Mat Kearney: Headlights Home Tour!
2024-09-12 20:00 - 23:00 (America/Chicago) | State Theatre, 805 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55402
Nashville-based, Oregon-born Mat Kearney is back with a new tour! The Headlights Home Tour! It’s his first album since his acclaimed January Flower record which was written between an isolated retreat in Joshua Tree and his home studio.
Over his career, Kearney has been a MEL.FM favorite! He has released SIX studio LPs, claimed the #1 spot on iTunes, topped multiple Billboard charts, made four entries into the Hot 100, amassed over 577MM on demand streams and over 2.5 BILLION global streams. Kearney, a Multi-Platinum songwriter and producer, has performed live on TODAY Show, Ellen, The Tonight Show, Letterman and Jimmy Kimmel Live! and has garnered raves from USA Today, Entertainment Weekly, People, Billboard, PARADE and Marie Claire. He also has an incredible touring history, sharing the road with everyone from John Mayer to NEEDTOBREATHE as well as headlining numerous tours of his own.

Marc Scibilia: More to This World Tour!
2025-03-27 18:30 - 22:00 | Fine Line, 318 North 1st Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 55401, United States
The MEL welcomes Marc Scibilia in concert at the Fine Line! Get your tickets here!
Marc Scibilia

More To This World Tour /
with DANIEL SAINT BLACK and Garrett Adair

Fine Line, Minneapolis, MN, United States | Ages: All Ages
Tickets: $25
Thu Mar 27, 2025 – 7:30 PM

Marc Scibilia’s latest album release, More to This, is a work of art. According to Wikipedia it “showcases his breadth of writing, musicality, and production talent. What started a year ago as creative experimentation from his East Nashville studio, turned into an incredible burst of original songs and mashups. The focus track, “More to This”, had an immediate emotional connection racking up 50 million views and over 10 million streams. After growing his social media platforms to over 1.5 million followers in just a year, Marc finished his first sold-out headline fall tour in late 2024, which included multiple nights in Chicago, Nashville, and NYC. Following the success of that run, Marc will headline his first world tour in the Spring of 2025.
Marc’s songs have been featured in Shrinking (Apple TV), Peter Rabbit, Bones (FOX), About A Boy (NBC), JEEP Super Bowl ad, Chrysler, Samsung, Water.org, and more. In addition to his own music, Marc has extensive songwriting and producing credits, including Teddy Swims, Keith Urban, Robin Schulz, Quinn XCII, Claptone, Ingrid Andress, SEAL, Ben Rector, Lennon Stella, and more.”

The Gray Havens in Concert
2025-04-06 18:00 - 22:00 | Bethlehem Baptist Church
The MEL welcomes the Gray Havens, Sunday April 6 at Bethlehem Baptist Church.
Tickets here!
6:00 PM – VIP Pre-Show Doors
6:15 PM – VIP Pre-Show
7:00 PM – Public Doors
7:30 PM – Music Starts
___
VIP Packages
*****Must be purchased separately
VIP PRE-SHOW: Includes Q&A with The Gray Havens, John Mark Pantana, LOVKN, and Antoine Bradford. VIP Laminate, Signed Tour Poster, and Commemorative Group Photo Opp.
*All Sales Final. No Refunds. No Exceptions.
For more information about IJM, head to https://www.ijm.org

JohnnySwim: When the War is Over Tour
2025-04-07 20:00 - 23:00 | Uptown Theatre, 2900 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 55408, United States
The MEL welcomes JohnnySwim: When the War is Over Tour!
Monday April 7. Uptown Theatre. 8pm
When The War Is Over Tour
Abner Ramirez and Amanda Sudano Ramirez make up Johnnyswim. After meeting in Nashville in 2005, the pair clicked, not only creatively but also romantically. After releasing various EPs and albums, including a Christmas one, the talented duo are now heading on the road in 2025 on a new tour in celebration of the new album ‘When The War Is Over’!
With over 30 million streams on Spotify, a Christmas EP, as well as a live album this couple are certainly embedded into the American Folk music culture. With their new tour, Johnnyswim are delivering their soulful and melodic hits to audiences across the US. With their set full of fun and feel-good moments, this show is perfect for fans of all ages!

