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

1. Wild Nights: The terrific Music in the Zoo series produced by Sue McLean & Associates is history. This summer, the Minnesota Zoo is showcasing local acts on themed Thursdays on three stages — the old reliable Weesner Family Amphitheater, the Lakeside Terrace (by the zoo's man-made lake) and the Crossroads Stage. The concerts this week focus on Americana and alt-country sounds, with those harmonizing brothers the Cactus Blossoms and the retro-loving trio Turn Turn Turn plus Chicken Wire Empire, Barbaro, JoJo Green and Wisconsin's Trapper Schoepp. Free parking. (6-10 p.m. Minnesota Zoo, 13000 Zoo Blvd., Apple Valley, $30-$40, mnzoo.org)

Also: The "Summer Girls: A Boy Band Tribute" will feature an all-female cast of Twin Cities singers all 'n sync and going in one direction together, including the Prairie Fire Lady Choir, Annie Enneking of Annie & the Bang Bang, Leslie Vincent and more (8 p.m. Turf Club, $12-$15); veteran guitarist Peter White, who has worked extensively with Al Stewart and Basia, is a smooth-jazz artist in his own right, who will be joined by young saxophonist Vincent Ingala (6:30 & 8:30 p.m. the Dakota, $35-$45); Alan Sparhawk's and Al Church's psychedelic funk-rock band Derecho returns to Icehouse (9 p.m., $12-$17), preceded by an outdoor dinnertime set by experimental groovers Martin Dosh and Jeremy Ylvisaker (6-8 p.m., $5); the Piano Men, namely former Minnesotans Jimmy Martin (Ivories Restaurant and Cabaret) and Drew Jansen ("How To Talk Minnesotan: The Musical," "Church Basement Ladies"), return from Little Rock, Ark., for music and merriment (7 p.m. Crooners, $25-$35); wear your dancing shoes for Salsa del Sol (7 p.m. Downtown Park, Hopkins, free).

2. Jelly Roll: He's an unlikely country star. A 300-pound rapper who, like Merle Haggard and Johnny Paycheck, has done time in prison and sings about it. Jelly also sings about weed, booze, addiction, love, church, sin and redemption. At 39, he's put out 17 albums, but he didn't break out until last year's No. 1 country smash "Son of a Sinner," in which he declares he's looking for new ways to get gone. This summer, Jelly dropped the skillfully crafted, country-focused "Whitsitt Chapel," featuring tunes he co-wrote with Miranda Lambert, Hardy, Brantley Gilbert and Ashley McBryde. (8 p.m. Mystic Lake Amphitheater, 2400 Mystic Lake Blvd. NW, Prior Lake, sold out the day tickets went on sale, ticketmaster.com)

Also: Shawn Phillips, the Texas guitar virtuoso with a four-octave vocal range who was beloved by KQRS listeners in the 1970s, takes a break from his EMT duties to hit the road with his music (8 p.m. Fitzgerald Theater, $29.50 and up); Orkestar Bez Ime (Bulgarian for "orchestra without a name") is a Minnesota ensemble that for 20 years has been celebrating the music of Eastern Europe and its gypsy people (8 p.m. Crooners' Belvedere tent, $20-$30); the Festival of Organs continues with renowned British organist Wayne Marshall (7:30 p.m. Northrop, $15-$30); the final results of First Avenue's Rock Lottery mashup of local musicians will be on display in the Mainroom with participants including Bad Bad Hats' Kerry Alexander, L.A. Buckner, Mary Cutrufello and Christy Costello (8 p.m., $15).

3. Trampled by Turtles at Bayfront: After a string of high-profile opening dates with Zach Bryan and Willie Nelson in recent months, the Duluth-bred acoustic sextet will be the king of its own domain again. The band's almost-annual outdoor concert is always loaded with homecoming sentimentality, being a mile and a half down Superior Street from where its members' first performed together at Sir Benedict's Tavern in 2003. Yep, that makes this unofficially the band's 20th anniversary party. Maybe an even bigger selling point this year is having longtime pal Jenny Lewis as the opener, following the release of the Los Angeles Americana-pop queen's excellent new record, "Joy'all." Duluth's own Ross Thorn opens after winning TBT's Palomino grant. (6 p.m. Bayfront Festival Park, Duluth, resale tickets only, axs.com)

4. Rob Zombie: One of metal's greatest showmen is back at it on an outdoor summer outing dubbed the Freaks on Parade Tour with Ministry and "Hey Man Nice Shot" hitmakers Filter as alternating openers; we get the latter act here. The ex-White Zombie namesake frontman has brought back his late-'90s-era guitarist Mike Riggs after longtime player John 5 left to join Mötley Crüe. He's also bringing out a new array of horror-movie-worthy visual gimmicks and songs from his strong, pandemic-issued album "The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy." (8 p.m., Mystic Lake Casino Amphitheater, 2400 Mystic Lake Blvd. NW, Prior Lake, $55-$99, ticketmaster.com)

5. O.A.R. and Cory Wong: After an afternoon all-star hockey game (featuring Joe Mauer, Mikko Koivu, Natalie Darwitz, Wong and others) at Tria Rink, it will be hockey night in Minneapolis. This Minnesota Wild-promoted charity concert features the "Love and Memories" hitmakers from Maryland, who are touring behind their 10th album, 2022's "The Arcade," which has an unmistakable ska flavor. Count on Minnesota's own guitar star Wong to score big because he's as delightfully entertaining live as he is funkily musical. He collaborated with O.A.R. on his new pop single, the escapist "Hiding on the Moon," from his Aug. 18 release, "The Lucky One." (7:30 p.m. the Armory, 500 S. 6th St., Mpls., $47 and up, ticketmaster.com)

