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State Fair Week #2 Dominates Your Complete Concert Calendar: August 29-September 4

Pretty much all the live music you catch in the Twin Cities this week.

Photos provided|

Chloe Bailey, Nile Rodgers

You don't need me to tell you that Gully Boys and Soul Asylum (among other worthy acts) are certainly worth checking out for free (with fair admission, yes). Though I guess I kinda just did.

Tuesday, August 29

Dominic Fike with Heather @ Armory

Colin Bracewell @ Bryant Square Park

International Reggae All Stars @ Bunkers

Dave King Residency: Happy Apple @ Dakota

St. Dominic's Trio @ Driftwood

Karaoke With On Call Entertainment @ Eagles 34

Cassandra Cole @ Father Hennepin Bluff Park

Alter Bridge @ Fillmore

  • Chloë aka Chloe Bailey with DJ Rosegold @ First Avenue—Judging from her solo debut, In Pieces, Chloë Bailey’s love life has hit more than its share of rough patches. After a gospel choir introduces the young R&B star with celestial grandiosity, she immediately begins fuming over some no-good man and heads to church to "Pray It Away" before she does something dumb. From there, she’s asking “Do you ever wonder… who else is fuckin’ your man?” Damn, girl. Bailey rose to fame with her sister as half of the Beyoncé-anointed duo Chloe x Halle; when the younger Bailey was off filming Disney’s live-action overhaul of The Little Mermaid, Chloë took on a brand new umlaut and got back to work on a shelved solo project. The critics who’ve largely concurred In Pieces is merely a conventional vehicle for Bailey’s talents aren’t entirely off base, but I think they underestimate the rewards of conventional R&B and overestimate Bailey’s gifts a smidge. Though hardly a consistent artistic statement or a redefinition of the genre, In Pieces is the kind of solid R&B album that’s never unwelcome—even if one of the best tracks here is with (oh well) Chris Brown.

Old Guys Play the Blues @ Loring Park

Abby Holliday with Caleb Dee @ 7th St Entry

  • Brandi Carlile with Wynonna Judd @ State Fair Grandstand—Long one of those cult singer-songwriters whose cult was so large that broader fame seemed inevitable, Carlile hit her tipping point once she won over the Grammy folks. She's used her recent fame as a force for good, producing Tanya Tucker's 2019 comeback album "While I'm Livin'," teaming up for the feminist supergroup The Highwomen. and shepherding Joni Mitchell's first live performance in about two decades. Live, with longtime bandmates Phil and Tim Hanseroth supporting her, Carlile's rootsy melodramas soar. As for Wynonna Judd, well, saying that today's female country musicians wouldn't be who they were without her example is an understatement.

ABBAsolutely Fab @ State Fair—International Bazaar Stage

Drake Milligan @ State Fair—Leinie Lodge

Heatbox @ State Fair—Schell's Stage

Industrial Strength with DJ Sin @ Terminal Bar

Worker’s Playtime with Jeff Ray @ 331 Club

August Conspiracy Series featuring Emmy Woods & The Red Pine Ramblers and Woodzen @ 331 Club

Mo'ynoq, Nothingness, and Witchden @ Turf Club

Trevor McSpadden & Mary Cutrufello & Dan Lowinger @ White Squirrel

Desert Islands Presents: "The 5th Anniversary" (Tuesday Night Residency) with Lydia Liza @ White Squirrel

Wednesday, August 30

Hannah von der Hoff (August Residency) with Theyself @ Aster Cafe

Dylan Salfer @ Bunkers

Eddie Rae & the Blaze Kings @ The Commons

Maggie's Wednesdays: Mia Dorr @ Crooners

Nduduzo Makhathini @ Dakota

Dodging Potholes, Sidedoors @ Driftwood

Miss Shannon @ Eagles 34

The Bad Companions @ Eagles 34

Yoke Lore with girlhouse @ Fine Line

The 2023 Gay Softball World Series Charity Concert feat. Taylor Dayne @ First Avenue