Five16 Film Festival
2025-04-11 19:00 - 21:00 | Totino Fine Arts Center, 3003 Snellling Ave. N, St. Paul, MN, 55113, United States
On campus + Online

Living the Braveheart Life! An Evening with Randall Wallace
2025-04-12 18:30 - 22:00 | Totino Fine Arts Center, 3003 Snellling Ave. N, St. Paul, MN, 55113, United States
Looking to find more courage in your daily life and live without the fear of failure? Discover the freedom in taking more risks and experience the remarkable multimedia faith story of Oscar-nominated screenwriter, Randall Wallace.
The Christian film director/producer will share how the Lord helped him overcome fear, find the courage to risk-it-all, and write the words to what became the legendary film, Braveheart, winner of five Academy Awards including Best Picture. He’ll take you on an inspiring journey, share personal stories, creative insights*, and the unique enduring message of Braveheart.
98.5 HD3 and the Five16 Film Festival present
Living the Braveheart Life; An Evening with Randall Wallace,
April 12,
7pm
Knight Performance Hall at the University of Northwestern – St. Paul.
Get your tickets now and help us celebrate the 30th anniversary of Braveheart.
Painting your face half -blue and yelling, “they’ll never take your freedom” is optional (although certainly not discouraged).
*Wallace is also known for writing, directing and/or producing many other films such as Secretariat, The Man in the Iron Mask, We are Soldiers, and Hurricane Ridge.

The Arcadian Wild in Concert!
2025-04-30 19:30 - 23:00 | Cedar Cultural Arts Center, 416 Cedar Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 55454
The MEL welcomes the Arcadian Wild!
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
Doors- 7p
Show- 7:30 P
The Cedar Cultural Center416 Cedar AvenueMinneapolis, MN, 55454
Tickets here

Welcome. It’s a word The Arcadian Wild hold dear, an invitation to be present, to let your guard down, to share in something deep and divine and communal.
“No matter who you are or where you come from, that word just makes you breathe a little easier. When you feel welcome somewhere, you can be yourself, you can be open to whatever the space and the moment have to offer. That’s how we want people to experience these songs.” – The Arcadian Wild

THE ARCADIAN WILD

The Arcadian Wild is a four-piece indie folk/pop group from Nashville, TN. Ledby songwriters Isaac Horn and Lincoln Mick and Bailey Warren on fiddle, The Arcadian Wild confidently inhabits and explores an intersection of genre, blending the traditional with the contemporary. Combining elements of progressive bluegrass, folk, and formal vocal music, The Arcadian Wild offerup songs of invitation; calls to come and see, to find refuge and rest, to journey and wonder, to laugh and cry, to share joy and community and singalong.The band’s 2023 album Welcome marks the start of a captivating new chapter for the genre-bending trio, who returned to the studio with renewed purpose and insight after devoting the last few years to a series of critically acclaimed singles and EPs. Like much of the band’s catalog, the album blur the lines between chamber folk and progressive bluegrass, drawing on everything from country and classical to pop and choral music with lush harmonies and dazzling fretwork, but this time around there’s a rawness to the writing, an embrace of candor and simplicity that cuts straight to the heart of things like never before. The result is perhaps the most arresting collection yet from a band known for its ability to stop listeners dead in their tracks, an exquisitely beautiful celebration of community, connection, and the power of belonging that feels tailor-made for these challenging times.
To learn more about The Arcadian Wild:

Bruce Cockburn: O Sun O Moon True North Tour
2025-05-05 18:00 - 2025-05-06 22:00 | Parkway Theatre, 4814 Chicago Ave, Minneapolis, MN, 55417, United States
The MEL welcomes Bruce Cockburn for two nights!

Monday, May 5 & Tuesday, May 6, 2025
6:30 pm Doors // 7:30 pm Music
All Ages

$65 ($79.63 w. taxes/fees) Premium Seating

$55 ($68.07 w. taxes/fees) Preferred Reserved Seating

$45 ($55.38 w. taxes/fees) Advance General Admission

$50 ($58 w. taxes/fees) At The Door General Admission

Ticket purchases are final and non-refundable
Facebook RSVP Monday, May 5
Facebook RSVP Tuesday, May 6

Monday, May 5 // BUY TICKETS

Tuesday, May 6 // BUY TICKETS

Revered Canadian singer-songwriter and activist Bruce Cockburn returns to The Parkway for two nights in support of his latest album, O Sun O Moon (True North), a collection of 12 new original songs that demonstrate the songwriting and guitar-playing skills that come from more than 55 years of artistry.

