Fans packed U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis for Taylor Swift’s two sold-out concerts last weekend, a weekend that drew an estimated 500,000 people into the city. 

The Eras Tour is the most hyped-up tour in recent memory, considering the unprecedented demand for tickets. There has quite literally never been anything like it before in terms of audience demand for tickets — tickets for the tour have popped up on the resale market with prices into the thousands, with some desperate fans buying them up regardless of the astronomical price, proving that the dedication of Swift’s fanbase is unrivaled by any artist in the world right now. 

The comparison is striking when you look at the number of tickets still available for Beyoncé’s show at Huntington Bank Stadium next month considering Taylor’s two nights at U.S. Bank Stadium sold out almost instantly. Swift is legitimately at a level of popularity that is far above all other major performers globally, even considerably higher than someone as popular as Beyoncé.

Katie Olson, a 26-year-old Swiftie from the Twin Cities, attended Saturday night’s performance, it was the fifth time she has gotten to see Swift live.

 “I’ve seen ‘Fearless,’ ‘Speak Now,’ ‘1989,’ ‘Reputation’ and now the Eras, the only one I am missing is ‘Red,’’’ Olson said. 

Describing the ticket-buying experience for the Eras Tour, Olson said, “It took eight hours, jumping in and out of ticketing.” She was worried she would not be able to score tickets, but after hours of waiting she was able to.

Ashley Gotreau and Lucy Jolstad of Minnetonka attended Swift’s first night at US Bank Stadium together. Gotreau and Jolstad, in their 40s, have been fans of Swift since the “Lover” era and Friday night’s show was their first time seeing her live. 

Jolstad also expressed disappointment with the ticket-buying experience but had a friend save the day with extra tickets.

“It was very sad. I got kicked out and everything,” Jolstad said. I posted a very sad, sad story on Instagram and then our friend’s brother got tickets. So then we were able to get four tickets that way.”

The frenzy of a ticket-buying experience that occurred last fall for the Eras Tour was unlike anything that had been seen before. In the midst of the chaos, some fans managed to get lucky — through time and effort on their end or through someone they knew. The on-sale fiasco even garnered the attention of U.S. legislators.

It remains to be seen, however, if any meaningful change will come out of all of it.

With a high percentage of concert attendees wearing all black, The Cure –– goth-rock icons –– brought out loyal fans of all ages to Xcel Energy Center on June 8th.

The band’s “Shows of a Lost World” North American arena tour was incredibly unique before the tour even started because of the ticket-buying experience.

In contrast to other legacy rock acts like Bruce Springsteen, The Cure shared a statement while announcing their 2023 North American tour promising there would be no “dynamically priced” or “platinum” tickets sold. 

With the cheapest tickets in the arena costing just $25 and tickets on the floor close to the stage around $150, it was refreshing to see a band of their status so dedicated to making tickets to their concerts affordable while at the same time putting on a well produced live show.

The legendary group opened the show with “Alone,” an unreleased song, presumably from one of the two albums the band has in the works that frontman Robert Smith has been teasing for years.

The Cure have not released a studio album since 2008’s “4:13 Dream.” 

With a 15-year wait (and counting), the band is finally giving eager fans a taste of new music. The excellently arranged post-punk track “Alone” made for an atmospheric opener to the set and a good harbinger of what’s to come with a potential new album. The hazy keyboard chords and booming bassline in this new song set the tone for their nearly three-hour set.

After giving their fans a taste of new material, The Cure moved on to “Pictures of You” for the second song of their set. A fan favorite from their seminal 1989 album “Disintegration,” the band brought the reverb-heavy guitar parts, the groovy bass line and the occasional washy synth to life for a captivating live performance. The show was off to a great start.

