August is full of distractions, from vacations to back-to-school plans to the Minnesota State Fair. Yet the month is traditionally one of the busiest when in comes to arena concerts in the metro.
This year is no different, with a dozen acts stopping by St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center and Target Center in downtown Minneapolis. But not all are created equal in terms of ticket sales. Here’s a look at the hot shows and, well, the ones not exactly setting the world on fire.
Hot: Nine Inch Nails
Not too long ago, it looked like Trent Reznor was ready to ditch Nine Inch Nails in favor of continuing to create terrific film scores with his longtime collaborator Atticus Ross.
That changed when the pair announced they were recording the soundtrack to the upcoming film “Tron: Ares” — as Nine Inch Nails — and released the new single “As Alive as You Need Me to Be” last month. The accompanying tour earned rave reviews in Europe this summer and is set to hit these shores this week. It features a main stage where Reznor is playing his hits and a second stage for deep cuts, acoustic renditions and remixes by German producer Boys Noize, who is also NIN’s opening act.
Tickets are nearly gone for the band’s local tour stop, which will be the first time Nine Inch Nails performs live in the metro since 2013. (7:30 p.m. Aug. 17; Xcel Energy Center)
Not: Linkin Park
Mike Shinoda and Emily Armstrong of Linkin Park perform at Barclays Center on September 16, 2024 in New York City. (Theo Wargo/Getty Images)
Friends Mike Shinoda, Rob Bourdon and Brad Delson began performing together as California high school students in the late ’90s. They played for several years with varying lineups before taking on vocalist Chester Bennington and landing a deal with Warner Bros. Records under the Linkin Park moniker.
The band’s 2000 debut “Hybrid Theory” topped 12 million in sales, making it one of the best-selling albums of the ’00s. It also gave the band their first of a long stream of rock radio hits with “One Step Closer,” “Crawling,” “Papercut” and Linkin Park’s breakthrough smash “In the End.”
In 2017, Linkin Park had toured South America and Europe in support of their album “One More Light” when Bennington died by suicide on July 20, a week before the planned start of the North American leg. The group canceled all shows and, that October, held a tribute show to Bennington at the Hollywood Bowl.
After taking an extended break, the band returned to action last year with a new lead singer, Emily Armstrong. While their first run of 11 tour dates sold out — including a two-night stand in Brazil that drew more than 96,000 fans — sales for the summer outing are struggling. It doesn’t help matters that they’re touring on an in-the-round stage that opens up seats throughout the entire arena. The majority of the upper deck at Target Center remains unsold. (7:30 p.m. Aug. 27; Target Center)
Hot: Benson Boone
Benson Boone performs during the first weekend of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club on Friday, April 11, 2025, in Indio, Calif. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)
A Washington state native, Benson Boone’s first experience performing was when a friend asked him to play piano and sing in their high school’s battle of the bands. After graduating in 2020, he briefly attended Brigham Young University before dropping out to pursue a career in music.
Boone made it onto the 19th season of “American Idol” in 2021, but withdrew from the competition after making it to the top 24. He focused on posting his music to TikTok and won the attention of Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds, who signed Boone to his Night Street Records label.
His 2021 debut single “Ghost Town” went platinum, as did 2022’s “In the Stars.” But Boone’s career really took off with last year’s “Beautiful Things,” one of the year’s biggest hits on the planet. It reached No. 2 in the States and topped the charts in 19 other countries.
While Boone’s singles from his sophomore album “American Heart” haven’t found the same success, his current tour is a hot ticket and it kicks off right here in St. Paul. (8 p.m. Aug. 22; Xcel Energy Center)
Not: The Offspring
Dexter Holland of The Offspring performs live on stage during day one of Lollapalooza Brazil at Autodromo de Interlagos on March 22, 2024 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Buda Mendes/Getty Images)
Guitarist/vocalist Bryan “Dexter” Holland and bassist Gregory “Greg K.” Kriesel formed what would become the Offspring in 1983. Guitarist Kevin “Noodles” Wasserman joined the following year and the band released their first single “I’ll Be Waiting” in 1986. They went on to sign to a small label and issue their self-titled debut before inking a deal with emerging punk label Epitaph Records.
