Stone Arch Bridge Fest, Purrride, Brass Solidarity: This Week’s Best Events

Welcome to Event Horizon, your weekly roundup of the best events in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and beyond. 

TUESDAY 6.16

Mavis Staples

Ordway Theater

There are several reasons why Staples, who will turn 87 this summer, remains one of popular music’s finest living song interpreters. Though hardly demure, she was never a belter by the standards of her gospel sistren, so age hasn’t taken much of a toll on her instrument. And she’s open to a breadth of material: Her 2025 album, Sad and Beautiful World, produced by Brad Cook, featured songs from younger writers like Kevin Morby and Frank Ocean, as well as a title track courtesy of the late Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse. And on top of all that, her history as a voice of the Civil Rights movement still lends a gravitas you can’t fake: Tom Waits’s “Chicago” inevitably suggests the Great Migration when Staples sings it, and when she lets the light get in through Leonard Cohen’s anthemic crack, you might have hope for the arc of the moral universe after all. I mean, could anyone else get away with Curtis Mayfield’s "We Got to Have Peace" these days? With Lucius. $95.41. 7:30 p.m. Tue.–Wed. 345 Washington St., St. Paul; find more info here.—Keith Harris

World Cup on Lake Street

El Nuevo Campo

There are no matches in Minnesota, but the World Cup is here in many other ways. Screenings, parties, street fests, and pop-up plaza events abound—getting as many as I could find into Freeloader Friday last week almost killed me. I’ll be adding even more events as we go, including this ongoing get-together held, fittingly, on a soccer field. You’ll be able to watch games daily on a big screen set up outdoor movie-style (note that games that go over 10 p.m. will be aired with the sound off—pesky noise ordinances!). Each day a beer garden will serve up brews from Arbeiter, while a mix of food trucks, educational installations, local media outlets, and music acts will be stopping by each day. Other places screening as many games as possible during business hours include Brit’s Pub, Black Hart, La Doña Cervecería, the North Loop Green, Kieran’s, Merlin’s, Utepils—find more deets and locations in Freeloader Friday each week. 2709 E. Lake St., Minneapolis; find times and more info here. Through Saturday—Jessica Armbruster

WEDNESDAY 6.17

Rodney Crowell

Dakota

For the past decade or so, Crowell has been on one of those late career runs that country songwriters sometimes summon up when they feel mortality knockin’. Last year he followed up a warm 2023 collection of love songs, The Chicago Sessions, with the intermittently rocking Airline Highway, on which he was aided by younger artists like Ashley McBryde, Larkin Poe, and Lukas Nelson. Now 75, Crowell is releasing a 20-year-old shelved album later this month that claims he plum forgot about. Then Again is haunted by ghosts in ways it wouldn’t have been in 2006. On “Are You One of Us?,” Texas songwriting great Guy Clark, who died in 2016, offers sardonic counterpoint. And the slightly stuffy “If I Could Speak to Leonard” serves up textbook anxiety of influence, with Crowell even vowing to learn to tie a Windsor knot to impress Mr. Cohen. $97.57 and up. 7 p.m. 1010 Nicollet Mall; find more info here.—Keith Harris

THURSDAY 6.18

Meet at Mia 

Mia

If the resistance to Operation Metro Surge had a soundtrack, it was Brass Solidarity, the Twin Cities band that formed five years ago in response to the murder of George Floyd. Earlier this year, the group made national headlines for their “music for the moment” approach to uplifting the spirits of fellow protesters. Tonight, Brass Solidarity will celebrate Juneteenth at the museum, where printmaker Whitney Terrill will lead art activities, Mia staffers will conduct tours of great Black art in the collection, and West Indies Soul Food will be cooking from its truck. "This is not a moment for us to give in to insecurity. It's actually the moment that we get to stand together in the cold, knowing we're all cold, being arm in arm, knowing that this weather is just weather," Brass Solidarity singer Alsa Bruno told NPR in January, reflecting on the frigid conditions. "It's temporary. We're forever." Amen. Free. 5–9 p.m. 2400 Third Ave. S., Minneapolis; find more info here.—Jay Boller