Spoiling their audience, the band placed “Lovesong” third in the carefully curated setlist, another classic track off of “Disintegration.” The single nearly reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 upon its release, making it the band’s most successful song in the US. The audience at Xcel’s excitement for it was palpable. The melancholic track was masterfully brought to life through Smith’s vocals sounding strikingly similar to the studio recording from over 30 years ago, proving his staying power as a live vocalist.

Smith and co. went on to perform songs appearing across their classic era of albums, like “A Forest” from their 1980 studio album “Seventeen Seconds,” “A Thousand Hours” off of their 1987 LP “Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me,” “A Night Like This” from the critically acclaimed 1985 release “The Head on the Door,” along with even more new material that has yet to be released.

The band has also treated their fans to a variety of deep cuts on their 2023 tour. In St. Paul, the group performed “39,” a track from their underrated 2000 album, “Bloodflowers.” With a fiery backdrop on the screen behind them, it proved to be both a visual and a musical highlight of the night. The backdrop was visually striking in person. It showed the band does not need pyrotechnics or fireworks to have a visually exciting stage set-up.

Potentially the strongest portion of The Cure’s St. Paul performance was the first encore, where the band showcased even more highlights from the fan-favorite album, “Disintegration.” The album’s opening track “Plainsong” proved to be another example of the band bringing the genius production of their 1989 album to an arena setting, with the iconic synth intro providing a chilling high point in their set. 

The second encore had even more of the band’s most iconic tracks, with fans singing along to every word in songs like “Friday I’m in Love” and “Boys Don’t Cry.” 

With a 29-song setlist of their mainstream classics, deep cuts and unreleased material, The Cure’s performance at Xcel was a spectacle for casual and die-hard fans of the band alike.

After bearing the loss of a core member, the Foo Fighters’ new album shows the band’s persistence through a powerful, cathartic album — their best release in over a decade.

The Foo Fighters suffered the loss of longtime drummer Taylor Hawkins in March 2022. Hawkins died at the age of 50 while the band was on tour in South America, the same day they were set to have a headlining performance at a music festival in Colombia.

Hawkins was a part of the band for 25 years, appearing on every Foo Fighters album from 1999’s “There is Nothing Left to Lose” onward until his death. The future of the band was uncertain after the band canceled the remainder of their 2022 world tour in light of Hawkins’ passing.

The band’s new drummer is industry veteran Josh Freese, who has familial connections to Minnesota. A versatile percussionist, Freese has previously served as drummer for several of the biggest rock bands in the world, including Nine Inch Nails and Guns N’ Roses.

Fronted by Dave Grohl, Foo Fighters was initially Grohl’s solo project born out of another tragedy, the death of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain. Grohl performed with Cobain as a drummer during the band’s overwhelming rise to a level of stardom and mainstream success comparable to The Beatles, or even Michael Jackson. Yet eleven albums into their nearly 30-year career as a group, “But Here We Are” presents a sense of urgency and powerful emotion rarely heard on any of Foo Fighters’ previous albums.

The opening track and first single for the band’s 11th LP, “Rescued,” serves as a mission statement for the album both lyrically and musically. The song’s lyrics strongly allude to Hawkins’ sudden death. “It came in a flash, it came outta nowhere. It happened so fast, and then it was over.” 

From the outset, it is clear Foo Fighters are tackling their collective grief head-on and found catharsis through writing and recording new material. The catharsis is best exemplified towards the end of the track with a wall-of-sound build and exhilarating drum beat from Freese, then fading out with about 20 seconds of electric guitar feedback. The musical dynamics of the track are a high point of the album, opening with gentle guitar chords before cascading into a therapeutic hard rock anthem.

The album’s second track, “Under You,” is musically reminiscent of the band’s 1999 hit “Learn to Fly,” utilizing catchy electric guitar parts and clean, melodic vocals from Grohl. The track addresses the impact of Hawkins’ death even more directly, not just as a long-time member of the band, but as a friend.

“Someone said I’ll never see your face again. Part of me just can’t believe it’s true. Pictures of us sharing songs and cigarettes,” the lyrics go. “This is how I’ll always picture you. Over it, think I’m getting over it. But there’s no getting over it.”

