The big gigs: 10 concerts to see in the Twin Cities this week
Concert highlights for May 26-June 1 include Kraftwerk, Dierks Bentley, Tierney Sutton, Belle & Sebastian, Freddie Gibbs and even Debbie Gibson.
![](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/THKUECFFZUVQGYGF3KM2CLYZCE.jpg?&w=712)
Mariachi-flavored metal tribute band Metalachi returns (8:30 p.m. Turf Club, $20-$22). Cool-vibe Aussie DJ/producer Flume hits town promoting his new album "Palaces" before heading to a three-night stand at the Aragon in Chicago (8:30 p.m. the Armory, $40 and up).
Friday, May 27
1. Dierks Bentley: The first big outdoor concert of the season features this country veteran who hasn't released a new album in four years — seemingly a lifetime in Nashville circles. Last summer he dropped another No. 1 hit, "Beers on Me," featuring rising mononym stars Breland and Hardy. Of course, Bentley has a jukebox full of favorites, including "Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go)" and "Drunk on a Plane," to keep the party going and the beers flowing. Opening is Ashley McBryde, CMA's best new artist of 2019 known for "One Night Standards" and "Never Wanted to Be That Girl." (8 p.m. Treasure Island Casino Amphitheater, Welch, Minn. $42.50-$110, ticketmaster.com)
2. Belle & Sebastian: With a fun history of Twin Cities shows that includes Rock the Garden 2015 and a costumed Halloween 2003 gig, whimsical popmeister Stuart Murdoch and his Smiths-channeling Scottish bandmates finally return to town touting "A Bit of Previous." Forced to stay put by the pandemic, the band recorded the album all together as a unit in Glasgow and nicely captured the playful spirit of their concerts. (8 p.m. Palace Theatre, 10 W. 7th Place, St. Paul, $40-$60, axs.com)
3. Caterwaul Festival: With a loosely defined caucus of experimental, noise-rock, electro-punk, industrial and other weird but loud musical styles, this inaugural fest will produce 52 bands over four days at two venues, starting Friday night at Mortimer's with AmRep thrashers Vaz, Tongue Party, Service and more. Saturday and Sunday are split between the patio at Palmer's Bar and late-night sets at Mortimer's, with Arcwelder, Dead Rider, Deep Tunnel Project and Gay Witch Abortion among the highlights. Big Business and Tunic top off the final run Monday at Mortimer's (Fri.-Mon., Palmer's Bar and Mortimer's, Mpls., $110/four-day, $30-$35/day, caterwaul.org)
Also: String-picking jam bands the String Cheese Incident, Infamous Stringdusters and Leftover Salmon lead the three-day lineup for the Revival festival in southern Minnesota (Fri.-Sun., Lake Geneva, $100-$300); the thrice-postponed dance party with Pittsburgh mixmaster Girl Talk is finally a go (First Ave); the Snowman Band, led by Twin Cities saxophonist Brian "Snowman" Powers who plays with New Primitives and Chase & Ovation, celebrates its new album (7 p.m. Dakota, $15-$20); ; local tribute bands RudeGirl, Trompe le Monde and Pleezer (8 p.m. Turf Club, $15); another tribute show outdoors with Hall & Oates cover band Private Oates (7 p.m. Hook & Ladder, $20), followed by an indoor show with late-'80s goth/glam British rocker Jay Aston and his current lineup of Gene Loves Jezebel (9:30 p.m. Hook & Ladder, $20-$25); Airship Caravan, Nectarous and Courtesy hit St. Paul's new all-ages venue (7 p.m. the Treasury, $12).
Saturday, May 28
4. Freddie Gibbs: After landing a Grammy nomination last year for best rap album with the Alchemist-co-produced "Alfredo," the blue-collar wordsmith from Gary, Ind., crossed over into acting via the movie "Down with the King." Now he's back in rapper mode with a strong, new Rick Ross-featuring single, "Ice Cream," and his so-called Space Rabbit Tour with openers Zack Fox, MIKE and Redveil. (8 p.m. Sat., Varsity Theater, 1308 SE 4th St., Mpls., $42-$82, ticketmaster.com)
5. Reggae Summer Splash: The Twin Cities' community of Jamaican/Caribbean transplants has blessed the music scene with reggae bands to keep us warm year-round, and this mini-fest with three of the best ones should make a fun entry into summer. Lynval Jackson and his International Reggae All-Stars step out from their vibrant Bunker's residency to play the Under the Canopy series with kindred groovers Innocent and Socaholix, the latter group headed by Jackson's brother, Prince Jabba. A family affair in more ways than one. (7 p.m. the Hook & Ladder, 3010 Minnehaha Av. S., Mpls., $15-$20, thehookmpls.com)
Also: Cult-loved, critically acclaimed Northern Californian metal vets the Deftones top a mighty triple bill with Gojira and Poppy (7 p.m. the Armory, $55-$65, all ages); breezy British pop band Bastille of "Pompeii" fame (8 p.m. Palace Theatre, $45-$60); vibrato-loving Aussie singer-songwriter Dean Lewis, who evokes Ed Sheeran and Cities 97's heyday (8 p.m. Fillmore, $29.50 and up); Davell Crawford, the piano prince of New Orleans, returns (7 & 9 p.m. Dakota, $25-$45); MickStock finds hard-working Twin Cities singer/producer Mick Sterling doing a weekend of tribute shows with Elton John on Sat., Billy Joel on Sun. and Joe Cocker, his best salute, on Mon. (times vary, Crooners, $35 and up); New York's reverberating noise-rock ensemble A Place to Bury Strangers (9 p.m. 7th St. Entry, $20); evocative Toronto folk-rock trio the Rural Alberta Advantage (8 p.m. Fine Line, $25-$40).
