Melissa Berman

The Twins hit a solid double with the inaugural TC Summer Fest. A complete, out-of-the-park home run, perhaps not, but it should be considered a success, due mainly in part to electric performances by each night’s headliners, and I and every other attendee with whom I spoke said they had a blast at the event. And to me, whether or not fans ultimately had a good time at the event matters most of all in judging its success. Target Field has hosted several other rock shows, including Journey and Def Leppard in 2018, the Eagles and Jimmy Buffett in 2018, and Weezer and Green Day last summer, but it has never hosted a full-on music festival. TC Summer Fest comes when other area festivals have shuttered or were canceled for 2023, including Walker Art Center’s Rock the Garden, Twin Cities Summer Jam, and the Basilica Block Party. This inaugural concert likely sought to capitalize on a Twin Cities market featuring no other rock festivals. On Friday night, despite playing in front of a noticeably sparse crowd (the Twins closed the entire upper deck and upgraded everyone with nosebleed tickets to better seats in the stadium), Las Vegas-based anthemic rockers The Killers brought down Target Field’s nonexistent roof: they opened with the ubiquitous anthem “Mr. Brightside,” which the Twins have perhaps not coincidentally been using as one of its stadium singalong songs this season, and followed it up with crowd-favorite hits like “Somebody Told Me,” “When You Were Young,” “Human,” and “All These Things That I Have Done,” which electric front man Brandon Flowers led the entire crowd in singing its refrain. Partway through the show, Flowers, who wore a dazzling, Princelike purple coat for most of the performance, introduced Prince’s “I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man” as a “nod” to our “hometown.” There were a few other local nods on Friday: one of the drummers of The Flaming Lips wore a "Win Twins" Minnie and Paul Twins t-shirt during their performance, and front man Wayne Coyne held up a giant balloon display that said "F--- Yeah Twin Cities," which he then tossed into the crowd. Supporting act Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard humorously acknowledged that they were playing at a baseball stadium by joking that he was getting distracted by all the good food smells. He said we probably had some sort of "f----- up" food like a "three-foot-long hot dog," (which, he's not off there- remember the Boomstick?) before requesting that the fans send him one backstage. On Saturday, a bigger crowd of 27,000, many families with children, filled Target Field for Imagine Dragons. The Twins opened up the upper deck for this day, and the Dragons dazzled the crowd with stadium-friendly hits like “Believer,” “Thunder,” and “I’m On Top of the World,” the last of which the Twins have used in the past as their in-stadium win song. The event had emcees, including local radio personalities, to introduce the musical acts, which was a nice touch. Overall, I was impressed with the logistics of the festival, and after having run many concerts there over the years, it was no wonder they had it down to a science. Security to get into the stadium was a breeze: completely smooth and fast with the help of the new Evolv scanners. On the field, there were drink vendors and a good number of portable bathrooms. Plenty of employees were down on the field checking tickets and helping answer questions. My only complaint was that there wasn’t anywhere to fill up a water bottle down on the field (though you could buy water), so at one point, I left the field to walk up the stairs and fill it at a drinking fountain. But the new, giant Target Field big screen provided an excellent way for those further from the stage to see the action, and I thought the stage setup, with on-field screens on either side of the stage, was fan-friendly. Friday's music acts all began almost exactly on time, which I greatly appreciated. Despite the musical acts being a success, there is room for improvement for next year, and I’m sure the event organizers will learn a lot from this year’s trial run. Among the issues, tickets were too expensive. When tickets went on sale in May, tickets for the standing pit in front of the stage were $239, floor seats were $219, and even the cheap seats in the upper deck were $74, all before fees. The argument could be that people are getting five musical acts for their money, but this was enough to dissuade some of the more casual music fans I know who perhaps would have been interested in swinging down to the stadium to see Death Cab for Cutie, for example, but were not willing to pay top dollar. Then the Twins began running a 50% off ticket sale for at least the last month before the show, after I had bought pit tickets to see my lifelong favorite band, The Killers, on Friday night. Oh well. The Twins were pushing ticket sales up until the day of the event, and based on the empty seats, I can see why. Other issues are that TC Summerfest also took place on the same weekend as the sold-out Lakefront Music Festival in Prior Lake (not the planners' fault; they had to schedule it during the All Star Break); some online said that they had hardly heard about the festival, even though video board ads inside the stadium during games were almost omnipresent; and second-on-the-Saturday-bill AJR backed out with a couple of weeks until the festival (this is of no fault to the festival organizers either, but it certainly didn’t help sell last-minute tickets). There is also the issue that the first musical act started at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, a day when many were working. On Friday, local group Yam House and indie pop band Cannons played in front of a sparse crowd before fans arrived