Also: South Minneapolis singer/songwriter Craig Paquette of the classic rock-flavored Thunderheads celebrates his new album "Back Together," based on 1940s-era poems he found from his grandfather (7:30 p.m. Parkway Theater, $15-$20); Louisiana's Geminii Dragon brings her blues/rock/soul stew stirred with a raspy voice (8 p.m. Granada Theater, $20-$25); experimental San Francisco band Deerhoof returns touting its 19th album, "Miracle Level," the first sung entirely in singer/bassist Satomi Matsuzaki's native Japanese (8:30 p.m. Turf Club, $18); literary pop songwriter Dylan Hicks assembled an all-star cast in his stylish, jazz-infused new ensemble Small Screens, including guitarist Zacc Harris and cellist Michelle Kinney with (9 p.m. Icehouse, $12-$17); DJ Jake Rudh's Transmission dance team offers the "Pump Up the Jams" retro party (9:30 p.m. Uptown VFW, $12-$17); Vets Fest 2023 features Pat McLaughlin Band (1 p.m. Roseville VFW, free, donations accepted);

Ginger Commodore, one of Minneapolis' most versatile voices, salutes the one and only Tina Turner (7 p.m. the Dakota; $20-$35); Chris Lynch's eclectic chamber-folk ensemble Dust of Suns, featuring Semisonic's John Munson, dusts off its third album, "Ignes Fatui," a collection of waltzes, tangos and other elegant instrumental pieces that suit the release-party pairing with the French film "Amélie" (6 p.m. Parkway Theater, $20-$27); Aimee Lee, one of the Twin Cities finest vocalists, presents her tribute to the underrated Carpenters (4:30 & 7:30 p.m. Belvedere tent at Crooners, $40-$50); young, eclectic indie-rock sextet Oister Boy celebrates the release of its debut album, "Wycliff St.," with echoes of the Walkmen and Broken Social Scene (8 p.m. 7th St. Entry, $13); the Diaspora! show promises Latinx hip-hop "sounds from way down" with Desdamona, Kouzen, DJ Sir Maro and Just Yoni (7 p.m., Icehouse, $8)

Amid a busy schedule of summer outdoor gigs, North Country folk/blues acoustic hero Charlie Parr settles in for a two-night stand with air-conditioning, fine dining and refined acoustics (7 p.m., also Tue., the Dakota, $30-$40).

6. Blondshell: A fast-rising act you're likely to see next door in the Mainroom within a year's time, New York-raised, Los Angeles-based indie-rocker Sabrina Teitelbaum, 26, is garnering critical praise and lots of Current radio play locally for her eponymous debut album as Blondshell. The seering single "Salad" fantasizes about poisonous revenge on a sexual abuser, and other songs cover substance abuse, bisexuality and Judaism in blunt and powerful ways, sounding equal parts Bully and Belly. Brooklyn trio Hello Mary opens. (9 p.m. 7^th St. Entry, 701 1^st Av. N., Mpls., $14-$17, axs.com)

7. Cantus: To close its season, the eight-man vocal group will perform a program of art song in Yiddish, English and Hebrew, centered around a song cycle by American composer Alex Weiser called "And All the Days Were Purple." There will also be a Maurice Ravel "Kaddish" and even a dash of Mel Brooks. (7:30 p.m. MacPhail Center for Music, 501 Second St. S., Mpls.; 7:30 p.m. Wed. American Swedish Institute, 2600 Park Av., Mpls.; 11 a.m. July 13 and 7:30 p.m. July 14, Westminster Hall, Nicollet Mall and Alice Rainville Place, Mpls., $5-$36, cantussings.org.)

Also: A Hold Steady-sounding, Nashville-based troupe made up of several indie-rock vets, the Country Westerns have been earning high praise with their second album, "Forgive the City" (8 p.m. Icehouse, $12-$17).

8. Melanie Martinez: A decade after she was a runner-up for Team Adam on "The Voice," this New York singer has regained a buzz as a Billie Eilish-style alt-pop artist. Her new singles "Void" and "Death" are racking up big viral numbers via music videos featuring a rather eerie animated alter-ego named Cry Baby. Both are from her third album "Portals," which she largely self-wrote and self-produced and has led to this ambitious summer headlining tour. (7:30 p.m. the Armory, 500 S. 6^th St., Mpls., all ages, resale tickets only, ticketmaster.com)

9. Billy Bob Thornton & the Boxmasters: The Oscar-winning actor and sometimes singer-songwriter is heard on Gov't Mule's new song "The River Only Flows One Way" but Thornton's role is more spoken word than singing on this swampy, spooky, sometimes jazzy tune. The 7-minute piece definitely has a vibe; the same could be said of Thornton's own music heard on a series of albums he released in the '00s. However, he formed the Boxmasters in 2007 with J.D. Andrew and their 2023 and 15th album, "'69," sounds like it was inspired by the Traveling Wilburys, the Turtles and the pop-rock of 1969. (7 p.m. the Dakota, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $65-$75, dakotacooks.com)

10. Souls of Mischief: Part of the same Oakland, Calif.-based Hieroglyphics hip-hop crew that birthed Del tha Funkee Homosapien and the Pharcyde, the quartet seemed poised to be West Coast rivals to A Tribe Called Quest in the early '90s with their jazzy and funky organic beats and free-flowing, tag-team lyricism. The best example of this remains their debut album, "'93 'Til Infinity," the 30th anniversary of which has finally brought them back out on the road. Fellow Bay Area vet the Architect opens along with New York DJ BreakBeat Lou and local wordsmith Sean Anonymous. (9 p.m. Fine Line, 318 1st Av. N., Mpls., $25-$40, axs.com)

Classical music critic Rob Hubbard contributed to this column.