Minneapolis, MN
Review: Nothing but praise for Jovonta Patton's gospel music at First Avenue
There were a few firsts on Friday night at First Avenue:
· First concert headlined by a pastor with No. 1 gospel records.
· First time a headliner’s three daughters, ages 8 and younger, opened.
· First time a headliner’s wife had to come from backstage to spontaneously preach when the band was having technical difficulties.
This was after Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey had given an enthusiastic declaration of Jovonta Patton Day in the Mill City.
Patton, who turns 34 next month, was born and raised in north Minneapolis. He started singing in church at age 4, writing songs at 6 and directing a youth choir when he was in middle school. Having performed professionally since age 16, he has sung with Stevie Wonder, Beyoncé and Kirk Franklin, among others. He’s landed at No. 1 on Billboard’s gospel charts six times since 2016.
Patton has offered the national anthem at Timberwolves and Vikings games, hosted a gospel radio show on KMOJ and founded a youth choir, Deliverance For Youth (DFY). He operates the Wave, a pop-up worship service in Minneapolis.
Like most local musicians, Patton had gigging at First Avenue on his bucket list. A savvy marketer, he lined up a proclamation from the mayor, some quick-hitting but captivating opening acts and T-shirts printed with his name inside one of First Avenue’s stars that cover the legendary club’s façade. And he arranged for a short runway from the stage so he could be among the faithful.
Minneapolis rapper Maya Marchelle warmed up with some righteous hip-hop verses and then came PG3, Patton’s three daughters singing about bubblegum. Next the mayor touted Patton for his singing like an angel, delivering uplifting messages and making Minneapolis a better place.
And Patton and his crew — eight musicians, 10 singers, four dancers onstage and seven more in the pit in front of the stage — did just that, hitting it hard with the medley of “Favor in the Jungle” and “When Praises Go Up” (“blessings come down”). But shortly into “Praises” the sound of the bass and drums came down, and the concert came to a halt.
Unfazed, Patton called out his wife Symone and handed her the microphone. She tore into some breathlessly fiery testimony, her voice growing raspier as she preached. “It’s not just a concert,” she proclaimed. “It’s a moment.”
After her five-plus minutes of praise, the sound was fixed, and Patton started from the top. Now all was right with the sound and video, and all was right with the moment.
Patton, a reedy bari-tenor with an elastic voice, offered a new song, “Don’t Find It Strange,” which he said was styled like Prince, the Time and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. It did get a little funky near the end and then Patton danced the Bird a la Morris Day of the Time.
Patton’s nearly two hours onstage felt like part concert, part worship service. His modern gospel songs evolved into long musical testifying, whether it was Patton or his powerhouse guest vocalists — Melissa Bethea from Houston, Jabari Johnson from Chicago or Tyree Miller from Philadelphia. Patton also engaged in call-and-response with his singers onstage, sometimes with the 800 people in the audience or with the 20-some members of DFY who joined him for the encore.
While delivering messages of praise or simply positivity, Patton was a fireball of passion. So sunny, so uplifting, so spirited. Just like Mayor Frey said in his proclamation.
At night’s end, Patton gave a shout out to the Sounds of Blackness, James Grear, the Steeles, Jamecia Bennett and other Twin Cities gospel singers that came before him. “If I forgot anyone,” said the singing pastor who is proud to be among them, “charge it to my head, not to my heart.”
Minneapolis police said a 69-year-old man was found dead after a shooting inside a north Minneapolis home. Chief O’Hara said Wednesday, officers responded at about 8:48 p.m. to a report of a shooting and found the man inside a residence on Bryant Avenue North, near 48th Ave. North
Police said he had an apparent fatal gunshot wound. Officers secured the scene and canvassed the area.
Police said homicide investigators are working to determine what led up to the shooting and, at this point, it does not appear random. “This is a tragic loss of life,” said Chief O’Hara. “Our thoughts are with the victim’s family and loved ones. We need anyone who may have information about what happened to come forward.”
