The A.V. Club's summer concert preview
MGMT plays Rock The Garden on June 19
There's something extra appealing about live entertainment in the summer. Maybe it's the warm weather, or the smell of sunscreen. Or it could be the sheer amount of reasons to tear yourself away from the oscillating fan. Hoping to help narrow your options, The A.V. Club presents a guide to summer concerts, including outdoor festivals, gigantic arena shows, and more American Idol alums than there are current American Idol fans.
JUNE
Don’t miss: Tickets for Rock The Garden (June 19, Walker Art Center) were sold out before they even became available to the general public, and while it feels a little unfair to start this guide with the event that will turn the most people away, we’d be lying if we said this year’s lineup—MGMT, Sharon Jones And The Dap-Kings, OK Go, and Retribution Gospel Choir—is skippable.
Try not to miss: Of course, going to Rock The Garden means missing Aziz Ansari (June 19, State Theatre), a brief but hilarious respite from the Parks And Recreation withdrawal that will leave fans jittery and nauseous until the show’s return in January.
Miss: The most positive thing we can say about Kris Allen (June 5, Fine Line Music Café) and Adam Lambert (June 12, Mystic Lake Casino) is that their American Idol showdown made for some decent television. They are no longer on television. Larry The Cable Guy (June 25, Grand Casino Amphitheater) may seem less abhorrent now that Jeff Dunham is parading his racist puppets around, but that doesn’t make him any more deserving of your money.
Other notable shows: She & Him (June 5, First Avenue); Grand Old Day (June 6, Dixie’s); Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros (June 6, First Avenue); George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic (June 7, First Avenue); The Black Keys (June 8-9, First Avenue); Bamboozle Road Show (June 10, The Cabooze); The Handsome Family (June 11, Cedar Cultural Center); The New Pornographers (June 11, First Avenue); The Psychedelic Furs (June 12, First Avenue); The Time (June 13, Epic); Steve Martin (June 13, State Theatre); Denis Leary (June 15, State Theatre); Apple River Country Splash (June 17-19, Float-Rite Amphitheatre); John Hodgman (June 18, Fitzgerald Theater); Sting (June 21, Xcel Energy Center); Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and Drive-By Truckers (June 22, Xcel Energy Center); Mates Of State (June 23-24, 400 Bar); Kathy Griffin (June 26, Orpheum Theatre); Ween (June 26, Roy Wilkins Auditorium); Juana Molina (June 26, Walker Art Center); Justin Bieber and Sean Kingston (June 29, Target Center); Santana and Steve Winwood (June 30, Xcel Energy Center).
JULY
Don’t miss: Just when we’re ready to admit that The Hold Steady (July 3, The Cabooze; July 4, First Avenue) aren’t really a Twin Cities band, they go and reference Hennepin Avenue in the first line of their new album. Consider these homecoming shows.
Try not to miss: Keep the Birkenstock jokes to yourself: Sarah McLachlan is bringing Kelly Clarkson, Kate Nash, Heart, Metric, and Mary J. Blige to the local stop on this year's Lilith Fair (July 18, Canterbury Park). Hole (July 16, First Avenue) has a new album, which means haters have a fresh batch of snarky comments, to be followed by mumbled admissions that, yes, Courtney Love knows how to make a solid record.
Miss: If you don’t understand the appeal of Ms. Love, try this July 16 double-header at First Ave: By the time Jordin Sparks’ bland, squeaky-clean early show is done, you’ll be begging for incoherent rants.
Other notable shows: Tool (July 1, Xcel Energy Center); Taste Of Minnesota (July 2-5, Harriet Island Park); Devo (July 3, Minnesota Zoo); Dillinger Four (July 4, Triple Rock Social Club); Widespread Panic (July 7, Orpheum Theatre); Basilica Block Party (July 9-10, Basilica of St. Mary); Simon & Garfunkel (July 12, Xcel Energy Center); Liars (July 13, First Avenue); Modest Mouse (July 14, Orpheum Theatre); Wolf Parade (July 18, First Avenue); Built To Spill (July 22, First Avenue); Squeeze and The English Beat (July 22, Minnesota Zoo); Screeching Weasel (July 23-24, Triple Rock Social Club); Jack Johnson and G Love (July 25, River's Edge); The Gaslight Anthem (July 26, First Avenue); The Dead Weather (July 28, First Avenue); Bill Cosby (July 31, Treasure Island Resort & Casino).
AUGUST
Don’t miss: Tours like Lady Gaga’s Monster Ball (Aug. 30-31, Xcel Energy Center) are all about spectacle. When an artist offers elaborately choreographed routines, stage effects, and costumes that look like they were put together following a trip to Ax-Man, does it really matter that her music is the least interesting thing about her?
Try not to miss: Standing-room-only nightclub shows are great, but the option of sitting down for Phoenix’s (Aug. 12, State Theatre) less dance-friendly songs should not be discounted.
Miss: Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros (Aug. 9, The Cabooze) come back to town just two months after playing First Ave—how many times do you really need to hear “Home”? Given our feelings about Adam Lambert and Jordin Sparks, imagine how nonplussed we are by this summer’s American Idols Live Tour (Aug. 29, Target Center), featuring contestants from a season no one watched.
Other notable shows: Vans Warped Tour (Aug. 1, Canterbury Park); Something Corporate (Aug. 2, The Cabooze); The National and The Antlers (Aug. 5-6, First Avenue); Hanson (Aug. 10, Minnesota Zoo); Keane (Aug. 11, First Avenue); Disturbed (Aug. 17, Target Center); Blondie and Cheap Trick (Aug. 21, Treasure Island Resort & Casino); Slayer and Megadeth (Aug. 21, Roy Wilkins Auditorium); Rush (Aug. 27, Minnesota State Fair); Carrie Underwood (Aug. 31, Minnesota State Fair).
