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Twin Cities concerts this week: Ludacris + T-Pain, Semisonic
By Dustin Nelson,
14 hours ago
The Minnesota State Fair continues to be the hub of big-name concerts in the Twin Cities this week. (It also contributed to this week's listings being a day behind. Our apologies to Monday.)
But beyond shows from Ludacris, Stephen Sanchez, T-Pain, and Mötley Crüe, there is plenty to see that doesn't include a stroll down Dan Patch Ave.
While this year’s Grandstand lineup has been tepidly lauded as adequate but not great, it isn't a rare set from Chance the Rapper or country star Blake Shelton that was the hottest ticket in advance of the Minnesota State Fair. It was the double bill of Ludacris and T-Pain.
The Grammy-winning T-Pain and multi-hyphenate rapper Ludacris look like they're right in fairgoers' sweet spot. They're deep into their careers with a slate of hits and appearances on TV and in movies, but aren't quite the aging former stars making the rounds like Mötley Crüe, who hit the Grandstand on Thursday.
One of two entries focused on film music, Kyle Eastwood hits the Dakota to play music from the films of Clint Eastwood. (And yes, Kyle is the filmmaker's son.)
The project was initially intended to highlight the music of his father's films, including Gran Torino, Letters From Iwo Jima, Flags of Our Fathers, and Bridges of Madison County , but the show's description also references paying tribute to the directors and composers of films in which Clint appeared, which opens up the set list to some memorable scores. Past sets have featured the iconic spaghetti western scores of Ennio Morricone. Meanwhile, Kyle's album, Cinematic , featured interpretations of music from films like Bullitt, Taxi Driver, Pink Panther, Charade, and Unforgiven .
Wes Anderson's movies rely heavily on music, making a live set and The Royal Tenenbaums , which arguably features his most memorable soundtrack, a perfect pairing.
Viewers probably remember Mark Mothersbaugh's score or the great use of songs like Elliott Smith's "Needle in the Hay," The Clash's "Police & Thieves, or the Ramones' "Judy is a Punk," Ravel's String Quartet in F Major and George Enescu's Sonata for Cello and Piano in F Minor are equally as integral to the film, making the quartet's opening set an intriguing pairing.
Two New Jersey-based emo-adjacent bands that made their name in the '00s and played Warped Tour coming to town in the same week? ( Thursday played a surprise set at Zhora Darling on Saturday.) It's happening.
Aside from a few scattered shows to celebrate the 10th anniversary of The '59 Sound in 2018, The Gaslight Anthem took a six-year break starting in 2015. They got back together in 2022, released a new album, and have been on the road. Since reuniting, they've only come to Minnesota once, playing The Fillmore in September 2022. They're back at the same venue this week, just their second Minnesota show since a First Avenue set in 2015.
Extreme Noise, the volunteer-run punk and metal-focused record store on Lake St., continues a run of shows celebrating its 30th anniversary.
The revelries are scheduled into the fall, but this second show in the series will be a fittingly chaotic show. Iron Lung, a two-piece group from Seattle, plays a brutal, grinding brand of punk that will undoubtedly make this a rowdy night. Physique, Destruct, and Deadform, as well as local groups Surrogates and Shatter open.
The ritual of having a well-known local group close out the Minnesota State Fair's roster of free concerts (free with admission to the fair, of course) continues in 2024 with a deeply fitting set from Semisonic.
The band — whose legacy certainly extends beyond the megahit "Closing Time" — will bring the fair to a close with shows on Sunday and Monday. They have to close down the fair with the song, right?
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