The LP’s strongest song is the eponymous track which comes fourth in the tracklist. The title track features one of Grohl’s best vocal performances to date, howling into the microphone with as much energy and passion as he does in the band’s live shows.

Another stand-out comes during the second half of the album, “Show Me How” –– a vocal duet between Grohl and his 17-year-old daughter Violet. Violet Grohl’s voice floats on the instrumental with a breathy vocal style clearly influenced by Billie Eilish (an artist the father-daughter duo has covered live before). With each vocalist given equal room in the mix, the seventh track on the album shows Foo Fighters branching out even more musically while providing the audience with a taste of what could come from a future music career for Violet Grohl.

Other tracks on the album such as “Hearing Voices,” “The Glass” and “Nothing at All” are good but do not show Foo Fighters doing anything to depart from the sound of previous albums. These are good songs, but songs like “Rescued” and “Show Me How” are what make the album truly great.

The penultimate song “The Teacher,” with a runtime of 10 minutes, is the longest track the band has ever released on a studio album. The length of the track is warranted musically, because the track is dynamic and progressive for the band’s style. The track is another instance of “But Here We Are” branching out musically, and it works. With a super noisy, distorted outro that abruptly transitions to the slow-paced (but still noisy) closing track, “Rest,” “The Teacher” serves as an incredible climax to the album.

By evolving their alternative rock sound and expressing their grief through music and lyrics, Foo Fighters managed to harness their energy for an incredible, dynamic rock record.

The University of Minnesota’s office for Student Unions and Activities (SUA) recently took down two photos of the seminal Minneapolis rock band, The Replacements. The photos had previously been displayed in Coffman Union for nearly a decade.

The photos of the band were taken in an elevator at Coffman by photographer Daniel Corrigan and were on display in an elevator lobby on the main floor of Coffman.

A University employee posted a tweet at the end of May sharing the two iconic photos of the band were removed. Fans took to Twitter to vent their frustration with the school’s decision.

“The content of the photos was not a factor in the removal of the artwork. Accessibility is an important issue on campus, and Student Unions & Activities is in the process of updating the wayfinding signage in the Union’s spaces to make it easier for all to navigate,” SUA said in an official statement to the Minnesota Daily. “The space where the photos were displayed and others throughout the Union are being reevaluated as part of that larger project.

“There is a display near The Whole Music Club relating to The Replacements’ history at the University of Minnesota,” SUA continued. “We are considering ways to continue honoring this important piece of Gopher legacy in the future.”

While much of the online backlash has come from University graduates of decades past and local music fans, frustrations have also been shared by students who appreciate The Replacements.

Psychology major and local musician Alex Fuller shared his disapproval of the University’s decision.

“The Replacements are experiencing the most mainstream recognition they’ve had in a long time after ‘I Will Dare’ was featured at the end of the new Guardians of the Galaxy movie,” Fuller said. “So right as they’re starting to gain some more popular recognition again, that’s when they choose to take this stuff down? It doesn’t quite make sense to me.”

The Replacements were ahead of their time both musically and lyrically. Their impact on rock music as a whole can still be felt to this day and still resonates decades later.

“They’ve influenced so many people. Most notable would be someone like Billie Joe Armstrong from Green Day. The Replacements were the precursor to so much of the rock music that we have today,” Fuller said. “They were super ahead of their time. Listen to a song like ‘Androgynous’ from ‘Let It Be.’ Westerberg was 20 years ahead of his time in terms of inclusivity in his songwriting and looking at these different people and writing songs about it, it’s fascinating.”

Claire Dupont, a 2022 graduate and former president of the Hook Club, a UMN student group centered around weekly album discussions, said the photos of The Replacements were one of her favorite parts of Coffman during her time at the University.

