Twin Cities Music Fans Gearing Up For Basilica Block Party

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- It's a massive weekend for music fans in the Twin Cities, with Kenny Chesney playing Target Field Friday evening, Bruno Mars is at the Xcel Energy Center on Sunday, and the Midtown Global Festival all weekend.

But for others, the biggest event of the weekend is the Basilica Block Party in downtown Minneapolis, which takes place Friday and Saturday.

The two-day festival will have, among its headliners, Grace Potter and The Nocturnals, Matchbox Twenty, Matt Nathanson and Raphael Saadiq. The Goo Goo Dolls and Cloud Cult are also among the big names on this year's slate.

Among the artists you won't see at the Block Party this year are Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings. They canceled their album release and their 2013 tour, which included headlining at the Block Party, after Jones revealed that she has been diagnosed with stage-one bile duct cancer.

Overall, 19 acts were selected for the event -- symbolic of the 19 years for the popular music festival. Parking is going to be a challenge in Minneapolis with both Chesney concert and the Block Party. Gates for the Kenny Chesney concert open at 4 p.m., and grounds for the Basilica Block Party open at 5 p.m.

Folks trying to get out of Minneapolis after work are going to have a rough time, and with tens of thousands expected at these two events, getting in and finding parking is going to be a challenge, too.

If you want to avoid parking altogether, remember that light rail is an option.

Tickets are still available at The Electric Fetus, through Ticketmaster, by phone at 800-745-3000, and in-person at all Ticketmaster locations.