Twenty studio albums into their career, the ever-evolving psychedelic rock band The Brian Jonestown Massacre have embarked on a massive North American tour and are set to headline the Varsity Theater on Saturday, Sept. 30.

Anton Newcombe, the band’s lead singer and primary songwriter, has been critically lauded along with his band as one of the world’s most influential modern psychedelic rock bands. Their biggest song on streaming platforms to date, the 1996 track “Anemone,” has even been acclaimed by the likes of the late Anthony Bourdain, who reportedly said it was his favorite song.

The Brian Jonestown Massacre released their 20th studio album this February, titled “The Future is Your Past.” The band’s current setlist features several songs from that album, as well as some of their most beloved songs dating back to the 1990s.

The Minnesota Daily spoke with Newcombe ahead of The Brian Jonestown Massacre’s Minneapolis performance.

Minnesota Daily: How has your guys’ North American tour been going so far?

Anton Newcombe: “Pretty good in a lot of ways, you know? I am really positive and thankful for the enthusiasm and it is great to be back.”

Daily: Would you say the enthusiasm is from the crowd, the band or both?

Newcombe: “Well, I think people are really … they’re tolerant of just anything. I mean, people are just in the mood to see the music and I don’t think they are hypercritical. That’s a good space for a band to be in, I think we have a diversified audience that is just there to enjoy the music. Which is good because, when we started out, you have to remember, we toured America and there was no point of reference for a lot of people to figure out what it was we were doing. People would go ‘look, you guys think you’re The Monkees’ or something. There was nothing for them to go by as a point of reference. I think now we’ve definitely found people that are interested in whatever it is that we’re presenting. That’s what you want.”

Daily: What is your guys’ process for curating a setlist? I know your guys’ setlists have a good amount of material from your last two records on it. What goes into making the decisions of what goes on the setlist?

Newcombe: “It’s impossible to please everybody. We actually toured the world once playing three-hour sets every night, and even in a three-hour set we couldn’t play something from every release. It would be impossible, there’s just not enough time. I know that some groups go out and go ‘this is our landmark album from such-and-such time, and here’s the encore with these extra songs,’ I never really wanted to be like that heritage, legacy act. So that’s why it’s focused on the last two records because the music was created to be heard in a live situation.”

Daily: You mentioned bands that have a “landmark record”, do you have a Brian Jonestown Massacre album in your mind that you are most proud of?

Newcombe: “It’s like all my bastard children, you know, I love them all. I see different things that are a strong point in the history, there is definitely a continuum where you can hear it even in other bands of the genre, you can now say ‘that’s where that came from’ is from what we were trying to do. You can see the influence in our project and other people, it’s undeniable. But I don’t know about a landmark thing. It’s really interesting, some of the songs are from the first practice, the first time we ever got together in a rehearsal space in San Francisco in 1990 or whatever, we wrote like six of the songs that come out on records in one day. So the songs go all the way back, some of them, and they’re not dated, it just sounds like our thing.

I could never sit down and write something specifically that I thought was going to get traction. Like I never sat down and said ‘oh, this is going to be a hit’ like Jack Antonoff or whoever the hell. I never set out to think about that. I did think ‘people are really going to freak out when they hear this,’ and it never really materialized instantly. However, the songs have this longevity and timelessness, they make their own space, that really has surprised me in a way that I haven’t seen with very many people and very many artists.

So, for instance, ‘Anemone’ has hundreds of millions of plays, lots of sales, it’s much bigger than a lot of ‘60s acts that are legends, it’s much bigger. To put it in perspective, The Doors sold 760,000 copies of ‘Light My Fire’ in the ‘60s, you know, that was a hit. I’ve passed that, right, but we just live in a different time. You see, The Doors didn’t become mega-mega until the ‘80s, then it became in the millions and the millions of record sales. But in the actual ‘60s, like when you see these things, Beatles singles that are legendary, that’s like 500,000 copies, I’ve passed all that shit a long time ago. But it’s just a perspective.

But anyways, I could have never known that ‘Anemone’ was gonna be hundreds of millions in streaming and all these different things, or like in f—ing 25 different TV shows a year or whatever, when I sat down and wrote it for my friend, because I was just writing it for her voice – Mara.”

Daily: Back to recent Brian Jonestown Massacre stuff, I think it’s pretty cool what you guys did with the last album, “The Future Is Your Past” with the album cover. I always appreciate it when modern artists take the idea of an album cover and flip it on its head in the streaming era. You did the coloring book thing with the vinyl, the cover is blank and it comes with a set of crayons, what was the inspiration behind that?

Newcombe: “I came from a time before f—ing indie music, where you could walk down the street with pink hair, when I dyed my hair red and all that shit, you would have these rednecks in trucks drive up onto the sidewalk and crash the car into a wall trying to kill you. Whether you were gay or into punk music, everybody was on the same team, goths, it didn’t matter, because it was us against the world. So music like AC/DC and post-’60s Pink Floyd and all the stuff on rock radio, those were the people that were trying to kill me.

However, when ‘In Through the Out Door’ [Led Zeppelin] came out they did have a slipcover that you put water on and all of a sudden it’s colorful, so I had remembered that that had happened. So it wasn’t necessarily that I ripped off that idea because it was slightly different, but I thought about the concept of being able to interact with it in its own way, and I couldn’t do it on the CD because of the size.

But it was funny because right when it came out someone decided that it was a gimmick, and I was like ‘no, it’s not a gimmick, did you listen to the music?’ It’s not a gimmick at all, because I’m not trying to even play the game remotely.”

Daily: I seem to remember you tweeting a while ago that you guys like to check out record stores on tour.

Newcombe: “Yep, every day.”

Daily: Do you have any favorite stores from the Minneapolis area?