“Because I love The Replacements, every time I went to the student union I went out of my way to go to that elevator lobby to take a look at it just because those pictures make me happy,” Dupont said.

Dupont said the photos displayed in Coffman embodied the charm and character exuded by The Replacements in their heyday, adding character to the building.

“It’s an attitude that I want to stay at the University of Minnesota: lighthearted, serious at times and considerate, but also just fun and bombastic like The Replacements were,” Dupont said. “Their energy is just so Minnesota to me. When I was abroad I would always listen to The Replacements when I was missing home, so I feel like they just very much represent Minnesota to me.”

Dupont sees the current circumstances as an opportunity to make an even better display in honor of The Replacements and their importance to Minneapolis history.

“I always thought they were a little small, this could be an opportunity to give them a more proper space. They have that display at the Whole Music Club, but I’ve never seen it personally,” Dupont said. “It would be nice if there was some sort of showcase on one of the main floors. I want them to be on display, not tucked in a corner.”

The 42nd annual Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival (MSPIFF) started on April 13 and runs through Thursday, primarily at the Main Cinema in Minneapolis (formerly the St. Anthony Main Theatre).

The festival showcased about 200 films from about 70 countries, including some local filmmakers. Some screenings took place at the Capri Theater in north Minneapolis and the Landmark Center in St. Paul.

MSPIFF programming director Jesse Bishop, who has been with the organization for 15 years, emphasized the festival’s mission of giving young artists a platform. About a quarter of the featured films were made by first-time feature-length film directors.

Bishop also said the festival prioritized student attendance by offering discounts.

Elaborating on this year’s film selection, Bishop expressed the importance of the local film community to the festival.

“One of the things we like to strive to do is not only show work from around the world but also work from our own backyard. There’s a great Minnesota filmmaking industry and scene here, so we champion those works as well right alongside all the international,” Bishop said.

Low documentary

One of the local documentaries at MSPIFF this year is “Cue The Strings – A Film About Low,” a 73-minute documentary on the renowned rock band from Duluth. The documentary contains material filmed before the release of the band’s first studio album up until the band’s final show in September 2022, just two months before drummer and singer Mimi Parker’s death.

Parker’s husband and bandmate Alan Sparhawk described the documentary as an artistic expression of the band’s decades-spanning career from the viewpoint of director Philip Harder.

“It’s an invitation into one mind’s experience with Low,” Sparhawk said. “It’s an abstract impression of a very long and deep and beautiful experience.”

Before collaborating with him on music videos for Low, Sparhawk had already been a fan of Harder’s work. When the band and their record label were planning the shoot for their first music video, Harder jumped on board as director.

“We needed to do a video, we were pretty fresh to the business and pretty naïve,” Sparhawk said.“We shot it out on the ice on Lake Superior and it was a pretty epic thing.”

“Cue the Strings” is an abstract take on the band’s career filled with music videos, short films and some material from Low’s last show in Duluth.

“The film is pretty loose, it’s really kind of impressionistic — there’s not a lot of linearity,” Sparhawk said.

An early version of the film premiered in 2013 under a different name but has since been expanded upon by Harder, according to Sparhawk.

“It used to be called ‘How to Quit Smoking,’ which I loved,” Sparhawk said. “I think Phil essentially has gone back and rethought the film and he took a lot of material here from the last eight or 10 years that was not in the film.”

After Parker’s death last year, the film took on a new significance.

“In the shadow of Mim’s passing, it sort of immediately made sense to re-edit it, re-do it, put it together differently and present it as something that’s kind of an unspoken chronicle or anthology so to speak of the time,” Sparhawk said.

Students show up

Graeme Stout, the University of Minnesota’s film studies coordinator, considers MSPIFF a great opportunity for students to see a diverse range of films, especially considering the discount students get at the festival.

“It’s spread out over two weeks and then usually there’s another week of added-on films that are some of the best that were at the festival. That flexibility I think is one of its key strengths.” Stout said.

