESDAY 4.5
Sam Jay
Acme Comedy Co.
This SNL writer is blowing up in front of the camera with two shows (HBO’s PAUSE with Sam Jay and Peacock’s Bust Down) plus a role as Jonah Hill’s best friend in the Netflix movie You People. The queer, Black Atlanta native receives frequent comparisons to the late, great Patrice O’Neal. “With any dream, you have to chase it relentlessly. You can’t chase money; you can’t chase fame,” she writes in this Backstage essay about impressing Hannibal Buress as a standup startup. “You have to chase the dream itself—wanting to be better at the thing that you’re passionate about. Everything else will follow.” That approach seems to be working for Sam, whose brash, charismatic, and very funny bits hit on race, sexuality, and politics. $20-$25. 8 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday; 7 & 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. 708 N. First St., Minneapolis; find more info here.—Jay Boller
THURSDAY 4.6
Twins Home Opener
Target Field
At press time, we don’t see a single L on the remaining schedule of your 3-0 Minnesota Twins. That fearless prediction will be put to test at today’s home opener against the Houston Astros. The first 20,000 fans will receive Twins caps, though unfortunately not of the stocking variety: Gameday temps aren’t expected to break 36 degrees. (Here’s my annual gripe about not opting to build this riverside/retractable roof version of Target Field.) In any case, you can expect a swift ‘n’ chilly outing, as new pitch-timing rules have so far shortened games by about a half hour. Twins righty Sonny Gray is projected to get the start against Astro Johnny Cueto, and you can still score non-seated tickets to see 'em for just $9. Will the Twins be any good this season? Consult this fantastic preview from Aaron Gleeman and Dan Hayes of The Athletic. Perhaps more pressing: Will this year’s new ballpark grub bring the proverbial heat? Racket’s review crew is headed to Target Field this afternoon for media tasting day. Our reviews, which’ll arrive late Monday, are the only ones to be trusted. $9-$102. 3:10 p.m. 1 Twins Way, Minneapolis; find more info here.—Jay Boller
FRIDAY 4.7
Brandie Posey
Comedy Corner Underground
Posey’s website describes the L.A. comic as a “Riot Grrrl on acid,” a formula that has led to opening gigs for standup greats Maria Bamford and Kyle Kinane, as well as for punk band Against Me! Her conversational, exuberant comedy touches on the joys of aging (feeling free to yell at teens in hot tubs) and the sexual politics of The Little Mermaid (Prince Eric may not be a generous lover). You can hear about all that and more on her weekly podcast Lady to Lady, which is co-hosted by fellow comics Tess Barker and Babs Gray. $15. 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. 1501 S. Washington Ave., Minneapolis; find more info here.—Jay Boller
Black Belt Eagle Scout
Cedar Cultural Center
Mid-Covid, Portland indie-rock multi-instrumentalist Katherine Paul visited the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, her ancestral lands, and came away with the inspiration for her third album, The Land, The Water, The Sky. Capturing such an experience in language is always tricky: Whether simple and descriptive (“Gray and white salmon swim upstream”) or verging on the mystical (“Trying to see inside myself/Wanting to rip inside my body/Like a demon”) the lyrics grow mesmerizing as delivered by Paul’s hazy soprano. And the guitars, rising from a subdued strum to exploratory solo lines, add to the dreamlike quality of the album. With Claire Glass and Adobo. All ages. $17/$22 at the door. 8 p.m. 416 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis; find more info here.—Keith Harris
The Minneapolis Films of David Burton Morris and Victoria Wozniak
Trylon
