It's not officially fall, if you're a stickler for seasonal boundaries. But Labor Day has passed, the fair is over, and soon we will all feel like Prince in this photo.
Tuesday, September 8
Lara Somogyi, Jacob Pavek @ Berlin
Greatest Jam on Earth @ Blues Saloon
International Reggae Allstars @ Bunker’s
Setting, Keith Fullerton Whitman @ Cedar Cultural Center
St. Dominic’s Trio @ Driftwood Char Bar
Karaoke with On Call Entertainment @ Eagles 34
Barrister, Welby June, Monica Livorsi, the Solo Project @ Green Room
Society of Chemists @ Indeed Brewing
Cedar Avenue Big Band @ Jazz Central
Nova Jazz Orchestra @ Minnesota Music Cafe
Rainbow Girls, Jordan Smart @ Parkway Theater
Aestis with Meshes and Coworker @ Pilllar Forum
Macseal and Ben Quad with Aren't We Amphibians @ 7th St Entry
Artist Showcase @ Sociable Cider Werks
September Conspiracy Series feat. Brotherhood of Birds Brotherhood of Birds @ 331 Club
Worker’s Playtime with Katy Tessman @ 331 Club
Piss With Style, Ben Vogel & the Migration, Shotgun Johnny @ White Squirrel
Dillinger Four, Dark Thoughts, Cheap Thrill @ Zhora Darling
Wednesday, September 9
The Cherry Pit Open Jam @ Berlin
Other Country Ensemble, TAM Edo Bayashi Ensemble @ Bryant Lake Bowl
Jim Bierma and Nancy Bierma @ Crooners
The Neighborhood Quartet @ Crooners
Tom Dahill and Ginny Johnson @ Dubliner Pub
LGBTQ+ Twin Cities Latin Dance @ Eagles 34
Karaoke With On Call Entertainment @ Eagles 34
Miss Shannon Presents Bad Companions @ Eagles 34
The Dead Century @ Harriet Island
Caley Conway and Cathedral Becomes Tombs feat. Nelson Devereaux Trio @ Icehouse
Smiling Cowboys @ Minnesota Music Cafe
Baby Mahi, Red Lovely, Poison Ivy, Deletist @ Mortimer’s
Jeff Ray and Mikkel Beckman @ Peavey Plaza
Willows & the Courage,Joe Kelly, Mande G Adam @ Pilllar Forum
WCCO Blues Band @ Schooner Tavern
Saint Harison, Shae Universe @ 7th St Entry
Harold’s House Party on KFAI with Wain McFarlane @ 331 Club
- Laurie Anderson @ Walker Art Center—Nobody talks quite like Laurie Anderson. And while the subtlety of her intonation and gently ironic humor occasionally flirts with schtick nearly a half-century since she emerged fully formed aesthetically from the New York underground, the material itself remains fresher than anyone would have guessed, say, 25 years ago. Recent tours seem designed to show her catalog’s durability: Her latest album, Let X=X, is a live retrospective backed by the arty jazz group Sexmob, and her current touring show, Republic of Love, which grew out of a request for “a two-hour talk on the relationship of government and love,” revisits signature ’80s cuts like “Big Science” and “Language Is a Virus,” while weaving in the words of Dylan, Cage, Burroughs, and, yes, Reed. She’ll perform solo.—Keith Harris
Cole Diamond’s Whiskey Wednesdays @ White Squirrel
Thursday, September 10
Honky Tonk Dance Night feat. Cole Diamond @ Animales
White Dune (Album Release) with Kena, Nona Invie @ Berlin
Crates: Inferno by Boards of Canada @ Berlin
Jaybee & the Routine @ Bunker’s
Jeff Buckley Grace Tribute @ Cedar Cultural Center
Mother Soki, Lana Leone, Chutes @ Cloudland
Katie Gearty and Frank Merchlewitzin @ Crooners
Dean Magraw + Suwal Singh @ Crooners
Matt Wilson and His Orchestra @ Crooners
Chuck Mangione Tribute feat. the Steve Kinney Quartet @ Crooners
Cafe Accordion Squeeze @ Dock and Paddle
Neighbors Again, the Walkin’ Loons @ Driftwood Char Bar
Mary Cutrufello and Jesse Irwin @ Dubliner Pub
Interstellar Signals @ Dusty’s
LGBTQ+ Twin Cities Latin Dance @ Eagles 34
Karaoke With On Call Entertainment @ Eagles 34
