Minneapolis to see one of its biggest post-pandemic music weekends

MINNEAPOLIS — Hours before Thursday night's show, Pantera fans took their place in line outside Minneapolis' First Avenue.

Mark Crawford and Tim McLean came from Milwaukee to take advantage of the venue's rare, small setting.

"Drum sticks, guitar picks, they're more likely to get tossed to you if you're in the front row," said McLean.

Pantera isn't the only show the two friends are seeing in Minneapolis this weekend. They're also heading to U.S. Bank Stadium on Friday night to see Metallica. The legendary metal band is playing two nights in Minneapolis.

"I've got so many Metallica tattoos and everything," said Matthew Morrison.

Morrison is a Metallica die-hard from Orlando. He'll be attending both Metallica concerts on Friday and Saturday night, marking the 10th and 11th time he will be seeing the band live.

The rocking doesn't end there. On Saturday night, Green Day performs at Target Field. That's followed by Def Leppard and Journey at the stadium on Monday.

"Going to see Journey and Def Leppard actually right here on Monday night on my birthday," said Morrison.

According to the Minneapolis Downtown Council, officials are expecting more than 150,000 people downtown for these concerts alone. That means several area hotels are already sold out.

According to Meet Minneapolis, the Canopy by Hilton is completely sold out for the weekend. The same story goes for the downtown Minneapolis Hilton, Minnesota's largest hotel. The Lofton Hotel near Target Field is also sold out on certain nights.

That's all music to the ears of downtown businesses and metalheads, too.

"I'm ready to have a good time and rock out," said Morrison.