Music blasted from vehicle upon vehicle, grills were fired up, beer was ingested, cigars were smoked. Replacements fans came from far and wide to Midway Stadium Saturday night, and quickly figured out the art of tailgating. Talking about the passion, in words and photos:
Katie Seavy, Cleveland, Ohio, and Dylan Gonzalez, Bedlam Park, New Jersey, took in the pre-show party Friday night at the Parkway Theater in Minneapolis. “It’s my second time seeing them, my first time was in Toronto at Riotfest,” said Seavy. “I had to see them after 22 years of not being able to. The lyrics touch me in a certain way, like ‘Bastards of Young’ is like, ‘Yeah, we’re the underappreciated generation,’ and it makes me feel a little bit better about my station in life, I suppose.”
Caryn Rose, Brooklyn, New York, was first in line at Midway Saturday afternoon. “I got here at 11:45 this morning, gates open at 6. I had to be here. They were just like us. They were just normal guys and they somehow pulled it together and it was either magic or it was garbage or sometimes it was a little of both, so there was a lot of faith in going to see them, faith in sticking with them, and it sort of rewarded itself. And the songs have never gotten old for me.”
Rhett Arens, Stillwater, Kii Arens, Los Angeles, and Tom Sonick, North St. Paul.“I got to do a video for Glen Campbell for a song Paul Westerberg wrote, called ‘Ghost on a Canvas,’ ” said Kii Arens, who designed the official gig poster of Tommy Stinson and Paul Westerberg cartoonized as the Minnesota Twins shown on Sonick’s shirt. “I decided to continue where the ‘Bastards of Young’ video left off to reveal that Paul was actually just listening to Glen Campbell records, and in the process of working with him I think I kind of gained his trust a little bit and got in contact with Darren [Hill], who manages Paul and the Replacements, and he had a great idea to riff off – and rip off – the Twins logo. I just thought that was hilarious. I had to add the Twin/Tone logo on there, because I used to work at Twin/Tone in about ’94. I saw them at Coachella and I just think it’s amazing that their music doesn’t sound dated at all. By the time these five hundred cars leave this parking lot tonight, it’s gonna be the biggest singalong you’ve ever heard in your life.”
Kris Head, South Hampton, England.“This is my third visit to Minneapolis in under two years. I love the music, I love the history of the music [scene] in the Twin Cities. Please try and find me another city that has created as many influential bands that haven’t gotten credit as this place has. The Replacements music speaks to me more than any other band; the first time I heard ‘Unsatisfied,’ I thought, ‘This is a person who’s saying something that I completely understand.’ I had to get here for this show and this weekend.”
Ann Kellogg and Chris Begg, Owatonna.“I’m a Replacements fan due to my wife’s family,” said Begg. “She grew up with the Replacements, and today we were the 15th car waiting along Energy Park Drive to get into the parking lot, so we’ve got pole position here.” Said Kellogg, “In my family, we listened to the Replacements all the time – from getting ready for high school dances to blasting it on the way over here.”
Autry and Peter Jesperson, Los Angeles.“I think it’s about time these songs are being heard by a larger group of people than perhaps heard them in the past,” said Peter, the Replacements former manager and producer, now an executive with New West Records. “I think it’s the songs that have carried it this far, and it’s the songs that will carry it a lot further.” Said Autry, 12, “They’re awesome, I saw them in Denver. [I expect] nothing but the best. I’m sort of overwhelmed right now.”
Richard Doss, Minneapolis.“This is the show of all shows. We’re here to see the greatest band in the world prove once again that they’re the greatest live American rock & roll band in the world. We’re here to celebrate (famed Memphis producer) Jim Dickinson and the ‘Pleased to Meet Me’ legacy and the greatness that comes with it.”
Arin Sheahan and Glinda Askegaard, West St. Paul, were playing “Replacements four square” in the parking lot and attending their second Replacements concert. “I grew up with them,” said Askegaard. “I’m from Fargo, and followed them when I was in Fargo through the ’80s and ’90s. I love ’em and I’m so glad to be living down here and being able to see them today. I like them because they were rebels, and I love that.”
Rick Olsen, Hastings.“We’ve just opened up the martini kit to make Manhattans, because the last time I saw the Replacements was in Manhattan in 1986 at the Beacon Theater. I wish my kids could understand the teen angst that I had from the Replacements, because now they’re 12 and 14. I’ve bought them shirts tonight; I hope they get it, but I’m losing hope because they’re still listening to a lot of Disturbed and country [music], but I hope they someday understand the Replacements can get them through their teen years.”
Don and Doug Bratland, Northfield.“By the end of the night it felt like history was being rewritten, and they really were as huge a band as we always wanted them to be for all these years, and it seemed like everyone everywhere finally knew it,” said Don after the show.
Eric Lindbom, Los Angeles.“Come on, they did everything!” enthused Lindbom, who covered the Replacements in the early ’80s for the Twin Cities Reader. “I thought the show was tremendous. It was blowing my mind. I just thought it was great, I thought it was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen ‘em do. This was like a legacy-cementing show.”
Trey Coudret, Northfield, waiting for the parking lot to clear after the show. “I’m 13. I love the Replacements, and when my dad got tickets I asked him if I could go and he said yes. I thought tonight’s show was very good and I had a lot of fun. I took a lot of pictures. I liked the part when they put on the [St. Paul Saints] jerseys and I liked [‘Androgynous’] and ‘Unsatisfied’ a lot. It was pretty crazy, and I liked that they kept coming back out to play more songs.”