- Sugar, J. Robbins @ First Avenue—A truly wonderful thing happened 35 years ago: Bob Mould realized the musical style he’d helped forge with Hüsker Dü was finally profitable. So he formed a band with bassist David Barbe and drummer Malcolm Travis, finally figured out how to capture the multifaceted bristle of his guitar on tape, and released two perfect albums, an EP and a B-sides collection (both solid), and a limited-release live album. The band quickly burned itself out, and though Mould has played Sugar songs with his own excellent touring band in the years since, stayed firmly broken up until this year. I’m curious to see if he shakes up the tour’s standard setlist over this three-night stand.—Keith Harris
Snapz Live Band Open Mic @ Green Room
Chroma, Purple Funk Minneapolis, Fuschia @ Hook and Ladder
Acoustic Thursdays @ Mainstreet Bar
32nd Street Jazz @ Metronome Brewing
Rooms on Fire @ Minnesota Music Cafe
Mary Elias’s Young Relics @ Minnesota Music Cafe
Northstar Original Revue @ Midway Saloon
Fastball, Spacehog @ Parkway Theater
Dollar Store Cologne, Oister Boy, Nothing But Joy @ Pilllar Forum
Crowd Pleaser Thursdays @ Red Sea
Edie Rae Band, Deadly Cyclamates @ Schooner Tavern
Big Big Brain! (Album Release), Third Date, Admiral Fox, We Are The Willows @ 7th St Entry
Rank Strangers, They Dead, False Agave @ 331 Club
Kiernan and Luke Callen, J.E. Sunde @ Turf Club
Aaron Watson @ Varsity Theater
Bessie Snow Presents: Appètit, a Burlesque Review @ Volstead’s
- Laurie Anderson @ Walker Art Center—see Wednesday's listings.
Jeff Becker, the Rodents @ White Squirrel
Half Ivory, Handsome Midnight, Ghost Kitchen @ White Squirrel
James Whatton @ Wooden Ship Brewing
Parlour Magic, Observant, Drey DK @ Zhora Darling
Friday, September 11
Jane Don’t Does America @ Amsterdam
Sam Barber, Josiah and the Bonnevilles, Wild Horses @ Armory
Laplant-Ryan Duo with Sammie Jean @ Aster Cafe
BSU Afterparty @ Bazemnt Lounge
Solomon Parham Quintet @ Berlin
Modern Wildlife, Guest House, Wish Wash @ Birdhaus
B-4 Barry, J-Mo and the J-Lighters @ Blues Saloon
Ancient Waves, Lucy Michelle, Whispered the Rabbit @ Cedar Cultural Center
Preston Schlueter and Phil Kadidlo @ Crooners
River: The Music of Carole King, Joni Mitchell, and Carly Simon @ Crooners
Ann Hampton Callaway @ Crooners
Oakes Family Scholarship, Shelly Lynne and the Boys @ Driftwood Char Bar
Wild Colonial Bhoys @ Dubliner Pub
Irish Music Session @ Dubliner Pub
Scott Allen and the List @ Eagles 34
- Margaret Glaspy, Anna Tivel @ Fine Line—Glaspy’s virtuosic guitar shares a conversational quality with her writing, and it’s easy to underestimate both until she sneaks in a juicy chord change or aphorism like “Doing nothing is something that I do too well.” Not to slight the opening victory shuffle of “Michigan,” where she endures a Midwestern chill while gloating about how an ex can’t get over her, but the highlight of Galspy’s latest album, I Am Both, is a triptych of insightful relationship songs. On “Petty” (“Can’t you read my mind? I thought telepathy was a requirement for love.”) she passive-aggressively does laundry while her partner fails to take the hint, “Common Ground” calls out a fella who’d “rather kiss my feet or watch me drown/Than meet me on common ground,” and the title characters of “James and Marie” put off the hard conversations till it’s too late. I do hope her setlist includes some of the songs she covered so brilliantly on her 2025 EP, The Golden Heart Protector—at least the Magnetic Fields’ “The Book of Love.” This is her tour opener.—Keith Harris
- Sugar, J. Robbins @ First Avenue—see Thursday's listings.