for Death Cab for Cutie at 6 p.m. Saturday started at the same time, but at least it was a weekend. Other fans on social media were less than enthused with Saturday’s lineup in particular, though this was the more-attended day of the two. Though music acts are a matter of personal preference, to many, at least three or four of the acts on Saturday were new names to them. There is nothing wrong with discovering new music at a festival and not every single name needs to be A-list, especially in the first year of a festival that is just trying to get its feet wet, and yet, people would likely not want to pay $100-$200 for that. And then there is the fact that Summerfest, the nationally-renowned, mega three-weekend music festival in Milwaukee, has filed a lawsuit against the Twins for trademark infringement for the use of the term “Summer Fest,” While I don’t think that many people are going to confuse the two events (though Summerfest thinks so), I wonder why the Twins chose that name, which is regionally-synonymous with Milwaukee’s bash, and why they didn’t choose something like the Target Field Summer Jam or even more generally the Target Field Music Festival (this is what I was referring to it as with my friends who hadn’t heard of the event). Hopefully, the event will be back and even better next year, and the event organizers learn from some of this year’s growing pains and make it even bigger and better. It really is nice to have another local music festival right in town in a landscape with so few nearby, and I applaud the Twins for being ambitious and taking on a music festival. Indeed, I know how difficult it is to make a go of it with music festivals- this past spring. Racket MN did a great story on what happened to all the MN music festivals. But overall, the organizers threw a pleasant, enjoyable music festival experience for fans, I had a blast, and the event staff and planners deserve to put on a collective "Land of 10,000 Rakes" vest for this one. - - Did you attend the inaugural TC Summer Fest? What were your impressions? Let us know in a COMMENT below.

In sports like the NFL, unveiling the following year's schedule is an event in itself, where the "Schedule Release" is preceded by days of speculation, leaks, and fans rushing to book airfare. For Major League Baseball, it is less of a spectacle because fans know every team plays every opponent, but now Twins fans can start planning because the Twins announced their 2024 schedule with a tweet on Thursday during the All-Star Break. Here are some of the takeaways. For the second year in a row, the Twins open the season in Kansas City vs. the Royals on March 28 (all 30 MLB teams will begin this day). The Twins then host division rival the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday, April 4 for the 2024 Home Opener. The Twins play the most home games of any month of the season in May, a whopping 17. In 2023, the Twins hosted 16 home games in April, the most of any month. The Twins have their longest homestand in June, where they will host the Rockies, Athletics, and Rays in back-to-back-to-back series for a 10-game homestand (with a Monday off-day mixed in). Fans have been clamoring for a weekend border battle vs. the Brewers, and every year the Milwaukee series is one of the busiest, most electric, and rowdy of the season at Target Field. Parking is tough to come by, the concourses are packed, and Brewers Blue in the stands is plentiful. In 2023, the series took place in front of big crowds on its usual Tuesday and Wednesday, and fans wondered how much bigger the crowd would be if it took place on the weekend. Fans can wonder no more: the Twins host the Brew Crew directly following the now-five-day All-Star break on Saturday, July 20, and Sunday, July 21, 2024. You should try to find a parking spot right about now. The Twins also host the always-well-traveling Toronto Blue Jays at the end of summer on August 30-September 1. If the Twins keep up with their new Thursday postgame concert tradition, fans might want to keep an eye on June 13 and June 20, the only two Thursdays they play at home during the summer outside of July 4, which occurs on a Thursday in 2024. The Twins are on the road for Mother's Day and Labor Day 2024. They play at home on Memorial Day, Father's Day, and Independence Day. You'll have to take Mom out to another game. Thanks to the new balanced schedule format, the Twins will host several star-studded NL teams like the Dodgers, Phillies, and Braves at home in 2024 after playing them on the road in 2023. Notable road trips include the Twins visiting the Pirates' PNC Park June 7-9, the San Diego Padres at Petco Park August 19-21, and the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park July 12-14, where Twins fans can hopefully watch Byron Buxton hit one into the San Francisco Bay (as of this writing, opponents have hit 54 so-called "splash hits" into McCovey Cove, and 100 by Giants players. This writer fondly remembers being on a family trip to San Francisco, watching Barry Bonds up to bat and seeing boats floating in the bay in the outfield, hoping to catch one of his splash hits). Twins fans looking to road trip to see the Twins play nearby can see the Twins play the Brewers at American Family Field right off the bat on April 2 and 3 (at least they have a roof), historic Wrigley Field August 5-8, and the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Park April 29-May 1, and July 8-10. The Twins close out the season at home with a six-game homestand vs. the Marlins and Orioles, and they do not play any games in October- except playoff games, right? _ _ _ What do you think of the Twins' 2024 schedule? Are there any games, road trips, or opponents you're particularly excited about? Let us know in a COMMENT below.

