July 2024 Recap

Block party season continues, and back to Wisconsin for three nights of Phish!

May 09, 2025

7.5 Taste of Minnesota in Downtown Minneapolis - Day One

with The Wallflowers, Martina McBride, Sofia Eris

Taste of Minnesota, or ‘Taste’ to those in the know, is a longstanding tradition that has been held at various locations over the years. One memorable Fourth Of July in 2009, Elvis Costello played a free show as part of the event on Harriet Island on the Mississippi in St. Paul. This year’s event was held on the streets of downtown Minneapolis, on Nicollet Avenue.

As always they curated an intriguing and diverse lineup. This year’s first day featured The Wallflowers and 90’s country sensation Martina McBride. Day two was stacked with pioneers of the ‘Minneapolis Sound’ Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and Morris Day and The Time.

Though I’ve seen his father perform around a dozen times, I believe this was my first time seeing Jakob Dylan and The Wallflowers. I was pleasantly surprised at how hard they rocked! Although I heard “One Headlight” played on Cities 97 about 1 million times too many in the late nineties, it sounded great live. They also did a cover of Tom Petty’s “The Waiting Is The Hardest Part”, in honor of Jakob’s dad’s bandmate in the Traveling Wilburys.

The Wallflowers:

The day’s emcee, Fancy Ray, ‘The Best Lookin’ Man in Comedy’:

DJ Sofia Eris:

Martina McBride was on next, with her beloved and upbeat and righteous anthem of patriotism/murdering a domestic abuser via a July 4th house inferno. In addition to “Independence Day”, McBride played many of her other big hits including “My Baby Loves Me”, “Wild Angels”, and “Safe In The Arms Of Love”. She also covered a couple of classics, “You Ain’t Woman Enough (To Take My Man)” by Loretta Lynn and Pat Benatar’s “Hit Me With Your Best Shot”. I listened to a lot of country music back in the day and still love so many of those songs.

7.6 Taste Of Minnesota Day Two with Purple Funk Metropolis, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and Morris Day and the Time

This was truly a day of Minneapolis funk! Purple Funk Metropolis was on at 3pm, followed by legendary producers and former members of The Time Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Closing the evening was none other than Morris Day and The Time! Rock and roll is alive, and it lives in Minneapolis! Also, the funk.

Purple Funk Metropolis:

funny that this jackass walked right in from of me whilst I was filming, but I’m posting the video anyway for the keyboard solo:

I love this mural of Bob Dylan on Hennepin and 5th Street:

Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis are the guys behind many of Janet Jackson’s biggest hits. Not only did they produce lots of her songs and the album “Rhythm Nation” (a huge album for me when I was about 12 years old that helped instill my revolutionary spirit and love for what I would later learn was the ‘Minneapolis Sound’) but they wrote bangers such as “Nasty”, “When I Think Of You”, “Control”, and “Escapade”, with its literal shout-out to Minneapolis.

They have production credits with dozens of other artists too, including Mary J Blige, Usher, New Edition, and of course The Human League. Shouldn’t have been much a surprise that this legendary duo would have a guest show up, but I was thrilled to suddenly see Ruben Studdard of American Idol fame hop on stage and sing.

Coolin’ off:

More Minneapolis legends were up next with the night’s closing set. Morris Day and the Time were brought together by Price, who Morris Day went to high school with in South Minneapolis, to record songs Prince had written. They were also of course featured in “Purple Rain”. JellyBean Johnson, who is also a bad-ass guitar player, played drums, Jimmy Jam was on keys, and Terry Lewis played bass in the first incarnation of the band before Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis left to pursue their very successful careers as songwriters and producers.

Morris Day and his golden microphone:

Morris and his mirror, which is never far away:

Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis joined their former band for part of the set:

7.10 Jojo Green at Lake Harriet Bandshell

The calendar for the summer music series at the Lake Harriet Bandshell is always worth keeping an eye on, as there are always lots of talented acts worth checking out. There is bench seating for hundreds and a ton of grassy space surrounding the concrete area to set up blankets or coolers, or set down bikes.

On this Wednesday evening, St. Paul’s Jojo Green took to that enormous and lovely bandshell that sits near beautiful Lake Harriet. The band consists of Sharisse Germain on keys and vox, Scott Yonle of Twine on bass, Scott Miller on sax, Connor Allen on guitar, and Nancy Long on drums. They have a soulful, funky feel to them, propelled by Yonke’s ever smooth and driving basslines. One cool thing about the band is that they all sing and as veterans of many other bands with lots of experience, also have plenty of their own material.

7.11 Shotgun Ragtime Band (Acoustic) at Tuttle’s

This was a rare acoustic show from a pared down SRB, with Mike, Super, Phil and Brando. Tutt’s has a great patio with plenty of sunlight and standing room in the back and seating.

Setlist went a little something like this:

Easy Wind
Row Jimmy
Bird Song
Tennessee Jed

II

Estimated Prophet >
Eyes of the World
Music Never Stopped
Ripple

7.11 Demitri and Friends featuring Camille Boudain of The Radiators at Gluek’s

with Scott Yonke on bass, Derek Fagerwold on drums, and a dude on keyboards.

