Concert in the Park series closes for the summer
‘The Dead Century’ plays the final concert
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NEW ULM -- Twin Cities indie rock band The Dead Century closed the 2026 Concerts in the Park season Thursday night at German Park -- the 13th and final Thursday evening show of the summer.
The Dead Century formed in 2016 and has played Twin Cities clubs and festivals since then. The four-piece, including brothers Nick Check and JP Check (John Paul Check,) Austin Peterson and Rob Muehlbauer (Robert Muehlbauer,) describes its sound as loud guitars and thoughtful lyrics, often comparing the band to The Hold Steady, The Replacements and Bruce Springsteen. The group's name, The Dead Century, comes from a lyric in a TV on the Radio song.
Thursday's set mixed originals with familiar covers. Band members said that mix is intentional.
"We've got enough material to do straight originals, but then no one would know any of the songs," Check said, pointing to covers such as Dolly Parton's "Jolene," Robyn's "Dancing on My Own" and Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know."
Nick Check writes the originals; the rest of the band works out the arrangements. Influences they cited include My Chemical Romance, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. Their music is found at thedeadcentury.com and on Spotify, Apple Music and Tidal.
Maggie Schwab, who was in attendance Thursday, said The Dead Century were "very good musicians and nice and personable to the people there enjoying them."
The summer music series started June 4 with the Concord Singers, the German-language male chorus founded in 1931. Member Hank Bode compared the group's calendar to a snowball rolling downhill toward Bavarian Blast and Oktoberfest. Newest member Doug Sellner was introduced before they sang "Aus New Ulm Kommt Musik," or "All good music comes from New Ulm."
Classic rock cover band On Maryland followed on June 11. On June 18, New Ulm's Angie Anderson and her cousin Joy Ciaffoni of Moorhead returned as The Cousins. They had filled in on short notice in 2025; this year they were booked from the start. Anderson began writing songs after her son Micah died in 2019, and the duo's set mixed those originals with covers while children from the crowd joined in on percussion. Anderson was back a week later with Kelly Coyle as an acoustic folk duo.
July opened with the Lake Crystal Community Band, in its 42nd season and making its first trip to the German Park amphitheater.
Conductor Sheldon Meyer, a retired school band director, led a program that ran from "The Star-Spangled Banner" to the "Jurassic Park" theme, Gershwin and a 1930s jazz number with scat vocals.
The Wendinger Band brought concertina, brass and four-part harmony on July 9. Peter Wendinger, who has been performing for more than six decades, has long treated the hometown park date as a favorite stop.
The Ken & Ken Show played July 23. Tim Fast's folk set, first booked for July 16, was moved to Aug. 3 because of the extreme hot weather.
July 30 was the busiest night of the summer calendar. Concerts in the Park lined up with the New Ulm Night Out gathering at German Park.
United Way of the Brown County Area hosted the evening with the New Ulm Police Department, New Ulm Fire Department and New Ulm Park and Recreation.
Local businesses, nonprofit groups and first responders set up around the park while families moved between games, puppet wagon, rec on-the-go, food and educational exhibits.
Kids could look over emergency vehicles, play carnival-style games and meet officers and firefighters before Schell's Hobo Band took the amphitheater stage. The Mages Band played the following week.
Chris Ames and Chris Steffen of Sleepy Eye, billed as Chris and Chris, played Aug. 13. The duo has performed together since 2012 and reprised some songs from their 2025 performance at the amphitheater, including country favorites "Jolene," "Margaritaville" and "Heart of Gold."
The Molly & Sonny Boy duo followed on Aug. 20, entertaining the crowd by alternating between original and cover country and blues music.
Twin Cities indie rock band The Dead Century closed the 13-week run of the German Park summer concert series.
The weekly setup stayed the same all summer: lawn chairs in the German Park amphitheater, music at 7 p.m.
Video of the concerts is available on New Ulm Community Access Television (NUCAT) and the NUCAT YouTube channel.
The free series ran June 4 through Aug. 27 at the amphitheater. It is sponsored by New Ulm Park and Recreation, KNUJ and the Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council, with funding made possible by Minnesota voters through a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Most weeks also included Rec on the Go and the Puppet Wagon before the 7 p.m. show.
Concerts in the Park will return next summer. Details will be posted at newulmmn.gov.