Monday night’s series opener was the hottest game of the year so far (the day’s high was a humid 95 degrees), and there was a beautiful canopy of fast-moving clouds above as storms blew in elsewhere in the metro but thankfully stayed clear of Target Field. Late in the game, a lightning storm in the distance lit up the sky above Target Field’s right field and the downtown skyline. I used the burst mode on my phone to capture some incredible photos of the lightning flashes. At first, when I saw the lightning, I was worried that they would pause the game, but officials must have deemed the lightning was far enough away not to pose a safety risk (we never heard any thunder), and they never stopped the game. The Twins followed up this lightning with sparks of their own by piling on the runs in the eighth inning- five of them. It was about the loudest I've heard Target Field this year! The Twins batted around the order- Edouard Julien started the inning with a home run and then was the third and final out of the inning. Commence talk in the stands of if it's considered batting around when Julien is up to bat a second time, or if it's considered batting around when the batter before him, Byron Buxton, is up. They put the beloved Tony Oliva on the "Flex Cam," which both he and the crowd got a big kick out of. It's so heartwarming to see how much Tony O makes it out to the ballpark; I've been walking around the concourse and just happened to run into him three times this year, not to mention all the other games he's surely been at. Our organization is truly so lucky to have him as an ambassador and fixture at Target Field. The Twins celebrated the 4th of July on Monday the 3rd with an impressive postgame fireworks show. Fans from the outfield packed into the lower deck to take in the display, set to American-themed music like "Party in the USA" by Miley Cyrus. I noticed that a number of Twins players (I specifically spotted Sonny Gray and Bailey Ober) stayed on the field for the show to watch with their families, which I thought was really cute. I’m always impressed by the Twins’ postgame firework displays; they are lengthy- a solid 15+ minutes- and have an impressive variety of firework types and fun music. If you missed this show, the Twins have a fireworks show after every Friday home game during the summer, and I thought this show was quite similar. Friday night fireworks shows often have a theme, like Prince songs for Prince Night, and there is no backdrop more beautiful than the city skyline. Even though it was the 4th of July, the Twins continued their T-Shirt Tuesday Artists Series by handing out 5,000 of this adorable 4th of July-themed Twins shirt designed by local artist Philipo Dyauli. The vibrant colors on these shirts pop, and the cotton candy, foam finger, and other cute ballpark treats evoke a sense of childhood ballpark nostalgia. The feeling I get looking at this shirt reminds me of how I feel watching the 4th of July scene from The Sandlot. The Twins handed out two sizes of shirts, a medium and an extra large, a trend I appreciate in-stadium giveaways (rather than just handing out an XL to everyone, even little kids). Despite the size options, I chuckled seeing a few kids waddling around the stadium wearing a size medium like a dress. I arrived at the stadium at 11:30 a.m. when the gates opened and scored a shirt easily. By about 11:50 a.m., I noticed the gate I was near was handing out their last few shirts. Props to the Twins for the fun giveaway and the beautiful design- the only complaint is that they could’ve made an exception for the holiday and handed out more than 5,000 of them. There were many fan comments on the Twins' posts promoting the shirts in the leadup to the game asking if there was a way they could buy one. I did a quick search on eBay and of course I found a couple listings for these shirts- $17.50 and $17.99. The 4th of July’s game was just about as quintessentially American as you can get- Dollar Dog Day at a baseball game on the 4th of July! Every Tuesday is Dollar Dog Night at Target Field, and I was happy to see they still had it on the 4th. No word if anyone at the game tried to outdo Joey Chestnut, who ate 62 hot dogs during the Nathan’s Hotdog Eating Contest at the same time as the Twins game. I noticed that Twins have played at home on almost every holiday this year: Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, the Fourth of July, Juneteenth and July 4th. I'm glad my family is willing to plan our gatherings around Twins games! Carlos Correa had his 1,000th career hit on Tuesday afternoon! The crowd gave him a loud ovation when the Target Field video board displayed a beautiful graphic. I asked one of my friends sitting near me whose hat he thinks Correa will be wearing on his Hall of Fame plaque. He answered the “Astros” immediately because Correa won a championship and played seven years with them, but he could play even longer in Minnesota. We concluded that he will probably wear the cap of whichever team he accomplishes more with. Why not you, Twins? Wednesday night’s series finale belonged to Pablo López, who pitched an absolute masterclass of a complete game shutout, the second from the Twins in two weeks (Joe Ryan also pitched one at home on June 22). At first, I was