Mason Jennings played a sold out show at First Avenue in Minneapolis on December 27th, 2007. He usually plays First Ave every December, and this concert came closely after the soundtrack to I’m Not There was released, in which he provided two excellent Bob Dylan covers - Times They Are a-Changin’ and The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll. Surprisingly, both songs were left off the setlist.

Tegan and Sara, my favorite lesbian identical twin sister Canadian band, came to the Pantages Theatre in Minneapolis on November 30th, 2007, in support of their phenomenal record The Con. The album is on my best of 2007 list. They played a nice mix of this record and their older material.

Overall, the show was very good, with some minor distractions.

The first of which are intended for the crowd.

Much like Nancy Sinatra’s boots are made for walking, theater shows are made for sitting. You can stand for the encore only. Also, it’s not a free for all, and you can’t run up to the pit. Sorry kids. Stay off my damn lawn.

Ryan Adams is arguably one of the most talented singer/songwriters of his generation, and Easy Tiger will be at the top of my best albums of 2007 list. I guess with high expectations comes the greater probability of disappointment. He is prolific, averaging an album per year, with a wealth of unreleased material on the shelf that is finally being released as a boxed set. That being said, he has difficulties performing, especially in Minnesota. I think there’s a pill for that right?