Minneapolis, MN
Review: Why was R&B icon Usher such a big tease in Minneapolis?
As the sound of electronic hand claps echoed throughout Target Center on Saturday night, R&B megastar Usher emerged at the top of a giant LED cube onstage. Oops. That wasn’t Usher. Then he showed up on a side-stage video screen, but not in person. C’mon. Finally, Usher arrived for real from beneath the stage, a wide-brimmed fedora obscuring his face, to deliver “Coming Home.”
What a tease, that Usher.
He teased throughout his relentless two-hour Past Present Future Tour concert that arrived in Minneapolis for a two-night stand. It was a frenetically paced, often exciting show that showcased Usher’s all-around talents as a supple singer, dynamic dancer, sparkling showman and, let’s be honest, irresistible tease.
Usher’s polished, highly entertaining spectacle bookended a week in Minneapolis that commenced with Stevie Wonder’s loose, musically magnificent and uplifting get-out-the-vote performance. The concerts provided a historical perspective on R&B: In the 1960s and ‘70s, Wonder serenaded about love and social issues while Usher’s updated brand from the ‘90s and this century is a lot sexier than “I Just Called To Say I Love You.”
In fact, to the surprise of none of the 14,000 fans at jam-packed Target Center, Usher got a little freaky in a strip-club setting during “Can U Handle It.” The singer tantalized female fans sitting in a choice section inside the club, dangling maraschino cherries over their lips. OMG every woman snatched one with her mouth. What a tease. And a gentleman of sorts, I guess. In some cases, Usher gave the cherries to husbands/boyfriends to do the honor.
Like LeBron James, who is about to turn 40 next month, Usher, 46, is amazingly still at the top of his game after a long run. Strikingly buff (he pulled off his tank top in mid-show), Usher danced with more ambition, articulation and athleticism than any other living bigtime singer who essays movement onstage. Locking and popping, stutter stepping, and moon-walking on roller skates, he did it all.
Vocally, Usher traveled from an intimate croon (“Confessions”) to an emphatic belt (“Yeah!”) with a sassy entreaty in between (“Bad Girl”) and, of course, a sweet falsetto (“Superstar”). To be fair, he may have been singing to tracks when he was exerting some strenuous dance moves.
And, as a showman, Usher created various transfixing tableaux onstage, from a roller rink to a living room with romantic drama, complemented by a series of runway-worthy outfits including a red floor-length faux-fur coat and a rhinestone-encrusted blue leather jacket emblazoned with Future Present Past on the back.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN — The Basilica Block Party has officially come to an end after more than 25 years as one of the Twin Cities’ best-known summer music events.
The Basilica of Saint Mary said this week that the final Block Party was held in 2024, “concluding an incredible run and leaving a lasting legacy in our community.”
“For over 25 years, the Basilica Block Party brought together an extraordinary spirit of music and community in the Twin Cities,” organizers said in a statement. “We are deeply grateful for the fans, the artists, and the support shown for our beloved Basilica.”
The event began in the 1990s as a fundraiser for the Basilica of Saint Mary and grew into a major outdoor music festival, drawing national acts and thousands of fans to downtown Minneapolis over the years.
While the Block Party is ending, the Basilica said it will continue hosting other events and community opportunities.
“The Basilica of Saint Mary continues to be a strong voice in our community and we look forward to new events and opportunities to build connections in the future,” organizers said.
The Basilica also pointed supporters to its “Restoring Beauty, Inspiring Hope” campaign, a comprehensive restoration and capital campaign aimed at preserving and renewing the historic church.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN — A 23-year-old Minneapolis man was sentenced Wednesday to 102 months in prison and 15 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to attempting to provide material support and resources to ISIS, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota.
Prosecutors said Abdisatar Ahmed Hassan tried to travel from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport to Somalia in December 2024 to join and fight for the foreign terrorist organization.
ISIS has been designated a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. secretary of state since 2014.
According to court documents cited by federal prosecutors, Hassan consumed and reposted ISIS propaganda, obtained bombmaking and weapons-related manuals, and communicated on social media with ISIS media wings and recruiters operating in Somalia.
The U.S. attorney’s office said Hassan bought a one-way ticket, left Minneapolis for Chicago on Dec. 29, 2024, and was prevented from continuing to Somalia after an interview by Customs and Border Protection’s Tactical Terrorism Response Team.
Prosecutors said he later continued researching ISIS attacks and posting pro-ISIS content online before the FBI arrested him on Feb. 27, 2025.
Hassan pleaded guilty Sept. 29, 2025, before Judge Donovan W. Frank, who imposed the sentence on April 22.
In the announcement, FBI Minneapolis Special Agent in Charge Christopher D. Dotson said, “Abdisatar Hassan took active steps in an attempt to join and support ISIS—a brutal foreign terrorist organization responsible for the violent deaths of thousands of innocent people.”
He added that the sentence “takes a would-be terrorist off the streets and sends a clear message that the FBI and our partners will unremittingly pursue anyone seeking to join or support a foreign terrorist organization.”
This case was investigated by the FBI, the Joint Terrorism Task Force, Customs and Border Protection and the New York Police Department.
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