Those people with the purple wristbands? They're in town to acknowledge the fact that Prince would have turned 68 next weekend, and to celebrate what he accomplished in the 57 years he was with us. But of course there's plenty else going on in addition to all the Princely to-dos—summer is essentially here.
Tuesday, June 2
Greatest Jam on Earth @ Blues Saloon
International Reggae Allstars @ Bunker’s
John Magnuson Trio @ Carbone’s
Summer Serenade: North Star Chorus & Lake Country Chorus @ Dock and Paddle
St. Dominic’s Trio @ Driftwood Char Bar
Karaoke with On Call Entertainment @ Eagles 34
Miss Shannon’s Camaraderie @ Eagles 34
Toadies, Local H, Vandoliers @ First Avenue
Martin Kember and UNIT @ Green Room
The Flying T @ Minnehaha Bandstand
Bluewater Kings Showcase @ Minnesota Music Cafe
Old Time Music Workshop and Jam @ Padraigs
Mark Winters with Sylvia Dieken and Reese Glover @ Pilllar Forum
Artist Showcase @ Sociable Cider Werks
By Storm, Lerado Khalil @ 7th St Entry
Worker’s Playtime with Mike Munson @ 331 Club
Mac Saturn, Nectarous @ Turf Club
Thomas Sticha @ White Squirrel
Old Town Tuesday Night Jam @ Whitey’s
Wednesday, June 3
Sun Wave Mountain Cave ft. Paper Beast and Renegade Escape @ Amsterdam
Mantis (Album Release) @ Berlin
The Cherry Pit Open Jam @ Berlin
Alice Bag Band, Clickbait, Buio Omega @ Cloudland
Feeling Groovy: Simon & Garfunkel Tribute with a Twist @ Crooners
Sweet Rhubarb @ Dock and Paddle
Quarter Past 1/2 Time, Gutter Glitter @ Driftwood Char Bar
- Prince Celebration 2026 Kick-Off Party ft. Chaka Khan with DJ Lenka Paris @ First Avenue—With how maudlin this town’s Prince remembrances have felt, generally speaking, I find myself revisiting an Onion headline published the day after our pint-sized pop supernova died: "Nation Too Sad To Fuck Even Though It’s What Prince Would Have Wanted.” With that stray observation in mind, we present a week’s worth of Purple One parties to mark the 10th anniversary of his death, leading up to what would have been his 68th birthday on Sunday. There’s a lot going on. Ticketed Prince fans have loads of activities in store at Paisley Park beginning Wednesday, but for less committed appreciators there’ll be "community activations" all week at the Renee Good and Alex Pretti memorials, plus visits to George Floyd Square; then, on Wednesday, there’s the official kickoff party at First Avenue with Chaka Khan. Thursday’ll be Prince Night at Target Field, where Twins fans can score sick purple varsity jackets. Friday’s all about the big concert at the Armory featuring, for the first time ever, members of the Revolution and New Power Generation performing together. On Saturday a block party/singalong goes down in downtown Minneapolis for the people, and on Sunday there’ll be Lake Minnetonka boat cruises for the VIP credentialed. We’ve got the whole sprawling itinerary here 4 U. Also relevant to Prince lovers: The People’s Museum for Prince celebrates its grand opening Sunday in north Minneapolis.—Jay Boller
Open Mic with Neal Dimick @ Ginkgo Coffee
Seje, St. Anthony Mann @ Icehouse
Sawyer’s Dream @ Lake Harriet Bandshell
League Night @ Metronome Brewery
Pat Donahue and Friends @ Midway Saloon
Tytus Canby @ Minnesota Music Cafe
Chairman Chair and the Chairmen, the Ugly Cowboys, Ditch Pigeon, Clung Tight @ Mortimers
BUCKLS, Slash Fire, Duck Bomb @ Pilllar Forum
Robert Wilkinson, Steve Brantseg @ Schooner Tavern
Cruvell (Album Release), Marzanna, Chuck Love, Gucci Snotrag, Kid Cuisine, Sassy G @ 7th St Entry
Bosso Poetry Company @ 331 Club
Harold’s House Party on KFAI with McCawley, Otto and Hurricane @ 331 Club