Newcombe: “Minneapolis is very important to us. There was a record store, Let it Be, Electric Fetus. The community and the Sullivans at the 400 Bar, lots of people helped us out. There is one f—er in that town though, I will say that and leave it at that. But everybody else is golden. I love the city. Every time I’m going into the music shops in St. Paul and buying gear, like real important stuff to me, because our music is also about our tools to the extent that I own the gear, so if someone has to leave the band the sound stays exactly the same. It’s very important. When things are stolen, I can’t just go out and get a Jackson guitar and play the songs. Every element of it goes hand in hand. Last time we played First Avenue, I zipped across the bridge and went over and bought a Hammond B3 from a guy who’s just got a bananas warehouse filled of Hammond Organs, so we’re always digging.

But Minneapolis is one of our, I would say like, you know like a tent has pegs, there are certain communities that really have always been there for us. If you have a couple places in America that are so solid, your experience differs wildly from anybody else.”

Daily: What would you say fans can expect going into the show at the Varsity Theater on Saturday?

Newcombe: “When it’s clicking, it really is a spiritual experience. Like, when some of the songs are clicking, that’s what’s going through my mind. It’s really a spiritual experience. When I’m thinking about what’s being said and what the sounds are happening and all the chiming coming out it really has this, without being full of myself, it really is this angelic experience sometimes.

If you go to YouTube and you watch The Beatles’ song ‘Rain’ and you watch them playing, it really is one of the high points of garage-rock. It’s like, this is us just plugging in guitars to amps and these are the sounds we are making and it’s this crazy thing. In theory, anybody could do it, but The Beatles had to quit after 1966 because they couldn’t do it, and we’re just taking it beyond that. So that’s the amazing thing about it, you can do that, nothing is stopping you.”

Returning to Minneapolis for the first time in six years, the trailblazing industrial hip-hop trio Death Grips headlined a concert at the Fillmore and delivered a set that felt like a highlight reel of their inventive 2010s output.

The crowd of hipsters, goths and sweaty shirtless dudes was packed like sardines on the floor of the Fillmore as they awaited the sole act of the night, Death Grips. The ensuing performance proved to be a satisfactory release of energy for both the musicians on stage and the nearly 2,000 fans inside.

Amid speculation the band had broken up, fans were surprised last year when the lineup for the Las Vegas musical festival Sick New World included the group. This was the first Death Grips news since the pandemic hit, and the band subsequently announced a full North American tour.

Taking the stage in total darkness, Death Grips went from zero to 100 by opening the setlist with “System Blower” and “I’ve Seen Footage,” two noisy highlights from their decade-defining classic album “The Money Store.” As the distorted melodies of “I’ve Seen Footage,” one of Death Grips’ best-known tracks, rang out, the mosh pit was set ablaze with energy.

Impressively, vocalist and rapper MC Ride, a man in his mid-40s, still exudes the stunning level of primal ferocity he displayed across the group’s six studio albums, commanding the room effortlessly despite being decades older than much of the crowd.

For just over an hour, there was a flurry of bodies coalescing in the mosh pit for almost every song, with circle pits forming for some of the most high-powered tracks such as “Get Got,” another fan favorite from “The Money Store.”

By and large, the industrial trio stayed faithful to the studio renditions of the songs during their Minneapolis live performance. However, the band changed it up with their rendition of “Bubbles Buried in this Jungle,” one of the strongest songs off their 2016 album “Bottomless Pit.” On the studio recording, the track is driven by an electronic bassline and industrial-electro-trap production. But, when performing it live, the band took it into a more noise-rock direction defined by distorted guitar and Zach Hill’s loud, cymbal-heavy drum performance.

The set hit its climax with the song “Black Paint,” a single from their, as of now, final studio album “Year of the Snitch.” It is a visceral industrial rock track that lends itself to hardcore pogo-dancing and left many concert attendees breathless.

The final song, “Hacker,” was the peak in energy from both the band and the crowd, as MC Ride jumped up and down on stage — and the fans on the floor following suit — to one of the group’s most iconic lyrics, “I know the first three numbers, I’m in — I’m in your area, I’m in your area.”

Appearing as silhouettes for the entire show because of the deliberate choice to have as little front-facing stage light as possible, Death Grips were as mysterious and energetic as ever on their 2023 tour. While the prospect of new Death Grips material would be exciting after all these years, the typical Death Grips die-hard that attended the show was probably indifferent to this fact, as the band showing up to perform at all is a miracle in and of itself given their track record. 

Death Grips do not come to the Twin Cities often, so, for many, this felt like their only opportunity to see them in person. The band met expectations by putting on a visceral live show of experimental music, actualizing their signature primal energy in front of the Twin Cities crowd — you can not say the same for just about any other band fronted by a man in his 40s. Death Grips has still got it.

After several years of cryptic teasing, rapper-producer Travis Scott –– a leading trendsetter in the music industry –– has finally released his fourth studio album, “UTOPIA.”

While Scott’s fanbase and the hip-hop community as a whole have hyped up the release of “UTOPIA,” Scott remains a controversial figure. Scott was met with intense public scrutiny in November of 2021 after ten people died during a crowd crush at the rapper’s Astroworld Festival in Houston, Texas. 

In June of this year, Scott was officially cleared from facing criminal charges relating to the Astroworld tragedy by a Houston grand jury. 

While some have sworn off Scott since the Astroworld tragedy, his perpetual popularity and influence within pop culture have remained strong nonetheless and he still attracts top talent within the industry for collaborations.

Now, nearly five years after the release of his third studio album, “ASTROWORLD,” Scott has returned with a 73-minute experimental hip-hop odyssey with a star-studded list of featured artists and producers.

Scott enlists features for “UTOPIA” ranging from global mega-stars Bad Bunny, Beyoncé and The Weeknd to rising artists KayCyy and Teezo Touchdown, as well as modern-day rap titans Drake, Future, Kid Cudi, Playboi Carti and Young Thug. 

