Item World: Wiz Khalifa jets out of jail, Palmer's Bar rocks, Journey's Steve Perry sings in St. Paul, more

After Busta Rhymes' flight was grounded by weather last year and Pusha T canceled this year (to play a gig at the Bellagio in Las Vegas instead), we felt a weird sense of admiration for Wiz Khalifa at Soundset on Sunday because he avoided being the festival's third major cancellation. Granted, the Pittsburgh rap star should've avoided being busted with marijuana in the first place, but he showed great dedication and wherewithal by making it to Shakopee less than a half-day after leaving a jail cell in El Paso, Texas. "That's what jets are for," he tweeted en route. After arriving onstage on time, he didn't glorify his jail time like some other rappers do — although he didn't exactly make it sound like he was doing hard time, either. Admiring the crowd, he said, "They don't have any of you fine [women] in jail. All they had were sandwiches and juice boxes." Let that be a lesson, kids.

CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER

When it comes to toasting great pubs and restaurants, national magazines tend to overlook the Twin Cities. Esquire magazine broke that tradition in 2006 when it named Nye's Polonaise as the best bar in America. Now they've dared to do it again. Palmer's Bar, a war-horse hangout best known for its hootenannys and generous pours, has made Esquire's list of "Best Bars in America." The mag praises the West Bank establishment's "dive" persona and recommends having a bourbon neat with a beer back. The June/July issue, featuring Mark Wahlberg on the cover, is now on newstands.

Neal Justin

Just when you thought some obsessive documentarian might make a film called "Searching for Steve Perry," the reclusive former Journey frontman showed up unexpectedly Sunday night at the Fitzgerald Theater during the second encore of the Eels' concert. First he dusted off a 2000 Eels song with a profane title not suitable for family newspapers. "I've told you over and over again I love that song," Perry, an Eels fan who has attended their rehearsals over the years, told Eels leader Mark "E" Everett. "Someday I wanted to sing that song. Tonight was the first time I ever sang it. You know, I don't know why the Eels don't do my music." Responded Everett: "We were just waiting for you." So, of course, the band shifted into Journey mode with Perry singing the hits "Open Arms" and "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'." He apparently hadn't performed in public since a 1995 solo tour; his last live appearance with Journey was in '91. Perry, 65, didn't have his heyday mullet but he did showcase his high, piercing voice, which, judging by the YouTube video, is not as high as it used to be – nor as high as that of current Journey singer Arnel Pineda. Don't expect Perry to rejoin Journey any time soon. In fact, Journey cofounder and leader Neal Schon just talked Carlos Santana into a reunion of the Santana band — for an album and a tour.

Jon Bream

Ex-NFL defensive lineman Esera Tuaolo tossed a bound-and-gagged man over his shoulder and burst through the doorway of an underground parking garage. It looked just like a kidnapping, and it was — a scripted one, at least. Tuaolo and his "victim," Erik Stolhanske, were shooting a scene for the pilot of "West Lake," which writer R.D. Zimmerman and director Rob Perez hope will get picked up as a half-hour online comedy series about residents of a luxury condo complex on Lake Calhoun. Much of the pilot will be shot at the gorgeously modern penthouse suite in the Edgewater building, where Zimmerman, aka historical-fiction author Robert Alexander ("The Kitchen Boy"), lives with architect Lars Peterssen, who designed the suite, the lobby and several other units. "We consider ourselves a sort of vertical community here, and so are the characters on the show," Zimmerman told I.W. Perez, who moved to Minneapolis after directing hometown guy Josh Hartnett in "40 Days and 40 Nights," said the pilot will be pitched to sites like Hulu and Amazon. "Everyone's looking for good original online content," he said. "It's what HBO was 30 years ago."

The folks behind the Mall of America's new entertainment complex hope Beatlemaniacs can connect the dots. The Midwest Music Museum will open Thursday with the exhibit "Ladies and Gentlemen, the Beatles." The adjacent live-music space has booked Denny Laine for Aug. 1. On Aug. 2, Paul McCartney will play at Target Field. You might remember that Laine was not only a member of the Moody Blues but also Wings, McCartney's post-Beatles band. Could Laine's appearance lure Macca to the mall? By the by, the new music space won't be called the 400 Bar even though Tom and Bill Sullivan, two of the principals behind that scruffy, revered West Bank club that closed in November 2012, are involved with the new endeavor. It will be known as "The 400" or "400 East Broadway," which is its address at Mall of America. The Sullivans' old joint was at 400 Cedar Av. S.

Jon Bream

Lauren MacLeash, longtime program director and DJ at Cities 97 who was let go last August, has a new job — and a new name. Kim Hawkey — that MacLeash handle was made up — is the event director of the Taste of the NFL, an annual feast that has raised $22 million to feed needy families. The event, which started in Minneapolis 23 years ago with food entrepreneur Wayne Kostroski, will return here in 2018 in conjunction with the Super Bowl. Meanwhile, the food fest, which features chefs from each of the NFL cities, will visit the Super Bowls in Arizona (2015), San Francisco (2016) and Houston (2017). I.W. thinks that should give MacLeash, the force behind the hugely successful "Cities 97 Sampler" fundraiser series, time to create a similar charity CD for Taste of the NFL — featuring, say, one act from each of the 32 NFL cities. Sounds like a great double-CD for MacLeash — sorry, Hawkey — to consider.

Jon Bream