unsure if López would come out for the ninth; Duran had not pitched in days, and with an off day on Thursday, I thought they might try to utilize him. I saw Duran take off his warmup shirt after the eighth and do a few arm exercises, but then he never actually threw, and I knew López would be back out to finish the job. The crowd gave López a much-deserved massive ovation when he came out from the ninth. I noticed that the Twins let him take the field alone, which I thought was thoughtful. After the last out, a flyout to center, López tipped his hat and saluted the crowd. Byron Buxton ran out and placed the Land of 10,000 Rakes fishing vest on him, and López looked out at the crowd, beamed, and promptly received an ice bath from the other starting pitchers. López was the one who bought the vest for the team, in fact. It seemed the microphone was a bit affected by the water, so it was a little difficult to hear his postgame interview over the speakers, but it was apparent that he was overjoyed and grateful for the fans. I received a pack of baseball cards when I walked into the game Wednesday. I was pleasantly surprised because I had looked at the promotional schedule and saw no giveaways for the game. Up next is Carlos Correa bobblehead day on Friday (the first time I recall a bobblehead game occurring on a weekday), and Saturday's game features a lightbulb exit giveaway for all fans. That’s all for now- see you around the ballpark for the Orioles series this weekend! _ _ Did you get to any of this electric Fourth of July series? What were your observations? Let us know in a COMMENT below.

Following the Twins' 8-4 series-opening loss to the Detroit Tigers, hip hop artist and rapper T-Pain performed a full-length, 70-minute concert on the Target Field infield. The show got underway about 25 minutes after the game ended and concluded at 10:21 p.m (in stark contrast to last year's inaugural Target Field postgame concert, where country artist Cole Swindell finished his set at the stroke of midnight). Only a little over a minute after the last pitch, stage crew members sprang into action and wheeled out a pre-assembled stage. T-Pain walked onto the field to massive cheers as a countdown-type intro video played on the stadium big screen. Wearing a custom "T-Pain" #5 jersey in the new home white style, the Florida rapper sang all the hits, like "Up Down," "Cyclone," "Good Life," "Booty Work," "Bartender," and even mixed in "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey and "War Pigs" by Black Sabbath- which he sang to end his set. Perhaps the largest cheers of the night came when T-Pain performed his biggest hit, "Buy U a Drank." T-Pain spoke directly to the crowd a few times during the night with a beautiful, smooth speaking voice similar to his singing voice- no autotune needed. Near the beginning of the show, he urged fans to be grateful for all they have and that everyone could be together at the show. Fan Sarmed Lafta stuck around with friends for the entire set and enjoyed T-Pain's show. "There should be a concert after every game," Lafta said. Although the stadium was mostly-empty at first pitch, fans continued to pour into the game throughout the evening, and by the end of the game, the majority of the stadium, outside of some of the 300-level seats, were full. After the game, most of the fans who stayed for the show packed into the lower level, where nearly everyone stood on their feet for the whole set. The show was free for fans who had a ticket to the game. Fans who bought a special ticket package watched the concert from the infield dirt directly in front of the stage, located in the grass behind second base. Fencing the Target Field Grounds Crew set up kept fans off the infield grass. The postgame concert brought a couple of changes to the Twins game. Rather than starting at the usual 6:40 p.m., first pitch was at 6:10. Twins Fans could also "Buy [Themselves] a Drank" during the entire game and 30 minutes into the concert rather than being cut off from alcohol sales in the eighth inning like a normal game. Even though it was a beautiful summer evening, the post-game show drew in many more young fans who otherwise may have not gone to a weekday battle vs. the typically-lowly Detroit Tigers. The last couple of seasons, the Twins have tried out several ideas to get young fans into the ballpark, including adding Happy Hour games on some Fridays with drink deals, continuing offering the Twins Pass and Student Day deals, and bringing in artists popular with Millennials and Gen-Z for postgame shows. Shayla is a Twins season ticketholder who stuck around after the game for the concert. She sees the Twins' new tradition of offering postgame shows as a smart way to bring in new fans. "It’s a really cool way to get people out to the park that may not have come out on a Thursday night against the Tigers. It’s also an opportunity to grow the fanbase, as I’m sure there are some people that only came out tonight for the concert," said Shayla. "And T-Pain, or any other artist that performs after a game, may leave here tonight with a few new fans as well." _ _ Did you stick around for the post-game concert? What did you think of the show/ the Twins' new tradition of hosting post-game concerts? Let us know in a COMMENT below.