Critics' picks: The 13 best things to do and see in the Twin Cities this week

Critics' picks for entertainment in the week ahead.

November 14, 2023 at 12:05PM
Liz Phair plays the Palace Theatre in St. Paul on Friday. (Abel Uribe, TNS/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

MUSIC

The Eagles

Enough with tequila sunrise. It's the sunset for the Eagles, or so they promise, as their Long Goodbye Tour lands in St. Paul for two nights. Unlike their last go-round when they played "Hotel California" in its entirety, this is an Eagles greatest hits show, with a couple Joe Walsh and Don Henley solo smashes mixed in. This tour also has an opening act: Steely Dan has been advertised, though it has bowed out of all shows since Sept. 20 because frontman Donald Fagen was hospitalized with an unspecified illness. Although Fagen is out of the hospital, the Doobie Brothers will open here. (7:30 p.m. Fri. & Sat. Xcel Energy Center, 199 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, $144.50-$1,750, ticketmaster.com)

JON BREAM

'Big Hits of Mid-America, Vol. 3' Reissue Party

A sought-after vinyl set that goes for $50-plus at record shows, this 1979 double-LP compilation of mostly Minnesota acts from a then-fledgling Twin/Tone Records — based on a prior series from the Soma label — is getting an overdue vinyl reissue from Hopkins-based BackGroove Records. Some of the surviving acts on it are reuniting on stage to celebrate the rerelease, including: pioneering punk trio the Suicide Commandos; garage-rock greats the Hypstrz with Billy and Ernest Batson; hard-grooving rockers Fingerprints and the Pistons, Milwaukee's Yipes! and the ever-enduring Curtiss A. (7 p.m. Sat., Hopkins Center for the Arts, 1111 Mainstreet, Hopkins, $30-$35, $60 with LP, hopkinsartscenter.com)

CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER

Liz Phair

One of the most celebrated indie records of the 1990s, Phair's double-LP debut, "Exile in Guyville," turns 30 this year, and she's marking the occasion by playing it in full with a live band for the first time on tour. Candid and wry tracks like "Stratford-on-Guy," "Divorce Song" and "[Expletive] and Run" set the then-early-20-something Chicago rocker apart as what music critic Edna Gundersen called "a royally perturbed feminist," and there's an enduring charm and power in them. Los Angeles-based opener Blondshell, aka fuzz-rocker Sabrina Teitelbaum, put on a riveting set in the Entry in July. (8 p.m. Fri., Palace Theatre, 17 W. 7th Place, St. Paul, $50-$100, axs.com)

C.R.

Jonas Brothers

Now we know why Joe Jonas looked so distracted at the Minnesota State Fair — his marriage was breaking up. Plus, that night the Jonas Brothers had to abbreviate their Five Albums One Night World Tour show because of State Fair time constraints. So now we get the full Jo Bros in their version of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour — more than 30 songs in nearly three hours by Kevin, Joe and Nick. Lawrence, another sibling pop act, opens. (7 p.m. Sun., Xcel Energy Center, 199 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, $45-$695, ticketmaster.com)

J.B.

Minnesota Orchestra

French pianist Bertrand Chamayou has been a classical buzz artist ever since he won the 2019 Gramophone Award for Recording of the Year. That was for two Camille Saint-Saëns piano concertos he recorded with the French National Orchestra. One of them was the Fifth, which he'll perform here with fellow countryman Fabien Gabel on the podium. The watery program also includes Anatol Lyadov's "The Enchanted Lake," Erich Korngold's Suite from "The Sea Hawk," and Peter Tchaikovsky's Fantasy-Overture, "The Tempest." (11 a.m. Thu., 8 p.m. Fri., 7 p.m. Sat., Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $25-$106, 612-371-5656 or minnesotaorchestra.org)

ROB HUBBARD

Miloš

When classical music fans want something quiet and meditative, they often switch off the symphonies, concertos and arias and turn toward a solo classical guitarist. And, in recent years, that guitarist has been mostly Miloš. Originally from Montenegro, he's a consistent classical chart-topper, his albums sometimes hitting the pop charts, too. His latest is "Baroque," and he'll spend most of these two Schubert Club International Artist Series concerts in that era, tossing in a bit of Beatles, too. (7:30 p.m. Sat., 3 p.m. Sun., Ordway Concert Hall, 345 Washington St., St. Paul, $36-$75, students and children free, 651-292-3268 or schubert.org)

R.H.

