Live music: Metallica, Zach Bryan tours hit the Twin Cities in August
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James Hetfield of Metallica, pictured here in Spain, will be in Minneapolis in August. Photo: Javier Bragado/Redferns
Summer is slipping away too fast, but there's still time to catch some great concerts.
Why it matters: Rocking out is fun, especially when the shows are outdoors.
The big acts: More than a half dozen major tours are scheduled in the Twin Cities over several days in mid-August.
- Local tourism officials are calling the lineup Super Stadium Weekend.
Zoom in: Over that span of four days:
- Metallica's "M72" world tour plays U.S. Bank Stadium both Friday and Sunday, Aug. 16 and 18.
- Green Day and the Smashing Pumpkins headline "The Saviors Tour" at Target Field on Saturday, Aug. 17.
- Just two days later — on Monday, Aug. 19 — Def Leppard, Journey and Steve Miller Band perform at Target Field.
Plus: Country star Zach Bryan brings "Pink Skies" to U.S. Bank Stadium the following Saturday, Aug. 24.
Between the lines: These shows aren't just good for fans; they often lead to a bump in business for hotels and restaurants downtown, as both visitors and locals often make a weekend of their plans.
- "It will be a big tourist draw, but it will also be a big staycation [draw]," Meet Minneapolis' Courtney Ries told Axios earlier this summer.
The bottom line: While not quite on the level of Beyonce and Taylor Swift, some big names are coming to town over the next month.
Bonus: Twin Cities critics share their picks
We asked some local music tastemakers for recommendations of must-see shows that go beyond the big acts.
🎤 Star Tribune music critic Chris Riemenschneider usually likes to hit up outdoor concerts when the weather is nice, but he predicts the Aug. 4 appearance of Faye Webster at the Palace Theater "is going to be captivating."
- "She and her band created this really cool, moody-but-cheeky vibe with laundry-themed stage props and longer and more expansive versions of the new songs," he said of catching her at Coachella this year.
Sleeper hit: "But Not Kiss" is a "a genuine banger in concert," he adds.
🤳 Pioneer Press' pop critic Ross Raihala says he's been "ridiculously excited for Stephen Sanchez from the moment he was announced as a Grandstand headliner (an unexpected booking for sure). "
- "It kind of blows my mind that he's done so well with TikTok kids, but then again, he's so melodramatic I guess it makes sense," he wrote.
- "...His album is near perfect (save for "Shake") and I've listened to it so much, my partner no longer allows me to play it when we're in the car together."
What to expect: Sanchez "gets compared to Roy Orbison a lot, I would add the lesser knowns Johnnie Ray and Gene Pitney, two personal favorites."
📻 And the student DJs at the U of M's Radio K sent us this lineup of shows on their list:
- Mati EP release show at 7th Street Entry (Aug. 9)
- Ani Mari, Daphne Jane, Yonder at Green Room (Aug. 7)
- Scrunchies album-release show at Turf Club (Aug. 24)