Coldplay with Rilo Kiley at Target Center on 9/20/05

By: David de Young
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Coldplay - Publicity photo I missed Coldplay’s 2003 appearance at the Target Center, but I still have the bootleg CD I made from Cities 97’s broadcast of that show. I am leaning towards agreeing with the reviews that suggest 2003’s was a better (more energetic, perhaps?) event. And though they had fewer songs at the time, 2...

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club at Fine Line Music Café on 9/19/05

By: Traci Hanson
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BRMC at the Fine Line - Photo by David McCrindle (see more photos from the show on the BRMC website here.) The past has heard its faults, and with what’s learned, lies better. –Peter Hayes. I learned once that a band—a rock band in particular—can be great without being any good. Take the Sex Pistols, for...

Better Than Ezra at James Page Blubber Run on 9/10/05

By: David Rachac
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Better than Ezra's Kevin Griffin - Photo by David Rachac (click for larger version) “Some bands wouldn’t play in a parking lot,” said Better Than Ezra frontman Kevin Griffin as they began their show following the 13th Annual James Page Blubber Run. But Better Than Ezra isn’t like most bands. Since tasti...

Willie Nelson at Red Rocks Ampitheater on 9/3/05

By: Kristine Lambert
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Ship Rock at Red Rocks Amphitheatre - Photo by August Miller As our car wound through the curvy roads in the foothills of the Rockies, I could feel the excitement in my gut. I was going to Red Rocks. I was psyched to see Willie Nelson play, but my pre-show jitters weren’t just for Willie but for my first time at “T...

Rock Never Stops 2005 at Myth Nightclub on 8/16/05

By: Sean Sauder
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Rock Never Stops tour flyer Tuesday was sneak preview night at Myth, and the first event to grace the stage at the shoe store-turned-nightclub in Maplewood was the Rock Never Stops tour, featuring Cinderella, Ratt, Quiet Riot, and Firehouse. One common early complaint about Myth is that it's too far of a drive for people in Minneapolis an...

Iris Dement with Dan Israel at Fitzgerald Theater on 8/12/05

By: David Rachac
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Dan Israel and Iris DeMent - Photos by Steve Cohen Friday night at the Fitzgerald Theatre in St Paul saw local singer/songwriter Dan Israel paired up with alternative country heavyweight Iris DeMent, both putting on solid shows in front of an appreciative audience. In addition to being the home for Garrison Keillor’s A...

Le Tigre at First Avenue on 8/9/05

By: Maura McAndrew
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Le Tigre - Publicity Photo by Danielle Levitt Le Tigre is my favorite feminist cartoon band. They have a message, but it is their style and presentation that gets their fans all worked up. As they played a packed First Avenue Tuesday night, I realized that a Le Tigre show is not just a concert, but also a spectacle. We arrived...

The Knitters at First Avenue on 8/2/05

By: Karla Ludzack
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The Knitters at First Avenue - Photo by Karla Ludzack The legend of The Knitters is a mighty strange and expansive one. It's based mostly on half-truths, many of which you can read on www.theknitters.net. It doesn't matter whether you believe these stories anyway---anyone lucky enough to have seen them knows that the real appeal is the...

Teenage Fanclub with The Rosebuds at First Avenue on 7/29/05

By: David de Young
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Photo from Teenage Fanclub's recent Toronto show by Michael Ligon I wasn’t lucky enough to have seen Teenage Fanclub on their Bandwagonesque tour. A Catholic Education had been released in 1990 on the then little-known Matador to little fanfare, but when Bandwagonesque came out on Geffen in 1991 it topped Spin'...

Missy Higgins at Hennepin Avenue Block Party on 7/15/05

By: David Rachac
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Missy Higgins performs at the Hennepin Avenue Block Party - Photo by David Rachac (click for larger version) Australian singer/songwriter Missy Higgins’ story has all the elements of a record company’s PR hype machine, with one exception: it’s all true. At 17, Higgins won a demo competition sponsored by Triple J, ...