Best Live Music in Minneapolis and St. Paul This Spring
Minnesota is home to one of the nation’s most vibrant music scenes. Between two high-caliber orchestras (the Minnesota Orchestra and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra), the iconic First Avenue, a sorely overlooked club scene, and too many independent venues to count, there’s always a listen-worthy experience just around the corner.
Visit us this spring to see why Prince famously declared that “rock and roll is alive (and it lives in Minneapolis)!”
May 2026
Cloud Nothings
Turf Club
May 1
Raucous indie rock that never loses sight of its melodic sensibilities.
Demi Lovato
Target Center
May 2
The former Disney star pairs glossy, club-ready pop with the powerhouse vocals that defined her recent rock era.
AFI
First Avenue
May 2
Another evolution of mall-punk’s reigning goths, creeping into the darkest corners of post-punk and shadowy new-wave strains.
L’Rain
Walker Art Center
May 2
A special “Live at the Walker” show, featuring a full band and a special audiovisual set that’ll be recorded for a future release.
Mac DeMarco
First Avenue
May 6
The clown prince of chill vibes supports his spare “Guitar” record.
Machinedrum
Uptown VFW
May 8
Three hours of manic dance music, with all proceeds going to local grassroots organizations.
YUNGBLUD
The Armory
May 9
One of Ozzy’s last mentees returns to the Armory after a steady rise from smaller Twin Cities stages—and a haunting, widely praised take on the Black Sabbath ballad “Changes.”
The Afghan Whigs
Varsity Theater
May 10
Marking four decades, The Afghan Whigs revisit their smoky mix of soul, punk and alt-rock with the brooding intensity that made them cult icons.
The Psychedelic Furs
First Avenue
May 12
Go listen to “Love My Way” or “Pretty in Pink” and tell us you don’t want to immediately host a John Hughes marathon. We’ll wait.
Nduduzo Makhathini
Cedar Cultural Center
May 13
An evening of enthralling spiritual jazz with the South African pianist and a tight-knit trio.
Bruno Mars
U.S. Bank Stadium
May 13
Uptown funk heads to the heart of downtown.
The Suburbs
Parkway Theater
May 13-15
Three nights of Longhorn nostalgia, and the first place you’ll be able to pick up the blood moon vinyl pressing of “A PAGAN RITUAL: Live at The Caboove 1983.”
Sam Prekop & John McEntire
Cedar Cultural Center
May 14
A Sea and Cake reunion with synths.
ZZ Top
Mystic Lake Casino Hotel
May 15
They’ve got beards, and they know how to use them.
Charlie Puth
The Armory
May 16
Pitch-perfect vocals and hook-laden productions built for a big room.
The Decibel Magazine Tour
Fine Line
May 22
A night of lovingly curated whiplash from the country’s leading extreme music outlet.
Freddie Gibbs
Palace Theatre
May 23
Rapid-fire rhymes from a razor-sharp lyricist known for working alongside such cult beat conductors as Madlib and Alchemist.
Weird Nightmare
Turf Club
May 27
METZ’s frontman taps his pop tendencies now that the band is no more.
Robert Glasper
Dakota
May 27-29
One of jazz’s biggest crossover acts pares things back a bit with his “OG Acoustic Piano Trio,” featuring bassist Vicente Archer, drummer Damion Reid and electronic flourishes from DJ Jahi Sundance.
The Black Angels
First Avenue
May 29
A master class in modern psychedelia, featuring the Austin band’s flawless “Passover” LP performed in full.
June 2026
Caterwaul 2026
Zhora Darling
June 5-7
A chaos theory cross-section of hardcore, punk, noise, hip-hop and metal — now in its fifth year and featuring underground icon Mike Watt, local rapper P.O.S., and an exclusive, rare set from Rye Coalition.
Minneapolis Rodeo 2026
Surly Brewing
June 6
A first-time fusion of cattle-roping culture — the real deal, co-signed by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association — and country/roots crossovers like Nikki Lane, Miko Marks and local favs The Cactus Blossoms.
Alison Krauss & Union Station
Mystic Showroom
June 12
Longtime collaborators Alison Krauss and Union Station celebrate their first studio album in more than a decade.
Trey Anastasio
Orpheum Theater
June 13
An acoustic evening with the Phish frontman.
Dessa
Hewing Hotel
June 14
Downtown Minneapolis’ definitive boutique hotel keeps its summer concert series kicking with an appearance by one of the city’s biggest underground breakthroughs.
Mavis Staples
Ordway Concert Hall
June 15
How iconic is Mavis Staples? So iconic she’s been inducted into the Rock and Roll, Gospel, and Blues Halls of Fame.
Kronos Quartet
Dakota
June 18
Local pow wow singer Joe Rainey and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Broder join Kronos Quartet for four special live-to-tape performances of pieces by Jlin, Neil Young, John Coltrane and more.
Echo & the Bunnymen
Fillmore Minneapolis
June 19
The post-punk pioneers give the people what they want: a greatest hits tour Donnie Darko would dig.
Don Toliver
Target Center
June 20
High-gloss hypnosis with traces of trap, soul and R&B.
Taking Back Sunday
Mystic Showroom
June 20
Third-wave emo enters its casino era.
Amyl and The Sniffers
Surly Brewing Festival Field
June 20
The steady rise of Amyl and The Sniffers continues with their biggest local show yet.
MGK
Mystic Lake Amphitheater
June 22
The artist formerly known as Machine Gun Kelly supports his latest pop-rock LP (“Lost Americana”) and sets the stage for a summer of major shows at the metro area’s newest amphitheater.
Kim Gordon
First Avenue
June 24
The Sonic Youth co-founder and alt-rock all-star brings a reinvigorating string of solo albums to life onstage.
Kurt Vile and The Violators
Palace Theatre
June 28
You don’t have to be an Eagles fan to have fun at this one — a stop on Kurt Vile’s “Philadelphia’s been good to me” tour — but it doesn’t hurt!
Wolfmother
First Avenue
June 28
A flashback to the full-length that felt like a Down Under riff on everything from Led Zeppelin to Queens of the Stone Age.
Usher & Chris Brown
U.S. Bank Stadium
June 30
Hopefully not the only chance you’ll get to scream “yeah!” at the Vikings’ stomping grounds this year.