Sunset Yoga in the Sculpture Garden

Walker Art Center

You don’t have to pay money or hit up YouTube for a good yoga practice this summer. Free classes and special events are happening all over town. One great example: This weekly evening yoga session, held right by the Okciyapi piece in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. Bring a mat and some water for this one-hour Vinyasa-style (pose focused) session led by the Twin Cities Yoga Cooperative. And if you’re really ambitious, you can do free yoga almost every day of the week, with train depot yoga (Mon., Wed., Sat.), Greenway yoga (Fri.), anti-fascist yoga (Sun.), and even cemetery yoga (Sat.). Free; donations accepted. 7:30 p.m. 725 Vineland Place, Minneapolis; find more info here. Through August 6—Jessica Armbruster

Kronos Quartet

Dakota

Everyrocker’s favorite string quartet has been discovering kindred spirits in disparate genres for a half a century now. In the ’20s alone, Kronos recorded tributes to Mahalia Jackson, Armenian-American composer Mary Kouyoumdjian, Sun Ra, and eccentric proto-minalist Moondog. They’ll record a new album here over the course of two nights, in honor of the uprising of winter 2026, drawing from a selection of material, much of it politically oriented, including “Strange Fruit,” Coltrane’s “Alabama,” Link Wray’s “Rumble,” and Neil Young’s “Ohio.” And they’ll add two locals, pow wow singer Joe Rainey and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Broder, to their esteemed list of collaborators. $63.58 and up. 7 & 9:30 p.m. Thu.–Fri. 1010 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis; find more info here. Also Friday—Keith Harris

FRIDAY 6.19

Twin Cities Jazz Fest 

Lowertown St. Paul 

Last year, I spared the Jazz Fest (and Racket readers) my terrible “free jazz” joke, and you know what that means? It’s back for ‘26, suckers! Ahem. “Free jazz” is a style of music built upon adventurous improvisation that defies melodic and harmonic expectations, and it’s not for everyone. But when it comes to the Twin Cities Jazz Fest, “free jazz” is just jazz that you don’t have to pay to hear—and that’s very much for everyone. Once more this summer Lowertown will be wholly engulfed in jazz for two whole days, and you‘ll be able to wander in and out of 18 area venues, gratis, just digging the sounds. As always, Mears Park remains the center of the action; headlining the main stage there are fusion stars the Yellowjackets and the JazzMN Orchestra with vocalist Michael Mayo. Don’t know much about jazz? Find out what you like—for free. Find times and more info here, including pre-event happenings on Thursday. Through Saturday—Keith Harris

Soul of the Southside Juneteenth Festival

South Side Minneapolis

As a South Sider myself, I gotta say, it rules over here. And this Juneteenth street party is a great way to appreciate it while celebrating Black joy, resilience, and history. Over by Hook and Ladder you’ll find three different music stages hosting local acts all day long, wellness activities and resources will be offered outside of Solcana, and TPT will be hosting film screenings and storytelling sessions at Moon Palace Books. In the beer garden you’ll find brews and jump roping with Rondo Double Dutch for the kiddos, and there will be areas dedicated to local vendors and artists. Participate in a community mural creation and hit up 27th Avenue for food truck eats. Need a ride? Check out soulofthesouthside.com for your free Metro Transit pass and more event info. Free. Noon to 8 p.m. Corner of Minnehaha Avenue and East Lake Street, Minneapolis; find more info here.—Jessica Armbruster

Pryes Block Party

Pryes Brewing

Summer fun? Live music?? Cold beer??? Yes, the proposition of this two-day block party at Pryes is simple and effective. The taproom and patio are free and open to the public all weekend long, but you can access the concert in the Pryes side lot—with Soul Asylum headlining Friday and Gear Daddies on Saturday—with a ticket. You’ll find free live music at the patio pre-party each day, where there’s a market with merch and family-friendly activities. Free; $40.50–$84 concert admission; $70 two-day GA passes. 5–10 p.m. Fri.; 3–10 p.m. Sat. 1401 West River Rd. N., Minneapolis; find more info here. Also Saturday—Em Cassel

David Cross

Acme Comedy Co.