King Caesar, Massive Green, Awake for the Fall, Arrows at Dawn @ Flying V
MN String Gathering 3.0 @ Hook and Ladder
Jeff Gavin Band @ Mainstreet Bar
Funktion Junction @ Minnesota Music Cafe
FarFarAway, Powerdam, Radowl @ Pilllar Forum
Greazy Gravy with Boom Boom Steve V @ Schooner Tavern
Vwillz, Adam Yokum, Jgriff @ 7th St Entry
Qrrrky, Queen Jeanne, the Envies @ Terminal Bar
The Scarlet Goodbye @ 318 Cafe
The Havana Sleeves, Valors @ 331 Club
Dean Johnson, Sadie Gustafson-Zook, Old Pup @ Turf Club
Totally Cashed @ Underground Music
Parisota Hot Club @ Volstead’s
Nathan Walker, Chemistry Set @ White Squirrel
Economic Headwinds, Atomic Lights, Murder Curious @ White Squirrel
The Motion Mosaic, Wanderer, the Central, Andthecanaryfell, RIME @ Zhora Darling
Saturday, September 12
Sarah Morris and the Sometimes Guys @ Animales
Titans: A Burlesque Revue @ Amsterdam
Peaceboi X Bazemnt Presents @ Bazemnt Lounge
Organic Music Quartet @ Berlin
J. Bell & the LSB Trio @ Carbone’s
- Cedarfest @ Cedar-Riverside—Now, for me, just shutting down some of Minneapolis’s biggest thoroughfares to cars is enough to make for a very pleasant afternoon of getting around on foot or by bike. But add in camel rides, pickup basketball, wiener dog races, an appearance from Southside Battletrain, three stages of live music, a pool truck (we think it’s a truck with a pool?), a Somali hut (aqal) to hang out in, and food??? They’re calling it the perfect Saturday. Our Streets and the West Bank Business Association are co-hosting Open Streets Cedarfest this year, and it’s gonna be a big one.—Em Cassel
Muun Bato, Sunken Planes, Super Haiku @ Cloudland
Amanda Grace Cranberries Tribute @ Crooners
One Moment in Time: A Tribute to Whitney Houston @ Crooners
Ann Hampton Callaway @ Crooners
The Thrill Is Gone: A Birthday Celebration of B.B. King @ Dakota
Tiny Traces, Small Circles @ Driftwood Char Bar
30th Anniversary Party @ Dubliner Pub
Sleepy Eye, Model Model Homes, Lex Melodica @ Dusty’s
Frank Flamingo, Arm Armor @ Eagles 34
- Sugar, J. Robbins @ First Avenue—see Thursday's listings.
Candlelight: The Best of Hans Zimmer @ Granada
Candlelight: Tribute to Tool @ Granada
Family Gathering Concert Series @ Hook and Ladder
Pierre Lewis B3 Organ Night @ Jazz Central
Blues Traveler, Gin Blossoms, Spin Doctors @ Ledge Amphitheater
Wild in the Streets @ Mainstreet Bar
The Good, the Bad, the Funk@ Minnesota Music Cafe
Ukrainian Global Symphony: Sounds of Freedom @ Orchestra Hall
- Do Re #MeToo @ Parkway Theater—Abortion access: It’s an important thing to defend. And some of the Twin Cities’ finest musicians will return tonight to do just that, raising money for the Lizz Winstead-founded Abortion Access Front with an evening of “righteous feminists” putting a new spin on sexist tunes. On the lineup tonight: Aby Wolf, Christy Costello, Jaedyn James, Janey Winterbauer, Katy Vernon, Leslie Vincent, Mary Bue, Mary Cutrufello, Sophie Hiroko, Molly Maher, Tricky Miki, and, intriguingly, “special guests.” They’re backed by the Maneaters, with bandleader Jenny Case on guitar, Barb Brynstad on bass, Alyse Manuel on drums, Maureen McFarlane on keys, and Joan Hutton on sax. Give ‘em hell, gang!—Em Cassel
