The Big Gigs: 10 top concerts to see in the Twin Cities and beyond this week

A band that always seems to find a new location and excuse to play a warm hometown gig every summer — the State Fair and Lake Harriet bandshells were recent highlights — the rootsy alt-twang/folk-rock unit is sticking with the same brewery-side setting two years in a row, basically because last year’s show was so fun. Gary Louris and his harmonious crew should be coming in hot. They’re prepping a new album and just wrapped a lengthy tour with Toad the Wet Sprocket, booked last-minute to stand in for local pals Semisonic. Some other local chums, Brit-rocky quartet Two Harbors, will open promoting their reverberating new LP, “Can’t Shake This Dream.” (7 p.m. Utepils Brewing, 225 Thomas Av. N., Mpls., all ages, $51-$136, etix.com)

Also: The award-winning Nashville ensemble Old Dominion boasts about being a “One Man Band,” with local rockers Yam Haus opening (7 p.m. Minnesota State Fair grandstand, $67-$150); Rachel Platten, known for the decade-old hit “Fight Song,” dropped her fifth album “I Am Rachel Platten” last year (8:30 p.m. Thu. & Fri. bandshell, Minnesota State Fair, free with gate admission); one of New Orleans’ most storied second-line units, Rebirth Brass Band is escaping the swampy heat back home to funk up the Dakota again (7 & 9 p.m., $35-$45); northern Minnesota’s great Ojibwe-rooted, environmentally grounded songwriter Annie Humphrey is teaming up with her longtime Minneapolis cohort David Huckfelt for their first-ever gig at Crooner’s (7:30 p.m., $25-$35); it’s a double album release party for Twin Cities trumpeter Jake Baldwin and vocalist Tommy Boynton, supporting Baldwin’s third effort, “Vanishing Point,” and Boynton’s “Tommy Tunes II: Too Casual” (7 p.m. Berlin, $20-$25).

Is it the mustache, the rangy voice, the buff body or the gymnastic flips that have music lovers excited about this 23-year-old newcomer from Washington state? It’s all of the above, of course. And his poppy hits “Beautiful Things,” “Mystical Magical” and “Sorry I’m Here for Someone Else,” not to mention his performances on the Grammys and American Music Awards aided by Heidi Klum and Nikki Glaser. After a run of festival appearances in Europe, Boone kicks off his American Heart North American Tour in St. Paul. It will be the last concert under the Xcel Energy Center banner as the building will be rebranded as Grand Casino Arena on Sept. 3. (8 p.m. Xcel Energy Center, 199 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, resale only, ticketmaster.com)

For eight years, this group of Twin Cities musicians has been presenting imaginative concerts full of music very new and pretty darn new. Its annual outdoor concerts will feature a song cycle that sets the poetry of Billy Collins, a trio for marimba, violin and tabla, and a collaboration with the audience courtesy of vocalist Elwyn A. Fraser Jr. You’ll find out Saturday’s location when you RSVP. (7 p.m. Fri., University Lutheran Church of Hope, 601 13th Av. SE., Mpls.; 7 p.m. Sat., a backyard in north Mpls., $10-$20, 10thwave.org)

Also: California singer Aloe Blacc, remembered for the mid ‘10s hits “Wake Me Up” and “The Man,” is touting his first album in five years, “Stand Together” (6:30 & 9 p.m. Fri. & Sat., the Dakota, $60-$85); on her first tour in seven years, “All About That Bass” hitmaker Meghan Trainor sings about self-empowerment and self-love (7 p.m. Minnesota State Fair grandstand $56-$125); Minneapolis hard-blowing twang-rock unit host its Eleganza! Extravaganza with loads of guests, including the Williamson Brothers, Fret Rattles, Billy Dankert and more (8 p.m. Turf Club, $12); vintage garage-rockers the Boot R&B pair up with Sparrowhawk (7:30 p.m. Cloudland Theater, $13).

