A reminder to Twin Cities music lovers that summer will come again, two of our best-loved outdoor venues each announced their first shows of 2024 on Monday.
Somerset Amphitheater’s first confirmed date for the year is the return of Hootie & the Blowfish on Aug. 8, part of the “Only Wanna Be With You” hitmakers’ so-called Summer Camp With Trucks Tour, featuring fellow ’90s stars Collective Soul and Edwin McCain for openers. It was McCain who provided the name for the tour, per comments in the tour’s press release by Hootie guitarist Mark Bryan as he looked back on the huge success of their 1994 album “Cracked Rear View.”
“Our lives changed when ‘Cracked Rear View’ did what it did — and yet as we quickly moved from vans and college bars to tour busses and arenas, not much else changed with how we approached making music and sharing it with our fans,” Bryan said. “Edwin McCain told someone at the time that touring with us felt like summer camp with trucks… and that’s exactly how we want next year to feel, too. We can’t wait for you to join us!”
After years of singer Darius Rucker focusing on his country-leaning solo career, Hootie & the Blowfish returned to the road in 2019 with a new album, “Imperfect Circle.” The tour proved a smash success, including a sold-out gig at the Minnesota State Fair grandstand.
Tickets for the Somerset show go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. via Ticketmaster, with pre-sale options beginning Tuesday. Prices were not publicized by the concert’s promoter, Live Nation, which took over operations last year at the revitalized amphitheater along the Apple River in Somerset, Wis., about an hour east of Minneapolis.
Right in the heart of Minneapolis, Surly Brewing Festival Field also now has its first confirmed show of 2024: ascendant Americana pop strummers Mt. Joy on Aug. 6.
The Los Angeles-based, Philadelphia-rooted band is making the jump to Surly’s 5,000-plus-capacity outdoor space after packing the Palace Theatre last year. In the meantime, the group has become a staple at adult-alternative radio stations with the singles “Evergreen” and “Lemon Tree,” and this past year saw it play many festivals and pull a two-nighter at Red Rocks in Denver.
Tickets for the Surly Field show go on sale Wednesday at 10 a.m. via AXS.com priced $50, with pre-sale options beginning Tuesday.