The last time Mumford and Sons were in town — in April 2016, on the same day Prince died(!) — they were in their so-called experimental phase, when the London foursome began slathering slick stadium rock vibes over the earnest Appalachian folk that made them famous.

In the nearly decade that has passed, they released another rock album, took an extended break and lost banjo player Winston Marshall, who left the group due to his increasingly far-right politics. In March, they released their back-to-basics fifth album “Rushmere” and, Thursday night, headlined Grand Casino Arena, the downtown St. Paul hockey rink formerly known as Xcel Energy Center.

The time away clearly didn’t cost them any listeners, as more than 14,500 showed up to see the guys live. But “Rushmere” failed to generate much buzz from fans or critics. So it wasn’t too surprising to see the new stuff they played receive a polite response, while the crowd went nuts for the old hits, singing along to “Little Lion Man” and dutifully clapping during “Lover of the Light.”

That said, it was a brand-new number that spoke to where Mumford and Sons stand in 2025. They opened the show with “Run Together” a song so fresh, it made its world debut Wednesday night in Chicago. And it’s a real barn burner, at least in the Mumford and Sons sense, with an anthemic chorus and a hook so immediate and indelible, it seems inevitable that they ripped it off from another song, consciously or not.

Stomping, clapping numbers like “Run Together” are what attract folks to the Mumfords and they rolled them out one after the other Thursday. The three remaining members stood up front, while a small army of touring musicians crowded near the back, adding more guitars and more keyboards along with drums, trombone, trumpet and a few other random instruments.

The trio did take a mid-set break for some scaled-back acoustic numbers on a small stage at the back of the arena floor. Joined by touring banjo player Matt Menefee, they dialed back the energy and got intimate with “Ghosts That We Knew,” “Caroline” and “Feel the Tide,” a song they haven’t played live in 15 years. (They were still up-and-comers in the States at that time and headlined the Varsity Theater in Dinkytown on that tour.)

While he doesn’t have a particularly distinct voice, band leader Marcus Mumford does know how to work a crowd, whether it was hopping onto the drums or sprinting directly through the general admission crowd after the acoustic set. He’s got a certain charm to him as well, which probably helps forgive some of his weaker material.

Whatever the case, “Run Together” sure sounds like a smash hit in waiting that will stand with any of the big ones from the good old days. Expect it to be inescapable in the near future and used in a prescription drug ad at whatever point the royalty checks start petering out for the Mumfords.

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ST. CLOUD, Minn. — A former Catholic priest with the St. Cloud Diocese has been accused of sexual misconduct with a woman while being her spiritual adviser.

Aaron John Kuhn, 47, of Wadena, was charged with third-degree criminal sexual conduct Monday in Stearns County District Court.

According to the charges, he “wrongfully and unlawfully engaged in sexual penetration with another person (and) the actor was or purported to be a member of the clergy.”

A woman told law enforcement she had sexual contact with Kuhn between September 2019 and October 2022 while he was providing her “with spiritual direction,” according to the Stearns County Attorney’s Office. She said Kuhn used his role as a spiritual adviser to manipulate and pressure her into engaging in sexual acts. Additionally, she reported that the abuse escalated over time and that she repeatedly asked Kuhn to stop.

The incidents allegedly occurred on multiple occasions and in multiple locations across Wadena, Stearns and Benton counties — including in Sartell and St. Cloud — while Kuhn served as a priest for the St. Cloud Diocese.

Investigators said in the criminal complaint that they interviewed multiple witnesses affiliated with the church who confirmed that Kuhn acknowledged having sexual contact with the victim during this time.

The St. Cloud Diocese removed Kuhn from active ministry in June 2024. On Tuesday, the diocese said that Kuhn had been placed on full administrative leave effective immediately once it learned of the criminal charges.

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A lightning delay was called with 30 minutes remaining in Thursday night’s Section 4AA boys soccer semifinal between visiting Como Park and Washington Technical Magnet School.

The fourth-seeded Cougars and the top-seeded Eagles filed inside the latter’s building and fans of the St. Paul City Conference teams funneled out the stadium gates.  Those in black and gold smiled broadly. Their counterparts in purple and gold were somber.

Many fans kept moving to cars which proceeded to leave. And why not? Como Park held a 4-0 lead on their way to what would become a 5-1 victory powered by Blessed Htoo’s three goals.

The Cougars advanced to face third-seeded Mahtomedi in Tuesday’s final on the Zephyrs’ field. Como Park beat Mahtomedi last season in the section semifinals.

“We didn’t start the game great but our first goal was a huge momentum swing,” said Cougars’ coach Brendan Doyle. “It allowed us to calm down and play our game.”

Como Park (12-5-1) suffered two of its season losses to the Eagles during a six-day stretch in the first days of September. Washington Tech won the first clash, 3-2, and the second, 3-0; the latter a nonconference affair.

The Eagles (9-4-3), new to the AA ranks this fall after winning the 2023 Section 4A title and eight games last season, built a dangerous attack led by fast, physical and ebullient striker Maverick Ward. He and several teammates often combined for dangerous diagonal runs, through balls and sprints up the sidelines on which they burst past outside backs.

The Cougars, however, made sure to have five and six defenders between their net and the ball. That diligent defensive work didn’t allow the openings Washington Tech usually exploited and led to Eagles trying to dribble through traffic, giving their foes even more time to get back.

“We knew they’d had a lot of success playing into space behind our midfield and quickly combining to break us down,” said Doyle, who this time deployed a 4-5-1 formation. “So we played a little bit deeper and more compact, let them play the ball into our feet and countered from there.

“They have some phenomenal players and when things get tougher, those players take a lot on themselves. As great as they are, when we’re (2 on 1) against them, we can defend them.”

Como Park first went against the expected script 14 minutes into the match. Hamza Abdi rang in a shot off the crossbar with keeper Edwin Perez Sosa down near the 6-yard mark.

The visitors took a 2-0 lead midway through the first half when Htoo knocked another shot over Sosa from the top of the box.

The dagger came only 45 seconds before intermission, a 40-yard bomb from Pah Chi that went in off Sosa’s hands and under the bar.

Htoo banged home a shot from the center of the box and inside the left post 10 minutes into the second half. It was the midfielder’s team-leading twelfth tally this season.

The Eagles’ Awal Wako notched his team’s goal on a penalty kick midway through the second half before Htoo produced a hat trick with a deflected free-kick shot with 14 minutes remaining.

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The Savannah Bananas will swing by Minneapolis on their 2026 Banana Ball World Tour, playing at Target Field from Aug. 7-9 while the Twins are in Milwaukee.

The Bananas will take on the Loco Beach Coconuts in the three-game series.

While the Party Animals and Texas Tailgaters visited CHS Field last season as part of the Banana Ball World Tour, this will be the Bananas’ first trip to Minnesota.

The baseball equivalent of the Harlem Globetrotters, Banana Ball has taken off in recent years. It’s a high-energy, fan-focused brand of baseball featuring dance routines and other on-field antics.

Tickets for the games are lottery-based and fans can visit bananaball.com/tickets from now until the end of October to register for a chance to buy tickets. The Twins will also have a limited priority pre-sale for 2026 MyTwins Members.

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