Mark Winters, Emmy Woods, Ditch Pigeon @ Underground Music
Smokedope2016 @ Varsity Theater
The Second Stringers @ White Squirrel
Joey Thursday, Dad Joke @ White Squirrel
Align, Utility, Lovely Dark @ Zhora Darling
Thursday, June 4
David Huckfelt's Mystery Lights @ Animales
Jeremy Elijah & Lauren Whalen @ Aster Cafe
Gold Minefield (Album Release), Channy Leaneagh @ Berlin
Jay Bee & the Routine @ Bunker’s
Moon Walker, Super Cassette @ Cedar Cultural Center
Micah Schnabel and Vanessa Jean Speckman, the Right Here, Car Spiders @ Cloudland
The Music of Seals & Croft @ Crooners
Calvin Caron's American West Quintet @ Crooners
Sue Scott’s Island of Discarded Women with Rep. Leigh Finke and Andra Suchy @ Crooners
- Taj Mahal & the Phantom Blues Band @ Dakota—Taj has toured so frequently for so long that it’s tempting to take him for granted, but since he just turned 84, well, maybe you shouldn’t. Unlike the white boys who dominated the late ’60s blues revival from which he emerged, the Harlemite born Henry St. Clair Fredericks Jr. never placed virtuosity first. For him, it has always been about the song, and it remains so on his 30th and most recent studio album, Time, whether he’s giving a reggae lilt to the ’20s number “Wild About My Lovin’,” strutting through his own “You Put the Whammy on Me,” or exhuming the lost Bill Withers number “Time.” These numbers will join old Taj standbys like “Farther on Down the Road,” “She Caught the Katy,” and “Corrina” in his setlist, and in each case his performances are as unrushed as a country breeze but sung with urbane smarts.—Keith Harris
Prior Lake Brass @ Dock & Paddle
Yeah Doggos, the Rockin’ Iguanas @ Driftwood Char Bar
LGBTQ+ Twin Cities Latin Dance @ Eagles 34
Karaoke With On Call Entertainment @ Eagles 34
Shordie Shordie, hoodtrophy bino @ Fine Line
ANTrio + Jazzologists @ Hook and Ladder
Tainted Canyon, Yes We Are, the Locals @ Hook and Ladder
Acoustic Thursdays @ Mainstreet Bar
- NUNNABOVE @ Mia—Is it really summer unless the cherished local art museum declares it so? Not in our book, so it’s with great enthusiasm that we recommend this seasonal kickoff to Mia’s free weekly activity series. The marquee event is a concert from Minneapolis pop/funk/rock outfit NUNNABOVE, the members of which happen to be siblings. There'll also be art projects with Laura Wennstrom and Akiko Ostlund, unique print viewing in the Print Study Room, and two food trucks (ParraLily and Unbakeable) peddling killer French fries and (safe to eat) raw cookie dough.—Jay Boller
Megastellar Open Mic Night @ Midway Saloon
Yo Jimbo Jazz @ Minnehaha Bandstand
Lowdown Dirty Fools Blues Band @ Minnesota Music Cafe
Barber’s Adagio for Strings @ Orchestra Hall
Weeklong Weekend, Gauze, Crash House @ Pilllar Forum
The Wandering Suns @ Schooner Tavern
The Menagerie, Toadstool, Agony in the Living Room, Milk @ 7th St Entry
Northeast Invitational @ 331 Club
Dwight Yoakam @ Treasure Island
Satsang (solo), Joey Harkum (solo) @ Turf Club
FINICK, Jammaz, & Otterheist @ Underground Music
Augustana, Phantom Planet @ Varsity Theater
Blanche the Jazzy Jewess of South Minneapolis @ Volstead’s
Switching Fields, LongView, Bookowski @ White Squirrel
Friday, June 5
Corsair (EP Release) @ Amsterdam
Frequency Friday: Beats for the Underground @ Bazement
Drinkwine with Friends @ Blues Saloon
Turn Turn Turn, Triple Fiddle (EP Release) @ Cedar Cultural Center
Yuasa-Exide, Blanky, Lutheran Heat @ Cloudland
Selby Avenue Brass Band Featuring Thomasina Petrus @ Crooners
Brandon Commodore’s NRG @ Crooners
- Taj Mahal & the Phantom Blues Band @ Dakota—See Thursday's listings.