Decades removed from helping define alt-comedy, Cross is still one of the best doin’ it. Now 62, the Mr. Show co-creator remains one of the more scruples-committed comics in the game, which ain’t easy given… cultural headwinds, let’s say. Last year Cross put his peers on blast for  accepting Riyadh Comedy Festival paychecks and condemned the genocidal Israeli government, for instance. But being funny is still the imperative, and he’s still a giddy button-pusher; toying with boundaries “makes the set [each] night memorable and interesting and potentially dangerous,” he told the Times earlier this year. His latest project, the brand-new doc Bob and David Climb Machu Picchu, requires little explanation—OK, maybe a little, the “Bob” in question is longtime buddy/collaborator Bob Odenkirk. On Saturday, Cross will pop into Duck Duck Coffee for a free convo, which is the cool sorta thing that south Minneapolis shop is known for, if we’re to believe Racket’s reporting. Sold out. 7 & 9:30 p.m. Fri.–Sat. 708 N. First St., Minneapolis; find more info here. Through Saturday—Jay Boller

Jazzerld & Thukuthela

Cabooze

It hasn’t made quite as big a noise stateside as Afrobeats, but South African dance music is thriving, with the massive log drums of amapiano so irresistible that even Nigerian beatmakers have succumbed. With their take on the reigning 3-step style—a house music variant filtered through amapiano and other more recent regional subgenres—these two fellas have owned the South African charts for the past few years, peaking with the transcendent hit “Isaka (6 am).” There’s something almost delicate about the tracks on their full-length debut, The Most Wanted, right down to the shimmer of the occasional guitar. Except for those drums, of course. This is just one of just five dates in the U.S.—you know what to do. $46.40 and up. 8 p.m. 913 Cedar Ave, Minneapolis; find more info here.—Keith Harris 

SATURDAY 6.20

Stone Arch Bridge Festival

West River Parkway

Stone Arch Bridge Festival is the Voltron of summer fests. The head? Why, that’s the 200-plus artists who showcase and sell their work in the juried art exhibition. The torso? Well, that’s the culinary food market and the beer garden, which will keep you fed and buzzed. The arms are the two music stages which are loaded with local acts all day, and the legs are the classic car show featuring gorgeous cars and the vintage and vinyl market for folks who like to look for gold among the dust. Finally, the sword (why did a giant robot need a sword?) is the afterparty at Pryes Brewing, which features headliners Soul Asylum on Saturday and Gear Daddies on Sunday (see above for more details on that). Free. 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sat.; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sun. West River Parkway, from 11th Avenue South to North Fourth Avenue, Minneapolis; find more info here. Through Sunday—Jessica Armbruster

Purrride

Insight Brewing

You had us at “kitten snuggling booth.” Insight’s annual celebration-slash-charity party benefitting cats and the queers who love ‘em returns to the brewery this weekend with DJ sets from Medium Fidelity Radio, a themed market, and limited-edition merch. You can munch on food from Kham Fu Dee and suck down pints of Doe Eyes, a cherry saison Insight is re-releasing to benefit Twin Cities Pride. And yes: There will be a kitten snugglin’ booth that benefits Ruff Start Rescue. Free. 1–6 p.m. 2821 E. Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; find more info here.—Em Cassel

Amyl and the Sniffers

Surly Brewing Festival Field

Amy Taylor is the kind of frontwoman that every punk band unashamed of wanting to succeed dreams about, a live-wire performer with unlimited energy and attitude, and plenty of smarts as well. On their second album, 2021’s Comfort to Me, this Aussie band soared, sounding brawnier than ever as Taylor got brainier. Dismissive when she wanted to be, as on “Don’t Need a Cunt (Like You to Love Me)” (sometimes a parenthetical makes all the difference), she also stretched her worldview on "Capital," averring, "I only just started learning basic politics." Cartoon Darkness, 2024’s followup, is a baby step backwards, as animated and two-dimensional as its title suggests, with Taylor coasting a bit on attitude, but with the band pounding behind her, it still smokes most of the competition. And to show they’re nobody’s purists, the punks have since teamed up with the Grammys’ favorite producer/DJ Fred Again on “You’re on Star.” With Party Dozen. $62.38. 7 p.m. 520 Malcolm Ave. SE, Minneapolis; find more info here.—Keith Harris

Setting the Stage

Mystic Lake Amphitheater 

As you may have heard, there’s a massive new amphitheater out in Shakopee. Live Nation hasn’t been forthcoming with details, but the concert giant will put its cards on the table with a $20 open-house-ish christening that’ll feature hometown talent Morris Day & the Time (freshly fled from Trump’s Great American State Fair), Motion City Soundtrack, Ber, Rocket Club, School of Rock, and DJ Jake Rudh. This "evening of Minnesota music, comedy, and community" fulfills the comedy promise with locally launched SNL rookie Tommy Brennan on hosting duties. Will the 19,000-seat venue sound nice? Will the sightlines be agreeable? Will concertgoers be price-gouged into oblivion? Finding answers to those Qs alone is worth tonight’s get-in price. Here’s a look at the upcoming run of Mystic Lake Amphitheater shows, with rapper/rocker MGK, jammy institution Dave Matthews Band, and "American Woman" hitmakers the Guess Who all slated for June. $20–$55. 7:20 p.m. 700 Canterbury Rd., Shakopee; find more info here.—Jay Boller 