“UTOPIA” opens with the loud, fierce track “HYAENA,” setting the tone for the album by utilizing hypnotic, psychedelic production that is unheard of in present-day mainstream hip-hop. The opening track is backed with distorted, industrial boom-bap drums behind an ingeniously placed sample of an obscure French song from the 1960s, brilliantly setting the psychedelic soundscape of “UTOPIA” from the outset.

Scott continues to be an innovator in the genre as a producer whilst conveying an audible ferocity and hunger in his vocal delivery. Scott, whose albums always open incredibly strong, has made his best album opener yet with “HYAENA.”

Third in the tracklist comes “MODERN JAM,” standing out in the album with its synth-heavy and dance-y production from Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, formerly of Daft Punk. Daft Punk also collaborated with Kanye West on his 2013 industrial hip-hop album “Yeezus,” an album that helped jump-start Scott’s career as a producer, as he is credited on two tracks.

“MODERN JAM” may not be the most bombastic or experimental track on “UTOPIA,” but its danceable rhythm and “Yeezus”-esque production give it a lot of replay value. The song is pretty funny lyrically, too, featuring ridiculously cheeky lines like “I like a bi girl on a bi-cycle. Then I bought a car, now she feel entitled” and “way I keep thе knowledge, think I’m Socrates.”

One of the riskiest songs on “UTOPIA” is actually the most inoffensive track musically, the fourth track titled “MY EYES.” A far cry from Scott’s “rager” image, the track features production from Frank Ocean collaborator Vegyn as Scott gets sentimental and emotional while his voice is pitch-shifted in a way reminiscent of the production of Ocean’s monumental 2016 track “Nikes,” a clear direct influence.

On “MY EYES,” Scott makes his most direct reference to the Astroworld tragedy on the album with the lyrics, “I replay them nights, and right by my side, all I see is a sea of people that ride wit’ me. If they just knew what Scotty would do to jump off the stage and save him a child.”

One of the most talked-about songs on the album is “MELTDOWN.” Featuring Drake, the track reignites the spark they found together on Scott’s chart-topping hit “Sicko Mode.” 

The Toronto rapper appears to be reigniting his long-standing feud with rapper Pusha T as he delivers the track’s first verse, “Heard your new joint, it’s embarrassing, s—. You talk to the cops on some therapist s—. You act like you love this American shit. But, really, the truth is you scared of the 6.” Pusha T famously released the scathing 2018 diss track “The Story of Adidon,” calling out Drake, and it appears Drake still feels sore about it five years later.

After “MELTDOWN” come two incredible tracks: “FE!N” featuring Playboi Carti and “DELRESTO (ECHOES)” featuring Beyoncé and Bon Iver. These tracks effortlessly encompass the styles of their respective featured artists while still fitting in with the established soundscape of “UTOPIA,” adding even more dynamics to the 19-track album.

The best track on the latter half of the album is “CIRCUS MAXIMUS,” featuring The Weeknd. Sharing a title with the theatrically released companion film to the album, the track utilizes an innovative contrast of dissonance and melody with the distorted and loud sampled screams preceding a beautiful chorus from The Weeknd.

Amid comparisons to “Yeezus,” “CIRCUS MAXIMUS” is musically similar to West’s track “Black Skinhead,” featuring similar drum patterns and vocal delivery.

Amidst all the incredible peaks of quality on “UTOPIA,” tracks like “I KNOW ?” and “TOPIA TWINS” are enjoyable enough, but they do not utilize the experimental production that makes the standouts on Scott’s fourth LP so strong — they sound like they could have come out five years ago.

“UTOPIA” is a comeback album of sorts, yet Scott appears to have never lost his artistic ability that shined so bright on his previous blockbuster records like “Rodeo” and “ASTROWORLD.” “UTOPIA” proves to be well worth the wait and is a transformative work of art that has set a new standard for hip-hop artists in 2023.

As summer comes to a close and the fall semester creeps up on the University of Minnesota students, the Twin Cities area’s live music scene will remain as lively as ever toward the end of the year. This fall might be the best time of the year for concerts thus far. Here are some highlights of what has already been announced from September to November:

September

Close to campus:

For students who do not want to travel too far for a concert, some great shows are either a short walk or a light rail ride away from home. The month of September has a variety of legendary artists performing at venues like the Varsity Theater in Dinkytown and Surly Brewing Festival Field near Stadium Village. Another concert that falls neatly into this category is the homecoming concert the University’s Student Union & Activities hosts every year — stay tuned for an announcement on that one. Here are some highlights:

Melvins + Boris @ Varsity Theater – Wednesday, Sept. 6

Ween @ Surly Brewing Festival Field – Friday, Sept. 8

Lil Tracy @ Varsity Theater – Saturday, Sept. 9

Train @ Surly Brewing Festival Field – Monday, Sept. 11

Iann Dior @ Varsity Theater – Monday, Sept. 21

The Brian Jonestown Massacre @ Varsity Theater – Saturday, Sept. 30

Music-snob September

If you have a Rate Your Music account, know who Anthony Fantano is or are just drawn to contemporary indie and alternative artists — September is your month. Odds are you already have snagged a ticket to one of these shows:

Black Country New Road @ Fine Line – Monday, Sept. 11

Death Grips @ The Fillmore – Wednesday, Sept. 13

Queens of the Stone Age @ Armory – Sunday, Sept. 17

Swans @ Fine Line – Wednesday, Sept. 20

The Postal Service and Death Cab For Cutie @ Armory – Sunday, Sept. 24

George Clanton @ Fine Line – Thursday, Sept. 28

October

Hip-Hop highlights

Oldheads and hypebeasts rejoice! Some of the biggest hip-hop and rap acts of past and present are coming to the Twin Cities to host some of the largest shows in Minneapolis this year.