Inspired by a Walker showing of the Cuban director Tomás Gutiérrez Alea’s Memories of Underdevelopment, David Burton Morris and Victoria Wozniak decided to make a movie about blue-collar Americans. The result was Loose Ends (1975), the story of Billy and Eddie, two mechanics at a St. Paul car dealership who feel their youth slipping away. It’s a snapshot of the Twin Cities at the time, with scenes set at the Depot (later First Avenue) and Mickey’s Diner. In its 1988 sequel, Patti Rocks, Billy drags Eddie to visit his pregnant girlfriend to convince her to have an abortion. The third film in this series is Purple Haze (1982), about a young man coming home to Minneapolis in 1968 and getting his draft notice after Princeton kicks him out. Here’s an informative Q&A with the two filmmakers, if you’d like more background. $8. 2820 E. 33rd St., Minneapolis; find showtimes and more info here. Through Sunday—Keith Harris
SATURDAY 4.8
1 Year Anniversary Party
Planty Queens
When Planty Queens hosted a plant festival last summer, Racket compared plants to pets. But while you can have too many cats, you really can’t have too many plants. With that in mind, this weekend is a great time to add to your family via this event. During its one-year anniversary, Planty Queens will be offering 10% off flora friends. Meanwhile, upstairs, you’ll find a makers market. Vendors include artist Alexis Politz (love those “Get Fucked” tees), student-made macarons from Mrs. E's Teacher Treats, burnables from Burn Boss Candles, and more from Better Together, Helland Studio, Sander Kolodziej, and Saunders. Free. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. 2807 Johnson St. NE, Minneapolis. —Jessica Armbruster
Future & Friends
Target Center
No mistaking it: We are in the era of post-peak Future. The Atlanta rapper can no longer summon the blend of vulnerability and malice that made him the most fascinating popular MC for a few years in the middle of the past decade. He’s been gliding on trap autopilot for a while now; on his 2022 hit album, I Never Liked You, his codeine-soaked groan hits all the right lazily hedonistic Auto-Tuned notes and the 808 hi-hats titter in familiar patterns, but the magic is gone. Still, Future has a past, and this is the biggest rap show of the season because his setlists have been digging into that classic period, as well as the few worthy hits that followed. Now’s your chance to chant “Percocets, molly, Percocets” in a roomful of fans possessed by the same narcotic glee as you and shout “Same! Damn! Time!” at the same damn time as Nayvadius himself. Besides, he’s accompanied by some noteworthy “friends”: Don Toliver, G Herbo, Mariah the Scientist, and Dess Dior. $55-$260. 7 p.m. 600 N. First Ave., Minneapolis; find more info here.—Keith Harris
Spring Invitational
Fire & Nice Alehouse
A big beer expo (or a “dabbler”) can be a good time, but if you’re looking for a less intense, more affordable chance to sample a slew of brews, Fire & Nice’s Spring Invitational is your weekend hang. For this free event, eight breweries—Arbeiter, Portage, Blackstack, Pryes, Bauhaus, Falling Knife, Wooden Ship, and Inbound—will be offering samples to those of age until they run out. Meanwhile, F&I’s kitchen will be serving up woodfired pizza by the slice and special appetizers. After 7 p.m., the party will also move outside into the parking lot, where there will be bonfires, drinking games, and $4 cups of Falling Knife’s Tomm’s lager. It’s all for a good cause: A portion of pint proceeds will benefit Literacy Minnesota, who will also be onsite taking donations and hosting giveaways throughout the day. All ages. Free. 2-10 p.m. 2700 Lyndale Ave. S., Minneapolis.—Jessica Armbruster
North Loop Candy Grab
Target Field (Metro Transit Station)
Make no mistakes: This is a grab, not a hunt. Each year, volunteers dump thousands of candy- and prize-filled eggs onto a grassy lawn at Target Field and let kids have at it. It’s kinda a no-frills method, but it’s fun and gets the job done. Don’t worry about toddlers having to fight the big kids for eggs, as this event blessedly organizes a variety of “grabs” for different ages/weight groups, even including one for adults. The Easter Bunny will also be on hand to cheer kids on and do photo ops. Free. 9:30 a.m. Fifth Avenue North and Fifth Street North, Minneapolis.—Jessica Armbruster
ONGOING
Insight Design Series
Walker Art Center