DANCE

'Hallucinations'

The experience of living with mental illness gets visualized through dance and metal wearable sculptures made of steel, copper and brass in Becca Cerra's "Hallucinations." A blacksmithing and welding teacher at Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center, Cerra has created the work using stories from people with mental illness. The piece uses art to push back against stigma and offers new ways of thinking about mental health. Dancers Annika Johannson, Hannah MacKenzie-Margulies and Julie Marie Muskat perform, set to music by Brady Custis. (7:30 p.m. Fri. & Sat., Center for Performing Arts, 3754 Pleasant Av. S., Mpls., $10 advance, $12 door, beccacerra.com)

SHEILA REGAN

FILM

'Dolly Parton Rockstar: Global First Listen Event'

Hopping on the Taylor Swift/Beyonce music-but-in-movie-theaters bandwagon, the country legend will debut her new album — which includes covers of classics such as "Stairway to Heaven," "Let It Be" and "Every Breath You Take." Supposedly inspired by being selected for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and not being sure she was a rocker, "Rockstar" is Parton's 49th studio album. (7 p.m. Wed., area theaters, $16.26, dollyrockstarevent.com)

CHRIS HEWITT

THEATER

'Christmas at the Local'

Musical treatment of works by 20th-century poets Dylan Thomas and Maya Angelou anchor "Christmas at the Local," a celebration of the holiday season that premiered last year. The show has music by Chastity Brown, who worked on Angelou's "The Longing for Amazing Peace," and Cerys Matthews and Mason Neely (Thomas' "A Child's Christmas in Wales"). While Peter Rothstein and Larissa Kokernot co-directed the premiere, Rothstein has since taken the reins at Asolo Repertory Theatre in Sarasota, Fla. Kokernot remounts this year's version with the same cast headlined by Joy Dolo, Matt Riehle and musical phenom Phinehas Bynum. (Nov. 21-Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m. Tue. & Nov. 22. Opens 7:30 p.m. Nov. 24. Then, 7:30 p.m. Wed.-Fri., 2 & 7:30 p.m. Sat., 2 p.m. Sun., Ritz Theater, $35-$55, 612-339-3003 or latteda.org. Masks required for Sunday performances.)

ROHAN PRESTON

'Patti LuPone: Don't Monkey With Broadway'

Theater legend Patti LuPone has imbued characters such as Evita and Mama Rose with volcanic fire. The three-time Tony winner — for "Evita," "Gypsy" and "Company" — celebrates her illustrious 50-year career with this evening of songs from her namesake album, including "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina," "Meadowlark" and "The Ladies Who Lunch." (7 p.m. Sun., Ordway, 345 Washington St., St. Paul, $68-$157, 651-224-4222 or ordway.org)

R.P.

ART

Fooling the Eye

Victor Vasarely, known as the grandfather of Op Art, and Jon Kuhn, a famous glass artist, love to trick the eye. In this exhibition at the Cafesjian Art Trust Museum, the two artists approach optical illusions from very different perspectives, but promise to create one fascinating visual experience. (Ends May 4, 4600 Churchill St., Shoreview. Free, reservations required. Hours: 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Thu.-Sat., cafesjianarttrust.org or 612-359-8991)

ALICIA ELER

Idea House 3

There's a new store in town, filled with a crew of international designers, inside the Walker Art Center. The 1,500-square-foot collectible design store is arranged as a house with different rooms. The project is part of an ongoing project — various designers and creatives will be invited to curate the house's "guest room." Programming includes conversations with designers, curators, collectors and other trailblazers in the field of design. (Opens Thu., Walker Art Center, 725 Vineland Place, Mpls., shop.walkerart.org)

A.E.

FAMILY

Winter Lights

It's never too early to get your twinkle on. Once again the Arboretum's gardens are speckled with outdoor light displays that highlight flowers and trees on the grounds. The 1-mile, self-guided walking route has a color-changing tunnel that's new this year as well as a Winter Village on Scarecrow Hill. Guests also can purchase a s'mores kit to roast marshmallows over an open fire. Take a respite from the cold to see the 25-foot Cuetlaxochitl Tree, created using more than 500 living poinsettias in a variety of colors. Throughout the duration of Winter Lights, there also will be themed nights for families, dates with a special someone, photographers and a New Year's Eve party. (Nov. 19-Dec. 30, see website for complete schedule, $5-$25, 3675 Arboretum Drive, Chaska, arb.umn.edu)

MELISSA WALKER

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