Fulfilling its promise as a good halfway point between arena and theaters, the Armory in Minneapolis announced three concerts Monday starring '70s-'80s bands who are somewhere between Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and underground-legend status: Kraftwerk on July 22, New Order with the Pet Shop Boys on Sept. 20 and Judas Priest on Sept. 27.
Both the German electro-synth innovators of Kraftwerk and the British metal gods in Priest will be marking their bands' 50th anniversaries on tour this year. Gen X alt-pop darlings New Order and Pet Shop Boys are pairing up for an 11-city trek that they've dubbed the Unity Tour, on which Minneapolis falls midway through the itinerary.
Here's more info below on all three shows, each of which is listed as all-ages. Tickets will be available through Ticketmaster as well as in person (minus some of the fees) at the Armory's box office. A "strategic partner" with Live Nation and Ticketmaster, the Armory did not reveal ticket prices for any of the shows, in keeping with Live Nation's dynamic-pricing practices.
The Armory also announced a show last week with another '80s hero, Nick Cave with his Bad Seeds, who are coming Sept. 16. It's getting to a busy -- and expensive! -- year for fans of the old classics.
KRAFTWERK (July 22): Tickets go on sale Thursday at 10 a.m., with presale options starting Tuesday. The show is billed as another 3D Tour – yep, with glasses and all -- much like the band's visually playful and nerdily raved-about performance at Northrop Auditorium in 2015.
NEW ORDER & PET SHOP BOYS (Sept. 20): On sale Friday at 10 a.m., with pre-sale beginning Wednesday. The Armory will allow for a lot more people to see the bands than their prior theater shows in town. New Order finally ended a 29-year lapse between Twin Cities gigs at the Palace Theatre in 2018. During the lull, the British synth-pop/alt-rock vets of "Bizarre Love Triangle" and "Blue Monday" fame split with co-founding bassist/songwriter Peter Hook but carried on with a decent new album, "Music Complete," in 2015.
JUDAS PRIEST (SEPT. 27): Also on sale Friday at 10 a.m., with pre-sale happening Tuesday. Swedish metal band Sabaton will open. Down to three original members including iconic frontman Rob Halford, Priest played the Armory once before in 2018 and hit Treasure Island later that year supporting its well-received album "Firepower."
