A half-dozen cool things in music, from two points of view:
Fran Greelis of Bloomington:
1 Ed Sheeran, State Theatre. Up close and personal with Ed was truly extraordinary. His performance was such a treat as he shared the stories behind the songs after his year of challenges. An unforgettable evening in the best venue. Autumn is coming and so is his album "Autumn Variations."
2 Keith Urban, Minnesota State Fair. He did not disappoint. His high-energy, crowd-engaging performance at the grandstand was amazing. He put the smile right back where my smile goes.
3 Cody Jinks, Wayzata Beach Bash. Looking forward to the return of one of my favorite outlaw country artists on Sept. 9. The Wayzata Beach Bash isn't the venue I would expect, but hey... "It must be the whiskey!"
Jon Bream, Star Tribune critic:
1 Little Anthony, Minnesota State Fair. Appearing at the Happy Together revue with the Turtles, Gary Puckett, Vogues and other '60s acts, Anthony Gourdine stole the show. Not only does he still have a startling falsetto at age 82, he proved to be a charming, fun-loving entertainer with classic songs, cute humor and a still-wonderful voice on "Hurts So Bad," "Tears on My Pillow" and "Goin' Out of My Head."
2 State Fair artists choose musical subjects. Whether it's the glass-on-glass mosaic of Sushila Anderson (a portrait of Chris Cornell), the photography of Kyle Hansen (a rock singer exploding a can of beer) or the crop art of Lea Stans (a portrait of Elvis Presley), among others, there is so much creativity on the part of Minnesota visual artists who love music. Bravo!
