The Current

Great Music Lives Here ®
Listener-Supported Music
Donate Now
An Evening with The Violent Femmes
An Evening with The Violent FemmesImage provided by promoter.

The Current presents An Evening With Violent Femmes

Sunday, May 12
6:30 pm

Palace Theatre

17 7th Place West Saint Paul, 55102

An Evening with Violent Femmes

Information | Tickets

Enter for a chance to win passes to this show.

The Current is pleased to offer a ticket giveaway to this concert. Enter by noon on Monday, May 6 for a chance to win a pair of passes to this concert. ONE (1) winner will receive two guest list spots to Violent Femmes on May 12.

This entry is now closed. Congratulations to the lucky winner!

You must be 13 or older to submit any information to Minnesota Public Radio. The personally identifying information you provide will be used only in ways consistent with our privacy policy. See Terms of Use and Privacy.

The Violent Femmes

Violent Femmes formed in 1981 as an acoustic punk band playing on the streets of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Their main influences at that time were Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps and The Velvet Underground. Their goal was to rock harder than any other acoustic act on the planet.

After being rejected for an audition by a local nightclub, the Femmes set up outside a Pretenders gig and began to play. Pretenders’ lead singer Chrissie Hynde asked them to open that night’s show, which gave the young band a publicity boost and caught the attention of Richard Hell, who invited the Femmes to open for him in NYC. A rave review in the New York Times eventually led to a record deal, which in turn spawned worldwide touring.

Violent Femmes eponymous debut album became the first and only album in Billboard history to enter the charts with a platinum certification- eight years after its release. Over the ensuing three decades, the Femmes became a mainstay of festivals, clubs, and theaters in more than 20 countries worldwide.

MTV’s Unplugged show was inspired by the Femmes, although they never actually appeared on it. Their raw sound and honest lyrical perspective has been cited as an influence by artists as diverse as Pink, Keith Urban, The Smiths, The Pixies, John Cusack, Mark Morris, and Wim Wenders.

More than 40 years into their careers, Violent Femmes continue to attract young audiences on tour, create lasting music, and inspire people of all ages.