“Time takes its toll, but in my soul I’m on a roll,” Bruce Cockburn sings on his latest studio album, O Sun O Moon. Smart and catchy, it’s the kind of memorable line—like “gotta kick at the darkness ’til it bleeds daylight” from his classic song “Lovers in a Dangerous Time”—the world has become used to hearing from Cockburn.
An inspired poet and exceptional guitarist, the award-winning artist has spent his entire career kicking at the darkness with songs that tackle topics from politics and human rights to the environment and spirituality. And he’s not letting up. While other singer-songwriters his age are slowing down, Cockburn, on the eve of his 78th birthday, has released a dozen new compositions as powerful as any he’s written. You could even say his songwriting is on a roll as well.
Exquisitely recorded in Nashville with his longtime producer, Colin Linden, O Sun O Moon exudes a newfound simplicity and clarity, as Cockburn focuses on more spiritual than topical concerns this time around, looking back and taking stock. “I think it’s a product of age to a certain extent,” he explains, “and seeing the approaching horizon.” Then, lightening the tone, he adds with a laugh: “I think these are exactly the kind of songs that an old guy writes.”
Old or not, Cockburn exhibits a palpable urgency on the opening “On a Roll,” playing a driving resonator guitar with all the vigor of his veteran blues heroes. Similarly “To Keep the World We Know,” one of the album’s few explicitly topical numbers, bristles with Cockburn’s buzzing dulcimer as he and Inuk music star Susan Aglukark, with whom he co-wrote the song, sing about the growing threat of global warming.

Most of the songs strike gentler tones, from the jazz sway of “Push Come to Shove” and the folky drone of “Into the Now” to the string-laden “Us All” and the hymn-like “Colin Went Down to the Water.” The whimsical “King of the Bolero,” is unlike anything else on the album. Over a woozy clarinet and drunken, New Orleans-style horns, Cockburn paints a cartoon portrait of an oversized barroom musician “with a double chin all the way round his neck and a pot belly in the back.” Is it a dream or a figment of his imagination? In a gravelly voice, Cockburn leaves us guessing as he sings “it’s moon high noon—I’m not in my bed.”
As with so many Cockburn albums, the musicianship on O Sun O Moon is superb. Along with usual suspects Linden on guitar, Janice Powers on keyboards and Gary Craig on drums, the album features bassist Viktor Krauss, drummer Chris Brown, accordionist Jeff Taylor, violinist Jenny Scheinman, and multi-instrumentalist Jim Hoke. And Cockburn’s guest vocalists include Shawn Colvin and Buddy Miller as well as mellifluous singers Allison Russell, Sarah Jarosz, and Ann and Regina McCrary, daughters of gospel great Rev. Samuel McCrary, one of the founders of the Fairfield Four. The McCrary sisters shine brightest on the title track, whose full name is “O Sun By Day O Moon By Night.” They sing the euphoric chorus of the song which relates, during spoken verses, a dream Cockburn had in which he makes the journey to heaven. “In the dream, which was really powerful,” says Cockburn, “I see myself silhouetted on a ridge with this jar of blood pouring it on the soil. It wasn’t scary or disturbing at all.” Cockburn adds that he wrote the line “and if that sun and moon don’t shine” in the spirit of songs from the folk ballad “Mockingbird” to the blues number “Bo Diddley.”

The album’s jazzy closer, “When You Arrive,” finds Cockburn confessing to feeling his age when he sings “You’re limping like a three-legged canine, backbone creaking like a cheap shoe.” But it’s clearly a song of acceptance, about eventually slipping one’s mortal coil, as he’s joined on the chorus by all of his guest vocalists, singing “bells will ring when you arrive.”
O Sun O Moon includes just one song without vocals, “Haiku,” a four-minute showcase of Cockburn’s fleet-fingered guitar work, where his previous studio recording, 2019’s Crowing Ignites, was a collection of all instrumental numbers. In between those albums, Cockburn, the Order of Canada recipient, 13-time Juno Award winner and Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee released a 50th anniversary box set, greatest hits package and rarities collection.
Never one to rest on his laurels—even when, as he notes, “time takes its toll,” Cockburn keeps finding and conquering new challenges, never repeating himself in the process. “I just don’t want to ever keep doing the same thing,” he says. “I’m grateful that I can keep on doing anything at this point,” he adds. “My body doesn’t hold up and perform the way it once did.”
That may be so. But the legendary musician has just made his 38th studio album. And it may stand as one of his best of his long and storied career.
Website // Facebook

