Matchbox Twenty, one of the biggest rock bands of the late ’90s, will headline the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand on Aug. 30.

Tickets are priced from $134 to $67 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday through Etix or by calling 800-514-3849. Other Grandstand performers announced so far include Blake Shelton, Chance the Rapper, the Happy Together Tour, Motley Crue, Nate Bargatze and Kidz Bop Live.

Formed in Florida in 1995, Matchbox Twenty released their debut album “Yourself or Someone Like You” the following year. After a slow start, the record took off with a string of hits including “Push,” “3 A.M.,” “Real World” and “Back 2 Good.”

Prior to work on the band’s second album, lead singer Rob Thomas was asked to co-write the song “Smooth” for Carlos Santana’s album “Supernatural.” Santana himself asked Thomas to sing it after hearing his voice on the demo and it went on to become a massive hit that won three Grammy Awards, including record and song of the year. That success set the stage for Thomas’ solo career, which he kicked off in 2005 with the album “Something to Be.”

Matchbox Twenty went on to release three more albums in the ’00s and early ’10s and returned to the charts with “Bent,” “If You’re Gone,” “Unwell,” “How Far We’ve Come” and “She’s So Mean.” In 2017, drummer/guitarist Paul Doucette said the band wasn’t going to record again and instead focus on touring.

The pandemic forced the group to postpone a joint tour with the Wallflowers three times, prompting the group to record their fifth album, “Where the Light Goes,” in 2023.

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Karl-Anthony Towns is quickly approaching his return to the Timberwolves’ lineup.

The all-star big man has been out since March 4 after tearing the meniscus in his left knee, but the team announced Tuesday that he’s been cleared for full contact and 5-on-5 scrimmages and is “progressing toward his return to play.”

“I can’t wait. We haven’t had him for a little while now. We miss having Karl, so just having him back on the floor, it helps all of us, everyone,” Wolves wing Jaden McDaniels said. “They’re going to double him, and he creates so much attention on the floor, so it’s good for us to have him back.”

The team announced Towns’ successful surgery on his knee on March 12.

Entering Tuesday’s bout with Washington, the Wolves were 11-5 in the 16 games played since Towns went down. They managed to maintain their status as the No. 1 team in the Western Conference while finding a better offensive flow that’s seemingly unlocked a number of other contributors on that end of the floor.

“I think him being out has allowed everyone to step up and play and have roles and get going for the postseason. I think the postseason definitely shows – and my career is a testament to that – that you never know what you might need. And just being able to be available and be providing, guys stepping up big, it’s good to get their game reps now,” Wolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker said. “Guys like J-Mac have been huge since Karl has been out – Monte, myself, Naz and what he’s doing in his role. So I think adding Karl will be a huge help for us, make us more of a threat to make a deeper run.”

Minnesota’s challenge now will be to  wisely re-integrate Towns. It seems unlikely Towns would return for a massive tilt Wednesday in altitude in Denver that will likely be for the No. 1 seed in the West.

Friday’s home contest against the Hawks would seem to be a much softer landing spot and would still give Towns a pair of regular season games — both at Target Center — to find his rhythm and re-acclimate himself into the offense before a week of pre-playoff practices.

As their bullpen struggles with a injuries, the Twins added an extra arm on Tuesday afternoon, acquiring relief pitcher Michael Tonkin in trade with the New York Mets. All it cost the Twins was cash considerations after the the Mets recently designated Tonkin for assignment amid a slow start to this season.

This is a full circle moment for Tonkin after he broke into the majors with the Twins more than a decade ago. He pitched for the Atlanta Braves last season.

It remains to bee seen how the Twins plan to deploy Tonkin on the mound. He will certainly be used at some point considering the Twins are currently without middle relievers Caleb Thielbar, Justin Topa, and Daniel Duarte, as well as star closer Jhoan Duran.

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