Stout said MSPIFF has an especially strong selection of documentaries, experimental shorts and coming-of-age stories. He credits organizers Deborah Girdwood, Craig Rice and Jesse Bishop for their ability to bring in interesting films that otherwise wouldn’t make it to a mid-sized American urban market.

University fourth-year student Jack Rahill made plans to attend MSPIFF this year after attending a screening at last year’s festival. This year he said he felt especially excited to view a new A24 dramedy at MSPIFF.

“I’m going to see ‘Showing Up.’ I kind of want to get into Kelly Reichardt’s films and the cast is really interesting,” Rahill said.

Rahill also spoke highly of the Main Cinema as well as the Minneapolis-St. Paul Film Society.

“It feels nice supporting local independent theaters because they are kind of dying, you also get some perks, they do free screenings for members once a month and that’s really nice,” Rahill said. “I’d recommend the theater in general because I know students get a discount on tickets. It’s a pretty short walk between campus and the theater, and it’s a nice walk too.”

100 Gecs stopped in Minneapolis on April 18, during 10,000 Gecs Tour 2, for a rambunctious set that further proved their generational talent.

This time around, the duo (Laura Les and Dylan Brady), played The Armory. With an 8,400-person capacity, The Armory was a major step up from the 1,550-person capacity First Avenue Mainroom, where they last performed in Minneapolis.

The upgrade in venue was appropriate for a band known for attracting riotous (and smelly) mosh-pitters. Like, someone got bit at their last Minneapolis show.

The spirit of 100 Gecs was obvious before they even took the stage at The Armory, particularly with their merch. The ridiculous merch designs matched the sense of humor of the band’s music perfectly.

One shirt depicted Yoda with breasts on the front and two anthropomorphic cannabis leaves underscored with “LEGALIZE IT!” written in red text below it. Another shirt had the hysterical lyric from their new song “The Most Wanted Person In The United States,” “Got Anthony Kedis sucking on my penis” (intentionally misspelled).

The duo opened their Minneapolis show with the opening track off their critically acclaimed March album, “10,000 Gecs.” The track, titled “Dumbest Girl Alive,” opens with a tongue-in-cheek sample of the iconic THX “Deep Note,” a sonic fixture in most Gen Zers’ cultural upbringing, before abruptly transitioning into a ‘00s pop punk-sounding riff. Seconds later, the track metamorphosizes again. A funky trap section arrives, sampling Skrillex’s “Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites” and Travis Scott’s “Sicko Mode,” two of the most familiar entries in the hypebeast canon.

This chaotic, high-energy mix of the sound palettes of the ‘00s and ‘10s is the epitome of both 100 Gecs’ creative mission and what’s left of the hyperpop subgenre as a whole. The song worked as a perfect opener for the setlist.

The extremely goofy ska song “Frog on the Floor,” also from “10,000 Gecs,” brought a surprising amount of crowd enthusiasm, considering its departure from the abrasive fusion of catchy pop and head-banging electronic that defined the duo’s first album.

While not as innovative as some of their other songs, the crowd embraced the band’s sense of humor with this track, bouncing to amusing lyrics about a keg stand-performing amphibian.

Later into the setlist, Les and Brady performed their newest album’s lead single, “Hollywood Baby.” The single perfectly exemplifies what makes their new studio album and live set great. It mixes pop-punk, industrial and autotune-pop in a way that can scratch the specific musical itch inside the hyper-online brain of the average 100 Gecs fan.

About halfway into the show, the duo performed three metal-influenced tracks back-to-back: “Hey Big Man” (from their 2022 EP “Snake Eyes”), “Billy Knows Jamie” and “One Million Dollars.” Absolutely feral mosh pits raged throughout it all, especially during the extremely Limp Bizkit-esque “Billie Knows Jamie.”

Toward the end of their set, the duo performed two fan favorites from their debut LP, “1,000 Gecs.”

