Meet the Class of 2024: Six young acts that are playing local arenas and stadiums this year

The large-scale concert industry roared back to life in 2022 and somehow got even bigger in 2023.

The short list of big names that visited the Twin Cities across those two years includes Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Billy Joel, Stevie Nicks, Roger Waters, Queen + Adam Lambert, Eric Clapton, Brandi Carlile, Diana Ross, Carrie Underwood. Pearl Jam, Luke Bryan, Janet Jackson, Pink, the Cure, Keith Urban, Shania Twain, Ed Sheeran, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Kenny Chesney.

In addition, massive acts like the Eagles, Elton John, Alan Jackson and KISS stopped by on their farewell tours, with Aerosmith (assuming they reschedule their dates) and Barry Manilow headed this way soon for what they say will be the final time.

Add in the sheer number of legacy acts about to follow them into retirement and it brings up a good question.

Who, exactly, will be the next generation of artists to fill local arenas and stadiums?

Well, here’s a look at a half dozen young acts set to perform in the coming months. They’re all 30 or under and appear far from peaking.

Olivia Rodrigo

Age: 20

The story: California native Olivia Rodrigo began taking acting and singing lessons in kindergarten and, by 12, was playing guitar. As a teen, she landed lead roles on the Disney shows “Bizaardvark” and “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.”

She signed a record deal in 2020 and released her debut single “Drivers License” in January 2021. Within a week, it broke Spotify’s record twice for most daily streams ever for a non-holiday song and went on to break another Spotify record for the first song in history to hit 80 million streams in 7 days. “Drivers License” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and went on to top the charts in two dozen countries around the world. In an interview with the New York Times, Rodrigo said: “It’s been the absolute craziest week of my life … My entire life just, like, shifted in an instant.”

Rodrigo found similar success with her next four singles — “Deja Vu,” “Good 4 U,” “Traitor” and “Brutal” — as well as her debut album “Sour” and her first tour, which sold out 49 dates in North America and Europe, including an April 2022 stop at the Armory in downtown Minneapolis.

An avowed Taylor Swift fan who calls herself the “biggest Swiftie in the whole world,” Rodrigo has also taken cues from rock music and claimed Minneapolis punk trio Babes in Toyland as an influence on her sophomore album “Guts.” It entered the charts at No. 1 in 14 countries and spun off the hits “Vampire,” “Bad Idea Right” and “Get Him Back.”

Details: 7:30 p.m. March 15; Xcel Energy Center, 175 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul; sold out; ticketmaster.com. Chappell Roan opens.

Bad Bunny

Age: 29

The story: Born Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, the rapper and singer known as Bad Bunny is the first non-English language act to stand as Spotify’s most streamed artist of the year, a role he held from 2020 to 2022, the latter of which also stands as the second biggest streaming year of any artist in Spotify history.

Growing up in Puerto Rico, Bad Bunny sang in the church choir and, at 14, began to write songs and upload them to SoundCloud. He landed a record deal in 2016 and had his mainstream breakthrough two years later when he guested on Cardi B’s No. 1 hit “I Like It.” Later that year, he returned to the charts with “Mia,” his own track with guest Drake.

After performing with Shakira and Jennifer Lopez at the Super Bowl halftime show in 2020, Bad Bunny went on to become a record-breaking star and leading force in getting Spanish-language songs onto American radio. From 2010 to 2017, 17 Spanish-language songs made it onto Billboard’s Hot 100. In 2023, more than 100 did, including every track on Bad Bunny’s fifth album “Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Manana.”

When he’s not making music, Bad Bunny wrestles at WWE events. In October, he served as both the host and musical guest on “Saturday Night Live.”

Details: 8 p.m. March 23; Target Center, 600 First Ave. N., Mpls.; $580.95-$151.95; ticketmaster.com.

Kane Brown

Age: 30

The story: A Tennessee native, Kane Brown turned to country music as a way to cope with his often chaotic childhood, which included frequent moves and occasional homelessness. By the time he graduated high school, he had developed his voice to the point that he was chosen to compete on “The X Factor,” but left the show when producers wanted him to perform as part of a boy band.

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In 2014, Brown began posting his own cover versions of country songs on Facebook. His takes on Lee Brice’s “I Don’t Dance” and George Strait’s “Check Yes or No” went viral and gave him the confidence to start releasing his own music. His 2015 EP “Closer” made it to No. 7 on the country charts and helped land him a deal with RCA Nashville.