Playboi Carti @ Target Center – Sunday, Oct. 1

Wu-Tang Clan and Nas @ Target Center – Saturday, Oct. 7

Lil Uzi Vert @ Armory – Saturday, Oct. 21

If hip-hop and rap are not your cup of tea, long-enduring artists like shoegaze icons Slowdive and progressive rock legends Tool are set to bring their incredible stage shows to St. Paul this October. Meanwhile, groundbreaking rising stars Genesis Owusu, Underscores, Geese and Dev Lemons are set to grace the smaller stages of the Twin Cities as well: 

Slowdive @ Palace Theatre – Wednesday, Oct. 4

Slow Pulp @ Amsterdam Bar & Hall – Thursday, Oct. 5

Genesis Owusu @ Fine Line – Thursday, Oct. 12

Underscores @ Turf Club – Friday, Oct. 13

Geese @ 7th Street Entry – Saturday, Oct. 14

Model/Actriz @ Icehouse – Saturday, Oct. 14

Jordana and Dev Lemons @ 7th Street Entry – Tuesday, Oct. 17

Faye Webster @ First Avenue – Monday, Oct. 30

Tool @ Xcel Energy Center – Tuesday, Oct. 31

November

While November usually sees concert season winding down as the holiday season begins, the month still has a lot to offer when it comes to live music. For fans of classic rock, Billy Joel and Stevie Nicks are scheduled to play a Minneapolis stadium show, Dexys (the band behind the 1980s smash hit “Come On Eileen”) are playing in St. Paul and Aerosmith has announced a Twin Cities date on their farewell tour. As for smaller shows, Gayle –– whom Taylor Swift chose as an opener for select tour dates this year –– is playing a small venue in St. Paul, and Lil Yachty, who famously updated his sound this year with a psychedelic rock-influenced album, will play the Fillmore in Minneapolis.

Gayle @ Amsterdam Bar & Hall – Wednesday, Nov. 1

Lil Yachty @ The Fillmore – Thursday, Nov. 2

Del Water Gap @ Varsity Theater – Friday, Nov. 3

Dexys (formerly Dexys Midnight Runners) @ Palace Theatre – Saturday, Nov. 4

Billy Joel and Stevie Nicks @ U.S. Bank Stadium – Friday, Nov. 10

Aerosmith @ Xcel Energy Center – Monday, Nov. 13

Liz Phair @ Palace Theatre – Friday, Nov. 17

Angel Olsen @ First Avenue – Wednesday, Nov. 29

Beyoncé brought live music back to Huntington Bank Stadium after a long drought of concerts at the venue. 

The University of Minnesota used to host a homecoming concert every year at Huntington Bank Stadium, but since Megan Thee Stallion canceled her appearance at the stadium in 2019, the University has opted for free homecoming concerts with much smaller artists. The lack of big-name artists coming to the University campus has been disappointing but, hopefully, Beyoncé’s return to the stadium will lead to more high-profile concerts at Huntington Bank Stadium soon.

Beyoncé last played at the stadium in 2016 during “The Formation World Tour” in support of her blockbuster 2016 album “Lemonade.” Seven years later she is celebrating her seventh studio album, “Renaissance” — a sonically dark and moody, house-influenced album that graced the ears of pop-heads last summer.

Beyoncé opened her set quietly, with her Destiny’s Child-era ballad “Dangerously In Love.” It was an interesting pick, considering the palpable excitement and energy in Huntington Bank Stadium before the superstar took the stage, but the audience voraciously ate it up despite its slow tempo — it is a fan favorite. 

Amidst the myriad qualities that make her an incredible artist, Beyoncé’s jaw-dropping vocal performance stood out with the opening song. Beginning her set with strong vocals established her skills as a singer before moving into more experimental artistic territory later in the set.

Several songs into the show, Beyoncé left the stage for an outfit change as the large displays on stage displayed visuals signaling the arrival of the “Renaissance” album material to the setlist. The tour visuals featured mechanical, futuristic and almost alien imagery of the singer being absorbed into a world of shining chrome and silver. 

From this point onward, Beyoncé continued to prove she is more than just a pop singer: she is an artist that cares deeply about her craft, and the tour visuals reflect that.

The opening sample to “I’M THAT GIRL,” the first song on “Renaissance,” was teased over the speakers, and the crowd was ready for the danceable material from that album to finally come to life. Following the order of the album, Beyoncé brought attitude as she performed the rhythmic and self-confident second track “COZY.”

The props were an extension of the futuristic on-stage visuals shown immediately before this part of the setlist, with Beyoncé performing between two metal picture frames operated by robots. The stage props are some of the most unique and innovative that have been seen on a stadium tour in quite some time,  outshining — for example — Taylor Swift’s “Eras” Tour in that regard. 

Immediately after was “ALIEN SUPERSTAR,” a highly choreographed performance featuring the singer with a legion of backup dancers that would get even more time to shine later on in the show.

About halfway through the show came her iconic 2016 single “Formation,” with the dissonant and echoey string plucks ushering some of the biggest crowd cheers and screams of the entire night. The highly choreographed and stylized performance was a highlight of the night. After “Formation,” Beyoncé performed one of the most ferocious and powerful tracks, “Diva,” from her 2008 LP “I Am… Sasha Fierce.” With lyrics reinforcing a message of female empowerment heard on many of her biggest songs — “Diva is a female version of a hustla” — the track holds up over 15 years later as one of the strongest tracks in her catalog.

Amongst a total of 14 songs performed live off “Renaissance,” Beyoncé brought the album’s iconography to life by appearing on stage atop the album cover’s iconic silver horse as she delivered the upbeat dance track “Summer Renaissance.”

Beyoncé’s “Renaissance World Tour” sets a new standard for what a pop artist’s stadium tour should be, with its innovative and avant-garde stage visuals, incredible, high-energy choreography, and otherworldly vocals from Queen Bey herself.

Minneapolis and St. Paul are home to many great record stores for those who collect vinyl. Here are the top five best in the Twin Cities (not counting record stores in the suburbs, although Mill City Sound in Hopkins, Down in the Valley in Golden Valley and Solsta Records in St. Louis Park are great options outside of the heart of the Twin Cities):

5. Extreme Noise Records

Located in South Minneapolis on Lake Street is Extreme Noise Records — a volunteer-run punk rock record store.