First was “hand crushed by a mallet.” The track’s distorted beats, along with Brady’s industrial grunts, primed the crowd for the concert’s most hard-hitting song, “money machine.” Once the group started “money machine,” the crowd opened a circle pit, the biggest of the night. It’s safe to say that “money machine” is still 100 Gecs’ signature song, given the burst of energy once the chorus hit.

Les and Brady are still masterfully delivering danceable hardcore music in a live setting. The group has proved that since their last LP, they have not lost any steam at all. With the fervent crowd and high quality performance, there is no doubt they will go down as one of the decade’s greatest acts.

“The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” a light-hearted and cute film, does little to challenge the status-quo of animated children’s movies.

The latest feature from Illumination, the animation studio known for the “Despicable Me” franchise among other hits, will certainly keep younger audiences entertained. It might function well as light fare for nostalgic older Mario fans as well. The movie was released on April 5.

The film’s release marks the Mario brothers’ return to theaters for the first time since 1993’s critically panned live action “Super Mario Bros.” Because the live action flop was the only time a major studio took on a Mario movie, it did not set a great precedent for any theatrical adaptations of the popular video game franchise.

The 92-minute film has a very straight-forward plot: Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) get separated. Mario, along with Peach (Anya-Taylor Joy) and Toad (Keegan-Michael Key), have to go rescue Luigi from Bowser’s lair.

Straight-forward plots have become typical of Illumination’s films, but for a roughly 90-minute movie, the simplicity works and does not overstay its welcome. It earns a couple extra points for Luigi taking Peach’s place as the stereotypical damsel in distress.

The film introduces Mario and Luigi as entrepreneurial plumbers trying to grow their plumbing business in New York City. Once a major plumbing malfunction causes chaos in Brooklyn, the brothers try to make a name for themselves by saving Brooklyn, but instead they get sucked into a pipe that leads to the Mushroom Kingdom.

The announcement of Chris Pratt as the voice of Mario spurred plenty of half-joking criticism online. No Italian actors were cast in the movie, which sparked some faux-outrage, but it’s Pratt’s affiliation with homophobic megachurch Hillsong that truly rubbed some the wrong way.

Ultimately, Pratt does a fine job in the movie. Nothing about his voicework is necessarily outstanding, but, at the same time, nothing about it is egregious either. He only does the Italian accent for the titular brothers’ plumbing commercial early into the film.

The various supporting characters’ voice acting works as some of the strongest parts of the film.

Jack Black brought Bowser to life, especially in a couple of funny piano ballads. Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong, Key as Toad and Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong also brought ample doses of charisma.

Like most big-budget kids films, the soundtrack consisted of famous songs — in this case, “No Sleep Till Brooklyn” by Beastie Boys, “Take on Me” by A-ha and even “Battle Without Honor or Humanity” by Tomoyasu Hotei (the iconic song from “Kill Bill”). These great songs that probably required a Universal Pictures-sized budget to clear will hopefully stick out for the older millennial parents who take their kids to see this in theaters.

The color palette used in the design of the Mushroom Kingdom (and the multitude of Toads that reside in it) makes for a vibrant spectacle of color for much of the film.

The brightness helps accentuate the cute and well-done animation. Perhaps that’s why, despite bouncing off the walls with easy clichés and tired kids movie tropes, “Super Mario Bros.” feels enjoyable enough.

Lana Del Rey continues her reign as one of the greatest singer-songwriters of the past decade with her ninth studio album, “Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd,” released March 24.

Del Rey has been incredibly prolific in recent years. In the four years following her magnum opus, 2019’s “Norman F****** Rockwell!”, she has released three full-length studio albums.

Piano and Del Rey’s vocals create a moody atmosphere on “Ocean Blvd.” Del Rey and her collaborators are not doing a complete 180 with the musical palette on this album, but it is incredibly cohesive in its darkness.