ONGOING

“Beyond Walls”

Boom Island Park

Our parks have become some of the best places in the Twin Cities to see groundbreaking international artwork. Last year, St. Paul’s Raspberry Island hosted “Alebrijes: Keepers of the Island,” a show featuring 16 giant, multi-colored sculptures from Mexico City artists. This year, Boom Island in Minneapolis will become a large-scale art piece, as Franco-Swiss artist Saype will be painting intertwined hands directly on the grass along the riverfront. Since 2019, Saype has traveled to 22 different cities for his project, “Beyond Walls,” creating massive hands holding other massive hands in front of the pyramids in Cairo, the Eiffel Tower, near the Berlin Wall, and in the rubble of post-earthquake Istanbul. Minnesota’s resistance to Operation Metro Surge inspired him to come to the U.S. next. He began painting on the grass on June 1, using environmentally safe materials like ash, crushed rock, and bone. The piece, which was finished on June 6, is made to fade; depending on the weather you might have a week to a month to see it before it disappears. Free. 724 Sibley St. NE, Minneapolis; find more details here. Now through ???—Jessica Armbruster

“Illusive Objects”

Goldstein Museum of Design

Our human eyeballs are not the greatest in the animal kingdom. We can’t see at night like felines or for miles like eagles, and reptiles probably detect movement better. But we sure do love looking at stuff. And when the mood strikes, we especially love looking at stuff that tricks our eyes and our brains, whether it’s a Magic Eye poster, a cake disguised as a grilled steak, or a candle that looks like a bowl of cereal. The Goldstein’s latest show celebrates our appreciation of stuff that looks like other stuff with 50 or so examples from its permanent collection. Items include tricks of texture, like a Schiaparelli dress that looks like bark; tricks of the trade, such as fake designer handbags; and double-take tricks, like kitchenware designed to look like corn. 12 McNeal Hall, 1985 Buford Ave., St. Paul. Through July 2—Jessica Armbruster

“Cats and Dogs in Soviet Art: Workers, Teachers, Friends”

The Museum of Russian Art

Pet obsession is nothing new. Pre-internet, folks were just as into their animals, relying on them for comfort, amusement, and help with everyday work tasks. For this show at TMORA, there’ll be 40 paintings on display celebrating cats, dogs, and other animal companions, as well as a collection of porcelain cat and canine figurines. 5500 Stevens Ave., Minneapolis; find more info here. Through July 12—Jessica Armbruster 

The Tempest

Various Locations

Last year, Classical Actors Ensemble kept it light with the raunchy (for its time) comedy All’s Well That Ends Well. This year they’re going darker with The Tempest, one of Shakespeare’s final works. You might know it as the one that gave us the (unfortunately timely) banger, "Hell is empty, and all the devils are here.” It’s one of the Bard’s more bonkers works, featuring a shipwreck (Shakespeare loved a shipwreck), a vengeful magician, an angry spirit creature, and a drunk butler and jester who team up with an enslaved islander in hopes of murdering their way to freedom (I know who I’m rooting for). This summer you can see it in the parks of the Twin Cities and surrounding ‘burbs. Find times and other locations here. Through July 12—Jessica Armbruster

Skyline Mini Golf

Walker Art Center

Warmer weather means it’s putt-putt season in Minnesota. Yeah sure, you can play mini-golf year-round in the North Loop, but it’s just not as whimsical an experience when you drop a course into a dimly lit bar with a “hot young singles only” vibe. The Twin Cities’ only putt-putt in the sky is back at the Walker, featuring 10 quirky holes made by local artists. New this year is Indhaha Dayaxa–Eyes of the Moon by Ifrah Mansour, a Minneapolis-based Somali artist who you may have seen performing at the Minnesota State Fair, featured on TPT’s Minnesota Original, or exhibiting works at the Mia. Return holes this year include the hot dog one, the one where you race via color, the one with ping-pong paddles, and the pool-hall one. Bring sunscreen and enjoy those views of Loring Park, downtown Minneapolis, and the endless Hennepin-Lyndale traffic jam. $12. 725 Vineland Place, Minneapolis; reserve a time and find more info here. Through October 4—Jessica Armbruster