“What Ifs,” his 2017 duet with his high school friend and “American Idol” alum Lauren Alaina, topped the country charts and paved the way for a dozen more Top 10 singles, including last year’s “Bury Me in Georgia.”

Brown’s upcoming tour includes his local debut as an arena headliner and stops at five stadiums, including Boston’s Fenway Park which he sold out last year.

Details: 7 p.m. April 19; Target Center, 600 First Ave. N., Mpls.; $299-$39.95; axs.com. Tyler Hubbard and Parmalee open.

Noah Kahan

Age: 27

The story: Raised on a tree farm in Vermont, Noah Kahan started writing songs at 8. He later applied and was accepted to Tulane University, but chose instead to focus on his music. In 2017, he signed a deal with Republic Records and went on to score a hit in 2019 with the single “Hurt Somebody.”

Kahan’s second album “I Was/I Am” was largely ignored in 2021. When he set out to make 2022’s “Stick Season,” he adopted a more pronounced folk-pop style that struck a chord with listeners. Thanks in part to TikTok, the title track became a worldwide hit, as did last year’s “Dial Drunk” with guest Post Malone.

Collaborating with other artists has become common for Kahan, who made “She Calls Me Back” with Kacey Musgraves, “Northern Attitude” with Hozier, “Everything, Everywhere” with Gracie Abrams and “Homesick” with Sam Fender. Kahan also guested on Zach Bryan’s single “Sarah’s Place,” a Top 5 hit on both rock and country radio.

Details: 8 p.m. June 7-8; Xcel Energy Center, 175 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul; $399-$224.50; ticketmaster.com.

Morgan Wallen

Age: 30

The story: With his upcoming tour, Morgan Wallen joins the extremely short list of acts — Kenny Chesney, Taylor Swift, Garth Brooks and (come August) Metallica — to have played two consecutive nights at one of the three Twin Cities stadiums.

Wallen emerged in 2014 as a contestant on the sixth season of “The Voice,” but was eliminated during the playoffs. He released his debut EP the following year and scored his first major hit with 2017’s “Up Down.” Nearly every single he’s released since has landed at either No. 1 or 2 on the country charts.

After releasing his debut album “If I Know Me” in 2018, Wallen hit the road and opened for Luke Bryan at Target Field that July. His sophomore effort, “Dangerous: The Double Album,” earned glowing reviews and was the biggest hit of any genre in 2021. Wallen got his first taste of U.S. Bank Stadium when he opened for Eric Church in 2022. The following year, he released his third album “One Thing at a Time,” a 36-song collection that has (so far) spawned seven singles.

But Wallen has come under fire for a number of events in recent years, starting in May 2020 when he was arrested outside Kid Rock’s Nashville bar for public intoxication and disorderly conduct. In 2021, the gossip website TMZ released a video showing Wallen using a racial epithet, just weeks after the release of “Dangerous.” Radio stations and streaming services temporarily dropped his music from their platforms, although the backlash didn’t affect his record sales. Last April, Wallen angered fans by canceling a concert in Mississippi just moments before he was set to take the stage.

Details: 6 p.m. June 20-21; U.S. Bank Stadium, 401 Chicago Ave., Mpls.; $699.75-$169.75; ticketmaster.com. Bailey Zimmerman, Nate Smith and Bryan Martin open.

Zach Bryan

Age: 27

The story: One of the most stunning aspects of country star Zach Bryan’s rapid ascent to headlining stadiums is that he did it largely outside of the traditional Nashville methods.

Bryan followed his family’s tradition of service when he enlisted in the Navy at the age of 17. He used his spare time to write and record music, which he began posting online in 2017. He self-released albums in 2019 and 2020 that landed on several Billboard charts as his single “Heading South” went platinum.

In 2021, he toured for the first time (and played a show at Fillmore Minneapolis that November), made his Grand Ole Opry debut, signed a major-label deal with Warner and was honorably discharged by the Navy to pursue music full-time after serving for eight years.

His 2022 single “Something in the Orange” hit No. 1 on both Billboard’s rock and country charts. His major-label debut album “American Heartbreak” went platinum and reached No. 5, while his self-titled follow-up entered the charts at No. 1. Bryan sold out Surly Brewing Festival Field in 2022 and Target Center in 2023.

Details: 8 p.m. Aug. 24; U.S. Bank Stadium, 401 Chicago Ave., Mpls.; $399.50-$269.50; axs.com. Turnpike Troubadours and SunDown47 open.