Sunday, May 29
6. Avi Kaplan: Produced by Shooter Jennings, "Floating on a Dream," the full-length debut by the ex-Pentatonix bass singer, has a spiritual feel, evoking the richness and sincerity of the '70s singer-songwriter milieu with a gently twangy undercurrent. Kaplan's euphonious baritone stands out on "All Is Well," a duet with Joy Williams of the Civil Wars fame, and the pedal steel-punctuated "Into the Blue." (7:30 p.m. Cedar Cultural Center, $20-$22)
Also: Joe Jackson, best remembered for the new-wave hit "Is She Really Going Out with Him" and the pop surprise "Steppin' Out," is still making sophisticated pop with attitude (7:30 p.m. Pantages Theatre, $49-$79); Minnesota-launched a cappella champs Home Free return to their home state to celebrate 2021's "Land of the Free" (8 p.m. Ledge Amphitheater, Waite Park, $35-$74); blues-rocker Vanessa Collier, who sings with the right attitude and plays a mean saxophone (7 p.m. the Dakota, $25-$35); Colorado's sax-laden punk band the Ragetones plays for all ages (7 p.m. the Treasury, $10).
Monday, May 30
UPDATE: Postponed until June 29. 7. Tierney Sutton: The masterly Milwaukee-reared, Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist teamed up with her guitarist husband Serge Merlaud (and occasionally flutist Hubert Laws) on this month's sumptuously graceful "Paris Sessions 2." Her 15th album features some Brazilian numbers, tunes with lyrics by Marilyn and Alan Bergman, and a sublimely understated mash up of "April in Paris" and "Free Man in Paris." (7 & 9 p.m. Dakota, $20-$40, dakotacooks.com)
Also: Jazz/funk whiz kid L.A. Buckner's Jazz Mondays series will feature RAWTWHYLAH & The Mach 5 as guests (8 p.m. Icehouse, $10),
Tuesday, May 31
8. Sigur Rós: This veteran Icelandic band's music has been labeled ambient, post-rock, blissed-out soundscapes — oh it doesn't matter what you call it. It doesn't matter if you can't understand singer Jonsi's words (some in Icelandic, some in gibberish he calls Vonlenska) because Sigur Rós is one of the most transfixing live acts in popular music. With keyboardist Kjartan Sveinsson rejoining the lineup this year, the group is making its first U.S. tour in six years, promising to preview new material from its upcoming album, its first since 2013. (8 p.m. Tue. State Theatre, 805 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls., $59.50-$150.50, ticketmaster.com)
Also: Co-founding keyboardist Russell Ferrante returns with his long-lived fusion band Yellowjackets (7 & 9 p.m., also Wed., the Dakota, $25-$45); Chicago indie tunesmith Ezra Furman is previewing a new album she says is about her "threatened communities: trans people and Jews" (8 p.m. Fine Line, $20-$35); eccentric Seattle indie-folk fixture Damien Jurado is touting a record called "The Monster Who Ate Pennsylvania" (7:30 p.m. Cedar Cultural Center, $25-$30).
Wednesday, June 1
9. Kraftwerk: It's only the third time the German electronic music pioneers have hit the Twin Cities since reforming in the late-'90s, and if it's anything like the last one it's bound to be a visual spectacle as well as a masterful musical odyssey. Their 2022 outing is a continuation of the 3D Tour that came to the Northrop in 2015, but with a few alternating tunes wrapped around classics such as "Autobahn" and "The Robots." Nerdy stuff, but so fun. (8:30 p.m., State Theatre, 805 Hennepin Av., Mpls., $44-$90, ticketmaster.com)
10. Debbie Gibson: Fresh out of high school, she became a teen queen in the late '80s with the No. 1 hits "Foolish Beat" and "Lost in Your Eyes." Then she grew up in public, acted on Broadway and in movies, posed for Playboy and changed her billing to "Deborah Gibson." Once again accepting that she's forever Debbie Gibson, she is courting the dance clubs, touring behind 2021's disco-loving album "The Body Remembers," which includes a duet with Joey McIntyre of New Kids on the Block on a remake of "Lost in Your Eyes." (8 p.m. Fillmore, 525 N. 5th St., Mpls., $45 and up, ticketmaster.com)
Also: From the early-'90s heyday roster of Sub Pop Records, gnarly Calgary rockers Chixdiggit are back out on tour (8:30 p.m. Uptown VFW, $15-$25); also from Canada come Toronto rockers Born Ruffians (8 p.m. 7th St. Entry, $15-$18); local songwriting hero Chris Koza's elegant folk-rock band Rogue Valley is back at it (7:30 p.m. Icehouse, $20); British black-metal band Cradle of Filth (7 p.m. First Avenue, $32).
The Australian rock hero will play the Armory with his old band supporting their new album, “Wild God.”