Anyone with information can email policetips@minneapolismn.gov or call 612-673-5845 to leave a voicemail. People who want to stay anonymous can contact CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or submit a tip online at www.CrimeStoppersMN.org. Police said tips leading to an arrest and conviction may be eligible for a financial reward.
Eight-time Grammy winner Kacey Musgraves will return to the metro Sept. 22 to headline Target Center in downtown Minneapolis.
Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. May 8 through Axs. American Express card holders have access to a presale starting at 10 a.m. May 5.
A Texas native, Musgraves spent years trying to establish herself, self-releasing several albums and competing on the long-forgotten “Nashville Star” in 2007. In 2012, she finally landed a deal with Mercury Nashville and hit the road with Lady Antebellum. Her 2013 major-label debut, “Same Trailer Different Park,” earned rave reviews and adoring fans thanks to Musgraves’ likable singles, including her breakthrough “Follow Your Arrow,” the rare country hit about tolerance.
Her second album, 2015’s “Pageant Material,” covered similar territory, but Musgraves took a bold move toward pop music with 2018’s widely acclaimed “Golden Hour.” It went on to win all four of its nominated categories at the Grammy Awards, including album of the year and best country album.
In 2021, Musgraves released “Star-Crossed,” which examined her painful divorce from fellow country singer Ruston Kelly. She opened her first arena tour at the former Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul the following year. “I Remember Everything,” her 2023 duet with Zach Bryan, entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 1, making it the first country duet to do so since “Islands in the Stream” by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers.
On Friday, Musgraves will issue “Middle of Nowhere,” an album that finds her “leaning intentionally into open space and traditional western elements, and as always, earnestly examining the human experience.”
It features collaborations with Willie Nelson, Miranda Lambert, Billy Strings and Gregory Alan Isakov. She has invited three Texas mariachi brothers who were recently detained and released by ICE to open for her this weekend at a series of shows in her home state.
Minneapolis apartment plagued by rowdy teens
Tenants at a Minneapolis apartment complex say they’re fed up with rowdy teenagers partying in and hanging around their building. FOX 9’s Mike Manzoni explains the nuisance.
(FOX 9) – Residents in the Uptown neighborhood said they are frustrated and scared after a group of teenagers broke into their apartment building and caused chaos over the weekend.
Tenants describe chaotic scene at Uptown apartment complex
What we know:
Tenants at The Venue on Knox Apartments said a group of teenagers broke through the front door late Saturday night and got inside the building.
“They smashed the front of the building. The entire door was smashed,” said a tenant, who did not want to share his name. “As soon as I saw that was happening, I got out of there.”
Once inside, tenants said the teenagers threw a loud party on the roof.
“Very loud parties. I hear them at night. They have emcees. They’re shouting, barking orders,” the tenant recounted. “I didn’t know where that was coming from. The fact that it was on the rooftop, and I’m on the second floor, like that I could hear it, just shows it’s really out of hand.”
Police said someone pulled the fire alarm, forcing everyone outside in the middle of the night.
After that, a tenant said he was attacked by a group of at least 10 teenagers, causing injuries to his head, arms and body.
City leader, police respond to concerns
Local perspective:
In a statement on Tuesday, City Council Member Elizabeth Shaffer referred to the teenagers as “urban explorers” and said they are trespassing and causing problems in Uptown.
“There have been these cases of ‘urban explorers’ who scale to rooftop patios, are trespassing and creating havoc… Authorities are working together to put in place some strategies to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” she said.
Police said they documented the property damage, but have not made any arrests.
The chaos that unfolded over the weekend came just days after city leaders announced new plans to address crime in the Uptown neighborhood.
Tenants said apartment management has not addressed the incident.
“They haven’t sent us a single email. I thought there would be emails. I thought there would be phone calls to us. They’ve been completely unresponsive,” said a tenant.
Apartment management did not respond to a request for comment.
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