Bonne @ Lake Harriet Bandshell

Big Toe & the Jam @ Minnesota Music Cafe

Alley Mattress, Fend, Party Foul and Speed Limit 5 @ Palmer's

Karaoke Wednesday @ ROK Music Lounge

BZ3 Organ Trio @ Schooner Tavern

Yung Gravy with bbno$ @ State Fair Grandstand

Ukrainian Village Band @ State Fair—International Bazaar Stage

Nikki Lane @ State Fair—Leinie Lodge

Gully Boys @ State Fair—Schell's Stage

Dennis Caravello @ Terminal Bar

Harold’s House Party on KFAI with Gabe Stillman @ 331 Club

Lenz and Frenz @ 331 Club

Gram Parsons GP 50th Anniversary Tribute Show featuring Nato Coles and the Blue Diamond Band with Maura Dunst and James Eugene Russell @ Turf Club

Emmy Woods & The Red Pine Ramblers w. JoJo Green, Solana @ White Squirrel

Thursday, August 31

My Kid Banana (EP Release) @ Amsterdam

Cigarettes After Sex @ Armory

Sophie Javna and Steven Hobert @ Aster Cafe

St. Paul and the Broken Bones @ Bauhaus

Myallo @ Bryant Square Park

Jay Bee & the Routine @ Bunkers

The Confused @ The Commons

Ryan Picone Quartet @ Crooners

Kind of Bill: Celebrating the Birthday and Musical Life of Bill Evans@ Crooners

Orkestar Bez Ime @ Crooners

Charles Lloyd Quartet @ Dakota

The Outcats @ Driftwood

Karaoke with On Call Entertainment @ Eagles 34

LGBTQ+ Twin Cities Latin Dance @ Eagles 34

Cat Tales, Butter Boys, Delicate Friend @ Green Room

Baldwin/Harris/Hennig @ Icehouse

Cabin Fever @ Minnehaha Falls

The Young Relics @ Minnesota Music Cafe

Mae Simpson, Frogleg @ Minnesota Zoo

The Silent Treatment @ Mortimer's

Hunny Bear, Art Beagles Back Up Band, and Lemon Lob @ Palmer's

Toilet Rats @ Pilllar

Ross Clowser's Interstellar Cowboy Band@ ROK Music Lounge

Cervasa Muscular @ Schooner Tavern

Nate Amor with Kat Perkins @ 7th St Entry

  • Duran Duran with Bastille and Nile Rodgers & Chic @ State Fair Grandstand—Is it jerky of me to say that in a just world Nile would be headlining? Or at least billed above freakin' Bastille? Anyway, if musician memoirs are your jam, I highly recommend Rodgers's Le Freak. Musician memoirs are not particularly my jam and I was hooked by his story—from bohemian to Black Panther to disco conceptualist to superstar producer, with a drug addiction overcome along the way. Oh, and also check out South African singer Nakhane's new Bastard Jargon, Rodgers's latest production. And enjoy "Hungry Like the Wolf," I guess.

AfroBeats Dance Party @ State Fair—International Bazaar Stage

Nikki Lane @ State Fair—Leinie Lodge

Gully Boys @ Schell's Stage

Fluidic and Marsgar @ 331 Club

The Nadas with Doug Collins and the Receptionists @ Turf Club

Synopsis, Daylight Riot, and Justice Son @ Underground Music Venue

Phantom Fields with Taylor James Donskey @ White Squirrel

  • Pearl Jam @ Xcel Energy Center—I have far fewer strong opinions about Pearl Jam than a man of my age is expected to. But I'm unexpectedly spending Thursday night with Eddie and the boys, so I guess it's time for a reckoning. Stay tuned.

