The Big Gigs: 10 concerts to see in the Twin Cities this week

1. Thomas Rhett: The son of '90s country star Rhett Akins has found his own groove in country music by assimilating R&B and pop feels. He's chalked up 18 No. 1 country tunes, including last year's "Half of Me," a perfect Nashville drinking duet with Riley Green. By contrast, Rhett's duet with Katy Perry on "Where It Started," the title track of last year's hit album, is chiefly a pop effort. Last seen at the NHL Winter Classic at Target Field on a frigid Jan. 1., 2022, Rhett heads indoors this time with openers Cole Swindell and Nate Smith. (7:30 p.m. Xcel Energy Center, 199 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, $35 and up, ticketmaster.com)

2. Tim O'Brien: The Grammy-winning bluegrass stud — he plays many instruments including mandolin, fiddle and banjo — has just released his first album of all original material in his 46-year recording career. On "Cup of Sugar," O'Brien sings about a bear, a fish, a grave digger and Walter Cronkite. This neighborly collection is nearly equal parts humor and profundity. And that's the way it is. (7 p.m. the Dakota, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $35-$45, dakotacooks.com)

Also: The great New York piano man Billy Stritch, who has accompanied Tony Bennett, Liza Minnelli, Linda Eder, Marilyn Maye and others, shares stories and songs (7 p.m. Crooners, $25-$35); Twin Cities hip-hop vets Atmosphere are the second opening act on a hazy and groovy lineup at the traffic-jam-plagued Somerset Amphitheater in western Wisconsin also featuring reggae-infused rock acts Sublime with Rome and Slightly Stoopid (5 p.m., $30-$100); the team behind the Roots Rock & Deep Blues Fest are bringing Texas bluesman Sugaray Rayford to the Under the Canopy series alongside snaky Mississippi rockers the Blood Brothers with guests Lightnin' Malcolm and more (7 p.m. Hook & Ladder, $35-$59); Minnesota bluegrass mainstays Becky Schlegel and the High 48s pair up in Excelsior (318 Cafe, $20); the three-day Great Midwest Ribfest features free music with veteran country stars Pam Tillis and Clay Walker (Thu.), pop-rockers the Fray and American Authors (Fri.) and '80s hitmakers Rick Springfield and Tommy Tutone (Sat.), with more acts all weekend (5 p.m. Thu.-Sat. Mystic Lake Casino, free).

3. Shakey Graves & Lucius: After a smooth and fun start with Grace Potter last month, the Sparkyard Sound concert series in the coolly reclaimed industrial yard outside one of Minneapolis' best mainstay breweries continues with a fun double-header. Austin, Texas, hippie-soul rocker Shakey Graves, aka Alejandro Rose-Garcie, is kicking off his tour here for a new album, "Movie of the Week," out Sept. 15. Longtime local faves Lucius, aka ultra-harmonious vocal duo Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig, are still making the rounds behind their Brandi Carlile-produced 2022 LP "Second Nature" and sound as mesmerizing as ever. Local indie-pop innovator Mike Kota opens. (6 p.m. Bauhaus Brew Lab, all ages, $45, etix.com)

4. Julia Bullock: The hottest singer in classical music will launch the four-week Lakes Area Music Festival with an orchestra full of musicians from several major American orchestras led by the festival's artistic director (and her husband), German conductor Christian Reif. She'll sing music by George Gershwin and Margaret Bonds at a Friday-night gala before lending her lovely voice to Hector Berlioz's song cycle, "Les nuits d'ete (Summer Nights)," on Saturday and Sunday. A new work by Anna Clyne and Johannes Brahms' Second Symphony complete that program. (8 p.m., also 7:30 p.m. Sat. & 2 p.m. Sun. Gichi-zlibi Center for the Arts, 602 S. Fifth St., Brainerd, free-$50, lakesareamusic.org)

Also: Because of a stroke, the esteemed singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams isn't playing guitar anymore but that hasn't silenced her voice, which is commanding with songs and conversation about her songs as she's demonstrated during her record five-night run in downtown Minneapolis (7 p.m., also Fri., the Dakota, sold out); Lauren Alaina, the former "American Idol" champ who has scored only one country hit, "The Road Less Traveled," in more than a decade in Nashville, headlines at Plymouth's underused amphitheater in a lush park with openers David J and Monique Smaz (6:30 p.m. Hilde Amphitheater, $40-$100); enduring Upper Midwest country hero Sherwin Linton, a longtime friend of Johnny Cash, offers his always heart-warming Cash tribute (8 p.m. Crooners, $30-$40).

5. Palmfest 2023: With the Grumpy's Bar team as new owners and the same old ruggedly charming corner-bar vibe, Palmer's is carrying on with its annual outdoor/indoor music festival in grand style. Cornbread Harris kicks off both days, followed on Saturday by a series of punky and stoner-y rock acts including the Black Widows, Haters Club, Whiskey Rock and Roll Club, the Silent Treatment and late-night sets from the Sex Rays and Goo Goo Mucks. Sunday's lineup is a bit more twangy and retro-rocky, with Pitstop, Michael Gay, Mad Mojo Jett, American Cream, Theyself and more. (1 p.m. Sat. & Sun., Palmer's Bar, 500 Cedar Av. S., Mpls., $10 at door, palmers-bar.com)