Extreme Noise is a great store for vinyl heads who are particularly into punk rock, alternative rock and metal — as almost all of their inventory falls under one of the three categories. While this is a strength for fans of those genres, if you are in the market for hip-hop or jazz, this may not be the store for you.

As Extreme Noise specializes in punk rock and associated subgenres, you can find used copies of albums by seminal punk bands Black Flag, Bad Religion and the Misfits in stock any time you come into the store. You can also leave with a band T-shirt, as the store is well stocked with rock tees in all sizes.

With its selection of vinyl records, merchandise and books, Extreme Noise is a must-visit for punk rock devotees.

4. Disco Death Records

Disco Death is a unique destination for Minneapolis record collectors because, in addition to having a great selection of used vinyl, the store also houses a coffee shop and an area to develop film.

Even though the store is not exclusively dedicated to selling vinyl, Disco Death has a wide-ranging collection of albums to sift through with dedicated sections for rock, hip-hop, soul, electronic and rarities.

The vinyl selection is impressive — a tell-tale sign of a great record store is a well-curated used vinyl selection. Disco Death delivers there as well as providing a relaxed place to hang out and spend time in with their coffee shop seating.

3. Electric Fetus

Likely the most well-known record store in the Twin Cities, the Electric Fetus is famous for its decades-long history, the inescapable smell of incense when you walk in the door, a well-organized vinyl selection and even some celebrity customers (most notably Prince).

Prince was a loyal customer of the Electric Fetus, having shopped there just days before his death and giving the Fetus a shoutout on Twitter on Record Store Day 2016. The store has since become a destination for Prince fans from around the world making the pilgrimage to the Minneapolis area to see other Prince landmarks like Paisley Park. The store has a dedicated Prince section, marked in the Soul/R&B section with Prince’s iconic Love Symbol.

At the 2010 Grammy Awards, The Beatles drummer Ringo Starr presented an award wearing an Electric Fetus T-shirt. A framed photograph of the iconic drummer sporting the shirt hangs behind the gift shop counter at the store.

Electric Fetus is laid out and organized very well. While many record stores have countless unorganized new arrival bins to sift through (which is still fun, in a different way), only a couple of new arrival bins at the front of the Fetus’ record department are not alphabetized. All other records and CDs in the store are sorted alphabetically — when it comes to new vinyl, most of it you can find labeled by artist. 

This commitment to an organized record inventory is a strong point of the store; it makes the space easy to navigate when searching for a particular vinyl record.

While the Fetus has a strong layout and organization, its selection of new vinyl could use some beefing up. While the Fetus does a great job at stocking weekly new releases, shoppers can also find the vast majority of their inventory at most other Twin Cities record stores in their respective “new” vinyl sections. 

That withstanding, the Fetus is one of the best places in the Twin Cities to find used vinyl, as the store brings in an eclectic, ever-changing mix of records to the new arrival bins throughout the week.

2. Agharta Records

The most underrated record store in the Twin Cities is also the closest to the University of Minnesota. Agharta Records (commonly mispronounced and misspelled as Agartha) is covered from floor to ceiling in music posters and is packed full of bins of great records to flip through. Agharta offers an incredible selection of new and used vinyl of all genres.

With most record stores, when it comes to brand-new sealed records, most stock the same titles by the same artists. However, Agharta proves time and time again to be a store that stocks a different selection of new records than your typical record store. If you have been keeping your eye out for a particular record and have not found it at other local record stores, Agharta just might have it.

On top of its selection, Agharta’s prices are outstanding as well. Even with many of their new records labeled as imports, you can find several brand-new releases at lower prices than at competing stores (an example being PJ Harvey’s new album “I Inside the Old Year Dying,” selling for nearly $30 at Electric Fetus but for about $5 less at Agharta).

1. Cheapo Discs

Cheapo Discs takes the crown for best record store in the Twin Cities because of how well-rounded it is as a physical media emporium. The Minneapolis location is massive in scale compared to any other record store in the area. With tall walls decorated floor-to-ceiling with colorful vinyl records and music posters, the sheer size of the store is something to behold.

Naturally, such a big retail space has a lot of room for a great media inventory. There are many long rows of new and used vinyl records and CDs. On the walls of the interior perimeter of Cheapo are shelves upon shelves of DVDs, Blu-rays, band merch, posters, some cassette tapes and even more vinyl.

Cheapo rises above the rest when it comes to its selection. If you are looking for a particular new or used album, poster, band T-shirt or movie, your odds of finding it are better at Cheapo than most other record stores, thanks to their incredible and varied inventory.

In addition to their unbelievably eclectic Minneapolis store, Cheapo also has locations in St. Paul and Blaine. When it comes to being an all-around physical media retail haven, Cheapo rises above the rest.

Falling Knife Brewing Company’s Northeast Minneapolis taproom is one of the best (and most hip) places to find craft beer near campus.

Casual beer drinkers need not be intimidated by Falling Knife. While Falling Knife is known for their IPAs, they have great options in the taproom for those who have not yet acquired a taste for specialty beers with a high alcohol by volume (ABV) percentage. 

A couple of their options include a light lager on tap called “Tomm’s” and hard seltzer slushies are available in raspberry and grape – both great tasting options without a strong taste of alcohol. The taproom is great for beer geeks who want to indulge but also for those who are new to craft beer.

“Tomm’s” is an inoffensive but tasty lager available on tap – the closest thing, in taste, to a standard domestic lager beer available at Falling Knife. For casual beer drinkers, this is a satisfactory drink that is not too strong on taste, yet is a great stepping stone for those wanting to branch out further into the brewery’s tap selection.

In addition to its lighter options, Falling Knife offers memorable IPAs with a unique flavor profile.

