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Best concerts of the week: 'I Love the '90s' at Target Center, Sheila E pays tribute to Prince at Orchestra Hall

Your guide to the Twin Cities' must-see shows this week.

Cheryl "Salt" James, right, and Sandy "Pepa" Denton of Salt-n-Pepa perform on the main stage at Wireless festival in Finsbury Park, north London, Sunday, July 6, 2014. The first festival took place in June 2005 and was staged in Hyde Park. (Photo by Joel Ryan/Invision/AP) ORG XMIT: LENT103
Salt-N-Pepa will play Target Center as part of the I Love the '90s tour. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

M83: French musician Anthony Gonzalez's synth-swirled dance band is one of the more compelling live bands in electronic music, with a hi-fi light show and a sweeping dreaminess. His crew touring behind a poppy new album, "Junk." (9 p.m. Fri., Skyway Theatre, $37.50.)

Clutch & Zakk Sabbath: Maryland-reared grunge holdouts Clutch are a First Ave mainstay that always deliver live, and this time they're touring with one of the more promising Black Sabbath tribute acts, led by Ozzy's longest-tenured guitarist, Zakk Wylde. (8 p.m. Fri., First Avenue, $29-$34.)

I Love the '90s Tour: Break out your baggy acid-wash jeans and L.A. Gear for a trip down memory lane to hear some of hip-hop's all-time biggest singles performed live again. Vanilla Ice's one mega-hit ("Ice Ice Baby") made him the headliner over the more enduring Salt-N-Pepa ("Whatta Man," "Push It," "Let's Talk About Sex"), who also played a well-received zoo gig last year. The rest of the lineup includes Coolio ("Gangster's Paradise"), movie stars Kid N' Play ("Funhouse"), Rob Base ("It Takes Two") and Young MC ("Bust a Move"). (7:30 p.m. Sat., Target Center, $29.50-$200, AXS.com.)

Teenage Fanclub: Scotland's answer to Big Star, the cult-loved '90s power-pop band just dropped its first album in six years, "Here," and is still touring with most of its original lineup. (9 p.m. Sat., Fine Line, $20.)

Sheila E: She was supposed to spearhead the Official Prince Tribute Concert in the Twin Cities, but dates got changed and she had commitments to a performance in New York. Instead, Prince's former drummer and longtime friend is now staging a benefit for Purple Philanthropy, donating proceeds to charities he supported. She promises an evening of Prince music played by her band with special guests including former Santana percussionist Pete Escovedo, who is her dad, and dancers Mayte Garcia and the Twinz. (7:30 p.m. Sun. Orchestra Hall, Mpls., $43.50-$153.50, minnesotaorchestra.org )

Steve Vai: Like his teacher Joe Satriani, this guitar hero plays it fast. Plus, he's got a sense of adventure, no doubt sparked by his early years touring with the late, great Frank Zappa. (7:30 p.m. Sun. Ames Center)

O'Connor Band: Grammy-winning violinist Mark O'Connor has distinguished himself in country, classical, jazz and bluegrass. Now he's trying something a little different — the O'Connor Band, a family bluegrass group consisting of O'Connor, his wife Maggie, his son Forrest and Forrest's fiance Kate. They collaborated on this year's rewarding bluegrass collection "Coming Home." And their shows are known for a rousing rendition of Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode." (7 p.m. Mon.-Wed. Dakota Jazz Club, Mpls, $35-$45)

Mac Miller: Pittsburgh's weedy rap star mellowed out and sexed up his act on his fourth album, "The Divine Feminine," featuring the coolly slow-grooving single "Dang!" with Anderson .Paak alongside guest stints by Kendrick Lamar and Ariana Grande. (8 p.m. Tue., First Avenue, $35.)

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Trash Talk: This hardcore Sacramento punk band put on a memorably action-packed set at the Doomtree Zoo festival last year and should be even more wild in close quarters. (6 p.m. Tue., Triple Rock, all ages, $15.)

Widespread Panic: Georgia's venerable jam band, now anchored by Duane Trucks on drums (Derek's kid brother), is touting a rootsy new album, "Street Dogs," and promising another lengthy two-par show. (7:30 p.m. Tue., Orpheum Theatre, $49.50-$59.50.)

Pentatonix: A cappella in an arena?  Doesn't make sense unless it's Pentatonix, the quintet that's pitch perfect vocally and visually. They're keeping things fresh with Justin Bieber songs and original material from last year's "Pentatonix" album along with such favorites as their Grammy-winning Daft Punk medley, Imogen Heap's "Aha!" and Kevin Olusola's beatbox-cello version of Bach's Prelude No. 1. Opening are Us the Duo and Abi. (8 p.m. Wed. Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, $35-$85)

Joan Baez: Just nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the grand dame of social justice will bring "Diamonds and Rust," "Joe Hill," probably an earful of politics and, if we're lucky, a story or two about that Nobel Prize-winning, scruffy haired Minnesota singer-songwriter. (7:30 p.m. Wed. State Theatre, $49-$79.)

St. Paul & the Broken Bones: Alabama's great soul-rock sextet, led by Otis Redding-channeling singer Paul Janeway, should've already played First Ave and is making up for the wait with a two-night stand supporting their captivating sophomore album, "Sea of Noise." Read an interview with Janeway in Sunday's Variety section. (8 p.m. Wed. & Thu., First Avenue, $25.)

Margo Price: Returning to town just two weeks after Jack White brought her along to "A Prairie Home Companion," this Nashville-based singer/songwriter is equal parts torchy country, vintage rockabilly and modern alt-twang. Her first album for White's Third Man Records – which followed a decade of kicking around clubs – has turned into one this year's buzzingest acts, led by the single "Hurtin' on the Bottle." Her presence made this year's "United States of Americana" party from 89.3 the Current a quick sell-out, when last year she was its little-known opening act. (8 p.m. Thu., Turf Club, sold out.)

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Schoolboy Q: South Central Los Angeles's best-known rapper of the moment besides Kendrick Lamar, for whom he used to serve as a hype man, the real-life Quincy Hanley might actually be the more compelling live performer based on their prior Twin Cities appearances. He broke out as a major hip-hop star in 2014 with the singles "Man of the Year" and "Collard Greens" and then crossed over into Top 40 territory this summer with the Kanye West collaboration "That Part," from his lively new "Blank Face LP." Opener Joey Bada$$ makes it rap's biggest club gig of the year. (7 p.m. Thu., Myth, $32, Ticketmaster.com.)

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about the writers

about the writers

Chris Riemenschneider

Critic / Reporter

Chris Riemenschneider has been covering the Twin Cities music scene since 2001, long enough for Prince to shout him out during "Play That Funky Music (White Boy)." The St. Paul native authored the book "First Avenue: Minnesota's Mainroom" and previously worked as a music critic at the Austin American-Statesman in Texas.

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Jon Bream

Critic / Reporter

Jon Bream has been a music critic at the Star Tribune since 1975, making him the longest tenured pop critic at a U.S. daily newspaper. He has attended more than 8,000 concerts and written four books (on Prince, Led Zeppelin, Neil Diamond and Bob Dylan). Thus far, he has ignored readers’ suggestions that he take a music-appreciation class.

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