Outdoor music is back: Kiss the Tiger to headline the first forWARD concert of 2022
Rochester, get ready to rock and roll this week.
The forWARD Neighborhood Park Concert Series, sponsored by Mayo Clinic & The Current, kicks off on Wednesday, June 8 with a performance by the Twin Cities band Kiss the Tiger.
The free show begins at 5:30 p.m. at Cooke Park, 722 7th Street NW.
Formed in 2016, Kiss the Tiger blends the sounds of 70s rock and roll with other influences — from pop to punk — to produce a sound that has garnered acclaim across Minnesota.
In the time since coming together, Kiss the Tiger has shared the stage with the likes of Low Cut Connie, Lake Street Dive, and The Suburbs; and was a featured act at the 2019 Basilica Block Party in Minneapolis. In 2021, their song “Hold On To Love” off the album Vicious Kid was inducted into The Current’s Chart Show Hall of Fame after spending nine weeks at No. 1.
Lead singer Meghan Kreidler, who co-writes much of the music with her partner Michael Anderson, credits their ability to carve out a following in the Minnesota music scene to the band’s willingness to draw on their wide range of musical styles.
“I feel like all of our separate influences sort of meet together to form our sound,” Kreidler said of the band, which also includes Bridger Fruth, Paul DeLong, and Jay DeHut.
For the forWARD show, the Rochester audience can expect a high-energy, rocking performance, said Kreidler, who the Star Tribune has described as “one of Minneapolis' most commanding and magnetic live performers.”
“After playing with each other all of these years, we really feed off each other’s energy, and become this sort of five-headed monster that’s all moving and playing together,” she said.
Opening for Kiss the Tiger will be j. bell & the Lazy Susan Band, a Twin Cities rock and roll group with hints of Americana, blues, and country.
Admission to all forWARD neighborhood shows is free and open to the public. Blankets, lawn chairs, and coolers are welcome. There will also be two food trucks on hand: Taco Lab and Jersey Jo’s.
For a full summer concert lineup, visit Rochester Civic Music’s website.
