Big Gigs: Jackson Browne, Gov't Mule, Black Flag, Keyshia Cole, Warped Tour, more

Already a few years older than the age of its average attendee, the Warped Tour marks its 20th anniversary with an all-day lineup that very much emphasizes it's for the kids. Aside from "1985" novelty hitmakers Bowling From Soup and '90s ska punks Less Than Jake, most folks over 30 probably don't recognize a single band name on the lineup. But it's actually a strong and even somewhat diverse lineup of punk, metal, rap and indie-rock, also with the Devil Wears Prada, Yellowcard, K. Flay, Saves the Day, Of Mice and Men, Every Time I Die, Cute Is What We Aim For, Beartooth, MC Chris, the Summer Set and dozens more. (11 a.m. Sun., Canterbury Park Festival Field, $35.50-$45.) Riemenschneider

Jackson Browne will surround himself with 18 acoustic guitars and a piano. The tougher choice is not which instrument to play — but which song to sing. Even though he hasn't released an album since 2008's socio-political "Time the Conqueror," the Rock Hall of Famer has a marvelous catalog to choose from for this solo acoustic show. Maybe he'll opt for material from "Late for the Sky," which will be remastered and reissued in a 30th-anniversary edition this year. Many of his best pieces are featured on this year's top-notch tribute album, "Looking Into You," interpreted by an all-star cast including Bruce Springsteen, Bonnie Raitt, Don Henley, Lyle Lovett, Lucinda Williams and Keb Mo. And Browne will likely give a shout-out to his Minnesota cousins and talk about his mother being from here. (8 p.m. Fri. State Theatre, $57.50-$104.) Jon Bream

First Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks announced their intentions to leave the Allman Brothers, and then Gregg Allman announced his plans to disband the group after a few October concerts in New York City. That hopefully means that Haynes may focus more on his own group, Gov't Mule, demonstrating how to put first-rate blues-rock-jazz solos into a jam band. And don't underestimate the Mule's songwriting prowess; if you need evidence, check out last year's two-disc "Shout" on which the likes of Elvis Costello, Dr. John, Grace Potter, Dave Matthews, Jim James and Steve Winwood tackle Haynes' tunes. (7:30 p.m. Fri. Minnesota Zoo, $35 & $47.50.) Bream

Having long ago scrapped the bawdy frat-boy rock that first made him a star on the Texas music circuit — and got him banned from the Basilica Block Party — Austin singer/songwriter Bob Schneider sounds more sophisticated and serious than ever on his light, folky new album "Burden of Proof," for which he enlisted the Tosca Strings for elegant accompaniment and a whole lot of heartache. Civil Wars-like duo Dawn & Hawkes open. (8:30 p.m. Fri., Varsity Theater, $20-$22.) Chris Riemenschneider

Marc Cohn has played at the Minnesota Zoo so often that he must be on a first-name basis with all the zookeepers. Well, when Cher is touring the world covering your biggest song ("Walking in Memphis"), you can stand proud. But the raspy-voiced piano man hasn't built a career on just one song. "Silver Thunderbird" and "True Companion" also received lots of radio play — at least when Cities 97 was "adult-alternative" — and Cohn is an engaging, soulful live performer. His latest recorded effort is a tune, "Too Many Angels," on the splendid, all-star Jackson Browne tribute album, "Looking Into You." (7:30 p.m. Sat. Minnesota Zoo, $47 & $59.50.) Bream

Best known as the mouthpiece of the 1990s group October Project, Mary Fahl has a full, robust voice and a sense of adventure. In 2011, she reimagined Pink Floyd tunes on "From the Dark Side of the Moon." On last year's "Love & Gravity," her fifth solo effort, she went minimalist and melancholy. (8 p.m. Sat. Dakota, $28.) Bream

Ben Watt, the less visible half of Everything But the Girl, has released his first solo album in 30 years. "Hendra" is filled with, as Rolling Stone put it, "raging peacefulness." For Watt's first U. S. solo tour, expect an evening of intimacy and sadness. The singer/keyboardist will be accompanied by guitarist Bernard Butler, formerly of Suede and producer of Duffy's blockbuster "Rockferry" album. (7 & 10 p.m. Sat. Bryant-Lake Bowl, $20.) Bream

Just a month after making its local debut at the Triple Rock, Greg Ginn's remade version of his influential Los Angeles punk band Black Flag can walk back into town with a little swagger. The young, scrappy rhythm section and Ginn's unmistakable guitar work helped make the previous show feel like more than just a tribute. Same openers as before: Cinema Cinema and Ginn's theramin-enhanced solo act the Royal We. (8:30 p.m. Sun., Amsterdam Bar & Hall, $15-$20.) Riemenschneider