Friday, September 1

Rust Belt Ballads (Album Release) @ Acadia

A Pearl Jam Party feat. 120 Minutes and Wayside @ Amsterdam

John Forrest and The Model Citizens, The Over Unders @ Aster Cafe

Dan Ristrom & The Big Throwdown @ Bunkers

Connie Evingson Presents: Hornucopia @ Crooners

Ben Sidran's 80th Birthday Parade @ Crooners

Silk and Soul: The Songs of Boz Scaggs with Mick Sterling @ Crooners

Maggie's Afterglow: Colleen Raye and Rick Carlson @ Crooners

Devon Allman & Donavon Frankenreiter with Jackson Stokes @ Dakota

The Dissenters @ Driftwood

Matt Caflisch Band, Jon Rodine Band @ Driftwood

Larry Wish (Album Release) @ Eagles 34

killusonline, DJ Kwey, Tysm!, Gramma, REIKI, and DJ Muñeca @ Fine Line

Leebo @ Granada

The Shackletons @ Hook and Ladder

Jeremy Boettcher Trio @ Icehouse

Cover Girl Hot 100 with Murf and Popstar @ Icehouse

Adam Harder-Nussbaum Quartet @ Jazz Central

BOB! (The Music of Dylan) @ Lake Harriet Bandshell

VLCN @ The Loft

Blue Dog @ Loring Park

Prairie Fire Lady Choir @ Minnehaha Bandstand

Monique & Xperience @ Minnesota Music Cafe

Cult Vibes, Generifus, Extraterrestrials, and Dummy @ Palmer's

Mad Mojo Jett, Cindy Lawson, and Holly & The Nice Lions @ Palmer's

Endless Textures with Eric Carranza, John C.S. Keston, & Matty Harris @ ROK Music Lounge

Jonas Brothers with Lawrence @ State Fair Grandstand

High & Mighty @ State Fair—International Bazaar Stage

Celebrating Meat Loaf @ State Fair—Leinie Lodge

  • First Avenue Goes to the Fair @ State Fair—Schell's Stage—A tip o’ the hat to whoever books the free fair music acts, since this year’s lineup is especially great. Nowhere is that more apparent than with First Avenue’s two-night, genre-sprawling showcase of local sounds both new and Replacements-era. Singer-songwriter Becky Kapell kicks things off Friday, followed by sets from rapper/poet Juice Lord, saxophone looper turned rootsy singer-songwriter Laamar, Minnesota rock legend Tommy Stinson, and young multi-hyphenate XINA. On Saturday, you’ve got alt-R&B man Barlow, soul singer Jaedyn James, country artist Monique Smaz, rowdy '80s rockers Run Westy Run, and Racket fave SYM1. Scene staple Al Church will hold things down with his house band throughout. It’s hard to imagine a better crash course on local sounds than this sampler at the Schell's Stage.

Made In America, Yeah Doggos, and Cooking With Chef @ Terminal Bar

Babie Eyes, Submarine Secrets, Caitlin and Alex @ 331 Club

A Tribute to Shania Twain @ Turf Club

The Musical Bunch @ Uptown VFW

Timisarocker, The Owl-Eyes, Birdhole, Kyrie Nova, Peech @ Uptown VFW

Blue Felix and Hemlock @ White Rock Lounge

The Matt Arthur Contraption with Courtney Yasmineh @ White Squirrel

Saturday, September 2

Chase & Ovation @ Bunkers

Tony London: A Tribute To Tony Bennett @ Crooners

Maud Hixson and Rick Carlson (Album Release) @ Crooners

Ben Sidran's 80th Birthday Parade @ Crooners

Mick Sterling Presents A Billy Joel State of Mind @ Crooners

Maggie's Afterglow: Colleen Raye and Rick Carlson @ Crooners

Jamecia Bennett @ Dakota

The Disappointments @ Driftwood

Doug Collins and the Receptionists @ Dusty's

Deep Dark Lake, Tiny Daggers, Red Quarters @ Eagles 34

United We Dance @ Fine Line

Inspector y Haragán @ First Avenue

Aiden Intro, Social Cig, Parachutes @ Green Room

The Billy Bash @ Hook and Ladder

John Swardson @ Icehouse

Tim Sparks Trio @ Icehouse

DJ Shannon Blowtorch Presents Y2K @ Icehouse

Mike Cramer @ Jazz Central

Tony Oritz and the Guns of Soul @ Lake Harriet Bandshell

Jessica Audiffred @ The Loft

Inside Straight @ Minnesota Music Cafe

In Lieu, Valeska Suratt, Psylo and Shopvac @ Palmer's

Shopvac, Oftener, Jacket @ Pilllar

Evernoir & Leaving Hope @ ROK Music Lounge

Surf Curse with Blood Cookie @ 7th St Entry

Luh Tyler @ Skyway Theatre

  • The Hold Steady with Bob Mould Band and Dillinger Four @ State Fair Grandstand—89.3 the Current's Music On-A-Stick showcase this Saturday, featuring locally inspired Brooklyn rockers the Hold Steady, St. Paul-launched punk legend Bob Mould of Hüsker Dü, and Minneapolis punk greats Dillinger Four. If you checked out on the Hold Steady after their two dud '10s records, we beg of you: Check back in. Craig Finn’s band has been back in a major way since 2019, having released three albums that take the group in exciting musical directions while laying the platform for Finn’s still-sharp lyrical meditations on the once-wild characters who’ve aged with him. The last two Hold Steady LPs, 2021's Open Door Policy and this year's The Price of Progress, lack the urgency of those first three, though they showcase an older, wiser group that’s thankfully not content becoming a legacy act. It’s a good time to be a THS fan.

