Lorde
Scaling back from her arena-headlining days of just four years ago, the New Zealand pop star is going more low-key this time around in line with last year's blissed-out, underperforming "Solar Power." Material from that sonic detour apparently occupies half of the set list for her three-act concert, along with a sampling of "Melodrama" and a dose of "Pure Heroine," the albums that propelled the arty, hyper-literate singer to pop royalty. Opening is California pop-soul singer Remi Wolf, the voice behind "Hello Hello Hello" and "Photo ID." (7:30 p.m. Mon., Armory, 500 S. 6th St., Mpls., $75 and up, ticketmaster.com)
JON BREAM

'Legacy + Lineage + Liberation'
This will be the first time in more than 10 years that Urban Bush Women has performed in the Twin Cities. The legendary dance company celebrates the power of women with pieces by founder and 2021 MacArthur fellow Jawole Willa Jo Zollar. Directed by Chanon Judson and Samantha Speis, the troupe draws on forms from the African diaspora and Black culture as well as modern dance, reimagined for the next generation. This performance was originally scheduled in 2020 for Urban Bush Women's 35th anniversary. (7:30 p.m. Sat., O'Shaughnessy, 2004 Randolph Av., St. Paul, $15-$40, 651-690-6700, oshag.stkate.edu)
SHEILA REGAN

Catalyst Quartet
Few classical ensembles have followed through on their commitment to composers of color as impressively as this Grammy-winning string quartet. It is in the midst of a multi-album project of music by Black composers, some of whom will appear on its Music in the Park Series program, including Florence Price, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and Catalyst alum Jessie Montgomery. Joseph Haydn completes the program. (4 p.m. Sun., St. Anthony Park United Church of Christ, 2129 Commonwealth Av., St. Paul, $33-$23, 651-292-3268 or schubert.org)
ROB HUBBARD

'The Conversation'
It says a lot about Francis Ford Coppola's incredible early-'70s run that "The Godfather" and "The Godfather Part II" are only his second and third best movies of the period. The best is this masterpiece, which stars the great Gene Hackman as a surveillance guy who accidentally records a conversation that leads to government corruption and murder. Maybe the best of the post-Watergate conspiracy movies, "The Conversation" is a riveting, slow-burn thriller. (7 & 9:15 Fri.-Sat., 3 & 5:15 p.m. Sun., Trylon Cinema, 2820 E. 33rd St., Mpls., $8, trylon.org)
CHRIS HEWITT

Cavetown
Yes, he's British, has red hair and glasses, plays ukulele and first caught mass attention via YouTube, but Robbie Skinner is no Ed Sheeran stand-in. The Cambridge-reared pop strummer, who's now 23 and a strong advocate for gender-fluid youths, showed off a quirky and insular charm with his ultra-catchy hits "Devil Town" and "Boys Will Be Bugs," which went viral during the pandemic, thus making this American headlining tour overdue. Hence the addition of this second night locally. (7:30 p.m. Fri., Varsity Theater, 1308 SE. 4th St., Mpls., $40+, all ages, ticketmaster.com)
CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER

Challenging colonial monuments
Artist Karthik Pandian will stage a performance piece at the State Capitol in St. Paul where a statue of Christopher Columbus used to stand before it was toppled by activists in June 2020. The piece, commissioned by Midway Contemporary Art, weaves together Indigenous prophecy, Black music and stories of survival that challenge the existence of this colonial monument. Produced in collaboration with Indigenous activist Mike Forcia (Bad River Anishinaabe) and an ensemble of Twin Cities-based musicians, dancers, and activists, the performance will continue down Cedar Street to a space in Lowertown. The event will be livestreamed by Unicorn Riot. (4 p.m. Sat., 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, free, midwayart.org)
ALICIA ELER

Geek Craft Expo
Stating its purpose as "it's like a mall for geeks," the Geek Craft Expo is a shopping haven for all things niche and odd. Whether your thing is Grogu (baby Yoda), aliens or anime, there's something for all. What makes this expo unique out of all the Comic-con-like events is that all items are made by local artists and crafters, not mass-produced, and hence limited in quantity. (10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat., 10-4 Sun., Minneapolis Convention Center, 1301 2nd Av. S., Mpls., $12, ages 12 and under free, geekcraftexpo.com)
MELISSA WALKER

'The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent'
In this action-comedy of plot twists, bumbling CIA agents and car chases, Nicolas Cage plays a fictionalized version of himself. You might forget the mouthful of a title but not Cage. He's front and center throughout and so are references and inside jokes to his previous movies ("Face/Off," "Guarding Tess," "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari"). Facing mounting debts when his career hits a low, Cage accepts a million bucks and an invite to the birthday party in Spain of a superrich fan (Pedro Pascal) who aspires to be a screenwriter. When he finds himself caught up in a kidnapping plot, Cage must channel his former on-screen characters to escape. (In area theaters. R for language, sexual references, drug use.)
ARTHI SUBRAMANIAM

Joy Oladokun
While she has flirted with modest success (her "Breathe Again" was heard on NBC's "This Is Us" and performed live on "The Tonight Show"), this Nashville singer-songwriter's deeply emotional songs are not necessarily made for mainstream radio. On last year's "In Defense of My Own Happiness" (an expansion of the 2020 album of the same name), she continually asks whether we take care of ourselves or let others do it for us. A Black queer woman who grew up on an Arizona farm with immigrant parents, Oladokun is a survivor, as she points out on "Bigger Man," featuring the always-winning Maren Morris: "I've made a full house from a [crappy] hand." Bre Kennedy opens. (8 p.m. Sun., Fine Line, 318 1st Av. N., Mpls., $16-$33, first-avenue.com)
J.B.

JazzMN + Gretchen Parlato
Big-band jazz returns to Chanhassen as the JazzMN Orchestra welcomes a critically adored singer who's a two-time Grammy nominee and 2004 winner of the Thelonious Monk Competition. Parlato will perform a mix of standards and Brazilian tunes from her recent album "Flor," plus a movement from John Ellis' jazz opera "Ice Siren" adapted by JazzMN artistic director JC Sanford. (7:30 p.m. Mon., Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, 501 W. 78th St., Chanhassen, $40; $58 with preshow dinner, chanhassendt.com/jazzmn)
TIM CAMPBELL