Skip to Content
Music

Your Very First Complete Concert Calendar of May 2023: May 2-8

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

Provided|

Feist and María Isa

Happy belated May Day, lovers of live music. Here, as always, is as much of what's happening this week as we could wrangle into a single post for you.

Tuesday, May 2

International Reggae Allstars @ Bunkers

Graham Nash @ Dakota

St. Dominic’s Trio @ Driftwood

Accordo @ Icehouse

Tech/House Tuesday with DJ JEN-E @ Mortimer's

Emily Roth Organ Recital @ Northrop

Zeecsart Radio Hour Live @ Palmer's

DJ Still Phresh @ Palmer's

April Conspiracy Series featuring theyself, Loser Magnet @ 331 Club

Worker's Playtime, Jake Manders @ 331 Club

Overcoats with Plastic Picnic @ Turf Club

Trevor McSpadden & Mary Cutrufello @ White Squirrel

PSYPL (Tuesday Night Residency) with Briefly Gorgeous, Ginny and the Fizz @ White Squirrel

Wednesday, May 3

MN Songwriter Showcase hosted by Nick Hensley @ Aster Cafe

Dylan Salfer @ Bunkers

Maggie's Wednesdays: Deb Brown & Brian Ziemniak @ Crooners

Richard Thompson @ Dakota

The Real Imaginary Numbers, School of Rock Adult Band @ Driftwood

Wage War @ Fillmore

  • Feist @ First Avenue—Wow, Feist and the New Pornographers in the same night? An exciting time to be a Bush-era nostalgic. Of course, like her fellow indie Canadians, Feist has done plenty since those days, though she's hardly as prolific: Multitudes is her first album since Pleasure in 2017. The new album offers thoughtful if sometimes overly dreamy and prettified folk carried by the singer's breathy vocals and livened up by production techniques Feist cooked in collaboration with several others, including two Millses—clever Cali guitarist Blake and R.E.M. alum Mike.
  • The New Pornographers with Wild Pink @ Fitzgerald Theater—Dan Bejar has departed to commit himself to full-time Destroyer-ing, leaving Carl Newman and Neko Case and let’s not forget bassist John Collins as the only founding members of a Canadian pop crew who’ve been at this for nearly a quarter-century. Their ninth album, the recently released Continue As Guest, may be relatively dull by NP standards, but there are still New Pornographic titles like “Pontius Pilate's Home Movies” on offer as well as countless well-turned phrases linked so indelibly to unshakable melodies that you can almost convince yourself you know what they’re singing about. And while it’s fun to bounce around to the New Pornographers’ indie-pop, I’m sure no one old enough to remember where they were when they first heard Mass Romantic won’t mind being able to take a seat at the Fitz.

The Goddamn Gallows + IV and The Strange Band @ Hook and Ladder

Brian Nichols Piano Trio @ Icehouse

Prairie Clamor, The Culture, Spaceport @ Mortimer's

Emily Roth Organ Recital @ Northrop

M83 with Jeremiah Chiu @ Palace Theatre

Karaoke Crime Scene @ Palmer's

Joe Henry @ Parkway

Paul Bergen and Friends Has @ 331 Club

Barn Dance featuring Trailer Trash @ Turf Club

Winona Forever with Lapdogs + Self-Help (Stripped Down) @ Underground Music Venue

K.C. McKee with Pure Shifter @ White Squirrel

Thursday, May 4

Blink-182 Pre-party With Blink $1.82 @ Amsterdam

Emmy Woods + Sammie Jean Cohen @ Aster Cafe

Jay Bee & the Routine @ Bunkers

Willow Waters & the Earth Tones with Bad Posture Club @ Cedar Cultural Center

The Neighborhood Quartet @ Crooners

Sue Scott's Island of Discarded Women with Princess Titus & Jonatha Brooke @ Crooners

Midnight Love @ Crooners

Graham Nash @ Dakota

The Roundabouts, Rynn Arens @ Driftwood

Alexandra Kay with Tana Matz @ Fine Line

Candlelight: The Best of Hans Zimmer @ Granada

26 Bats! with Tacklebox @ Icehouse

It's a Family Affair @ KJ's Hideaway

Virgin Whores & Guests @ Mortimer's

Emily Roth Organ Recital @ Northrop

"Knockturnal" with Greenery @ Palmer's

Dougie Poole with Filthy Kittens @ 7th St Entry

Northeast Invitational: FreeGod Sa’Vii, Quell6Twelve, Nerdy Star, Kenace Da’Menace, DJ Still Phresh @ 331 Club