The “Hypebeast” IPA, a collaboration with BlackStack Brewing, is the ultimate team-up between two highly regarded Twin Cities breweries. While a no-brainer choice for an IPA aficionado, the Hypebeast even works as an entry-level IPA, providing notes of sweetness adding up to a flavor that is not overbearing, despite its relatively high ABV (8.5%).

Another great option is the baseball-themed “Let’s Pitch” IPA. With an apple juice-hued appearance in the glass, this beer is lighter and sweeter than the “Hypebeast” with a noticeable smell and taste of citrus.

While the brewery appeals to those who enjoy all kinds of alcoholic drinks, they do not cater as much to those who prefer an outing without drinking alcohol. One main drawback of Falling Knife is they do not have much to offer when it comes to non-alcoholic options. They have some sodas and kombucha, but no non-alcoholic beer. Falling Knife could improve in this area by adding an option like hop water to the menu, which is already being served by competing Twin Cities breweries.

Falling Knife has a couple amenities that give it a hip atmosphere. One is their CD jukebox located to the right of the bar. The jukebox is free and is stocked with a plethora of albums from all genres. 

From alternative-rock legends Sleater-Kinney and The Smashing Pumpkins, to modern R&B stars Frank Ocean and Childish Gambino, as well as some ‘90s hip hop classics “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” by Lauryn Hill and “The Chronic” by Dr. Dre. All you need to do is find the album in the jukebox, pick a song and type in the corresponding code into the queue – for free! It is a much more pleasant experience than spending money on TouchTunes.

The other fun aspect of the taproom are the pinball machines located behind the bar area. Giving the brewery a barcade feel, allowing for extra entertainment during a night out enjoying drinks with friends.

Falling Knife Brewery is a great place to get specialty beer close to the Como neighborhood. With its drink options and engaging entertainment options it serves as a great spot for an exciting night out.

The most famous figure in pop culture to ever attend the University of Minnesota, Bob Dylan, enrolled at the College of Science, Literature and Arts in the fall of 1959. 

After moving away from his hometown of Hibbing, Minnesota, Dylan lived in Minneapolis for about a year before he would kick start his legendary music career by moving to New York City in January of 1961.

While Dylan’s arrival in New York signified the start of a momentous musical career, it is worth noting Minneapolis was where Dylan started to perform under his now-famous stage name, Bob Dylan, instead of his birth name, Robert Zimmerman. 

Dylan began to perform at Twin Cities coffee shops and honed his craft as a songwriter and performer when he relocated to Minneapolis and found musical inspiration.

In his 2004 memoir “Chronicles: Volume One,” Dylan cited locations he performed at: “I was making three to five dollars every time I played at either one of the coffeehouses around or another place over in St. Paul called the Purple Onion pizza parlor.”

In a 1966 article by Playboy, it was also documented that “he began singing and playing the guitar and harmonica at Minneapolis’ Ten O’Clock Scholar for two dollars a night; it is said that when he asked for a raise to five dollars, he was fired.”

Decades later, Dylan would go on to sell over 100 million albums worldwide and in 2016 won the Nobel Prize in Literature.

To this day, Dylan’s time at the University is still somewhat shrouded in mystery and rumor, as his life was not extensively documented by journalists until after he made his move to New York City.

One source from 1966, a journalist who interviewed Dylan for Playboy, wrote, “young Zimmerman did manage to finish high school, and went on to spend about six months at the University of Minnesota in 1960.” 

However, another source, cited by the Star Tribune in 2007, said they confirmed with the University, “Robert Zimmerman was registered for four quarters — fall of ‘59 through fall of ‘60 — and declared music as his major.”

Amidst these conflicting reports, all that is known for certain is that Dylan attended the University from 1959 to 1960, as confirmed on an archived University site, meaning Dylan dropped out sometime in 1960, before his move to New York City.

Dylan himself eventually provided some details of his time at the University in his 2004 memoir.

Dylan lived in a Dinkytown apartment during his time as a University student in a building that, at the time, housed Gray’s Campus Drug and would later be occupied by Loring Pasta Bar and recently Gray’s Restaurant.

Dylan detailed his less-than-glamorous apartment in his memoir: “The room above Gray’s drugstore cost thirty bucks a month. It was an okay place and I could easily afford it.”

“Above Gray’s, the crash pad was no more than an empty storage room with a sink and a window looking into an alley. No closet or anything. Toilet down the hall. I put a mattress on the floor, bought a used dresser, plugged in a hot plate on top of that — used the outside window ledge as a refrigerator when it got cold,” Dylan wrote.

One aspect of Dylan the college student that might surprise some is that he was a member of a fraternity, Sigma Alpha Mu (whose building is now housed by the Alpha Chi Omega sorority).

“I’d come into Minneapolis unnoticed, I rode in on a Greyhound bus,” Dylan wrote in his memoir. “My mother had given me an address for a fraternity house on University Avenue. My cousin Chucky, whom I just slightly knew, had been the fraternity president.”

Dylan went on to describe his surroundings in Dinkytown at the turn of the 1960s decade in his memoir.

“The area around the university was known as Dinkytown, which was kind of like a little Village, untypical from the rest of conventional Minneapolis. It was mostly filled with Victorian houses that were being used as student apartments,” Dylan wrote.

While near the University, Dylan managed to find musical inspiration.

“I found the local record store in the heart of Dinkytown. What I was looking for were folk music records and the first one I saw was Odetta on the Tradition label. I went into the listening booth to hear it. Odetta was great. I had never heard of her until then. She was a deep singer, powerful strumming and a hammering-on style of playing. I learned almost every song off the record right then and there, even borrowing the hammering-on style,” Dylan wrote.

Miraculously, a recording of Dylan’s during his coffee house performing days has survived all these decades later. 

A live recording of Dylan from 1960, while he was enrolled at the University, known as the “Minnesota Party Tape” was donated to the Minnesota Historical Society archives in 2005. According to the Star Tribune, the tape, featuring a 19-year-old Dylan performing cover songs, was recorded in Dinkytown.