Totaling 77 minutes in length, “Ocean Blvd” is Del Rey’s longest yet, but the well-realized musical vision behind the album keeps it from dragging. The cohesive tracklist flows and blends extremely well without feeling monotonous.

The album’s opening track, “The Grants,” gives the album a raw feel from the start. The album starts with just featured artists’ vocals, then, about a minute into the track, the piano begins, a string arrangement quietly announces itself and, finally, Del Rey’s vocals appear.

Del Rey uses the high register she perfected on “NFR” on the track’s pre-chorus, singing “Do you think about Heaven? Oh, do you think about me?”

The album’s title track comes second and continues the somber feel of the first track with a similarly minimal arrangement.

Recently there has been a feeling of Jack Antonoff fatigue among pop music listeners. For many fans of Taylor Swift, Lorde and Del Rey, Antonoff’s production style has gotten old after so many years of dominance with his collaborations with these singer-songwriters.

On “Ocean Blvd,” Antonoff, who is credited as a producer on nearly every song, branches out into different production styles that should quiet some of his critics, at least for now.

“A&W,” track four, is a particularly great example of this. Antonoff rarely gets edgy with his production, but with the second half of the song’s distorted bass, he is obviously experimenting with his production style, finally.

The seven-minute-long track is the greatest song Del Rey has ever released, a brilliant slow burn that climaxes with an incredible beat switch. The second section of the song draws Billie Eilish comparisons without sounding derivative.

“A&W” stands for “American whore” in this context, not the burger-rootbeer chain. The double entendre title, along with its gothic lyrics, encapsulates all that attracts both Lana’s stans and haters. It is referential, sensuous, dirty, feminist, languid and sonically spectacular.

The sixth track, “Candy Necklace,” featuring the popular and ubiquitous musician Jon Batiste, is another standout track on the album. The main piano line is brilliant, giving the track a similar dramatic feel to other tracks on the album while still being catchy.

The interlude that follows “Candy Necklace,” the aptly titled “Jon Batiste Interlude,” is a beautiful piano instrumental (with some subtle background vocals from Del Rey present in the mix) that compliments “Candy Necklace” perfectly.

Despite the ringtone rap chorus, “Peppers,” featuring Tommy Genesis, does not feel out of place on the album. The verses have the same murkiness as many of the piano-driven tracks that make up “Ocean Blvd.”

The album’s closing track, “Taco Truck x VB,” also displays a hip-hop influence, one Del Rey has had in her music for years. The track’s chorus instrumentally and melodically sounds like it could have been from one of her pre-“NFR” albums. That is, if it didn’t sample an “NFR” song, “Venice B****.”

Del Rey has delivered another great project with “Ocean Blvd,” one that builds on her carefully cultivated image and signature mystique.

Boludo has met the demand for a pizza restaurant in Como — it is the best pizza you can get near campus.

The quickly expanding Argentinian-style pizza chain opened on Southeast Como Avenue in February. In addition to the Como location, Boludo also opened a location in Uptown, with a total of four regional operating locations.

With the chain’s recent expansion, Boludo has generated a lot of hype in the Twin Cities food community.

After finally trying their signature Argentinian-style pizza myself, I can say all the buzz this chain is getting is warranted. The pizza is incredible, easily the best within the greater University of Minnesota community area.

The Como location is small, fitting about 20 seats, all of which are close together and are mostly at counters. Boludo offers takeout, so anyone dissuaded by the close-quarters seating can still enjoy the chain’s “taste of Buenos Aires.”

However, Boludo prioritizes the dine-in experience. In addition to their food, Boludo has a variety of alcoholic and THC drinks for dine-in customers. The bar menu emphasizes options from Argentina, Mexico and Italy.

In addition to pizzas, Boludo’s food menu has six different kinds of empanadas, plus a couple of salads and desserts.

I tried their margarita pizza, made with fresh mozzarella, basil and San Marzano tomato sauce.