Acid Mothers Temple with My Education @ Turf Club

Death is a Business, Justhano, and Nothing to Do @ Underground Music Venue

Kepi Ghoulie with The Strait A's & DJ Rock The Monkey @ Uptown VFW

Homixide Gang @ Varsity

Blood Driver with Loser Magnet, Total Gaze @ White Squirrel

  • Blink-182 with Turnstile @ Xcel Energy Center—The latest much-ballyhooed Blink-182 reunion tour—this one featuring the return of prodigal son Tom DeLonge—got off to a rocky start when the band’s all-world drummer, Travis Barker, injured his finger so badly it required surgery. Now, finally, the world’s greatest pop-punk band is at full power, and “Edging,” the lead single from their upcoming comeback album, suggests a return to their self-titled artistic opus from 2003. Never mind mercurial DeLonge’s (increasingly non-crackpot) extraterrestrial obsession, and forget Barker’s odd turn as a tabloid fixture: Following co-frontman Mark Hoppus’s victory over cancer, the vibes in Blink land appear stronger than ever. The trio’s fun, muscular Coachella set felt like celebratory fan service.

Friday, May 5

The Changeups with Waltzing on Waves @ Aster Cafe

Demitri Rallis & Friends @ Bunkers

Joyce Lyons Presents @ Crooners

Sounds of Santana starring Joe Cruz @ Crooners

Bobby Lyle Sextet @ Crooners

Maggie's Afterglow: Rick Carlson with Charmin Michelle @ Crooners

Graham Nash @ Dakota

The Seaweeds, Alibi @ Driftwood

Hippie Sabotage @ Fillmore

The Lemon Twigs with Josephine Network @ Fine Line

  • Built to Spill with Prism Bitch and Itchy Kitty @ First Avenue—We blurbed the Built to Spill show at First Ave. less than a year ago, so this is giving us the strangest sense of déjà vu. What’s different now? Welllll, we can talk about When the Wind Forgets Your Name, Built to Spill’s first release for Sub Pop and its first with a lineup that includes Le Almeida and João Casaes of Brazilian jazz-rock band Oruã; Pitchfork says it “shakes things up without breaking their pattern of low-key, late-period releases.” But the fun of a Built to Spill live show (we can’t really shorten it to BTS, can we?) is in the jammy way Doug Martsch and co. approach the entire oeuvre; no two shows are ever quite alike. So yes, even if you caught them at First Avenue in August, it’ll almost certainly be worth seeing them again in May.

Cinco De Mayo MPLS: Corey Medina & Brothers, Javier Trejo Y Caballo Cosmico, Ken Valdez @ Green Room

KFAI’s 45th Anniversary Community Celebration @ Hook and Ladder

Sarah Morris (Album Release) with Emily Haavik @ Icehouse

Gregg Hall and the Wrecking Ball with FrogLeg Trio @ KJ’s Hideaway

Kliptic @ The Loft

Adoni y Sus Amigos @ Myth Live

Taylor James Donskey, Molly Brandt, and Hemma @ Palmer's

PROBLEMS, Larry Wish, River Sinclaire, and Shrimp Olympics @ Palmer's

Amtrac with Bad Sandy @ 7th St Entry

Tacklebox, Nina Luna, Jordan Carr @ 331 Club

Senses Working Overtime with DJ Jake Rudh @ Turf Club

BIZARRE Residency with D.Frequency & Friends @ Underground Music Venue

Malamanya @ Uptown VFW

Haley Kiyoko @ Varsity

Prgrphs with Slow Death, Partial Traces @ White Squirrel

Saturday, May 6

Twins of Franklin + Lakewood Cemetery @ Aster Cafe

Stereo Kitchen @ Bunkers

  • Onyx with R.A. the Rugged Man @ Cabooze—Let the boys be boys! Rap nostalgia shows at the Cabooze are always (well, often) a lot of fun. It's customary to say things like "Hard to believe it's been 30 years since Bacdafucup," but really, is it hard to believe? Onyx's breakthrough album and their belligerent hit, "Slam," do seem like they hit a long time ago. I'll close with this wonderfully clunky Wikipedia quote: "They have been quoted as describing their style as loud screaming, aggression, fighting with each other, stage diving, throwing water, rapping with grimy voices, and bald head fashion." UPDATE: Onyx has dropped out of the show. So enjoy R.A. the Rugged Man!

