14 Music Festivals

Photo courtesy the BBQ & Blues Festival

Head downtown to Peavey Plaza June 7 for hot ribs and cool blues.

Famous Dave’s BBQ & Blues Fest
Downtown Minneapolis’s best—and best-tasting—free music festival features all kinds of blues talent, from the classic sounds of Paul Metsa and Sonny Earl to the washtub/washboard/guitar trio The Brass Kings. This year’s headliners on the mainstage include Ron Thompson and His Resistors, Smokin’ Joe Kubek & Bnois King, and Ronn Easton’s All Star Soul Revue. Arrive early, grab a plate of ribs, and dig in. June 7. Noon—10:30 p.m., Peavey Plaza

Photo courtesy of Twin Cities Jazz Festival

Ravi Coltrane at the Twin Cities Jazz Festival

Twin Cities Jazz Festival
In its tenth year, this year’s Jazz Festival kicks off with a special concert at the Orpheum featuring a reunion of the legendary 1970s fusion group Return to Forever, with Chick Corea (keyboards), Al Di Meola (guitar), Stanley Clarke (bass), and Lenny White (drums). Held on successive weekends—first in St. Paul at Mears Park, then in Minneapolis on Peavey Plaza—Jazz Fest will also feature saxophonist Ravi Coltrane, Jerry Gonzalez and the Fort Apache Band, European piano ace Amina Figarova and her sextet, New Orleans’ Charmaine Neville, and many more, plus five “rising stars”—selected by Down Beat magazine—in a special concert at Orchestra Hall. June 19–29.

Andrew Bird photo by Cameron Wittig; The New Pornographers courtesy the artists

Andrew Bird and The New Pornographers at the Walker Rock the Garden.

Rock the Garden 2008
The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden turns twenty this summer and the Walker Art Center and 89.3 The Current are throwing a concert bash featuring performances by singer-songwriters Bon Iver and Andrew Bird, Canadian indie rockers The New Pornographers, and the local art-rock band Cloud Cult. The festivities also include food, beer, minigolf on an artist-designed course, and more. June 21. Tickets $35 ($30 for Walker/MPR members). 4–11 p.m., Minneapolis Sculpture Garden

Sommerfest
The Minnesota Orchestra’s annual summer celebration kicks off on July 11 with the Macy’s Day of Music, with more than forty musical acts performing for free. Highlights will include the return of trumpeter Doc Severinsen with the band El Ritmo de la Vida, a tribute to jazz in the movies, and Osmo Vänskä conducting an all-Finnish program that includes Sibelius’s Symphony no. 5 and Aho’s Symphony no. 9. July 11—August 3. Orchestra Hall, Mpls.

St. Paul Summer Song Festival
The Schubert Club’s annual festival begins with a 125-year retrospective of Minnesota music and goes on to include a tribute to the vocal legends of swing as well as an evening of music honoring the work of local composer and Pulitzer Prize–winner Dominick Argento to mark his eightieth birthday. June 9–13. Landmark Center, St. Paul

Lake Harriet Bandshell
Pretty much every evening, from June through August, great music can be heard for free at the Lake Harriet Bandshell. The music is eclectic, ranging from folk, gospel, and blues to jazz, swing, and classical, ending with a free concert by the Minnesota Orchestra on September 16 (the bandshell is the summer home of the Minneapolis Pops Orchestra). At dusk on every third Thursday, a concert movie is shown. June 19: Roy Orbison’s A Black and White Night. July 17: The Eagles Farewell Tour: Live from Melbourne. August 21: Fleetwood Mac’s The Dance.

Vans Warped Tour 2008
Metalheads from all over the state can gather at Canterbury Park in Shakopee for a day of thrashing and moshing as the annual summer Warped Tour rolls through town. Sunscreen recommended; earplugs optional. August 3.

Music Beyond the Metro

Winstock Country Music Festival
Country music fans can put those boots to good use kicking up dust for a weekend at Winstock, the annual music fest held near Winsted, Minnesota. This year’s headliners are Reba McEntire, Montgomery Gentry, Kellie Pickler, Craig Morgan, and Sawyer Brown, but plenty of other acts will strut their stuff too, including Ten Cent Biscuit, Bomshel, Emily West, and The Dixie Hicks. June 13–14. General admission $85, reserved seating $135, VIP seating $235; camping pass $80.

Deep Blues Festival
Last year’s startup blues festival has expanded to include more than forty acts, including Chris Cotton, Charlie Parr, Black-Eyed Snakes, Illinois John Fever, Honkeyfinger, BirdDogs, and more. Whether you prefer rootsy, folksy, rockin’ or gut-bucket blues, you’ll find it all here, along with plenty of beer and sunshine. July 18-20. Washington Co. Fairgrounds, Lake Elmo

10,000 Lakes Music Festival
Jam-band heaven gets reinvented every year at the Soo Pass Ranch in Detroit Lakes, when the premiere festival of the summer kicks into high gear. Held in a beautiful setting on a ranch tucked between several of those 10,000 lakes, this festival never fails to deliver a first-rate lineup of artists who play virtually nonstop on four stages. This year, Deadheads will get a chance to see at least two Grateful Dead alumni in action—Phil Lesh and Friends and Mickey Hart Band—as well as the Dead tribute band Dark Star Orchestra. Also playing are The Flaming Lips, George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, WookieFoot, The Bad Plus, Tim Reynolds and TR3, Bonerama, and Michael Franti and Spearhead. July 23–26. General admission $130, VIP $400; camping $35.

Annual Favorites

Photo by Greg Benz

Cities 97’s annual music fest happens July 11-12.

Basilica Block Party
Every year, Cities 97 throws a great party featuring some of the best bands in the country. This year’s festival promises more of the same top-notch revelry we’ve come to expect, making it one of the most anticipated events of the summer. July 11–12. Basilica of Saint Mary, Mpls.

Grand Old Day
Spanning thirty blocks along St. Paul’s Grand Avenue, this annual celebration kicks off summer in fine style, with something for everybody: bands, art, kids’ activities, food, booze, and a parade. (This year’s theme: the 1970s.) June 1. Grand Ave., St. Paul

Taste of Minnesota
Great food, music, fun for the kiddies, and fireworks every night—the annual Taste of Minnesota celebration has it all and then some. July 3–6. Harriet Island Regional Park, St. Paul

Music in the Zoo
All summer long, the Minnesota Zoo’s music amphitheater features concerts by some of the biggest names in the business, in a setting that can’t be beat. For this year’s concert calendar, visit the Minnesota Zoo's website.