While not necessarily the most monumental or well-documented era of Dylan’s career, his short time as a college student is a piece of the University’s history.

Over 40 years since the first Indiana Jones film was released comes the fifth installment in the hit franchise, “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.” 

Starring Harrison Ford, 80, in the titular role once again, “Dial of Destiny” is a well-directed action-adventure film that, despite being a bit too long and having some questionable plot points, turns out to be an exciting summer blockbuster.

“Dial of Destiny” comes 15 years after the theatrical run of the series’ fourth film “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” which was met with lukewarm reception from fans and critics alike, causing audiences to question whether Paramount Pictures should have moved ahead in 2008 with the franchise so many years after 1989’s beloved “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.”

The three Indiana Jones films made in the 1980s, along with its 2000s revival “Crystal Skull,” were all directed by Steven Spielberg, one of the most critically acclaimed directors in film history.

The fifth film in the saga, however, saw Spielberg’s directorial absence for the first time ever in the history of the franchise. Filling in Spielberg’s shoes is director James Mangold, a filmmaker who has been working professionally since the 1990s and has made a name for himself in recent years with films such as “Logan” from 2017 –– a dark, R-rated film centering on Wolverine of the X-Men franchise –– as well as the Academy Award-winning biographical drama “Ford v. Ferrari” from 2019.

The 2023 film tells the story of Jones’ journey to retrieving a dial, made by ancient Greek mathematician and scientist Archimedes, that is hypothesized to be a conduit for time travel. Because of the potential great power to be obtained with the dial, former Nazi scientist Jürgen Voller, portrayed by Mads Mikkelsen, is competing with Jones for possession of the storied dial.

The film opens in a flashback scene taking place towards the very end of World War II. The flashback serves as the film’s exposition by introducing Archimedes’ Dial, the “MacGuffin” of the film, along with supporting characters including Jones’ archaeologist partner Basil Shaw and the film’s antagonist played by Mikkelsen.

The bulk of the film takes place in 1969, two decades after the end of World War II, so the filmmakers decided to use the still-developing de-aging visual effects on Harrison Ford’s face in flashback scenes. A filmmaking tool that is still early on its implementation and development, the “younger” Ford looks (and sounds) far from perfect in the beginning of “Dial of Destiny,” with his face looking visibly altered (at times just inching into the territory of the uncanny valley, but not egregiously so).

Another problem with the de-aging in “Dial of Destiny” is the fact that Ford’s voice sounds exactly like the gravelly voice he has when he is depicted as a seasoned older man with graying hair later in the film, a far cry from his tone from the 1980s films.

It makes sense why the filmmakers decided to utilize the de-aging process in the context of the story that was planned for the fifth Indiana Jones film. However, it would have been much more tasteful to do without it all together.

The audience does not need to be spoon-fed Nazi imagery and a fake World War II-era Indiana Jones in order to make the story compelling. They could have found a different way to incorporate this backstory into the film or change the plot accordingly.

After the flashback portion of the film, we see the fire reignite in Ford’s character as he gets back into action, some of which is ridiculous, –– such as a scene in which Indiana Jones is seen riding horseback on the tracks of a New York City subway towards an oncoming train –– but it is all in good fun

 Ford, in his late 70s during the production of the film, still does a great job as Indiana Jones, bringing the similar energy, determination and humor that his character is known for in the earlier films. Being an action star of this caliber while approaching the age of 80 is impressive.

Assisting Indiana Jones in his adventure is his goddaughter, played by “Fleabag” star Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Waller-Bridge serves as an intelligent and witty counterpart to the aging Indiana Jones, bringing back some of the grit and ambition that made the character of Marion (the mother of Waller-Bridge’s character) so remarkable in the first film.

In their pursuit of the “Dial of Destiny,” Ford and Waller-Bridge are entertaining on screen together throughout several action sequences around the world. Proving to be a somewhat meandering adventure, the film’s runtime of over two-and-a-half hours definitely could have been shortened.

When it comes to the actual power of the titular dial itself, it results in a plot progression involving time travel towards the end of the film that is sure to be divisive among fans of the franchise, but is incredibly ambitious nonetheless.

“Dial of Destiny” may not be an addition to the Indiana Jones franchise that was needed by any means, but it is an impressive accomplishment when considering the franchise’s change of director and Ford’s starpower and charisma, still as strong as ever at 80 years old.

Taylor Swift is now several months into her monumental Eras Tour — the megastar’s first full-scale tour since 2018’s Reputation Stadium Tour. 

Since COVID-19, Swift has evolved as an artist and fostered an even more meaningful connection with her fans by being extremely prolific in recent years — from surprise albums “Folklore” and “Evermore” to the re-recording of her 2012 classic “Red” (with the release of the 10-minute version of “All Too Well”, a fan favorite) and her return to pop with the 2022 cultural sensation that was her 10th studio album “Midnights.”

Before Swift even took the stage, it was obvious from the outfits worn by thousands of fans (an unwritten rule of attending the Eras Tour — dress up as your favorite Swift era) the Minneapolis Swifties were eager to experience songs from Swift’s seventh studio album, “Lover,” live, with the plurality of attendees clad in pink — the dominant hue of the album cover itself and its associated aesthetic.

Swift took to social media in Novmeber 2022 to describe the upcoming 2023 stadium tour as “a journey through the musical eras of my career.”

With Swift’s statement was the promotional tour poster showing 10 distinct images of Swift (representing each of her 10 studio albums). The Eras Tour was advertised as THE tour for any and all Taylor Swift fans, regardless if they became obsessed with her songs during her country era; or when she was solidified as a pop mainstay in the early 2010s; or when she explored a mellow singer-songwriter style with “Folklore” and “Evermore.”

On both nights in Minneapolis, Swift opened her sets with several songs off “Lover.”  The set list of the Eras Tour has remained largely the same aside from the two surprise songs she does every night of the tour towards the end of her performance.

