The big gigs: 10 concerts to see in the Twin Cities this week

Charli XCX: The ever-evolving British star has gone from pop-punk to hyperpop to avant pop. Now she wants to be known as "the main pop girl" (her words) as she tours behind her 2022's "Crash," her most mainstream album to date. XCX updates sounds from the '80s, '90s and early '00s with guests Caroline Polachek, Christine and the Queens and Rina Sawayama. To promote her least experimental sounding record, the "Boom Clap" hitmaker reportedly has been experimenting with more elaborate choreography in concert. Baby Tate opens. (9 p.m. Thu. Palace Theatre, 17 W. 7^th Pl., St. Paul, $39.50-$80, first-avenue.com)

Also: Accomplished Chicago singer-songwriter Robbie Fulks Bluegrass Band returns to his roots, as heard on his 2013 LP "Gone Away Backward" (7 p.m. Dakota, $25-$40); Twin Cities-rooted folk-pop charmer Reina del Cid returns to town to promote a new album made during the pandemic, "Candy Apple Red" (8 p.m. Turf Club, $20-$25); Samantha Moon and Evv play for the Minnesota Music Coalition's series (7:30 p.m., the Hook & Ladder, $10-$15); Wain McFarlane of Ipso Facto (8 p.m., White Squirrel Bar, free).

H.E.R.: You may have seen her sing at the Super Bowl, Grammys, Oscars, Emmys or on late-night TV. Now the Oscar- and Grammy-winning/multi-instrumentalist will make her overdue Minneapolis debut. While her hits have been mostly chill R&B, H.E.R. will rock you, too, covering Queen and Lenny Kravitz, among others, in concert. And she can shred, as she demonstrated collaborating with Kravitz on this year's Grammys. Read an interview with H.E.R. at startribune.com/variety. Marzz opens. (7:30 p.m. Armory, 500 6th St. S., Mpls., $57-$62, ticketmaster.com)

Mid West Music Fest: Some of the biggest names in modern Minnesota rock are heading down river to Winona this weekend for the return of MWMF, sort of a small-college-town answer to Texas' South by Southwest music fest with its walkable bar scene and outdoor stages. Foremost among them, Haley will play her first post-COVID gig with her band Friday night on a lineup that also includes Bad Bad Hats, Kiss the Tiger, Gully Boys, Mae Simpson, Faith Boblett and Scrunchies — that's a lot of heavy-hitting frontwomen! — plus the Shackletons and more. Saturday will see Poliça preview their new album "Madness," plus Durry, Graveyard Club, Early Eyes, Humbird, Mark Mallman, 26 Bats! and more. (4 p.m. Fri., noon Sat., downtown Winona, $45 or $70/two-day, midwestmusicfest.org)

Los Huracanes del Norte: This institutional Norteño band from New Mexico via northern Mexico is making a rare trip to the northern United States on a tour celebrating its 50^th anniversary. Led by the four Garcia brothers — whose sons are also now part of the group — they will perform in an East Side hockey arena with room for dancing, on a lineup also featuring fellow Michoacán-rooted band Tierra Cali, Jose Manual and more. (8 p.m. Aldrich Arena, 1850 White Bear Av., St. Paul, $50-$35, ticketweb.com)

Also: Southern-leaning Twin Cities rock vets Eleganza promote their new album produced by a Drive-by Trucker, "Water Valley High," with Monica LaPlante (8:30 p.m., 7th St. Entry, $12-$15); the Kith & Kin Chorus featuring Jeremy Messersmith (8 p.m., Parkway Theater, $15-$39); rising London electro-pop star Rina Sawayama (9 p.m., First Avenue, $21); local Americana songwriters Doug Collins and Becky Kapell (8:30 p.m., Palmer's, $15).

Dee Dee Bridgewater and Bill Charlap: Two masters sound like a recipe for a delectable musical feast. The Grammy- and Tony-winning Bridgewater is a vocalist extraordinaire, adept in R&B (loved her 2017's "Memphis…Yes, I'm Ready"), jazz (named NEA jazz master in '17) and other flavors. Charlap is an esteemed jazz pianist, who has recorded many albums under his name, often in a trio format, and collaborated with others, notably Tony Bennett on their Grammy-winning 2015 disc, "The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern." The Bridgewater/Charlap menu will likely include standards, blues and some five-star improvisations. (8 p.m. Hopkins Center for the Arts, 1111 Mainstreet, Hopkins, $45-$60, hopkinsartscenter.com)

Poems from the Prairie: Becky Thompson and Jon Garon lead a parade of Minnesota bluegrass pickers and singers in a benefit for the families of two recently departed forces, master fiddler/mandolinist Peter Ostroushko and guitarist/bandleader/organizer Alan Jesperson, the godfather of the Minnesota bluegrass scene. Performers include Dan Lund, Cal Hand, Mark Kreitzer, Stymie Seamans and Liz & Jake Ashworth. (7 p.m. Parkway Theater, 4814 Chicago Av. S., Mpls., $20-$27, theparkwaytheater.com)