Even before taking the first bite, I could tell the chain puts a lot of thought into the presentation of their food. With an almost overindulgent amount of shredded Parmesan, the pizza had a presentation one might expect from a more formal establishment, as opposed to Boludo’s fast-casual setup.

The margarita pizza was the best meal I have ever had on Como Avenue. The pizza was flavorful, salty (but not too salty) from both the seasoning and the plentiful amount of cheese added to the pizza (again, not too plentiful either). The San Marzano contrasted the other flavors beautifully by bringing just a hint of sweetness to the pizza. Boludo found the perfect balance of savory and sweet with this dish.

Boludo has no food for vegan or lactose intolerant eaters (cheese is in everything!), but they offer plenty of vegetarian options. Customers can make their meal gluten-free for an upcharge.

The one downside of Boludo that will probably be the biggest deterrent to University students is the price. While the pizza is certainly high quality and tastes amazing, the margarita pizza costs $17, and the pizza isn’t that large either. That being said, if you are willing to spend extra for a great-tasting pizza, you will not be disappointed with Boludo.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band performed at the Xcel Energy Center for the 11th time on March 5, which Gov. Tim Walz proclaimed Bruce Springsteen Day.

Springsteen, 73, is taking the E Street Band on the road for the first time since 2017, and their singular energy is still there. While they may not have the same youthful energy they had onstage in the ‘80s, or even during their 2009 Super Bowl halftime show, you would have a hard time finding an act of their age that puts on anywhere near as good of a show.

At any Springsteen show, there is an unwritten conversation prompt among the attendees: “How many times have you seen Springsteen?” or, for many, “Where did you travel from?”

In passing, I heard attendees of the 2023 tour throw out numbers ranging from six to 116 lifetime Springsteen shows.

The E Street Band members took to the stage in St. Paul one by one that Sunday evening. Finally, with thousands of fans yelling his name, Springsteen walked onstage, wearing a blue button-down, blue jeans and a pair of red Doc Martens.

Springsteen opened with “No Surrender,” a track from his megahit album “Born in the USA.” A familiar track, “No Surrender” worked well as an opener, keeping the audience captivated as they waited for Springsteen’s signature hits.

After the setlist opener, Springsteen performed “Ghosts,” a single from his 2020 album, “Letter to You.”

With any rock act touring decades past their peak, most audiences will not show anywhere near as much enthusiasm for the new material as they do the big hits. While that was still the case with the crowd at the Xcel, the band still brought their newer material to life without forcing it down the audience’s throat.

The energy in the room really flourished once Springsteen played “The Promised Land” and then “Candy’s Room,” two tracks off of the fan-favorite 1978 album, “Darkness on the Edge of Town.” People were singing along to just about every song of the night, but these two songs were when the audience really started to show their passion for the music.

Springsteen is not one to do an arena tour and play the exact same setlist every night. At this show, Springsteen brought a surprise to Minnesota with the tour debut of “Workin’ on the Highway,” off “Born in the USA.”

Another highlight of the night was Springsteen’s performance of Patti Smith’s “Because the Night,” which Springsteen wrote before Smith recorded the song in 1977. A staple of Springsteen’s live set for decades, it was one of the night’s most engaging songs.

To pick just one, the true highlight of the E Street Band’s performance was, without a doubt, Springsteen’s magnum opus, “Born to Run.” At this point in the show, the house lights at the Xcel were on and the crowd became overjoyed by the greatest song The Boss has ever written.

The band was on point for this song, performing a rendition very faithful to the studio recording. Jake Clemons, the current E Street Band saxophonist and nephew of late E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons, honored his uncle by masterfully delivering the iconic saxophone solo halfway through the song.

At the show, fans speculated this might be Springsteen’s last tour with the E Street Band. The closing song, “I’ll See You In My Dreams,” which featured Springsteen sans the E Street Band on stage with just an acoustic guitar, had emotions running high in the arena, and it felt like a farewell.