Deniel Rodriguez with Emma Rose @ Cedar Cultural Center

Bobby Lyle @ Crooners

Yohannes Tona & The Ethio-Jazz Experience with DIBEKULU @ Crooners

Dean Magraw and Bruce A. Henry @ Crooners

Patty Peterson Presents: Jazz Women All Stars with a Brazilian Flair @ Crooners

Maggie's Afterglow:Rick Carlson with Dorothy Doring @ Crooners

GoGo Penguin @ Dakota

Crazy Chester, Tiny Traces @ Driftwood

Chase Rice @ Fillmore

Healing For Tomorrow: Michael Bland with Chris Kroeze, Chaunté Shayne and Tracey Blake @ Fine Line

City and Colour with Courtney Marie Andrews @ First Avenue

Breakup Shoes @ The Garage

10 Years of Mactír: A Wolfpack Celebration @ Hook and Ladder

The Gentlemen’s Anti-Temperance League, Hot Damn Scandal @ Hook and Ladder

Glittercakes Productions Presents Burlesque Brunch @ Icehouse

Little Trios @ Icehouse

DJ Shannon Blowtorch Presents Y2K @ Icehouse

The Singer/Songwriter Challenge Winter Showcase @ KJ’s Hideaway

Atlantis Quartet with Hamline Jazz Combo @ KJ's Hideaway

In Orbit Dubz @ The Loft

Run Westy Run and The Scarlet Goodbye @ Palmer's

Little Lizard, Rigby, Sad Boy Dave, and Pink Tower @ Palmer's

Jon Gorka @ Parkway

The Briefly Gorgeous, Spaceport, Ice Climber @ Pilllar

Bankrol Hayden with Scorey and KillBunk @ 7th St Entry

Cal Scruby @ Studio B

Joe & The Mechanics, Elour, Red Eye Ruby @ 331 Club

Kevin Devine and The New Amsterdams with creeping charlie (solo) @ Turf Club

An 80s New Wave Prom! with DJ Shane Kramer @ Uptown VFW

Against the Current, Trophy Eyes @ Varsity

Caitlin Robertson & Alex Sandberg with Boots and Needles @ White Squirrel

Confucisaurus with Dani Reese, Onion Bun @ White Squirrel

Sunday, May 7

Swing Brunch with Patty & the Buttons @ Aster Cafe

The Larry McDonough Aster Sunday Jazz Series Presents “Jobim! – The Music of Antônio Carlos Jobim” @ Aster Cafe

Dr. Mambo’s Combo @ Bunkers

Rachel Holder, Judi Vinar, and Lori Dokken @ Crooners

Adam Wolff Jazz Trio @ Crooners

Dane Stauffer's Birthday Celebration @ Crooners

Urban Classic: Michael Bland, G Sharp, Mark Lickteig and Jay Bee @ Crooners

Storm Large @ Dakota

Phine Friends, Shotgun Ragtime @ Driftwood

Peter Cat Recording Co. @ Fine Line

Johnny Sincerely Orchestra @ Granada

Cornell ’77 Turns 46 @ Hook and Ladder

Brandon Commodore's NRG with David Billinglsey @ Icehouse

Charanga Tropical @ Icehouse

Dr. Jay’s Cabaret Presents: The Zesty Besties @ KJ's Hideaway

Lou Carver, Grant Glad, and Caleb Bell Jones @ Mortimer's

Somali Night 2023 @ Northrop

The Kanneh-Mason Family @ Ordway

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

Michael Gay's Old Country Buffet @ Palmer's

Reckless Daughters: Joni Mitchell in the '70s @ Parkway

Odie Leigh with Pine & Fire @ 7th St. Entry

Enervate, Dose, Identity Crisis, Reality Check, and Out4Blood @ Underground Music Venue

The Falderals @ White Squirrel

The Matt Arthur Contraption with Greg Volker @ White Squirrel

Disturbed @ Xcel Energy Center

Monday, May 8

José James Sings Badu @ Dakota

Plini with Sungazer and Jakub Zytecki @ Fine Line

Gary Numan with Front Line Assembly and DJ Jake Rudh @ First Avenue

Auto-Tune Karaoke @ Mortimer’s

Cowaoke with Ben Moooker @ Palmer's

The Roe Family Singers @ 331 Club

Matt Arthur Contraption @ 331 Club

Escape From The Zoo with Doom Scroll @ 7th St Entry

The Magic Underground @ Turf Club

Larry's Market Run @ Varsity.

Chef Sounds (DJ Night) @ White Squirrel

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Racket

Dinkytown Cop Shop: Even More Fun Than the Kitty Cat Klub?

Plus county vs. city on homelessness, stressed Haitian Minnesotans, and drinking your way to a pain-free life in today's Flyover news roundup.

October 7, 2024

A New Coffee Shop, Bichota, Is Open in George Floyd Square

'It’s my strong belief that every neighborhood deserves a walkable coffee shop,' says owner C. Anderson.

October 7, 2024

GOP Candidate Takes Positions on WWII, Civil War You’ll Never Expect. (OK, You Might Expect Them.)

Plus Feeding Our Future keeps dinging Walz, a look at state rest stops, and 4K footage of MN's autumnal splendor in today's Flyover news roundup.

The Pandemic Slowed Molly Brandt Down—And Sped Up Her Creativity

With her new album, 'American Saga,' the St. Paul country singer takes a look around—and doesn't always like what she sees.

October 4, 2024