Tonight - ABSU in St. Paul; REO SPEEDWAGON, STYX, and TED NUGENT in Minneapolis

U.S. black metal band Absu returns to Station 4 in St. Paul tonight for a special two-set show. The first set will be career-spanning, while the second will feature Phase Two of the 2001 Tara album. Support comes from Maledicere, False, and Nuklear Frost. Doors open at 6:00, and it’s a 16+ show that will cost you $15 at the door.

Also tonight is a bill of superstars at the Target Center in Minneapolis – REO Speedwagon, Styx, and Ted Nugent. This is an all ages show that starts at 7:00, and tickets are $25–125.   

In Concert This Week - April 19, 2013

Tonight, Friday, April 19 is a big lineup of 70s/80s megastars REO Speedwagon, Styx, and Ted Nugent at the Target Center in Minneapolis. That same night black metal descends upon Station 4 in St. Paul with Absu, Maledicere, False, and Nuklear Frost.

New York punk band The Casualties play the Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis on Saturday, April 20 with support from Rocksteady Breakfast and Devil Blues Band. Also on Saturday, Station 4 in St. Paul has Haunted Wisconsin, Deretia, Ghost Hook, Invidiosus, and Compassion Dies. Further south, you can catch Face Of Oblivion, Byleth, and The Vile Impurity at the What’s Up Lounge in Mankato.

Seattle-based Solid State recording artist Emery plays Station 4 in St. Paul on Wednesday, April 24 with support from Wolves At The Gate, The Seeking, Peace Mercutio, and The Suit. The same night local doom/sludge band Witchden plays the Cause Spirits & Soundbar in Minneapolis with United Teachers Of Music and Wicked Inquisition.

Unpredictable rockers Mindless Self Indulgence play on Thursday, April 25 at Mill City Nights in Minneapolis with The Red Paintings.

From The Vault - ARMORED SAINT

This is the first of some Anthrax-themed vault postings here (more coming on Anthrax and S.O.D.) since Anthrax is coming to town very soon (and Red Lamb just played here on March 24 - show review coming soon). Armored Saint singer John Bush fronted Anthrax through arguably the band’s most creative and critically acclaimed period. I was fortunate enough to catch Armored Saint twice in the late 80s, then again during 2000.

My favorite show was on Memorial Day, May 26, 1986 at the Iowa State Fair Grandstand in Des Moines as part of the Iowa Jam, an annual Memorial Day festival (sadly long defunct now). Check out this monster lineup: the bill was topped by Aerosmith (supporting Done With Mirrors), Ted Nugent (out for Little Miss Dangerous), Dokken (promoting Under Lock And Key), Metallica (with Cliff Burton on the Master Of Puppets tour), and Armored Saint (supporting Delirious Nomad). Armored Saint was on first at 11 am and fired up the crowd with an inspired 35–40 minute set of songs from the first two albums. I’ll post the audio of this show later, so I’ll save additional comments for then. As you might expect, Metallica stunned an unsuspecting crowd, while the remaining bands all put on great shows.

I must’ve gotten lucky because the next time I saw Armored Saint was on the Raising Fear supporting Grim Reaper (supporting Rock You To Hell) with Helloween (touring for Keeper Of The Seven Keys - Part I) on October 17, 1987 at The Rimco Center in Rock Island, Illinois. This was an MTV Headbanger's Ball-sponsored tour. Helloween was amazing as they closed their opening set with “Halloween” and “How Many Tears”. Armored Saint a set similar to what I heard at the Iowa Jam the year before with the addition of some new songs like “Chemical Euphoria” and “Raising Fear”. Grim Reaper got upstaged by the openers, but they still put on a great show playing the title tracks from their three albums amongst other songs.

Click on any of the pictures to see more photos of Armored Saint live in 2000 (14).

Finally, the show from which the pictures are from was May 28, 2000 at Brick By Brick in San Diego during promotion for the Revelation album. This was a rapid, packed crowd eager to hear Armored Saint after an absence of many years while John Bush was in Anthrax. The main attraction for me was finally being able to hear songs performed from Symbol Of Salvation, standouts such as “Reign Of Fire”, “Dropping Like Flies” and “Tribal Dance”. With no security barricade it was difficult getting great pictures at the packed club, and it should be evident from them that everyone, both band and crowd, was having a fun night.

Anthrax performs Thursday, April 4 at First Avenue in Minneapolis with support from Exodus, High On Fire, Municipal Waste, and Holy Grail.

In Concert This Week - June 14

Locals Throw The Fight continue to barnstorm the area clubs to celebrate the release of their new album with a show tonight, June 14 at the North Star Room in Mounds View.


More local insanity ensues at G.B Leighton's Pickle Park in Fridley on Friday, June 15 with American Head Charge, Devilsex, Gabriel And The Apocalypse, Nuisance, and Rapedoor.


The always controversial Ted Nugent performs with his original solo band vocalist Derek St. Holmes (the voice on "Stranglehold") on Friday, June 15 with support from Laura Wild at the Medina Entertainment Center in Medina.

A reinvigorated Aerosmith, riding high on the strength of new single "Legendary Child", brings Cheap Trick along for a show in Minneapolis at the Target Center on Saturday, June 16.


Instrumental rockers Scale The Summit also perform Saturday June 16, at Station 4 in St. Paul with support from Today I Caught The Plague, Windowvine, and Words For Penga.

Lastly, the reunited Spineshank brings their show to Station 4 in St. Paul on Wednesday, June 20. Rounding out the bill is The Agonist, 9 Electric, Blue Felix, Mureau, Harsh Reality, and Atlantis Theorem.