Also: Captivating Buenos Aires electronica experimenter Juana Molina (9 p.m. Turf Club, $22-$25); Newfoundland singer/actor/author Alan Doyle, former lead singer of Great Big Sea (7 p.m., also Sun. Dakota, $30-$50); still boogieing guitar hero George Thorogood & the Destroyers (8 p.m. Treasure Island Casino, $39-$59); country-pop wanna-be Jesse James Decker, known for her line of clothes and a reality series with her Minnesota-bred hubby, ex-Gopher and NFL receiver Eric Decker (8 p.m. Palace Theater, $39.50-$80); Sub Pop-recording, Twin Cities-connected indie-rock outfit Fruit Bats with Anaïs Mitchell's sideband Bonny Light Horseman (8:30 p.m., First Avenue, $25-$30); Chris Speed Trio featuring the new Bad Plus sax man plus drummer Dave King and bassist Chris Tordini (8 p.m. Crooners, $25 and up); local rock darlings Kiss the Tiger play an all-ages matinee and then a late one (5 and 9:30 p.m., 7th St. Entry, $18-$20).

Anaïs Mitchell: Since the musical "Hadestown," based on her 2007 album, won eight Tony Awards in 2019, this Vermont singer-songwriter has come under a new microscope. Her self-titled 2022 album — her first collection of original material in 10 years — is a return to the gentle singer-songwriter sound of her early years. She even returned to her hometown during the pandemic, perhaps sparking songs about childhood memories ("Backroads") and sorting through a relative's keepsakes ("Revenant"). Her tunes sometimes take unexpected turns such as "Little Big Girl" which addresses both aging and ogling. Minneapolis saxophonist Mike Lewis guests on this modestly burnished album. (8 p.m. Turf Club, 1601 University Av., St. Paul, $25-$30, first-avenue.com)

Canadian Brass: The world's most popular brass quintet (and one of its best) has recorded 89 albums in its 52-year history. While associated with Christmas music (17 of those albums and a busy December touring schedule), the group is also renowned for lending its sonorous tones to music of the Renaissance and baroque eras, as well as swinging it up on jazz tunes. This sold-out concert closes the Bethlehem Music Series season. (4 p.m. Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 4100 Lyndale Av. S., Mpls., free, bethlehemmusicseries.org)

Aimee Mann: The former Til Tuesday singer and "Magnolia" soundtrack maker continues to push boundaries as a songwriter. Her lushly orchestrated new album, "Queens of the Summer Hotel," was based on a stage adaptation of the movie "Girl Interrupted" and examines mental illness through different vignettes and characters. Sounds bleak, but Mann herself is always a hoot in concert. (7:30 p.m., Fitzgerald Theater, 10 E. Exchange St., St. Paul, $35, etix.com)

Mastodon: Entering their 20th decade of thundering live shows, the Atlanta prog-metal vets are back out on the road behind their ninth album, "Hushed and Grim." One half of that title rings true, anyway. They're touring with Swedish peers Opeth and helping kick things open again at Maplewood's sleepy-of-late mega-club. (7 p.m., Myth, 3090 Southlawn Dr., Maplewood, $55, etix.com)

Also: Icelandic band Kaleo of "Way Down We Go" hitmaking fame (6 p.m., the Fillmore, $40); Honky Tonk Jump, which plays Western swing and classic country with Minnesota all-stars fiddler Richard Kriehn, accordionist Dan Newton and pedal steel guitarist Joe Savage, reopens the Belvedere tent (4 p.m. Crooners, $25); punk and emo bandleaders step out as singer/songwriters with Anthony Green, Against Me!'s Laura Jane Grace and Cursive's Tim Kasher (7 p.m., Fine Line, $25-$45); local five-band bill with Big Salt and Honey Dick (7:30 p.m., Mortimer's); and don't forget the weekly set by 95-year-old Twin Cities piano man Cornbread Harris (5 p.m., Palmer's Bar, free).

Kind Folk finds jazz trumpeter/flugelhornist John Raymond and crew celebrating their brand new pandemic project "Head Towards the Center" (7 p.m. Dakota, $15-$25); angsty Indiana-reared rock/rap YouTube star Lauren Sanderson (7 p.m., Amsterdam Bar & Hall, $18, all ages); Los Angeles hard-rocker Dorothy (8 p.m., Varsity Theater, $25+).

David Bazan is back with his indie-rock powerhouse band Pedro the Lion (8 p.m., Fine Line, $22-$40); Canadian pop strummer Lights (7:30 p.m., Varsity, $25+).

Seattle's jazzy and experimental funk-rock group High Pulp (7:30 p.m., Hook & Ladder, $15); old-school Texas countryman Dale Watson (8:30 p.m., Uptown VFW, $25-$30); local country traditionalists the TC Ramblers (8 p.m., White Squirrel Bar, free); Long Island's sibling throwback pop-rockers the Lemon Twigs (8 p.m., Fine Line, $25-$40).