John Mark McMillan and the Cosmic Supreme Tour w/ Citizens
2025-05-27 19:00 - 22:00 | Fine Line, 318 North 1st Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 55401, United States
The MEL welcomes John Mark McMillan: The Cosmic Supreme Tour! With Special Guests Citizens!
May 27
7pm
The Fine Line
Tickets here!
John Mark McMillan is something of an anomaly: an artist and Platinum-selling songwriter bending genres and defying categorization by carving out his own unique and independent path. With an ear for melody and a poet’s eye for metaphor, no topic has been off-limits. While each of his albums over the past decade have continued to explore new territory, it’s McMillan’s ability to give lyric and language to the human experience that many consider his greatest gift.

Pierce Pettis in Concert Art House North
2025-07-25 18:30 - 21:30 | Art House North, 793 Armstrong Avenue West, St. Paul, MN, 55102, United States
98.5 HD3 theMEL.fm invites you to Art House North for an intimate concert evening with singer-songwriter Pierce Pettis.
After a lifetime of crafting finely-wrought, heart-touching songs, Pierce Pettis feels that he’s finally found his comfort zone. “The biggest change,” he says of this point in his career “has been getting over myself and realizing this is a job and a craft. And the purpose is not fame and fortune (whatever that is) but simply doing good work.”
Pierce Pettis is a true artist whose combined music and lyrics will touch your spirit, saying things your heart has felt but hadn’t yet put into words. He sings from a place of experience and humility. His graveled yet gentle voice lands right where you can feel it most.
Doors at 6:30PM
Concert at 7:00PM
Includes coffee and dessert!
Early Bird tickets are $20 until June 15, $25 after June 15th and $30 at the door (day of concert).

Andy Squyres and Sara Groves in Concert Westgate Church
2025-07-26 19:00 - 22:00 | Westgate Church, 705 County Rd 101, Plymouth, MN, 55447, United States
98.5 HD3 theMEL.fm welcomes Andy Squyres and Sara Groves in concert! In Every Season is a captivating evening of music featuring Andy Squyres and Sara Groves. In two acts, this event journeys through life’s depths and heights. Act 1 embraces suffering, loss, and perseverance, while Act 2 celebrates abundance, faithfulness, and gratitude. Their heartfelt songs weave a story of hope and reflection, connecting you to the beauty of every moment. Join us for a night that uplifts and inspires through the power of music.

Strings and Heart! 7th Street Entry! September 6!
2025-09-06 19:00 - 22:00 | 7th Street Entry, 701 First Avenue, Minneapolis, 55403, United States
98.5 HD3 theMEL.fm welcomes STRINGS & HEART! A band of 3 brothers…Angelo, Michael and Eric Espinosa from Tuscon, Arizona. From Relevant Magazine: Strings & Heart isn’t interested in being boxed into a genre. When asked how they describe themselves, they settle on “indie Christian”—a broad enough label to capture their ethos without limiting their sound. Their inspirations range from The Beatles and Nirvana to Switchfoot and The Beach Boys, and their music reflects that range. Some songs lean into surf rock, others veer toward indie pop. Their upcoming album, Plastic Wine, cements their identity in indie rock but the brothers remain open to evolution.
Strings and Heart says “The reason we make music, is for people to not only have an encounter with Jesus, but to truly follow him. We feel our generation is a generation of passion, looking for the truth. And so it excites us to share the Truth that we’ve encountered in Jesus through music.”

Madison Ryann Ward @ the Fine Line!!
2025-09-07 18:00 - 22:00 | Fine Line, 318 North 1st Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 55401, United States
theMEL.fm welcomes Madison Ryann Ward to the Fine Line! Sunday, September 7 at 7p. Doors open at 6p.

Fine Line
318 North 1st Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 55401(612) 338-8100
Get DirectionsOpens in new tab

Event Overview

BALCONY TICKET BUYERS must be 21+
ID required, no exceptions. This show is All Ages for all other GA Floor buyers.

