While their resident football team lags farther behind in the standings, U.S. Bank Stadium has jumped out in front as a leader in the arena of summer concerts.
The Minnesota Vikings' new home in downtown Minneapolis announced two big 2017 shows back-to-back Monday morning, starting with an expected performance by reunited hard-rock vets Guns N' Roses on July 30. Then came the shrieks of Beliebers around Minnesota as the stadium confirmed pop star Justin Bieber's Aug. 18 stop on his first stadium tour.
Tickets to the heyday GNR lineup's first Minnesota show in 25 years — teased with mysterious billboard ads around town over the past week — go on sale Saturday at noon through Ticketmaster for $35-$250. The Sunday night concert will be the new stadium's second major rock gig, after Metallica's show last August.
U.K. rockers Coldplay were already scheduled to perform at U.S. Bank Stadium next summer on Aug. 12. So far, neither of Minneapolis' other two stadiums (Target Field and TCF Bank Stadium) has announced any 2017 concerts.
U.S. Bank Stadium officials said their 2017 schedule confirms there's a buzz around the concert industry for the $1 billion, fixed-roof facility.
"In a short span of time, we've been recognized for the high caliber of entertainment that we've been able to host here in Minnesota," gloated Patrick Talty, general manager at the stadium, which recently earned a nomination for best new major U.S. venue from concert industry trade publication Pollstar.
With all the seats filled and a cranked-up volume, acoustics for Metallica at the stadium proved much more favorable than the prior night's echoey concert by country singer Luke Bryan. However, many Minnesota fans were upset about the lack of affordable tickets. Most of Metallica's 50,000 tickets sold out to the public in about 10 minutes, but then whole rows wound up for sale at inflated prices on scalping sites, including one run by the Vikings' own ticketing partner, PrimeSport.
Demand could be close to that for GNR. Not seen together in Minnesota since a legendary pairing with Metallica at the Metrodome in 1992, singer Axl Rose, guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan played their first batch of reunion shows last April around the Coachella Music Festival.
Defying expectations that their reunion couldn't last, the long-feuding band members went on to play 47 dates on their so-called Not in This Lifetime Tour in 2016, with sets including such '80s radio staples as "Welcome to the Jungle," "Sweet Child o' Mine" and "Patience." The tour was also a success story at the box office. Billboard reported a gross of over $115 million in ticket sales.
The band's lineup for the tour also includes "Use Your Illusion"-era keyboardist Dizzy Reed, guitarist Richard Fortus and drummer Frank Ferrer, all of whom toured with Axl Rose on his Slash-less Guns N' Roses tours over the past decade.
Tickets for Bieber's biggest local show to date — a continuation of his 2016 Purpose Tour — go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. for $44.40-$177.50 plus fees through Ticketmaster. Pre-sale offers begin Tuesday at 10 a.m.
Minneapolis is only the third stop scheduled on the heartthrob's supersized 2017 outing. Bieber continued to outgrow his teeny-bopper status with last year's album, "Purpose," which has sold 5 million copies worldwide thanks to such hit singles as "Sorry?" and "Love Yourself."
The Twin Cities sure seem to still love the Biebs. His Target Center concert this past summer quickly sold out and was another hot show for ticket scalpers.
Chris Riemenschneider • 612-673-4658 • @ChrisRstrib
