Gov. Dayton didn't have to get involved (like with the additional Garth Brooks concert), but the demand for tickets to Neil Young's three-night, three-theater run in Minneapolis next month was apparently strong enough for him to add a fourth night – and at a fourth venue, no less.
Young has newly confirmed a Jan. 31 show at Northrop Auditorium, across the Mississippi from the other three Hennepin Avenue theaters where he's playing solo-acoustic gigs on Jan. 26 (Pantages), Jan. 28 (Orpheum) and Jan. 29 (State). Northrop was the site of his last Twin Cities appearance in 2010, but the auditorium underwent a drastic $88 million makeover since then.
As was the case with the previously announced shows, tickets to the Northrop gig went on sale right away Wednesday for $50-$300, but they are only available to members of the Neil Young Archives, an annual subscription to which costs $20. Tickets for the Pantages (the first and smallest of the venues) already sold out to members. There is still no word when the other nights will go on sale to the general public, if ever.
News of the fourth show arrived Wednesday afternoon with a nice message posted on the archives site from Young, who gave props to our city and its historic venues underneath a photo of the new Northrop (see below).
"I really want to thank Minneapolis for welcoming our Theater Tour," the note read, also mentioning his one-night stops at historic halls in Milwaukee and Madison before crossing into Minnesota. "Minneapolis has an abundance of classic theaters. … I really love those old theaters. They remind me of my early dreams of playing in real theaters for lots of people."
All told, Young is going to be in Minneapolis a total of six nights, with two nights off. Take your bets now where he (and perhaps his new wife Darryl Hannah) might enjoy some down time here. We already know Young has visited the Twin Cities Model Railroad Museum on prior visits, a hobby he has long shared with his son Ben.
