The Big Gigs: 11 best concerts in the Twin Cities in the next two weeks

1. Zakk Sabbath: After performing with Ozzy Osbourne longer than any other guitar player, Zakk Wylde has a unique, indirect claim to Black Sabbath's mighty musical canon. He's celebrating that connection with this all-Sabbath covers band featuring fellow Ozzy alum Robert "Blasko" Nicholson on bass and ex-Queens of the Stone Age drummer Joey Castillo. They only do Ozzy-era songs, but they go pretty deep. Banjo-laced Michigan metal band the Native Howl opens. (7:30 p.m. First Avenue, 701 1^st Av. N., Mpls., $30-$35, axs.com)

Also: The Bad Plus, the long-playing Twin Cities-rooted jazz group, wraps up its annual holiday run (6:30 & 8:30 p.m. the Dakota, $35-$45); the BoDeans, the pride of Wisconsin, make their annual end-of-the-year appearance in the Twin Cities, with the harmonious Turn Turn Turn (7:30 p.m. Ames Center, $46-$56).

2. Soul Asylum: An end-of-the-year hometown gig has been a tradition for Soul Asylum. But Dave Pirner and the boys have been rather busy with local gigs in 2023. In April, the group celebrated the 30^th anniversary of their MTV Unplugged gig, with an acoustic State Theatre concert featuring strings on "Runaway Train," "Somebody to Shove" and the Prince-beloved "Stand Up and Be Strong." A vinyl version of Soul Asylum's "MTV Unplugged" was released for Record Store Day. Then in September, Pirner, Michael Bland, Ryan Smith and Jeremy Tappero rocked the Minnesota State Fair for two nights at the Leinie Lodge Bandshell. The special opener this time is Tommy Stinson, returning home after distinguished runs with the Replacements, Bash & Pop, Perfect, Guns N' Roses and even Soul Asylum. (9 p.m. First Avenue, 701 1^st Av. N., Mpls., $32.50-$35, axs.com)

3. The New Standards: The popular Twin Cities loungey jazz trio calls these gigs "Preeners," as in Pre-New Year's Eve. As luck would have it, Preeners is Friday and Saturday this year. Perfect. Chan Poling and John Munson will parry with their spontaneous repartee while Steve Roehm punctuates things with his vibraphone. The New Standards have an expansive repertoire of pop and rock tunes they reimagine (from Britney Spears' "Toxic" to OutKast's "Hey Ya") plus a few seasonal favorites (such as Trip Shakespeare's "Snow Days"). TNS did their annual Holiday Show in early December with guests including Robert Robinson, Aby Wolf and Diane from the Current's "Local Show." This time, it's just Chan, John and Steve. (6:30 & 9 p.m. Fri.-Sat. the Dakota, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $35-$50, dakotacooks.com)

Also: R Factor, one of the Twin Cities most versatile and entertaining bands, presents its tribute to Prince (7:30 p.m. Crooners, $30-$40).

4. Barbara Cohen & Little Lizard: Revisit the hip 1990s scene in Twin Cities indie rock. In Little Lizard, Jacqueline Ultan's cello, Marc Anderson's percussion and Jeremy Ylvisaker's guitar accompanied Cohen's expressive, often haunting, sometimes precious voice. All of them went on to other work: Cohen with Brother Sun Sister Moon, Orbital and Air; Ultan with Dan Wilson, Ondara and Soul Asylum; Ylvisaker with John Prine, Bon Iver and the Suburbs, and Anderson with Max Roach, Angelique Kidjo and Taj Mahal. After two decades in Los Angeles, Cohen has returned to Minnesota and has reunited Little Lizard. Opening are the Hang Ups, a tasty Twin Cities pop band dating back to the '90s. (7 p.m. the Hook & Ladder, 3010 Minnehaha Ave, Mpls., $10-$15, thehookmpls.com)

Also: Lizzo's "Let 'Em Say" collaborator Caroline Smith is back living in Minnesota and marking the 10th anniversary of her locally adored soulful R&B LP "Half About Being a Woman" with opener Rafaella (9 p.m. First Avenue, $22-$25); Trans-Siberian Orchestra returns for their annual December celebration of classical-meets-metal holiday bombast (3 & 7:30 p.m. Xcel Energy Center, $39 and up); unbeatable Minnesota jazz singer Connie Evingson offers an intimate holiday toast with New York piano maven Jon Weber (4 & 7 p.m. Dunsmore Room at Crooners, $45-$55); the always cheeky Twin Cities duo of Erin Schwab and Jay Fuchs present their New Year's Eve Eve (5 p.m., Crooners, $35 and up).

5. Minnesota Orchestra: The orchestra has quite a New Year's celebration planned. Not only is its new music director, Thomas Søndergård, returning to conduct for the first time since September, but he'll be joined by a brilliant pianist in Stephen Hough. Performed on both New Year's Eve (with post-concert jazz until midnight) and the afternoon of New Year's Day, the all-Russian program will feature music from Sergei Prokofiev's "Winter Bonfire," a suite from Peter Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker," and Hough soloing on Sergei Rachmaninoff's "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini." (8:30 p.m., also 2 p.m. Mon., Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $50-$160, minnesotaorchestra.org)

Check out our separate rundown of New Year's Eve gig options, ranging from Cornbread Harris to Motion City Soundtrack and DJ Zedd.

