Skyline Music Festival review: Not quite ready to rock

Posted: 08/08/2014 12:01:00 AM CDT

Updated: 08/08/2014 11:13:28 PM CDT

Indie rock and Major League Baseball aren't the most obvious pairing, but that didn't stop Target Field from venturing into the world of mumbling, bearded guys with guitars Friday for the first night of the two-night Skyline Music Festival.

Last summer's inaugural festival offered a scaled-back setting with the stage in foul territory near third base. The '90s-centric lineup of Soul Asylum and Matthew Sweet drew a capacity crowd of about 6,700. Officials expanded Skyline to two evenings this year and partnered with 89.3 The Current to book Friday's lineup. (Melissa Etheridge and O.A.R. are on tap for the more traditional second show Saturday.)

The Current's Rock the Garden festival does big business each summer, and Friday brought to mind 2008's Rock the Garden, which also featured the New Pornographers and Andrew Bird. But don't mistake it for Rock the (Target) Field.

A meager, if appreciate, crowd perhaps a third the size of last year showed up Friday. That's roughly enough people to fill the nearby State Theatre. Indeed, it felt like there were more Target Field employees on site than paying customers when local electronics whiz Martin Dosh took the stage at 5:30 p.m. for a breezy 20-minute set of instrumental jams.

Fans slowly filtered in as Bon Iver's Sean Carey led his band through a quietly intense and precise set of piano-led soft rock songs, occasionally with added xylophone. Such deliberate, moody music cast an odd shadow over the proceedings, making it feel more like the private party of a mega-rich indie-rock fan who rented the place out for his birthday.

The third act, San Francisco's Thao and the Get Down Stay Down, brought some much needed levity, thanks to some off-kilter pop songs and the first loud guitars of the show. Vocalist Thao Nguyen also marveled at her unusual surroundings, telling the crowd: 'This is as close as I'll ever get to being in 'A League of Their Own.' '

Canadian supergroup the New Pornographers kept that spirit going, with Carl 'A.C.' Newman announcing they'd be back to play First Avenue on Nov. 12, even though 'I prefer playing major league ballparks.' He also cracked a joke about the kiss cam, and an up-for-it cameraman soon took to the stands and found a few couples willing to smooch up on the big screens.

In terms of pure fun, the New Pornographers won the evening, which makes perfect sense as the band's finest work relies on '70s-style power pop and shimmering vocal harmonies. Songs like 'Use It' and 'The Laws Have Changed' gave the crowd free rein to get up and dance in an evening otherwise heavy on furrowed brows.

An honorary Minnesotan whose band includes several locals (including opener Martin Dosh), Illinois' Andrew Bird grew up listening to classical, Irish and Scottish folk, bluegrass and jazz, and those influences have followed him throughout his career. Seemingly oblivious to his surroundings, Bird turned in the same studied, mannered performance he would in any other venue, large or small. Joined by alt-country chanteuse Tift Merritt, Bird proved to be the ideal way to end what feels like it may be Target Field's final dalliance with such nontraditional fare.

Pop music critic Ross Raihala can be reached at 651-228-5553. Follow him at http://ift.tt/1piYlCn.

Entities 0 Name: Andrew Bird Count: 2 1 Name: Martin Dosh Count: 2 2 Name: New Pornographers Count: 2 3 Name: Irish Count: 1 4 Name: Bon Iver Count: 1 5 Name: Melissa Etheridge Count: 1 6 Name: Thao Nguyen Count: 1 7 Name: Thao Count: 1 8 Name: Illinois Count: 1 9 Name: Newman Count: 1 10 Name: Sean Carey Count: 1 11 Name: Carl Count: 1 12 Name: San Francisco Count: 1 13 Name: O.A.R. Count: 1 14 Name: Matthew Sweet Count: 1 15 Name: Tift Merritt Count: 1 16 Name: Bird Count: 1 17 Name: Ross Raihala Count: 1 Related 0 Url: http://ift.tt/1nAAXvI Title: Live Stream - Bloodstock Festival 2014 Description: LIVE broadcast schedule from the Ronnie James Dio Stage: 8th of August Bloodshot Dawn - 11.00am Entombed AD - 12:00 Primordial - 13.05 Flotsam & Jetsam - 14:10 Prong - 15.20 Triptykon - 16.35 Dimmu Borgir - 19.30 Down - 21:15 9th of August Evil Scarecrow - 11.00am Shining -