Chris Riemenschneider and Jon Bream Star Tribune
Just when music fans finally started getting out again, the weather is pulling them back in.
COVID-era options are naturally winding down as outdoor concerts come to an end, and indoor concerts are still largely deemed unsafe (except at the limited-capacity Chanhassen Dinner Theatres and Crooners, where New York cabaret great Marilyn Maye will perform Oct. 14-18). So instead of our usual rundown of big gigs to go see this fall, here are other fun options to keep you occupied at home.
Local livestreams: As Crooners and other active venues like Icehouse face the seasonal shuttering of their outdoor spaces, the Hook & Ladder and the Dakota in Minneapolis are heating up livestream series. Highlights in the HookStream include release parties by Munson-Hicks Party Supplies (Oct. 2) and Mary Bue (Oct. 23), and a Cornbread Harris "93½" birthday party (Oct. 22, thehookmpls.com). The Dakota has lined up COVID survivor Nachito Herrera (Sept. 25), Davina & the Vagabonds (Oct. 15) and Suzanne Vega (Oct. 7, dakotacooks.com).
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: HBO will broadcast the rescheduled induction ceremony Nov. 7, honoring Nine Inch Nails, Whitney Houston, Depeche Mode, the Doobie Brothers, Notorious B.I.G. and T-Rex. The hall just unveiled a great new Black Lives Matter-themed exhibit on its website, "It's Been Said All Along," with entries from Prince, Aretha Franklin and others. Rockhall.com
Record Store Day(s), continued: After a safety-driven test run last month, the second and third installments of RSD's three-part makeup plan are set for this Saturday and Oct. 24. Among the acts releasing special product to indie shops are locals Soul Asylum and the Replacements, plus Brandi Carlile, Nas and Miles Davis. Recordstoreday.com
Fall favorites: Every fall brings new albums from big names (Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, 2 Chainz, Kylie Minogue, Chris Stapleton), beloved artists (Blackpink, Elvis Costello, Bob Mould, Sufjan Stevens) and even some singers gone solo (Slipknot's Corey Taylor, the National's Matt Berninger). A Drake album is also rumored because, well, he's Drake.
"Austin City Limits" with limits: The longest-running live music series on U.S. television will premiere as planned Oct. 3 with a COVID twist. Among the artists taping audience-less shows in its 46th season are Rufus Wainwright and the Mavericks. A John Prine retrospective will kick things off. PBS.org