The Offspring didn’t take off in a major way until their third album, 1994’s “Smash,” found success in the wake of Nirvana and Green Day bringing punk to the masses. Fueled by the singles “Come Out and Play,” “Self Esteem” and “Gotta Get Away,” “Smash” topped six million in sales and stands to this day as Epitaph’s biggest selling album.
With a newfound and large audience, the band jumped ship to Columbia Records for 1997’s “Ixnay on the Hombre.” For the next decade, the Offspring maintained a strong presence on both rock and alternative radio. They only released one album in the ’10s, but continued to tour.
Their current tour supports the band’s 11th album, “Supercharged,” but despite high-profile opening acts Jimmy Eat World and New Found Glory, ticket sales have been sluggish for their local tour stop. Maybe longtime fans are happy to have caught the Offspring at last summer’s inaugural Minnesota Yacht Club Festival? (7 p.m. Aug. 15; Target Center)
Hot: Tate McRae
Tate McRae performs at The Greek Theatre on July 11, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)
Canadian pop star Tate McRae began dance lessons at the age of six, when her family was briefly living in Oman due to her father’s job. Two years later, she returned to Canada and furthered her studies at the training school for the Alberta Ballet Company. She went on to perform with various American dance troupes and, in 2016, made it to third place on “So You Think You Can Dance.”
The following year, McRae began posting her own original songs on her YouTube channel, which was previously devoted to dance videos. Her track “One Day” earned the attention of nearly a dozen record labels. She signed with RCA in 2019 and released her breakthrough single “You Broke Me First” the following year.
In the time since, McRae found further success with “You,” “She’s All I Wanna Be,” “10:35,” “Greedy” and “Exes” as well as the trio of singles from her most recent album, “So Close to What.” (7:30 p.m. Aug. 13; Xcel Energy Center)
Not: Deftones
Chino Moreno leads Deftones, whose summer tour will bring them to Minneapolis’ Target Center on Aug. 29, 2025. (Courtesy of Clemente Ruiz)
Childhood friends Chino Moreno (vocals), Stephen Carpenter (guitar) and Abe Cunningham (drums) began jamming together in 1988 when they were in high school. They brought a diverse group of inspirations — hardcore punk, post-punk, new wave and heavy metal — to form a unique sound that straddled alt-rock and metal.
After some lineup changes, the group adopted the name Deftones and signed with Madonna’s Maverick Recordings in 1993. They released “Adrenaline” two years later and toured heavily to support it. In 1996 alone, Deftones played 7th Street Entry, First Avenue, Target Center twice (opening for Ozzy Osbourne and Pantera) and the Dinkytown McDonald’s parking lot.
They scored their first hit in 2000 with “Change (In the House of Flies),” which landed at No. 9 on Billboard’s mainstream rock chart, the group’s first of a dozen times they visited that chart’s Top 20. The following year, Deftones won their first Grammy, a best metal performance nod for “Elite.”
Three decades into their career, the band has booked their largest local arena show to date. But soft sales suggest Deftones may downsize to the Armory, which they filled in 2022. (7 p.m. Aug. 29; Target Center)
Hot: Billy Strings
Born William Lee Apostol in a household plagued by drug abuse, Billy Strings earned his stage name from his aunt, who recognized the young man’s talent playing a number of bluegrass instruments.
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Strings’ stepfather, an accomplished amateur musician, introduced him to traditional bluegrass acts like Doc Watson, Del McCoury and Earl Scruggs, while Strings explored classic rock (Jimi Hendrix, the Grateful Dead) and metal (Black Sabbath, Def Leppard).
After spending four years performing with mandolin player Don Julin, Strings went solo in 2017 and turned heads from the start, with Rolling Stone pegging him as one of its top 10 new country artists to know that year. He signed to Rounder in 2019 and his sophomore effort “Home” went on to win a Grammy for best bluegrass album.
Thanks in part to his heavy touring, Strings has built an ever-growing cult following. His local arena debut follows a string of shows at the Turf Club, First Avenue, the Palace Theatre, Surly Brewing Festival Field and the Armory. (7:30 p.m. Aug. 9; Target Center)
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