It took them 19 years to finally release new songs, but fortunately it only took beloved Twin Cities rockers Semisonic about a year to finally reschedule their pair of COVID-delayed First Avenue gigs.
Semisonic announces January gigs at First Ave after COVID kept delaying its return
The two-night stand by the "Closing Time" hitmakers will double as the Current's 18th anniversary parties.
October 12, 2022 at 5:45PM
The enduring if only semi-active power-pop trio of "Closing Time" fame is slated to return to their old stomping grounds on Jan. 27 and 28. You know frontman Dan Wilson still loves his hometown when he's willing to leave the warm California sun to play here in the dead of winter.
Now billed as 18th anniversary parties for 89.3 the Current, the shows will go on sale Friday at noon via axs.com, with presale options for Minnesota Public Radio members and Semisonic mail-list subscribers Thursday. "Special guests" will be added to the gigs.
Semisonic was one of the last in the long line of bands opting to play it safe and cancel First Ave gigs as COVID fears lingered into the second half of 2021, when the group was slated to play a two-nighter in early September.
Those shows were already overdue. They were ostensibly intended to celebrate the band's first collection of new music since 2001, the five-song EP "You're Not Alone," which arrived in September 2020 at the height of lockdown and felt like a well-timed blast of comfort and contentment. It still sounds mighty good, too — so much so it would be totally welcome for the band to trim out a few oldies to play all those "new" songs. Wilson also just put out a lovely new solo EP, "Dancing on the Moon."
Even though Wilson, bassist John Munson and drummer Jacob Slichter were always careful to say they never broke up, Semisonic remained largely inactive in the 19-year interim between "You're Not Alone" and their last full album, 2001's "All About Chemistry."
Critics’ picks for entertainment in the week ahead.