Also: Mary Jane Alm celebrates 50 years as a Minnesota singer with a parade of guests (8 p.m,, also 7 p.m. Sun. Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, $44-$64); dark and stormy California metal band Avenged Sevenfold is touring for its new album "Life Is But a Dream..." with Alexisonfire (6:30 p.m. Target Center, $20-$180); local jam pickers Frogleg are promoting a new three-disc live acoustic album with an outdoor acoustic set followed by an indoor electric set and a performance in between by rising bluegrass stars Brotherhood of Birds (7 and 10 p.m., respectively, Hook & Ladder, $20-$30); Twin Cities psychedelic rockers Sleeping Jesus and Muun Bato will sandwich Chicago's Dead Bolts and New Yorkers DI Ivories on a cool noisemaking lineup (9 p.m. Mortimer's, $10); well-traveled bluesman Wayne Baker Brooks, son of Lonnie Brooks, brings Chicago blues to St. Paul (5 p.m. KJ's Hideaway, $25); Andy Grammer, known for the mid-'00s singles "Honey, I'm Good" and "Fresh Eyes," headlines outdoors in Plymouth (6:30 p.m. Hilde Amphitheater, $40-$100).

6. Romeo and Juliet: Mixed Precipitation's Pickup Truck Opera always gives a classic work a whimsical modern update, and this year's itinerant offering takes Vincenzo Bellini's 1830 opera, "The Capulets and the Montagues," and makes it about the elopement of a pair of internet influencers, adding elements of Fleetwood Mac, the Fugees and the Pixies to the score. It will be performed at parks, farms, vineyards and nature centers throughout the state through Sept. 10, starting Sunday at Theodore Wirth Park. (5 p.m. Loppet Trailhead, 1221 Theodore Wirth Parkway, Mpls., $5-$45, mixedprecipitation.org)

Also: Now in its 40th year, New Orleans funk troupe the Rebirth Brass Band is making a quick trek north and will be back in time for its weekly Tuesday gig back home (6:30 & 8:30 p.m. the Dakota, $35-$45); Minnesota music adventurer Al Church is teaming with some of the players behind his excellent Radiohead tributes and other guests to perform at 30th anniversary celebration of Smashing Pumpkins' "Siamese Dream" (7 p.m. Parkway Theater, $20-$27).

Second generation Twin Cities musician Brandon Commodore, the drummer son of singer Ginger and drummer Bobby Commodore, concludes his month as curator of Icehouse's Monday jazz series, with young heavyweights L.A. Buckner and trumpeter Omar Abdulkarim (8 p.m., Icehouse, $12).

7. Legalized It: Forty-seven years after Peter Tosh first sang "Legalize It," an eclectic group of Twin Cities musicmakers are throwing a party the day recreational marijuana officially becomes legal in Minnesota. The all-star experimental electro-rock crew Marijuana Deathsquads — led by Ryan Olson with members of Polica and Doomtree — was practically required by name to come out of retirement for the celebration. Rapper-turned-state-legislator Maria Isa, reggae-rock vets the New Primitives and funk band Jojo Green will also perform alongside a cool DJ mix with Keezy, Espada, Lori Barbero and more. Proceeds benefit the Great Rise, fighting for cannabis legal justice. (5 p.m. First Avenue, 701 1^st Av. N., Mpls., $12, axs.com)

8. Bobby Watson: After decades in New York City, the veteran alto saxophonist and educator has moved back to Kansas City, near where he grew up. So, not surprisingly, his new album is entitled "Back Home in Kansas City," a collection of swinging blues-informed jazz inspired by John Coltrane and Herbie Hancock. The record features drummer Victor Jones, trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, piano star Cyrus Chestnut, bassist Curtis Lundy, a Watson pal since college days at the University of Miami, and vocalist Carmen Lundy, the bassist's sister. (7 p.m. the Dakota, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $35-$45, dakotacooks.com)

9. Paramore: After a five-year hiatus, Hayley Williams and her Tennessee-reared pop-punk band are back and putting on bigger shows than ever. Their arena-headlining tour for the new album, "This Is Why," has been earning widespread raves, including from the Washington Post, which called the impactful frontwoman "a generational talent." Adding buzz to the tour is the addition of Los Angeles teen-punk band the Linda Lindas, who went viral in 2021 with their library-filmed video for "Racist, Sexist Boy." Poppy British rock band Foals plays in the middle slot. (7 p.m. Xcel Energy Center, 199 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, $36-$152, ticketmaster.com)

10. Bon Iver: After performing with a stripped-down lineup at Bayfront Park in 2021 for the Water Is Life Festival, Wisconsin indie-rock hermit Justin Vernon and the full version of his ethereal North Country band are returning to Duluth's scenic harborside amphitheater as part of a Midwest also featuring dates in Des Moines and Madison, Wis. Vernon and the crew haven't issued an album since 2019's "I,I," but they've been steadily performing all along, with European dates and a Pitchfork Music Fest set that featured 20-plus highlights from all their albums going back to 2007's cabin-made breakthrough "For Emma, Forever Ago." Poliça opens. (6:30 p.m. Bayfront Festival Park, 350 Harbor Dr., Duluth, $65-$85, axs.com)

Also: A mighty grunge-era twofer tour finds hard-throttling Maryland vets Clutch pairing up with guitar blaster J. Mascis and his enduring trio Dinosaur Jr. (7:30 p.m. Palace Theatre, $48-$80); whirry Cleveland pop-punk band the Sonder Bombs return (8 p.m. 7th St. Entry, $18).

Classical music critic Rob Hubbard contributed to this column.