Best 2011 concerts in the Twin Cities
Categories: Year-end blitz
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In lieu of attempting to come to a consensus as a group, we thought it'd be fun to have each of our most frequent contributors list their top 10 favorite shows of 2011. Naturally, almost all of us had a hard time keeping it to just 10.
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| Photo by Stacy Schwartz |
| Motörhead at First Avenue |
Cyn Collins, Writer
Brute Heart CD release party with Tender Meat, Jerusalem, and the Star Baskets - Turf Club, May 11, 2011
Reverend John Wilkins w/ Poverty Hash 7th Street Entry July 11, 2011
Morning After Girls/The Hounds Below/Magic Castles/Chatham Rise at the Crooked Pint, October 15, 2011
The Goondas CHUD EP release party w/ The Bad Spots, blood&stuff and Pink Mink 9/24/11
Blood&stuff Grumpy's residency, October, 2011
Doomtree Blowout 7 - "One Whole Fucking Week" - December 4 - 10, 2011
TIE: The Swans First Avenue, September 20, 2011 and the Cars First Avenue May 17, 2011
Honorable mentions:
• Gastro non Grata - ALL. But most recently: Bottles and Boars fe: Fortified Five, Dreamcrusher and Silverback Colony at Triple Rock Dec. 11, 2011
• All the Pretty Horses CD release party w/ The Japhies and Hastings 3000 December 2, 2011
• Porcupine/Darla at 400 Bar, November 4, 2011 (Darla is a new band-to-watch fe: Jimmy Peterson and Paul Pirner of The 757s, Mike Wisti (Rank Strangers) and John Crist (Dashboard Saviors and Bellwether). Porcupine from LaCrosse, Wisconsin is really good.)
Shows I wish I'd attended:
tUnEyArDs First Avenue Nov. 12, 2011, Wild Flag, Varsity Theater, Oct. 3, 2011 and The Joy Formidable, April 6, 2011
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| Photo by Stacy Schwartz |
| Lissie at the Cedar |
Natalie Gallagher, Writer
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| Photo by Erik Hess |
| tUnE-yArDs at First Ave |
Erik Hess, Photographer and Writer
2. Sound Town (all of it, particularly Flaming Lips) at Somerset Amphitheater (08/19 & 08/20) [Recap | Slideshow]
3. Czeslaw's Loop on the Mississippi River during Art-A-Whirl (05/21 & 05/22) [Review | Slideshow]
4. Black Moth Super Rainbow, Dosh, Marshmallow Ghosts at the Turf Club (09/10) [Review | Slideshow]
5. KMFDM, 16 Volt, Army of the Universe at First Avenue (09/12) [Slideshow]
6. Pizza Lucé Block Party (08/13) [Review | Slideshow]
7. M83 at First Avenue (11/16) [Review | Slideshow]
8. Daytrotter Barnstormer 4 at the Free Range Film Fest Barn in Wrenshall, MN (04/26) [Review | Slideshow]
9. Gayngs Afilyated at First Avenue (03/06) [Slideshow 1 (Erik Hess) | Slideshow 2 (Stacy Schwartz) | Slideshow 3, Behind the Scenes (Graham Tolbert)]
10. Hank3 at First Avenue (11/29) [Review | Slideshow]
Honorable Mentions (Chronologically):
Goondas and All The Pretty Horses at the 331 Club (02/19)
Doomtree Showcase at SXSW (03/16) [Slideshow]
Peelander-Z, Birthday Suits, Anamanaguchi at the Turf Club (04/15) [Slideshow]
Bootsy Collins at First Avenue (06/09) [Slideshow]
Rock for Pussy at First Avenue (06/10) [Review | Slideshow]
Sondre Lerche, Kishi Bashi at the Fine Line (06/17) [Slideshow]
Peter Bjorn and John, BNLX at First Avenue (09/27) [Slideshow]
James Blake, Chairlift at First Avenue (09/28) [Review | Slideshow]
Ladytron at the Fine Line (10/03) [Review | [Slideshow]
GWAR at First Avenue (11/02) [Review | Slideshow]
Mike Mictlan's crazy Blowout rap festival at the Entry (12/05) [Recap]
P.O.S., Poliça, Marijuana Deathsquads Blowout at the Entry (12/07) Recap]
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| Photo by Steve Cohen |
| Dolly Parton at Mystic Lake |
Nikki Miller, Writer
1. Don Williams at Grand Casino Mille Lacs, 9/3/11
4. Ricky Skaggs at the State Fair's Leinie Lodge Bandshell, 8/27
6. Cactus Blossoms Release Show at the Ritz with Meg Ashling and Spider John Koerner, 10/7/11
7. Charlie Daniels Band at Black Bear Casino, 11/19/11
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| Photo by Tony Nelson |
| St. Vincent at the Walker Art Center |
Tony Nelson, Photographer
TV On The Radio - 1st Av
Titus Andronicus - 1st Av
Ha Ha Tonka - Varsity Theater
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| Photo by Erik Hess |
| Sleigh Bells at First Avenue |
Pat O'Brien, Writer
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| Photo by Stacy Schwartz |
| Dessa at the Fitzgerald Theater |
Stacy Schwartz, Photographer
2. Beirut at the Congress Theater (Chicago)
4. Joy Formidable with The Lonely Forest - 7th Street Entry
5. The Civil Wars at the IFC House - SXSW
7. Free Energy at the Lake Harriet Bandshell
8. Bob Mould at the UBS Forum
Honorable Mentions:
Jayber Crow at Honey
NKOTBSB at the Target Center
Brandi Carlile at the Fitzgerald
The Acrocats Rock Cats at Heart of the Beast
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| Photo by Erik Hess |
| Gwar at First Avenue |
Danny Sigelman, Writer
Mad Professor 7th Street Entry
Dengue Fever 7th Street Entry
Dam-Funk 7th Street Entry
Tony Allen Cedar Cultural Center
Zhao Jiazhen O'shaughnessy Auditorium
M83 at First Avenue
The Kills at First Avenue
Bootsy Collins at First Avenue
OMD at First Avenue
Gwar at First Avenue (Corey Smoot RIP!)
Anthrax and Testament at First Avenue
Toots and the Maytals at the MN Zoo
Phillip Glass at the Dakota
Dan Penn at the Dakota
Ramsey Lewis at the Dakota
Ozzy Osbourne Target Center
Wilco State Theater
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| Photo by Erik Hess |
| Diddy at Epic |
Jack Spencer, Writer
1. Kyuss Lives! at First Ave (November 30)
4. Mucca Pazza at Turf Club (July 23)
6. Audio Perm Block Party at Suga Records (Aug 27)
9. Psalm One at Cause (Sep 24)
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| Photo by Steve Cohen |
| Aretha Franklin at Mystic Lake |
Andrea Swensson, Editor
M83 at First Avenue, 11/16/11
Honorable mentions:
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| Photo by Erik Hess |
| M83 at First Avenue |
Erik Thompson, Writer
3. The Joy Formidable at the 7th Street Entry (04.06.11)
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