Music
Concert notes, set lists and personal impressions fill this category. From the dreamy Americana of Lord Huron to Coldplay’s stadium spectacle and intimate performances at the Dakota jazz club, I share what moved me in the moment.
Mason Jennings show at The Dakota tonight. Lovely. 🎶
Making my special homemade lasagna and “playing one of the most important ingredients” I use when making it: Carreras Domingo Pavarotti in Concert. 🎶
Tammy and I saw Davina and the Vagabonds at The Dakota tonight. It was my first time seeing them and it was really good. Great performance with a ton of energy — wonderful live band. We’ll definitely be back. 🎶
The World is Waiting by The Long Honeymoon
My friend Lee Zukor has been playing in The Long Honeymoon for a while. Sadly Tammy and I have not made it to one of their shows, yet, but a couple days ago I got an email that their first album was out. I checked out “The World is Waiting” and liked it a lot so I bought a copy on Bandcamp.
We all listened to it twice on our drive this weekend up and down the North Shore. We thought it had a distinctly Minneapolis sound. It gave us Jayhawks, Gear Daddies, Honeydogs kind of notes at times. Jangly with good hooks. 🎶 Grab a copy and give it a listen!
Tammy and I saw Mumford & Sons for the second time tonight and for the second time they were incredible live. We like their music but there is something about the energy they bring on stage that is so powerful. The setlist was great. I loved the aesthetic and how they had it all setup. 🎶
John Prine: Songs & Souvenirs
I never got a chance to see John Prine play. There is a list of bands that I really regret never seeing play live. Hüsker Dü is on it. So is The Replacements. And so is John Prine. When he passed away in 2020 I was sad that we lost such an amazing songwriter.
I don’t remember how I found John Prine but I know it was on a CD run that I picked up Great Days: The John Prine Anthology and listened to disc 1 of that set many, many times.
Jason Wilber and Dave Jacques both toured and played with John Prine for well over a decade. They took the stage at The Dakota and led a great evening through the Prine catalog and encouraged the audience to sing along the verses. It was a gift from them to us — to be able to hear those songs and enjoy the music even though Prine is gone.
They also raise funds for Prine’s Hello in There Foundation from each show. Wonderful stuff. 🎶
Downtown for The Dakota’s 40th Anniversary Block Party. Awesome event. Tina Schlieske on stage right now! 🎶
My cousin Josh introduced me to David Francey and his album Right of Passage has become a favorite of mine. 🎶
Ruthie Foster at the Dakota
We got to see Ruthie Foster play at the Dakota tonight. She did a solo set — just her and her guitar named Pearl. We hadn’t seen Foster play before but my Mom is a big fan of hers and I can see why. Her songs were amazing and she added so much with the stories behind them as well. I could have kept listening for another hour easily. What a great musician. 🎶
Lord Huron at the Armory
Lord Huron put on a good show tonight at the Armory. It was Tammy and my first time seeing them. We aren’t that familiar with their music but enjoyed the show a lot. Their sound reminded me of something David Lynch would like. And the complex story lines of their songs reminded me of The Decemberists a bit.
