Friday, November 23
Thanks for the Memories
WHAT: A Tribute to the Replacements
WHERE: First Avenue, Minneapolis
WHEN: 7 p.m.
An enormous roster of bands, from Lucy Michelle & the Velvet Lapelles to the Mad Ripple to the Melismatics, pay tribute to the Replacements as a benefit for former ’Mats guitarist Slim Dunlap. The entire album, Pleased to Meet Me, perhaps the band’s best, will be performed. Learn more at first-avenue.com
Friday, November 23
Love and Illusion
WHAT: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
WHERE: Park Square Theatre, St. Paul
WHEN: 7:30 p.m.
Park Square stages just three public performances, all this weekend, of its bewitching production aimed at teens. The big cast includes Paul C. de Cordova as Oberon, Hope Cervantes as Hermia, and, last but hardly least, Terry Hempleman as Bottom. Learn more at parksquaretheatre.org
Saturday, November 24
Vinyl Vanguard
WHAT: Rogue Valley with Joey Ryan & The Inks
WHERE: Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis
WHEN: 8 p.m.
In 2010 and 2011, Rogue Valley recorded songs for each season: four albums—nearly 50 songs—of shimmering, melodic pop. Helpfully, Chris Koza and his crew have narrowed the tunes to 10 and put them on vinyl as a kind of greatest-hits collection (or, at least, favorites). They’ll celebrate that release tonight with their fellow pop craftsman Joey Ryan. Learn more at thecedar.org
Saturday, November 24
Minnesota on Display
WHAT: Then Now Wow
WHERE: Minnesota History Center, St. Paul
WHEN: Noon to 4 p.m.
The largest exhibit ever created at the History Center is a full-immersion dunk in all things classically Minnesotan, from a re-creation of a sod house to a streetcar to an underground iron mine to a tipi. Opening weekend brings the whole thing to life with some pretty hip touches: a performance by bluesman Charlie Parr, cooking demos, breakdancing, and roving historical characters (Paul Bunyan, old-time ballplayers, etc.). Learn more at mnhs.org
Sunday, November 25
The Homeboys
WHAT: Back Home: A Kevin Kling & Mason Jennings Collaboration
WHERE: Fitzgerald Theater, St. Paul
WHEN: 2 p.m.
Tickets are still plentiful for this Thanksgiving weekend show from two disparate but similarly soulful performers—neither one born in Minnesota—who have both succumbed to Minnesota’s embrace. Expect a warm, humorous wash of songs and stories about the promise and anxiety of coming home. Learn more at fitzgeraldtheater.org
Sunday, November 25
Miracle in the ’Burbs
WHAT: Miracle on Christmas Lake II
WHERE: Yellow Tree Theatre, Osseo
WHEN: 2 p.m.
For five years now, the unlikely heroes of suburban entertainment at Yellow Tree have presented their self-penned ode—now in its second iteration—to Minnesota winter. The quirky characters range from a pot-bellied piano tuner to a sex-starved, hot dish-toting massage therapist, denizens of a small town threatened at the very worst time. Learn more at yellowtreetheatre.com