Andrea DeGaetano of St. Paul:
1 Leon Bridges, the Palace. A rain cloud may have stalled over the Twin Cities for a week, but my sunshine burned brightly with Bridges' soulful performance of "Beyond" during his amazing show in St. Paul.
2 Jill Scott, Mystic Lake Casino. She radiated warmth and kindness. She powerfully erupted into the song "A Long Walk," which sent me through myriad emotions about love and life on my birthday.
3 Ingrid Chavez. I'm excited to see her perform Friday at Prime 6 in Minneapolis, where her musical journey began. The "Spirit Child," a name given to her by Prince, will be celebrating her third solo album, "Memories of Flying."
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Jon Bream of the Star Tribune:
1 Class-action suit against Ticketmaster's ticket-resale operation. Bravo to the fans who sued after an investigative report found that the ticket behemoth had funneled seats to scalpers, who then resold them via TicketÂmaster — allowing the company to profit twice on the same tickets.
2 Elvin Bishop, "Something Smells Funky 'Round Here." Guess it takes a 1960s-'70s singer to make a good protest song. The blues vet, best known for the pop hit "Fooled Around and Fell in Love," addresses the White House in the title track of his new album. It's pointed and playful — and perfect for these times.
3 Rita Coolidge, the Cedar. The 1970s princess of lite FM still offers a warm embrace, whether covering Boz Scaggs, Kris Kristofferson or "Superstar," which she says she co-wrote without getting credit.