High & Mighty @ State Fair—International Bazaar Stage

Celebrating Meat Loaf @ State Fair—Leinie Lodge

Empires of Delirium, Fighting Our Friends, Strongly Disagree @ Terminal Bar

Slap Hazard, The Serfs, Cat People @ 331 Club

Triple Threat Tribute Night feat. Nivrana, Sir Psycho, and Pleezer @ Turf Club

Rock Star Block Star @ Uptown VFW

Blood Driver, Crash Cuddle, The Great Went @ White Squirrel

Francis Emil Johnson, Johanna Mathews, and Garret Nasset @ White Squirrel

Ear Candy: Vol. 1: A Live Electronic Music Series @ White Squirrel

Pearl Jam @ Xcel Energy Center

Sunday, September 3

Nothing But Nice with Dial Tone, Pullstring, and The Dalmatian Club @ Amsterdam

Swing Brunch with Patty & the Buttons @ Aster Cafe

The Larry McDonough Aster Sunday Jazz Series Presents: Watermelon Man – The Music of Herbie Hancock @ Aster Cafe

Dr. Mambo’s Combo @ Bunkers

Tony London: A Tribute To Tony Bennett @ Crooners

Tanner Taylor Presents Peanuts: The Music of Vince Guaraldi @ Crooners

Mick Sterling Presents: Springsteen with Strings @ Crooners

Erica Falls & Vintage Soul @ Dakota

Phine Friends, Shotgun Ragtime @ Driftwood

Craig Baumann and the Story, Dingus, Circle of Heat @ Eagles 34

Johnny No Cash @ Eagles 34

Country Doctors @ Eagles 34

Twin Cities Country Dancers @ Eagles 34

Karaoke with Reina Starr @ Eagles 34

Phil Heywood @ Icehouse

David von Schlegell and the Everything Bagel, The Sparks, and Francis Emil Johnson @ Icehouse

Willem S Hartong @ Lake Harriet Bandshell

Papa Roof and the Soul Villains @ Lake Harriet Bandshell

Church of Cornbread: Cornbread Harris and His Band @ Palmer's

Michael Gay's Old Country Buffet @ Palmer's

The Ocean Blue, the Hang Ups, and DJ Jake Rudh @ Parkway Theater

Bigg Kiaa with Komari Cloud, DD The Spektrum, and Breezy2Fresh @ 7th St Entry

MSF 50th Annual Amateur Talent Contest Finals @ State Fair Grandstand

Malamanya @ State Fair—International Bazaar Stage

Soul Asylum @ State Fair—Leinie Lodge

Petty Comes Alive! @ State Fair—Schell's Stage

Sean Cosgrove, Bryan Odeen @ White Squirrel

Darsombra, Beach Mountain, Loser Magnet @ White Squirrel

Greta Van Fleet @ Xcel Energy Center

Monday, September 4

Tango Desperados Practilonga @ Eagles 34

Steve Clarke Band @ Eagles 34

LA Buckner (September Residency) with Maya Marchelle and Just Dream. @ Icehouse

Tre Aaron & the Undergroove @ Lake Harriet Bandshell

Sawyer's Dream @ Lake Harriet Bandshell

Blippi @ State Fair Grandstand

Malamanya @ State Fair—International Bazaar Stage

Soul Asylum @ State Fair—Leinie Lodge

Petty Comes Alive! @ State Fair—Schell's Stage

Auto-Tune Karaoke @ Mortimer’s

DJ Brian Engel @ Palmer's

Open Mic @ Terminal Bar

The Roe Family Singers @ 331 Club

Matt Arthur Contraption @ 331 Club

Portrayal of Guilt with GAG, Fearing and Wanderer @ Turf Club

Enter the Void @ White Squirrel

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