DJ Dance Ride @ Perennial Cycle
Linus, Portside Dive, and Daisycutter @ Pilllar Forum
Ecstatic Music Second Saturdays @ Red Sea
Trailer Trash @ Schooner Tavern
- Selby Ave Jazzfest @ Selby Avenue—Presented by Walker|West Music Academy, this gathering is now in its 25th year of offering up a day of free music in St. Paul. This year's lineup is capped by a performance from Stokley of Mint Condition, a Walker|West alum. And as always, there will be a musical flashmob.—Keith Harris
Mini Trees, Frown Line @ 7th St Entry
1947, the Del-Viles, the Crimson Boys @ Terminal Bar
Billy Johnson & Friends @ 318 Cafe
Sapphic Factory: Queer Joy Party @ Turf Club
Black Pontiac @ Underground Music
sKitz Kraven @ Underground Music
Park Evans (Fire Bell) @ Volstead’s
Lucinda Williams Tribute @ White Squirrel
23watts, Jeff Lemiesz @ White Squirrel
A Blind History, Paper Beast, Marty Foul @ White Squirrel
Lovely Dark, Physics, Wish Wash, Night Audit @ Zhora Darling
Sunday, September 13
Meiday, DJ Killa Beat @ Acadia
Cherokee Social, Fmly Frnd, Soul Flower @ Amsterdam
Sunday Swing Brunch @ Aster Cafe
Mariana Trench Quartet @ Berlin
Communion Season 20:15 @ Cabooze
Painting Joni: Celebrating the Music of a Master @ Crooners
Sounds of Santana feat. Joe Cruz @ Crooners
Bob Case’s Jazz Trumpet Extravaganza @ Crooners
Swingin’ on Star @ Dock & Paddle
North Star Jazz Workshop @ Dual Citizen
Sunday Trad Session @ Dubliner Pub
Phine & Friends, Shotgun Ragtime Band @ Driftwood Char Bar
Twin Cities Country Dancers @ Eagles 34
Karaoke with Reina Starr @ Eagles 34
No Raza, Ruins of the First World @ Eagles 34
Ceremony, Poison Ruin, World Peace @ Fine Line
Jeremy Messersmith @ Hewing Hotel
The Holding Line, Cassandra, Ditch Pigeon @ Hook and Ladder
Ethan Ostrow with the Outside In and Room3 @ Icehouse
Zorongo Flamenco Dance Theatre @ Metronome Brewery
Jen Burleigh-Bentz @ Metronome Brewery
Dan & Shay @ Mystic Lake Amphitheater
Cantus & Imani Winds: My Ancestors Speak @ Ordway
Starly Kind, Hey ily, Lobster Fight @ Pilllar Forum
Church of Cornbread @ Schooner Tavern
Emma Harner, ducksmithson @ 7th St Entry
Emmy Woods & Friends @ 331 Club
Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School @ 331 Club
Homestyle Dinner Rolls @ Underground Music
Sons of Legion @ Uptown Theater
Dan Rumsey, Mark Severin, Lori Lofstrom, Hilary Yoder @ White Squirrel
Women's Showcase with Jessica Forsythe & Katy Vernon @ White Squirrel
H.E.A.T., Conan Neutron & the Secret Friends, Battery Eyes @ Zhora Darling
Monday, September 14
Massive Mondays Reggae @ Cabooze
Songwriter Night: Hosted by Tom Peschges feat. Tim Fast @ Crooners
Sea Shanty Sing @ Dubliner Pub
Kamelot, Visions of Atlantis, Frozen Crown @ First Avenue
Vaguely Yours, Splint, Fishing @ Memory Lanes
Caribou Gone @ Metronome Brewery
Blues Jam with Moses Oakland @ Midway Saloon
Monday Jam @ Minnesota Music Cafe
The Barbarians of California, Squint, Armed for Apocalypse @ 7th St Entry
Open Mic @ Sociable Cider Werks
Mumblin’ Drew’s Oldfangled Orchestrators @ White Squirrel
Spilled Ink Vol. #1: Seminar w. NIKΩ, Rellium Prime & TwoPick @ White Squirrel
