Thursday, Sept. 15
1. My Chemical Romance: A decade after splitting up with only one Top 10 hit to their name ("Welcome to the Black Parade") and a modest but avid cult following, the black-attired New Jersey quartet is back and bigger than ever. Their reunion outing is already shaping up to be one of the highest-grossing rock treks of the year, attributable to the fact that their goth-punk aesthetic and singer Gerard Way's angsty emo-rock lyrics perennially appeal to tortured teens and Hot Topic store shoppers. Reviews have been strong, too. Pittsburgh punk band the Homeless Gospel Choir opens. (7:30 p.m. Xcel Energy Center, 199 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, $176-$306, ticketmaster.com)
Also: Veteran Twin Cities singer-songwriter Eric Peltoniemi will reunite with vocalist Ruth MacKenzie and others for a retrospective of songs he wrote for various productions at History Theater (7:30 p.m. also Fri.-Sun. Gremlin Theatre, $25); soulful Austin blues-rocker with the Texas-size voice Ruthie Foster returns to Minnesota after playing Bayfront Blues Fest last month (7 p.m., also Fri., the Dakota, $37-47); San Francisco's psychedelic punks the Osees are back with another record, "A Foul Form" (8:30 p.m. First Avenue, $24-$26); U.K. blues-rocker Davy Knowles, formerly of Back Door Slam, visits with the Claudettes (7 p.m. the Hook & Ladder outside, $20-$36).
Friday, Sept. 16
2. Doobie Brothers: After rejoining the Doobies following after a 26-year absence, singer-keyboardist Michael McDonald missed one gig last year — the Minnesota State Fair — because of COVID-19. The band played the show without him, cutting "What a Fool Believes" and a couple other tunes from their setlist. The Doobies are back with McDonald as their 50th anniversary tour continues. (8 p.m. Treasure Island Resort & Casino Amphitheater, Welch, $39-$129, ticketmaster.com)
3. Gear Daddies: Thirty-six years after moving out of 7th St. Entry to the Mainroom via the annual Best New Bands showcase — same year as Trip Shakespeare and Run Westy Run! — the twang-rock vets from Austin, Minn., are returning to the scene of their hard-grinding days. Their two-night stand is tied to a limited vinyl re-release of their second album, 1990's "Billy's Live Bait," which scored the hockey-arena anthem "(I Wanna Drive a) Zamboni" as well as fan favorites like "Stupid Boy" and "Wear Your Crown." Oh fer fun. (8 p.m., also Sat., 7th St. Entry, 701 1st Av. N., Mpls., $65, axs.com)
4. Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue: This year's studio album, "Lifted," captures this irresistible New Orleans party band more effectively than any of Shorty's previous efforts. It's a festive, fulfilling gumbo of NOLA jazz, funk, gospel, soul and rock, with hints of Stevie Wonder, George Clinton and Jimi Hendrix. Guests Gary Clark Jr. and Lauren Daigle give integral assists, but Shorty's usual horn section and guitarist Pete Murano are MVPs. A favorite at the Minnesota Zoo and last year at the Hilde, Trombone Shorty finds yet another outdoor Twin Cities venue. (7 p.m. Canterbury Park, 1100 Canterbury Rd., Shakopee, $30 and up, suemclean.com)
Also: Often compared to her fellow Cape Verdean native Cesaria Evora, romantic balladeer Lucibela rarely makes it this far north (8 p.m. Cedar Cultural Center, $22-$27); Twin Cities indie-folk hero Mason Jennings returned to form on his latest album, "Real Heart," and is returning to south Minneapolis' coolest neighborhood theater (7 p.m. Parkway Theater, $39-$79); Soul Asylum takes to the slopes for the Buck Hill concert weekend with "Hey There Delilah" hitmakers Plain White T's (5:30 p.m. Buck Hill, $49-$149); the Flamin' Ohs get their rocks off again with Annie & the Bang Bang (7 p.m. Hook & Ladder outside, $15-$25); Twin Cities powerhouse Kathleen Johnson reprises her spot-on Etta James tribute (8 p.m. Crooners, $30 and up); the long-lived Bellamy Brothers, who crossed over from pop to country and stayed there, bring back "Let Your Love Flow" (8 p.m. Medina Entertainment Center, $31-$41).
Saturday, Sept. 17
5. La Grande Bande: "The stylus phantasticus." That's what you can expect from this period instrument orchestra when it performs sonatas, fugues and chamber works by baroque-era Polish and Czech composers in northeast Minneapolis, which has a rich Polish and Czech tradition of its own. La Grande Bande features some very fine early music practitioners from Minnesota and beyond, and is devoted to bringing music of 1600 to 1800. (7:30 p.m. Holy Cross Catholic Church, 1621 University Ave. N.E., Mpls., $10-$25, lagrandebande.org.)
Also: Fiery Brooklyn indie-rock band Momma, led by '90s-channeling duo Etta Friedman and Allegra Weingarten, are earning a big, deserved buzz off their third album "Household Name" (9 p.m. Turf Club, $15); jazzy guitar star Julian Lage celebrates his new album, "View with a Room," which drops on Friday (6:30 & 8:30 p.m. the Dakota, $26-$36); before he hits the road this fall with Carrie Underwood, 2021 CMA best new artist Jimmie Allen headlines Bend of the River Fall Festival in Mankato, with Priscilla Block and Jason Nix (11 a.m. Minnesota State Mankato, $45 and up); Twin Cities singer-songwriter Charlie Maguire, who once served as Minnesota State Parks Troubadour, celebrates 50 years of music making (8 p.m. Gingko Coffeehouse, $20); Steve Kenny Quintet, with guest drummer Kevin Washington, observes the one-year anniversary of KJ's Hideaway with a tribute to John Coltrane (9 p.m. KJ's Hideaway, $15).