Trying to get artsy with a reflection:

I nabbed a photo of someone else’s signed setlist:

7.12 Twine with Jon Sullivan Band at Icehouse

JSB:

Twine w/ Demitri Rallis:

7.13 Dead Days of Summer at Day Block

with Art Hoffman as the musical director and on rhythm guitar, Kevin Fowke on lead, Jim Hinkley on bass, Annie Hicks on vocals, Kevin Dorsey on keys and I believe Brett Behrens on drums. The show featured a really cool liquid light show!

My pal Anshuman and I:

7.14 Camille Boudain and Friends at Private Backyard Party

Backed by the rhythm section of the Kung Fu Hippies, Chad Whittaker and Geoff Prettner on bass and drums respectively. Also involved were guys on guitar and harmonica.

7.14 Shotgun Ragtime Band at Driftwood

Including but not limited to:

MS Half Step >
Lazy River
Minglewood
Here Comes Sunshine
Deal

China Cat Sunflower

7.17 Mark Joseph at Lake Harriet Bandshell

Mark brought a big ol’ band for this event including Eddie Junaten from the White Iron Band on keyboards and Chad Whittaker of Kung Fu Hippies on bass! Also along were the Northside Horns and a couple backup singers.

7.18 WE Collective at 56 Brewing

That blue light is cray cray. Pretty sure that’s Mike Heddig on banjo.

7.18 WE Collective at Gluek’s

or was it Twine? In any case the excellent guitarist Willie Christianson was also in the house.

With a Sand opener and a nice ‘don’t know the name of the Tyler Childers song’>Fire on the Mountain>Tyler Childers song

7.19 Brotherhood of Birds, Roe Family Singers at Artepils at Utepils Brewery

BOB features a rotating cast of musicians playing mostly string instruments. Miles MacFarlane was around for this show, despite moving to San Diego not long before. Also in the band were Willie Christianson who I’d seen play the night before at Gluek’s and Mike Heddig who also played the night prior, at 56 Brewing. These are hard working people. It’s a lot of work just going to all these shows, I cannot imagine going and playing. Also on stage was Joe Barron on upright bass and bandleader Gavin Haskin on mando.

They always choose some off the wall songs to do bluegrass style, which I love:

Hold on Loosely
Saw the Devil on the TV? w Miles MacFarlane
Smooth Criminal w MM

Vinnie Donatelle’s (of The Last Revel) Friend Dog:

Roe Family Singers:

And the event has lots of art too, as the name suggests. One featured artist, SJ Gray, created the below artwork for when Shotgun Ragtime Band played Grateful Dead night at a Twins Game at Target Field.

7.21 Shotgun Ragtime Band at Driftwood

setlist went like this:

Let The Good Times Roll

Me and My Uncle

Mexicali Blues

CC Rider

A Simple Twist of Fate

New Speedway Boogie feat Claire

I Need A Miracle

Viola Lee Blues

Don't Let Go

Drums and Space

Standing on the Moon

The Wheel

Gimme Some Love

Good Lovin'

E: Werewolves of London

“Let The Good Times Roll”:

7.22 Not Quite Dead at Lake Harriet Bandshell

Ramble On Rose

Bird Song

Cold Rain and Snow

Mr Charlie

He's Gone

Deal

Man Smart Woman Smarter

They Love Each Other

New Speedway Boogie

Cassidy

GDTRFB

7.26 Phish at Alpine Valley

Three spectacular nights of Phish at Alpine Valley!?!

My favorite band has played this venue 28 times since 1996, and if my count is correct, I was present for 23 of them. My first time walking over that steep hill to take in that majestic scene was 8.1.98, when they opened with the first ever “Ramble On” and encored with ‘Been Caught Stealing’ - also a debut in the band's already storied history, to immediate fanfare and jubilation.

2024 was just the third time that the quartet performed a trio of shows at Alpine, the first being in 2019, highlighted by the lovely, celebrated, and highly recommended Ruby Waves.

For this year's run, I was thrilled to camp and kick it poolside with a few dozen of the Midwest's Phinest All-Stars courtesy of a welcoming and Legendary Farmer who brought us to the shows in style behind a 1968 John Deere tractor.

Plenty of noteworthy moments throughout the weekend to be sure, but I especially enjoyed the record setting “My Friend, My Friend” on CK5's bday Friday night (sans Myfe ending), the “Moonage Daydream” (last played almost a year ago at Brianna and I's second MSG show last summer - 7.29.23) with a clever “David Bowie’ set closer, and “Oblivion” leading into “Light” on Sunday night, a contrast worth contemplating any day.

Saturday night's show was my 73rd, and happened to be my first time in the pit at any Phish show. It was the right evening for that as Mike and Kristin and Brandon and I were right there to see something special unfold in the epic, patient (and ultimately triumphant as one observer noted) 40 minute “Simple” two songs into second set that found all 30,000 people or so at Alpine with their jaws on the ground and reportedly left at least one of the band members in tears.

This was a super special weekend, maybe one of the best yet. This band is happy and clear and we're all here for it, and also traveling across the country for it.

Delaware up next in a couple weeks.