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Our Friday best: Rammstein, Kamasi Washington, 'God of Carnage' and the State Fair art show

Critics' picks for entertainment in the week ahead.

By Star Tribune staff

August 25, 2022 at 10:00AM

“Being Pampered” by Peter Wong is one of more than 300 artworks featured in the State Fair art show. (Peter Wong/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Rammstein

What's a German metal band with scant U.S. radio play or mainstream chart success to its name doing touring stadiums across North America? The answer lies entirely in the group's massive-scale, cinematic, pyro-filled live show, which is so ambitious it takes four days to set up and requires a stadium-size space to spread out. After a nearly three-year wait because of COVID-19 delays, Minnesota fans finally get to experience the carefully crafted tour, which will include songs from the album released in the interim, "Zeit," which means "time." It's bound to be a good time. French classical pianists Duo Jatekok open; no kidding. (7 p.m. Sat., U.S. Bank Stadium, 401 Chicago Av. S., Mpls., $26-$146, ticketmaster.com)

CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER

Leinie Lodge Bandshell

Once you pay gate admission, there's plenty of noteworthy free music at the State Fair, especially the Bandshell Tonight series. This weekend sees the return of homegirl Caitlyn Smith (Sat.-Sun.), the Cannon Falls, Minn., singer-songwriter who has been carving out a career in Nashville. Her new EP, "High," has some smart verses and explosive choruses. Dire Straits Legacy (Mon.-Tue.) features "Money for Nothing" and other Dire Straits songs without frontman Mark Knopfler; the revamped lineup includes British bassist Trevor Horn, who will deliver Yes' "Owner of a Lonely Heart." And if you want to rock out, don't miss Low Cut Connie (Wed.-Thu.) starring piano-pounding Adam Weiner, a booming singer, stellar songwriter and exciting entertainer. (8:30 p.m. Leinie Lodge Bandshell, State Fair, free).

JON BREAM

Kamasi Washington

After working his way up from Icehouse to First Ave to the Palace over the past seven years, the otherworldly Los Angeles saxophonist and his thrilling cosmic-funk band are making a rare step back into clubland to play the Twin Cities' best-loved jazz venue before a bigger gig at Chicago's Sacred Rose Festival. He debuted a bold new tune earlier this year, "The Garden Path," but his last album was 2020's score to the Michelle Obama documentary "Becoming." So who knows what to expect from this weekend's four intimate sets? That adds to the excitement. (6:30 & 9 p.m. Fri. & Sat., the Dakota, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $50-$80, dakotacooks.com)

C.R.

St. Paul & the Broken Bones

After their exciting debut as the lost children of Otis Redding and the Stax sound in 2014, Paul Janeway and pals get experimental on this year's "The Alien Coast," their fourth album. They expand their palette with different sounds, including atmospheric synths, psychedelic rock and hip-hop elements. The focus of the content has evolved, too, with Janeway exploring some Greek mythology as well as real-life historical issues. But he still manages to unleash his inner soul man on the disco-y, Bee Gees-ish "The Last Dance" and the dreamy falsetto ballad "Love Letter From a Red Roof Inn." Fresh from a European tour, Janeway, always alluringly dramatic in concert, returns to sanctify, um, St. Paul. (8 p.m. Sat. Palace Theatre, 17 W. 7th Place, St. Paul, $33-$55, first-avenue.com)

J.B.

Last call for outdoor brass

As summer wanes, so do your opportunities to experience concert bands and brass-based groups as a breeze blows off the lake behind you. St. Paul's Como Lakeside Pavilion will host a few fun concerts this week, starting with a Sunday doubleheader of Delano's purveyors of traditional German band music the Bavarian Musikmeisters (3 p.m.) and the St. Louis Park Community Band (7 p.m.). Then there's Brio Brass, a 60-piece brass band that performs an eclectic mix of music, much of it with a jazz ethos (7 p.m. Tue.). (1360 N. Lexington Pkwy., St. Paul; free; dockandpaddle.com.)

ROB HUBBARD

'God of Carnage'

Two couples get together to figure out what to do about their children, who've hurt each other in a playground fight. By the end of the evening, it's very clear where the children learned their hostility in Yasmina Reza's comedy, which features Peter Christian Hansen, Sara Marsh, Mo Perry and Luverne Seifert. (7:30 p.m. Wed.-Sat., 4 p.m. Sun., Gremlin Theatre, 550 Vandalia St., St. Paul, $25-$39, darkstormy.org.)

CHRIS HEWITT

'Patrick's Cabaret'

Patrick Scully has quietly reclaimed "Patrick's Cabaret," which was the name of an arts organization that he founded in the 1980s out of his home. It moved from space to space in the '90s, 2000s, and 2010s. That wasn't the only upheaval — Scully left the organization first in 2001 and then again in 2008 after returning for three years. The nonprofit closed in 2018 but Scully resurrected the brand in a series of pop-up events. On Friday, he emcees "Patrick's Summer Lakeside Cabaret," which will feature dances by Rita Mustaphi of Katha Dance Theatre, whimsical interactive mechanical sculptures by Cecilia Schiller, music, poetry and a reading by author Diane Wilson. (7-9 p.m. Fri., 4675 Lake Av., White Bear Lake, $15 suggested, linktr.ee/PatrickScully.)

SHEILA REGAN

'Dark Cloud'

This dystopian thriller was filmed in Minnesota, with a cast that includes local theater veteran Toussaint Morrison. After festival dates and COVID delays, it's finally in a multiplex near you with its slow-burning tale of a young woman menaced by an Alexa-type device that seems bent on pulling a "2001"-style, HAL 9000 on her. (Showtimes vary, Woodbury 10, 1470 Queens Drive, Woodbury, $7-$10, woodburytheatre.com.)

C.H.

Catch more than 300 works of art at the Minnesota State Fair

Each year, artists from all around the state submit their works to the juried art exhibition at the Fine Arts Building. This year the jurors selected 324 works from more than 2,200 submissions across eight categories, including sculpture, photography and textiles/fiber. There's always so much to see, with artworks lining the walls and in display cases around the giant room. Here's a few to get you started: Marty Harris' screen print "42,000 Years on the Same Block" portrays a sunflower bouquet. Peter Wong's photograph "Being Pampered" captures a woman taking joy in a makeover. Everything is on view at the State Fair, which runs through Sept. 5. (Minnesota State Fair, 1265 N. Snelling Av., Falcon Heights. Hours: 9 a.m.-9 p.m. daily, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. on Labor Day. $15-$17; entrance to art exhibition is free. mnstatefair.org)

ALICIA ELER

Renaissance Festival

The king and queen await to meet their subjects in the magical realm created for the annual festival. Witness brave knights besting their competitors in jousting, stage and street acts and artist demonstrations. Forget the carny rides, as guests can mount elephants, camels or llamas. Other attractions include entertainment, new festival bites from Krispy K Dogs, Royal Philly and Prince Patty and themed weekends throughout the festival. (9 a.m.-7 p.m. Sat.-Sun. through Oct. 2. $15.50-$26.95. 12364 Chestnut Blvd., Shakopee. renaissancefest.com.)

MELISSA WALKER