Just four years after he played the Turf Club — but that came after a decade of him shuffling his way around the Texas dance hall circuit — this old-school countryman from the dusty Rio Grande Valley has generated enough excitement locally to be playing Minneapolis’ biggest outdoor venue (for now). Hats off to his success, too. The 41-year-old twanger’s deeply cool, Ernest Tubb-ian baritone vocals and wordplay-riddled songwriting are on bright display on “Dollar a Day,” his second Shooter Jennings-produced album in under a year for his new label, Island Records. Northern Minnesota’s rootsy and harmonious Wild Horses open. (7 p.m. Surly Brewing Festival Field, 520 Malcolm Av. SE., Mpls., $50, axs.com)

After winning a Grammy and shelf full of Country Music Awards, this outspoken Texas-reared “The Bones” hitmaker said goodbye to Nashville and her marriage to fellow recording artist Ryan Hurd. This year’s “Dreamsicle” album is not quite a divorce record but it’s clear that Morris has moved on, emotionally, musically and spiritually. The album embraces modern pop, indie-rock, R&B, hip-hop and a little country, addressing her breakup, new outlook on life and backlash from her progressive politics. (7:30 p.m. Grand Casino Hinckley Amphitheatre, 777 Lady Luck Dr., Hinckley, $90 and up, ticketmaster.com)

Also: There’s more classic hip-hop on tap at the State Fair as Atlanta’s ’90s MTV stars Arrested Development of “Tennessee” fame kick of a two-night stand at the Bandshell with a new album in tow (8:30 p.m. Sat. & Sun., free); Twin Cities rockabilly vet Alan Subola hosts a release party for his new solo album, “Married to the Nightlife” (8 p.m., Zen Arcade at Hook & Ladder, $11).

After a summer spent outdoors performing on taproom patios, this 16-piece offshoot of one of our best amateur orchestras will head inside to lend its string sound to the songs of a collection of Twin Cities-based singer-songwriters at the Parkway. Joining them will be multi-award-winning Americana artist Molly Brandt, eclectic fiddler Jillian Rae, the always imaginative piano man Mark Mallman and folk duo the Twins of Franklin. (5 p.m. Parkway Theater, 4814 Chicago Av. S., Mpls., $20-$29; theparkwaytheater.com)

Also: In the spirit of Lilith Fair, ‘90s heroines Melissa Etheridge and Indigo Girls revisit “Come to My Window” and “Closer To Fine,” respectively (7 p.m. Minnesota State Fair grandstand, $70-$140).

On their first tour outside California in 1983, the Latin-flavored Americana band from East Los Angeles performed at the 7th St. Entry at First Avenue. Ever since, Los Lobos have been regular Twin Cities visitors, playing everywhere from the Minnesota Zoo to the Dakota. Now Minnesotans get a chance to see this enduringly outstanding band for free, after paying State Fair admission. For two nights, David Hidalgo and Cesar Rosas will sing the blues, rock, Tex-Mex, various styles of Latin music and maybe covers of the Grateful Dead, Buddy Holly and, of course, their remake of Ritchie Valens’ “La Bamba.” (8:30 p.m. Mon. & Tue., Bandshell, Minnesota State Fair, free with gate admission, mnstatefair.org)

Also: The annual Happy Together Tour brings ‘60s golden oldies the Turtles, Little Anthony, Gary Puckett, the Cowsills and others (7 p.m. Minnesota State Fair grandstand, $44-$77); it’s a throwback to jazz harmonies courtesy of the long-lived but revamped Four Freshmen, featuring the Twin Cities’ own jazz man Jake Baldwin (yes, the same guy as the jazz trumpeter) (7 p.m. the Dakota, $35-$40); KFAI host Cyn Collins hosts a fun lineup of eccentric local rockers with Valet, Alpha Consumer and Fletcher Coulee on the Palmer’s Bar patio (6-10 p.m., $10).

In a bold move that helped signal it would never be the same band again, the ultra-angsty California rap-rock/alt-metal group known for early-’00s megahits such as “Crawling” and “Numb” recruited a woman to stand in for Chester Bennington on its first tour since the lead singer’s suicide death in 2017. Fans initially reacted unfavorably on social media. However, Emily Armstrong — who came in from another L.A. area hard-rock band, Dead Sarah — seems to be winning many of them over on tour singing both the Bennington-written old favorites and songs from last year’s album, “From Zero.” Experimental pop rocker Jean Dawson opens. (7:30 p.m., Target Center, 600 1st Av. N., Mpls., $53-$199, ticketmaster.com)

Celebrating its 30th anniversary, this underapppreciated eclectic Los Angeles sextet mixes hip-hop, R&B, jazz, reggae and various strains of Latin music. Led by Raúl Pacheco, the group favors upbeat material for dancing but also blends in more laid-back tunes. Ozomatli’s new single “Red Line” showcases the versatile group’s wide range as it has a bit of a New Orleans R&B vibe. (7 p.m. the Dakota, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $60-$75, dakotacooks.com)

Also: Ol’ rowdy country scion Hank Williams Jr. is back at the State Fair for the first time since 1993, bringing some of his most talented friends as openers, Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives (7 p.m. grandstand, $56-$125.75).