Faith-based singer/songwriter Madison Ryann Ward’s voice delivers a warm, rich worshipful experience and her band absolutely smokes (!) with its chill jazz fusion folky vibe. MRW has become a MEL favorite with her mellifluous tone. She writes warmhearted Christ-centered songs that mix mature pop and contemporary R&B with accents of gospel, blues, jazz, and folk. Previously signed to Rick Rubin’s American Recordings, for which she cut the secular Beyond Me EP (2019), she has established herself as an independent artist with her own Zelda House Records, issuing a slew of singles before making her full-length debut with A New Thing (2023), a bright showcase for her commanding and understated voice. Here’s a concert from earlier this year!

Colony House at the Varsity!
2025-09-21 00:00 | The Varsity, 1308 SE 4th Street, Minneapolis, MN, 55414, United States
Colony House lead singer, Caleb Chapman, reflects on a conversation with his dad concerning the notion that he’s not sure if their new album is the best thing they’ve ever done or just more of the same – “And wouldn’t that be great…” his dad replies.
Colony House’s fifth studio album, 77, is both a sonic departure and a spiritual arrival; a retro-futurist meditation on eternity, nostalgia, and the invisible threads that hold us together. Rooted in the aesthetics of ‘90s sound, 77 finds the Franklin, Tennessee-raised four-piece—brothers Caleb and Will Chapman, alongside Scott Mills and Parke Cottrell—reaching beyond what can be seen, touched, or even easily explained.
“77, the number, means a lot of things to a lot of people,” Caleb explains. “Biblically, it’s the number of forgiveness. Spiritually, it represents reassurance and provision. For us, it’s become a symbol of eternal perspective—a lens to look at love, loss, and life with a little more intention and remind us that we are right where we’re meant to be.

Matthew Clark Concert: Friday Oct 3!
2025-10-03 18:00 - 21:00 | Autumn Grove Park, 1395 Lydia Ave West, Roseville, MN, 55113, United States
theMEL.fm welcomes singer-songwriter Matthew Clark in concert at Autumn Grove Park in Roseville Friday Oct 3 at 6pm. Matthew Clark crafts songs and stories steeped in scripture. His style will remind you of Andrew Peterson, Pierce Pettis, David Wilcox and James Taylor. He has recorded several full length albums, including a Bible walk-through called “Bright Came the Word from His Mouth” and “Beautiful Secret Life.” Matthew hosts a weekly podcast, “One Thousand Words – Stories on the Way”, featuring essays reflecting on faith-keeping. A touring musician and speaker, Matthew travels sharing songs and stories. Whether it’s a song, podcast, meal, or an essay, Matthew loves to “make things that make room for people to meet Jesus.”
Matthew just released the final album in his “The Well Trilogy” project: 3 full-length album/book combos releasing over 3 years. Each installment is made up of 11 songs and a companion book of 13 essays written by a variety of contributors exploring themes around encountering Jesus, faith-keeping, and the return of Christ.
Part One, “Only the Lover Sings” & Part Two, “A Tale of Two Trees” are available everywhere now!
Part Three, “Where the River Goes” is out now!

Tickets are $10 and $15 at the door: https://www.matthewclark.net/shop/matthew-clark-concert-at-autumn-grove-park-determans

Lecrae Reconstruction Tour w/ Miles Minnick & Gio, Oct 4!
2025-10-04 18:30 - 22:30 | Uptown Theatre, 2900 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 55408, United States
TheMEL.fm welcomes the Lecrae Reconstruction Tour with special guests Miles Minnick and Gio to the Uptown Theatre, Saturday October 4 at 630pm.
Tickets available through Ticketmaster
Why see LeCrae?

Thought-Provoking Hip Hop From A Fresh Perspective
As modern pop culture purveys the pursuit of hedonism, the mainstream success of a rapper who champions faith, monogamy, and spiritual well-being seems highly unlikely. Yet, Christian rapper, LeCrae has beaten the odds with multiple chart-topping albums and a Grammy award.
This multi-talented artist, producer, and actor rejects mainstream hip-hop’s gangsterism and antagonistic cliches yet never comes across as self-righteous. Polished production, skillful use of rhythm and scansion, and charismatic and athletic on-stage prowess means this is a show not to be missed.
