Geir Johansen of Edina:
1 Bruce Springsteen, Xcel Energy Center. I was thrilled to hear "The River" in its entirety. Incredibly, the Boss may have showed more energy and stamina than he did 35 years ago on the original River Tour. This concert left no doubt that he is truly one of the greatest performers in rock 'n' roll history.
2 St. Stephen Lutheran Church, Bloomington. At its contemporary Sunday service, guitar virtuoso Billy McLaughlin, Dan Schwartz and others expertly play various styles of music, with each song seamlessly fitting in the message of the day.
3 Lady Gaga, Academy Awards. Musical performances don't always translate well to the small screen, but she has obviously found the secret — at the Super Bowl, Grammys and now an emotional performance at the Oscars. I'm not a Little Monster, but can definitely appreciate her prodigious talent.
Jon Bream of the Star Tribune:
1 Lisa Fischer, the Dakota. The most extraordinary vocalist you might experience in concert, she inhabited songs, translating them with her demonstrative hands, interpretive dancing and wondrous voice, reimagining the most familiar tunes by filtering them through her wide vocabulary of jazz, R&B, rock, gospel, pop and even classical.
2 Open letter from Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock. These jazz giants give sage advice to the next generation of artists at nesthq.com. They talk about welcoming the unknown, appreciating elders and living in a constant state of wonder, among other things.
3 "In Performance at the White House." The PBS series capped its remarkable run during the Obama administration with a salute to Ray Charles featuring some worthy newer voices including Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes, Andra Day and Leon Bridges.