Serving as the exposition to the setlist, Swift opened with “Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince.” A mid-tempo, yet incredibly catchy track, it was an excellent precursor to the second song in Swift’s set, the anthemic “Cruel Summer.” 

“Cruel Summer,” which is now being promoted as a single four years after the release of “Lover,” was a perfect cathartic release of all the hype and anticipation of an audience eager to see Swift perform live after releasing four albums of brand-new material in the past four years. Swift shined vocally during the second song of the show, powerfully delivering the song’s vocal run in the chorus and commanding the audience’s attention in the stadium.

“Are you ready to go back to high school with me?” Swift asked the audience before she and her backing band ushered in a performance of the country-pop anthem “You Belong With Me,” a song that tells the story of having a high school crush on a boy who is already in a (toxic) relationship, one of her many iconic singles off her second LP, “Fearless.” 

Moving through Swift’s studio albums and their respective eras non-chronologically, “Evermore” followed up the “Fearless” portion of the concert for a comfortable lull in Swift’s three-hour performance. The singer-songwriter performed fan-favorites like “‘Tis the Damn Season” and “Champagne Problems” off the 2020 studio album.

Later on in the setlist, Swift performed seven songs from her other 2020 release, “Folklore,” with each section of the show contrasting well with other high energy eras like “Red” and “1989,” which are riddled with high-energy pop hits.

After a relatively mellow period in the setlist, the sold-out crowd was riled up once imagery and sounds of the “Reputation”-era snake iconography were shown on the massive screens on-stage and heard from the loudspeakers.

The loud, distorted bass intro of  “…Ready For It?,” the opening track of her 2017 LP, blasted throughout the stadium to thunderous cheers from fans. Swift’s performance proved that the song is a mindblowing masterclass of pop, even six years later. With excellent group choreography, on-stage visuals, Swift’s vocal performance and the pure excitement of the concert-goers, “…Ready For It?” was one of the best moments of Swift’s two-night stint at U.S. Bank Stadium. 

Despite being an album that is clearly polarizing in online music discourse, one can not deny that “…Ready For It?” and “Look What You Made Me Do” are powerful songs that will go down as some of Swift’s most experimental and iconic, one of the myriad of examples of her versatility as a songwriter.

Following “Reputation,” Swift played just one song off “Speak Now” (the re-recording of which is set to be released in July), her ballad “Enchanted,” to many adoring fans loudly singing along to the passionate lyrics in the bridge: “Please, don’t be in love with someone else. Please, don’t have somebody waiting on you.”

Towards the end of Saturday night’s performance, however, Swift treated the sold-out crowd to another song off “Speak Now” as one of the night’s two surprise songs: “Dear John,” a song she had not performed live since 2012. 

Before performing the song, whose lyrics reference her former relationship with singer-songwriter John Mayer, Swift told her audience that the re-release of “Speak Now” is not meant to be an opportunity for fans to defend her from her exes from many years ago. 

“I don’t care about anything that happened to me when I was 19 except the songs I wrote and the memories we made together. So what I’m trying to tell you is I’m not putting this album out so you can defend me on the internet against someone you think I might have written a song about,” Swift said.

There is just one flaw (or, rather, an omission) that sticks out like a sore thumb on the Eras Tour — the lack of any songs from Swift’s 2006 debut album on the main setlist. At one point in her performance Swift announces that the Eras Tour is meant to celebrate 17 years of music.

But is it really celebrating all 17 years of her uber-successful career if she does not give her debut any room in the setlist at all?

Instead, the earliest Swift material in the consistent setlist of the stadium tour (discounting surprise songs, in Minneapolis’ case none of which were songs from her debut) is from 2008’s “Fearless,” really making it a celebration of 15 years of her catalog instead of a truly all-encompassing one.

“Speak Now” was given just one space for a song on the setlist. Swift could have easily taken one song off the “Folklore” or “Evermore” sections of the concert to make room for performances of “Our Song” or “Teardrops on My Guitar” as an homage to her career beginnings. Her self-titled 2006 album might be her songwriting in its infancy (still in her country era), but the songwriting is still great and is beloved by many fans to this day, making its exclusion from the setlist confusing.

In the grand scheme of things, this is a nitpick, because Swift’s two nights in Minneapolis will go down as some of the best concerts to grace the Twin Cities in 2023.

Following “Speak Now” was the sixth act of the concert, dedicated to her trailblazing pop-crossover album “Red.” Potentially the most engaging stretch of songs for both nights in Minneapolis, Swift brought iconic singles from the album “22,” “We Are Never Getting Back Together” and “I Knew You Were Trouble” to life — the three songs featuring some of the best choruses in Swift’s entire catalog. Closing the “Red” era for both of her Minneapolis performances was the now even more beloved fan-favorite “All Too Well,” in its glorious, uncut 10-minute version.

Swift later fired up the crowd once again with “Style,” initiating Swift’s blockbuster “1989” era.

Swift continued to honor her 2014 studio album by performing chart-topping singles “Blank Space” and “Shake It Off” with choreography and symbolism that called back to the music videos for the songs. “Shake It Off” proved to be explosive and uplifting in a live setting, with Swift and her many backup dancers swinging and swaying to the song’s extremely catchy rhythm.

Concluding both concerts were seven selections from Swift’s 2022 LP “Midnights,” the biggest allotment given to any album era in the setlist. Swift kicked off the finale of the show by singing to the lush, dreamy production of “Lavender Haze,” then queued in one of the biggest songs of 2022, “Anti-Hero.” Closing out both nights was “Karma.” An infectious, hooky song from “Midnights,” it was a perfect conclusion to the three-hour concert, giving the packed stadium one last chance to dance like there was no tomorrow before Swift left the building.

As if there was even any doubt before, Taylor Swift has, once again, proved to the world that she is one of the (if not the single) most important songwriters and performers of the 21st century with back-to-back tour de force performances in Minneapolis.

Get ready to hear attendees of the tour rave about it for years to come.