No Doubt at the Xcel Energy Center

No Doubt, the ska-punk band turned dance-jam hit makers, will be performing at the Xcel Energy Center on July 5th at 7:30 p.m. Appearing with the band will be Paramore and Bedouin Soundclash. This tour is the first time in almost five years the band has toured together, the return to the stage comes after the band took a break so that lead singer Gwen Stefani and other memebers of the group could pursue solo careers. After finding individual success, the group is ready to get back together and start working on a new album expected to drop in 2010.

The tour will be a revival of classic favorites, including the Grammy-wininng "Hey Baby" and "Underneath it All". Gwen Stefani told reporters, "The whole reason for going on this tour was to have fun, try on all our favorite songs again and to get inspired to make new music. It feels good to be all together again".

Don't miss the return of No Doubt to the stage, July 5th at the Xcel Energy Center

Il Divo in Saint Paul Minnesota

If all the moms of the Twin Cities aren’t at the Target Center Minneapolis on Wednesday, July 8 (taking their kids to the Jonas Brothers Concert) then they will be at the Xcel Energy Center Saint Paul watching the dreamy performance of Il Divo.

These internationally renowned opera stars are a huge hit with over 22 million albums sold to date. Touted as some of the greatest voices in the world, David Miller, Carlos Marín, Urs Buhler and Sébastien Izambard have captured audiences with their smooth sounds and good looks. The Xcel Energy Center show will feature selections from their five albums plus several new songs, with Il Divo onstage the entire evening.

Don’t miss Il Divo at Xcel Energy Center Saint Paul on Wednesday, July 8 at 7:30 PM.

Jason Mraz Xcel Energy Center

Jason Mraz will perform at Xcel Energy Center on Thursday, August 20th at 7 p.m. as part of his
Gratitude Café Tour. Joining Jason Mraz on the Xcel Energy Center show ticket will be G. Love & Special Sauce, K’naan and Bushwalla.

Mraz is doing a standard Xcel Energy Center end stage set-up with a general admission floor. The standing room only floor will be a mess of youngsters so if it were me, I would plan on buying tickets in section 118 or 102 lower level by the stage.

Jason Mraz has plenty of star power and with hits like “I’m Yours” and with all the great songs from his latest album, “We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things,” you can bet the best Xcel Energy Center tickets will sell quickly. I am sure the Xcel is glad to add Jason Mraz to their list of hot summer concerts.

Keith Urban Pictures and Review

Thanks to Shawna Robertson Photography for the awesome Keith Urban pictures. Shawna went to the Xcel Energy Center show and sat in the 9th row on the floor. She said her seats were amazing and that Keith Urban put on one of best shows she has ever seen. His stage set-up was interesting as was his dialogue and he connected with his audience on many occasions. She said the Xcel Energy Center may be a big venue, but Keith Urban made it feel like an intimate jam session.

If you haven’t seen a show at the Xcel Energy Center, you are missing out and if you have then you know exactly how awesome it can be.

Keith Urban Xcel Energy Center 2009:

Xcel Energy Center Show Recap with Photos

I think the Xcel Energy Center is trying something new with concert fans. A friend of mine went to the Elton John Billy Joel show on Tuesday night and said he had a great time and imagine his surprise when on Wednesday he got a “Thank You” email from the Xcel Energy Center, Billy Joel and Elton John including a link to “exclusive photos.” My friend sent me the link since he knows I write an Xcel Energy Center blog.

I must say the Thank You email is an interesting marketing idea, but I get irritated with all my incoming emails the way it is, I would choose to unsubscribe in a heartbeat and the exclusive photos weren’t any more special than the pictures in the Pioneer Press.

I didn’t make it to Elton John Billy Joel show, but plenty of other people did. The sold-out crowd was reported as 19,960 –that’s a lot of people and a lot of dollar signs for Elton and Billy especially since each St Paul concert ticket was $150 or more!

Here's a photo from the "exclusive" link:

Aerosmith Xcel Energy Center

I guess the Xcel Energy Center heard my plea for more big concert announcements because they just announced that Aerosmith and ZZ Top will be in St Paul on Tuesday September 8th. Talk about a rockers dream ticket. KQRS has been promoting the heck out of the show and it hasn’t even gone on sale to the general public yet. Aerosmith Tickets go on-sale on Saturday April 18th.

The Aerosmith ZZ Top tour is creating a stir in the music industry and is promising to be one of the "best live shows of the summer." Aerosmith is famous with many top hits and to pair up on the ticket with the bearded legends of ZZ Top is phenomenal.

Xcel Energy Center St Paul is proud to host Aerosmith and ZZ Top, but Aerosmith Tickets aren’t cheap! Face value for the Aerosmith St Paul show is $60 - $200 with most tickets priced closer to the $200 range. I am wondering if the steep price will cause the show to sell out quickly or not. Either way you can bet ticket brokers will have their hand in the mix with seats available right up until show time for over face value. This just shows that Rock ‘N Roll is here to stay.

No Doubt and Paramore at Xcel Energy Center

Music venues around the nation are trying to book hot summer concerts and the Xcel Energy Center is no exception. No Doubt with Paramore is slated on Sunday, July 5 at 7:30 p.m. You can bet that plenty of people will be making a stop at the Xcel during their July 4th holiday breaks to see No Doubt return to the big stage. Gwen Stefani is quoted as saying the whole reason for the No Doubt tour is just to have fun, sing their old favorite songs and get inspired to make new music.

I feel like the Target Center Minneapolis is getting a leg up on booking acts right now. The Xcel St Paul gets my vote for a better place to see and hear a concert so I hope they get busy and book more summer shows.