A college jock turned sexplicit but sometimes tender R&B singer/rapper — with bikini babes in his videos and AutoTune all over his records — Mike Stud earned viral fame last year with his "College Humor" clip, which he made with his fellow Duke University athletes in an apparent effort to set their program's sexist reputation back even further. He's no joke, though. His debut album, "Closer," topped Pandora's music charts upon its release last week. The world is a strange and cruel place. (7 p.m. Tue., First Avenue, all ages, $17-$20.) Riemenschneider

In her 10-year solo career, Jolie Holland has explored various kinds of American music, including jazz, alt-country and folk. "Wine Dark Sea," her sixth album that was released in May on Anti-, is rambling, slurred and sexy. She sounds louder and rawer than usual — maybe because she's working with a bunch of New York experimental musicians. This hard-to-resist album is soulful, brooding and bluesy — more like a late-night double shot of whiskey than a glass of red wine. Drink up. Brooklyn's Shy Hunters open. (7:30 p.m. Tue. Cedar Cultural Center, $18-$20.) Bream

Without missing their long-standing weekly sweat fest gig at New Orleans' Maple Leaf Bar — a dingy yin to the Dakota's polished yang in venue terms — Rebirth Brass Band is sneaking north for a short jaunt. The hard-funking brass ensemble has been going strong outside of NOLA in recent years, thanks to its 2012 Grammy for best regional roots album and regular exposure on HBO's "Treme." (7 and 9 p.m. Thu., the Dakota, $25.) Riemenschneider

After her previous five albums all cracked the top 10 on Billboard, Keyshia Cole apparently didn't see the need to wait for the release of her latest record before hitting the road. We have one of the Bay Area hip-hop starlet's first tour dates behind "Point of No Return," which isn't due until later this summer but has already produced two modestly received singles, the saucy, Juicy J-accompanied "Rick James" and the more dramatic "She." (8:30 p.m. Sun., Myth, 21 & older, $26.50-$36.50.) Riemenschneider

Formed at Western Kentucky University, Nappy Roots emphasized their rural Southern experience in their delightfully downhome debut, 2002's "Watermelon, Chicken and Gritz." They were refreshing and funky in a laidback way on winning singles like "Po Folks" and "Awnaw." After two albums on Atlantic, the group has gone indie, self-releasing their latest record, "Nappy Dot Org," in 2011. (9:30 p.m. Thu. Cabooze, $12-$15.) Bream

Last year's Midtown Global Music Festival drew more than 9,000 people, and the multi-culti event with indoor and outdoor stages will be free once again. It's all about diversity. You can experience a South American duo (Ina-Yukka), an American Indian drumming ensemble (Hoka Hey Singers), an Aztec dance troupe (Kalpulli Ketzalcoatlicue), an esteemed veteran of the Chicago blues scene (Barbara LeShoure), a justly popular local jazz duo (Charmin Michelle & Joel Shapira), a West African combo (Duniya Drum and Dance), a country band (2/3rds MN), a Scandinavian folkie (Ross Sutter), a homegrown veteran pop/country star (Michael Johnson) and a salsa group (Q-Band). There will be lessons in Middle Eastern dancing, belly dancing and salsa dancing, as well. (2-8 p.m. Sat., Midtown Global Market, 920 E. Lake St., Mpls. Free.) Tom Surowicz

Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady have been playing together more than 50 years, first achieving rock fame with the Jefferson Airplane and then revisiting the blues with Hot Tuna, co-starring mandolin ace Barry Mitterhoff. The comparative newcomer in the group, he's perhaps the world's most versatile player of his instrument, known for his work in bluegrass, klezmer, chamber classical, Brazilian and Italian music groups. (7 & 9 p.m. Mon.-Tue., Dakota Jazz Club, $35-$45.) Surowicz

In this week's concerts, the Minnesota Orchestra performs the diversity of repertoire that has always made Sommerfest special. In "Mozart and Rachmaninoff," pianist Michael McHale joins the orchestra for Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23, written during the period that he was composing "The Marriage of Figaro," followed by Rachmaninoff's "Symphonic Dances," a dazzling orchestral tour de force. For "Bravo Broadway: Broadway Then … and Now," singers Debbie Gravitte, Doug LaBrecque and Rachel York perform standards by Berlin, Gershwin and Porter and contemporary classics from Kander/Ebb, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Stephen Sondheim. Associate conductor Courtney Lewis leads both programs. Then, in "An Evening of Chamber Music: Mozart's Gran Partita," Sommerfest artistic director Andrew Litton plays piano with principal cello Anthony Ross in Prokofiev's Sonata for Cello and Piano. Additional musicians perform Mozart's "Gran Partita," with Lewis conducting. ("Mozart and Rachmaninoff:" 8 p.m. Fri., "Bravo Broadway:" 8 p.m. Sat., "An Evening of Chamber Music:" 7 p.m. Sun., Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicollet Mall, $25-$85, 612-371-5656 William Randall Beard