Demitrious Rallis Band with Greater Goods @ Day Block Brewing
Andra Suchy, Billy Johnson @ Day Block Brewing
The Riff Rangers @ Dock and Paddle
Exactly 5 Reasons @ Driftwood Char Bar
Powersock (EP Release) @ 56 Brewing
Em Beihold, Janani K. Jha @ Fine Line
Heated Twilight⏤A Heated Rivalry + Twilight Dance Party @ First Avenue
Banana Grenade, Fiona Hayes, Lexi Evelyn, Bottlerocket @ Flying V
Kevin Anderson @ Ginkgo Coffee
The Jazz Room: A Tribute to Frank Sinatra & Louis Armstrong @ Granada
Billy Currington and Kip Moore, with Kenny Whitmire @ Grand Casino Hinckley
Tony Ortiz and the Guns of Soul @ Lake Harriet Bandshell
Whiskey Stone @ Mainstreet Bar
Man Down (EP Release) @ Midway Saloon
Olsen-Gillman Band @ Minnehaha Bandstand
The Johnnie Brown Experience @ Minnesota Music Cafe
Why Not, Products Band, Lana Leone, Filthy Kittens @ Mortimers
Barber’s Adagio for Strings @ Orchestra Hall
Jonathan Biss Plays Schumann’s Piano Concerto @ Ordway
The Last Dinner Party with Automatic @ Palace Theatre
Rhythm, Texture & Drone Are Fluid @ The Pattern Room
Willow Waters & the Earth Tones, Tabah, Bird Dog @ Pilllar Forum
Maurice Jacox & We Still R @ Schooner Tavern
Aiden Intro, Lasalle @ 7th St Entry
Doug Collins and the Receptionists, Arcana 81 @ Terminal Bar
The Crimson Boys, Dangerbad @ 331 Club
Thomas Sticha with Val Son and LaPlant Road @ Turf Club
Agony in the Living Room, Nice and Blue, Super Brick, Blimey @ Underground Music
Sam Graber Band @ White Squirrel
Wisper, Magick Flavour Station, Nu Nova @ White Squirrel
- Caterwaul @ Zhora Darling—The noisiest festival in town returns, and this year all three days will take place at Zhora Darling. Big names in 2026 include punk stalwart Mike Watt and his band the Missingmen, Jersey screamo pioneers Rye Coalition, and the brutally mathy Dazzling Killmen. And, of course, plenty of locals are on hand, including Buio Omega, ¿WATCHES?, and Mad Mojo Jett. If that all sounds way too heavy for you, let me point out that even the snivelling pencilneck writing this blurb had a hell of a time last year. This is a special Caterwaul, as co-founder Rainer Fronz will be sitting it out as he recovers from a recent heart transplant—read more about that here.—Keith Harris
Saturday, June 6
Cornbread Harris & Friends @ Animales
Spike and the Gandy Dancers (Album Release) @ Aster Cafe
SNV Presents: Shut up and Dance @ Bazemnt
The Dirty Pretty with Serf Revolt and Hot Press @ Can Can Wonderland
- Capri Arts Festival @ Capri Theater—We’re pretty sure there’s a block party in just about every neighborhood in town this weekend, which means summer fest season is in full swing. One great example? This here plaza party at the Capri. There will be music on multiple stages throughout the day, with DJ sets, a flute jam, and blues tunes scheduled.—Jessica Armbruster
Jason Fladager, Jim Hinkley @ Carbone’s
Joseph Arthur, Abe Partridge @ Cedar Cultural Center
Black Widows, Surly Grrly, Chick Singer @ Cloudland
Our House: Tribute to Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young @ Crooners
Corcovado at Midnight: An Astrud and Joao Gilberto Tribute @ Crooners
Anything You Want, Nona, Issy @ Day Block Brewing
The Everly Covers @ Dock and Paddle
Brass Elephant @ Driftwood Char Bar
OVRFWRD, Tres Spritis, Until the New System @ Dusty's
Something Meets Boy, Modern Wildlife, Big Yikes @ Eagles 34
Kings Kaleidoscope, Hollyn @ Fine Line
Kym & the Kick, Gill Weather, ELOUR @ 56 Brewing
- Prince Block Party Celebration with DJ Jake Rudh and DJ Miss Brit @ First Avenue—See Wednesday's listings.