6. The Cactus Blossoms: The best way Twin Cities music lovers stay warm every January. The Everly Brothers-channeling neo-twang sibling band's monthlong Monday night residency at the St. Paul watering hole they rode in on is back for its seventh almost-consecutive year. Thanks to how the calendar shook down and the fact that they're starting right on Jan. 1, there's an extra fifth installment this time around. Becky Kapell opens the first week, followed by the Riffin' Trio, Steam Machine, Laamar and Clare Doyle, in order. (8 p.m. Mon., Turf Club, 1601 University Av. W., St. Paul, $20, axs.com)

Also: Don't expect a New Year's Eve hangover from Davina & the Vagabonds because they always know how to party with a New Orleans flavor (7 p.m. the Dakota, $40-$45).

Twin Cities metal band Gross Motor All Stars celebrate their album "Tried to Tell Ya" with Gnaw, Unturned Haze Gazer and Fuss (7:30 p.m., 7th Street Entry, $12-$15).

7. Tim Sparks: A guitarist for all seasons and ethnicities, the North Carolina-reared, Minnesota resident is celebrating a new CD, "Lost and Found." Accompanied by bassist Ted Olsen and acoustic guitarist Ben Abrahamson, Sparks interprets tunes by the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Dave Brubeck and others as well as offering three originals, including the title track (which he wrote back in the Rio Nido days). Although many of these numbers are overly familiar, acoustic wiz Sparks offers a fresh take because he plays with the the precision of a classical guitarist, the inventiveness of a jazz man and the passion of a folk musician — on the same tune. (7 p.m. the Dakota, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $15-$20, dakotacooks.com)

Local singer Sarah Morris teams with a new combo called Pretty Good People (6:30 p.m. Dunsmore Room at Crooners, $20-$30).

8. Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken: The champ and runner-up on "American Idol" have rarely made a viable musical entity together. Remember the Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini movie ("From Justin to Kelly") featuring the first Idols? Maybe you do because it was such a rotten tomato. Studdard and Aiken, the winner and runner-up from Season 2 (2003), have somehow transcended their differences and remained friends and touring partners, including a Christmas show that landed on Broadway. Studdard has been a steady presence on the R&B and gospel scenes; in 2023, he released "The Way I Remember It," his first collection of original material since 2014. Pop-inclined Aiken hasn't issued an album since 2012 but he's been active in other areas, including twice running for Congress unsuccessfully in North Carolina. (6:30 & 9 p.m. the Dakota, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $65-$80, dakotacooks.com)

Also: The reputable touring Van Halen tribute band Jump plays nothing but David Lee Roth-era classics, including deep cuts (8 p.m. Medina Entertainment Center, $17-$25); Twin Cities vocalist Kimberly Michaels steps away from R Factor for a night to showcase her own soulful sounds (7:30 p.m. Crooners, $25-$35).

9. Lissie: This purr-to-roar-voiced, adult-contemporary Iowan hitmaker of "When I'm Alone" and "Best Days" fame not only has made the Twin Cities her adopted music scene with a backing band mostly based here, she has made south Minneapolis' coolly remade neighborhood theater the Parkway her regular hangout — especially in January. She's settling in there for the month playing every Saturday night, starting with a full-band performance this weekend, followed by a solo acoustic "storytellers"-style gig the following week. Her sometimes-bassist Megan Mahoney's band Trash Date opens Night 1. (8 p.m. Parkway Theater, 4814 Chicago Av. S., Mpls., $29-$49, theparkwaytheater.com)

Martin Dosh leads the Larry Schaefer Memorial Orchestra, an all-star local ensemble that includes Bryan Nichols, Erik Fratzke, Jeremy Ylvisaker and Jake Baldwin, through an improvised set that embraces free jazz, Afrobeat, soul and you name it (7 p.m. the Dakota, $15-$20); Pat Frederick & Low Country features the Daisy Dillman Band violinist/vocalist branching out with eclectic sounds (5:30 p.m. Crooners, $20-$30).

10. JAMuary Residency: If you're going to host a bunch of bands that like to deliver long guitar solos, what better time than the dead zone of January? Young players happy to wear the jam-band tag are teaming up for three consecutive Mondays. This week's kickoff date features the Joe Barron Band, whose namesake also plays in Space Monkey Mafia, plus the dueling-guitar group Twine and Bunkers' resident blues-rocker Dylan Salfer. The Jan. 15 lineup will feature Buffalo Galaxy, New Salty Dog and Dream of the Wild, followed by a Jan. 22 roster with the Built to Last All-Stars, Dead Larry and Time Stream. (8 p.m. 7th St. Entry, 701 1st Av. N., Mpls., $12-$15, axs.com)

Also: Cate Fierro, Twin Cities tribute dynamo, offers her salute to Sade (7 p.m. the Dakota, $20-$25).

11. Rosanne Cash: A stand-out singer/songwriter who gracefully transitioned from mainstream country to Americana, she is celebrating the 30th anniversary of "The Wheel." It was her first project with John Leventhal, the producer/songwriter whom she would eventually marry. Not only have they made a life and many albums together, they started a record label. The first project was a deluxe edition of "The Wheel" (songs were remastered and a vintage live recording is included), and the next release is Leventhal's debut solo album. (7 p.m., also Jan. 10, the Dakota, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $105-$135, dakotacooks.com)

Katey Bellville & the SOBs host a tribute to Americana ace Gillian Welch with a distinguished lineup of Minnesota musicians including the Foxgloves, Pistol Whippin Party, Mother Banjo and Becky Schlegel (7:30 p.m. Turf Club, $15-$18).

Classical music critic Rob Hubbard contributed to this column.