Three acts have announced shows at the new Mystic Lake Amphitheater in Shakopee: Dave Matthews Band on June 23, the Black Crowes and Whiskey Myers on July 28 and Ne-Yo and Akon on Aug. 5.
Tickets will go on sale through Ticketmaster for DMB at 10 a.m. Feb. 20, Black Crowes and Whiskey Myers at 10 a.m. Feb. 6 and Ne-Yo and Akon at 10 a.m. Friday.
Singer/guitarist/South Africa native Dave Matthews formed his band in Virginia in 1991 and hand-picked players from the local jazz scene. The group went on to sign with RCA Records and release a series of hit singles, including “What Would You Say,” “Crash into Me,” “Crush” and “The Space Between.”
But the group’s biggest success has come on the road, where their improv-heavy shows are now a coming-of-age tradition. At No. 4, the Dave Matthews Band is the highest-ranked American headliner on Pollstar’s list of the “25 Most Popular Touring Artists of The Millennium” and has sold more than 25 million tickets over the group’s history.
Black Crowes and Whiskey Myers
Brothers Chris and Rich Robinson formed the Black Crowes while in high school. Their 1990 debut album “Shake Your Money Maker” topped five million in sales and included the hits “Hard to Handle” and “She Talks to Angels.”
They continued to have success in the ’90s before going on hiatus in 2002. They’ve since reunited twice with a variety of backing musicians.
Whiskey Myers is a country rock band that formed in 2007 and count Lynyrd Skynyrd, Hank Williams Jr. and Waylon Jennings as key influences. They’ve self-released seven albums, including 2019’s self-titled effort, which hit No. 1 on the country chart.
Ne-Yo and Akon
Arkansas native Shaffer Smith adopted the stage name Ne-Yo early in his career when he was a member of the group Envy. After Envy broke up in 2000, Ne-Yo signed a short-lived deal with Columbia Records, which dropped him before he could release his debut album.
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Ne-Yo went on to find success as a songwriter and after penning Mario’s 2004 hit single “Let Me Love You,” he landed another solo deal. He went on to release a series of Top 10 smashes, including “So Sick,” “Sexy Love,” “Because of You,” “Closer” and “Miss Independent.”
While he was born in St. Louis, Akon — whose proper name is 12 words long — spent much of his early youth in his father’s native Senegal, where he learned several instruments including the guitar and drums. While still in high school he became part of the Refugee Camp, the extended musical family of the Fugees.
A producer who is also a frequent guest artist on songs like Gwen Stefani’s “The Sweet Escape” and David Guetta’s “Sexy Bitch,” Akon’s biggest solo hits include “Lonely,” “Smack That,” “I Wanna Love You,” “Don’t Matter” and “Sorry, Blame It on Me.”
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