Graphic design is their passion. Really! For over 30 years, AIGA and WAC have hosted Insight Design Series, an event that invites talented folks from around the world to come to the museum and talk about how design can be transformative, impactful, and radical. Things kicked off last week with multi-disciplinary artist Prem Krishnamurthy. This week, Brooklyn-based studio WeShouldDoItAll will be in town to talk about being tasked with leading the community galleries in the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC. Next week Turkish-born, Portland-based Serifcan Ozcan explores working with clients ranging from Vogue to Nike to Bud Light. Next is Angela Washko, an artist who uses video-game and digital worlds to examine things like toxic masculinity and queerphobia. The series concludes with record shop Extreme Noise Records, which will be taking a look at Twin Cities’ punk history through community art and design. Lectures are $24 each ($10 if you’re a student), while many of the series’ related workshops, classes, and online sessions are free. 7 p.m. 725 Vineland Place, Minneapolis; find tickets and more info here. Tuesdays through April 4—Jessica Armbruster
Message from Our Planet: Digital Art from the Thoma Collection
Weisman Art Museum
Good news, everyone—it’s spring. At least at the Weisman, whose spring 2023 exhibition, “Message from Our Planet: Digital Art from the Thoma Collection,” opens this week. Inspired by the Voyager 1 spacecraft, which was used as a repository of human culture on Earth, the idea is to offer a sort of time capsule from artists working in digital media to the people of the future. To that end, the exhibit gathers the work of 19 artists who use software, video, and light technology as their media. Among those featured are Hong Hao, Jenny Holzer, Lee Nam Lee, Christian Marclay, Tabita Rezaire, and Robert Wilson. 333 E. River Pkwy, Minneapolis; find more info here. Through May 21–Keith Harris
Fluidity: Identity in Swedish Glass
American Swedish Institute
Glass artist Jo Andersson doesn’t just want you to gaze upon her works. She wants you to experience them as a meditative tool for self reflection. “Being is a light installation which is intended to help bring individuals into the present moment,” she says via artist’s statement. “I wanted to create a safe space where viewers could lose themselves and fully experience the work as well as their responses to the work.” So, what does that entail? At ASI, you’ll enter a dimmed room full of glass sculptures filled with water. You’ll be encouraged to use camera phones to illuminate pieces and place with the lighting. From there? Take some time for self reflection. (If nothing else, this show should make for some good visual ASMR.) In addition to Andersson’s ambitious installation, the exhibition will also showcase pieces by female glass artists from the museum’s permanent collection. Friday’s opening night party will feature an artist’s talk, live music, an outdoor glass and fire installation, and a hands on glass activity from 6 to 9 p.m. Tickets are $25. 2600 Park Ave., Minneapolis.Through May 28–Jessica Armbruster
Paul Chan: Breathers
Walker Art Center
Can those inflatable tube guys used to drive people to sales be art? If it’s in the Walker Art Center then, yes, it can. But that would be oversimplifying the work of Paul Chen, a Hong Kong-born, Nebraska-raised, NYC-based writer, publisher, and artist. In the ‘90s and ‘00s, Chan garnered attention releasing videos, animations, fonts, and more, often for free on his website, nationalphilistine.com. These pieces explored pleasure, war, politics, and human interactions. But by 2009, he had burned out, tired of looking at a screen. Relatable. Five years later, after a brief, you know, “breather,” he found a new way to explore movement and meaning without a computer, instead using physics, fabrics, and fans to create shapes that move about in interesting ways (and, thankfully, won’t try to sell you a car). You can see these kinetic sculptures at the Walker; the show will also include some video installations as well as pieces from his publishing company, Badlands Unlimited, which releases poetry, erotica, artists’ writings, and more. 725 Vineland Place, Minneapolis. Through July 16, 2023—Jessica Armbruster