The Little Lebowski Urban Achievers, Planer, Atomic Lights @ Gambit Brewing
Jack Barksdale @ Ginkgo Coffee
Afro Beats to the World @ Green Room
Davina and the Vagabonds @ Hook and Ladder
Summer Breeze Music Fest @ Icehouse
- Wort Tour @ Insight Brewing—Dust off your Vans and pop Sticks & Stones into your Discman—Wort Tour is back at Insight Brewing. The elder-emo-titillating festival returns in 2026 (on 6/6/26, nice) with a pop-up skate park, live music featuring headliners Quarter Life Crisis, ticket giveaways, a market with skate vendors and artists, Asian fusion cuisine (Kham Fu Dee) and burgers (Sweet Lou's), and even a barrel-jumping competition where skaters can win cash prizes. It’s also the release of Vertical Inclinations, a new lemon lager from Insight, and there’ll be pop-up tattooing with Nokomis Tattoo.—Em Cassel
Dakota Andersen @ Jazz Central
School of Rock Plymouth House Band @ Lake Harriet Bandshell
Little River Band with Seals & Crofts 2 @ Ledge Amphitheater
Subsuka and Friends, Mr. NiceGuy, Abyss, and Zino @ The Loft
Beatnik Bros, Long Honeymoon @ Memory Lanes
Jaybee & the Routine @ Minnesota Music Cafe
PV$$¥ CNTRL: Prince Edition @ Mortimers
Barber’s Adagio for Strings @ Orchestra Hall
Jonathan Biss Plays Schumann’s Piano Concerto @ Ordway
Joan of Profile, Juliet Farmer, Lake Davi, Lexie Modica @ Pilllar Forum
Bambi Alexandra Band with the Suicide Horns @ Schooner Tavern
Alec Collins, Allie Meier, Will Durie, Lone Sum @ Terminal Bar
Bob Frey & the Adaptors @ 318 Cafe
Plumstar, Tomboyy, Billy the Shoe @ 331 Club
Primitive Man, Wanderer, WILBUR @ Underground Music
Cozy Worldwide @ Varsity Theater
- Caterwaul @ Zhora Darling—See Friday's listings.
Sunday, June 7
Shiner Shine Entertainment @ Acadia
Tony May (Album Release) @ Amsterdam
Patty and the Buttons @ Aster Cafe
TGNP Sundays: Crystal Myslajek & Mary Hanson Scott/Channy Leaneagh/Lonefront @ Berlin
Monthly Bluegrass Jam @ Caydence Coffee & Records
History Repeating Herself, Homeward Bound, Sigcell @ Caydence Records & Coffee
Noise Party 14 @ Cedar Cultural Center
Corky Siegel & Randy Sabien @ Crooners
Grateful Gals Dead Tribute @ Crooners
Giant Valley String Band @ Dock and Paddle
Shoreview Northern Lights Variety Band @ Dock and Paddle
Phine & Friends, Shotgun Ragtime Band @ Driftwood Char Bar
Chris Cunningham and Michelle Kinney @ Dubliner Pub
Erik Brandt and the Urban Hillbilly Quartet @ Dubliner Pub
Sunday Trad Session @ Dubliner Pub
Twin Cities Country Dancers @ Eagles 34
Karaoke with Reina Starr @ Eagles 34
Youth Band Festival @ Flying V
- Grand Old Day @ Grand Avenue—Grand Old Day bills itself as a kickoff to summer, though according to the ol’ Gregorian calendar, the season change isn’t officially for a couple of weeks. Still, this St. Paul event is a big deal—it’s known as the biggest free street fest in the Midwest. Live music this year, on multiple stages, includes Gully Boys, the Plastic Constellations, and Obi Original & the Black Atlantics. Be prepared to head home as soon as it’s over though, as street sweepers usually start clearing the area at 6 p.m.—Jessica Armbruster
Fairooz Nazifa Benefit Concert @ Green Room
About to Run: Summertime @ Icehouse
Obi Original and the Black Atlantics (Residency) @ Icehouse
Capri Big Band @ Lake Harriet Bandshell
Meatraffle Ska @ Lake Harriet Bandshell
Physics, Tannins, Dirt Magnet @ Mortimers
2026 Commission Premiere: The Wild Iris @ Orchestra Hall
Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio @ Parkway
Church of Cornbread @ Schooner Tavern
Brass Messengers, Kelley Smith @ 331 Club
Jake Hanson, Luke Enyeart @ White Squirrel
Watt Meber with Scott Hefte & Aaron James @ White Squirrel
Caterwaul @ Zhora Darling—See Friday's listings.
Monday, June 8
Witch Club Satan, Patriarchy @ Amsterdam
BCE Trio (Emma Garau/Chris Bates/Bryan Nichols) @ Berlin
Massive Reggae Monday @ Cabooze
SouthSide Big Band @ Dock and Paddle
Sea Shanty Sing @ Dubliner Pub
Kenny Mason, FearDorian @ Fine Line
Pan-Handlers Steel Drum Band @ Lake Harriet Bandshell
MN Hard Bop Collective @ Metronome Brewery
Blues Jam with Moses Oakland @ Midway Saloon
Monday Jam @ Minnesota Music Cafe
REIKI, Agnes Uncaged, WHY NOT @ 7th St Entry
Open Mic @ Sociable Cider Werks
Roe Family Singers, Sidewalk Diamonds @ 331 Club
Mumblin’ Drew’s Old-Fashioned Orchestrators @ White Squirrel
