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

1. Madeleine Peyroux: This year’s “Let’s Walk,” her ninth album, is a new adventure for the jazzy folk/blues chanteuse. It’s her first project consisting entirely of songs she co-penned. No interpretations of standards or pop classics. There is social commentary as “How I Wish” reflects on racism in America, “Please Come on Inside” welcomes immigrants, and the gospel-tinged title track urges that “we bless togetherness from far and wide, from heel to toe,” with backup singers including Catherine Russell and Cindy Mizelle. And there is pure jazzy joy, as evidenced on “Showman Dan,” a New Orleans piano stroll that salutes Peyroux’s mentor, Danny Fitzgerald of the Lost Wandering Blues And Jazz Band. “Let’s Walk” travels in hipness and progressivism. (7 p.m. Thu. & Fri. the Dakota, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $75-$90, dakotacooks.com)

Also: The latest in a string of meet-ups between two of rock music’s favorite banjo-laden bands, the Avett Brothers and homegrown heroes Trampled by Turtles are co-headlining Xcel Energy Center together and each playing full sets showcasing new 2024 releases (7 p.m., $50-$141); U.K. band the Heavy Heavy, led by partners Georgie Fuller and William Turner, had a hit off their debut EP with “Go Down River” and are now out channeling more Mamas & the Papas-style L.A. pop-rock harmonies from their new full-length album, “One of a Kind” (8 p.m. First Avenue, $30-$35); another all-star local tribute show that’s turned into a tradition, the “Senses Working Overtime” concert will feature XTC songs performed by John Munson, Faith Boblett, Aby Wolf and more (8 p.m. Parkway Theater, $25-$30); artful and vividly imaginary chamber-rock group Sister Spieces is celebrating the release of its fourth album, “Lena in the Bog” (7:30 p.m. Cedar Cultural Center, $15-$20); local chanteuse Diane Jarvi salutes Edith Piaf, with the help of accordion maven Dan Newton (6 p.m. Dunsmore Room at Crooners, $28-$38); Woodbury sibling quartet Nunnabove touts its new single, “Tiny Bookshelf,” with Illism and Goon Tribune (7 p.m. Hook & Ladder, $15-$20); the local 18-piece ACME Jazz Company explores the Count Basie songbook featuring vocalist Arne Fogel, pianist Rick Carlson and saxophonist/arranger Bob Parsons (7:30 p.m. Belvedere tent at Crooners, $25-$35).

2. Maggie Rogers: Only eight years after Pharrell Williams heard her song “Alaska” in a recording class at NYU and helped get her a deal, the Americana-tinged, pop-coated Maryland singer/songwriter’s star is rising toward the top. She just played a two-nighter at Madison Square Garden and earned best-2024-albums-so-far nods from the New York Times and Pitchfork with her latest album, “Don’t Forget Me,” whose title track is also now her biggest hit after “Light On” and a strong showcase of her mighty but tender voice. Now comes her arena-headlining debut in Minnesota, featuring YouTube sensation Ryan Beatty as opener. (7:30 p.m. Target Center, 600 1st Av. N., Mpls., $55-$110, ticketmaster.com)

3. Drive-by Truckers: It takes two nights to properly celebrate an epic double album. Patterson Hood, Mike Cooley and their hard-revving, literary Alabama/Georgia twang-rock band are settling in for the weekend on their Southern Rock Opera Revisited Tour, centered around a deluxe edition reissue of the 2001′s conceptual two-LP set that put them on the map and made a lot of us better appreciate Lynyrd Skynyrd. They’ll be playing most of the record, including such standards as “Let There Be Rock” and “Dead, Drunk, and Naked,” plus other songs related to its themes, with a little variation between the two nights. No opener scheduled. (8 p.m. Fri. & Sat., Uptown Theater, 2900 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls., all ages, $53-$76, ticketmaster.com)

Also: The lineup of Queensrÿche without singer Geoff Tate is on their Origins Part II Tour, revisiting early albums that featured Tate (8 p.m. Myth, $48); remembered locally for bringing down part of First Ave’s ceiling, Theory of a Deadman is playing things a little quieter on an “unplugged” tour this fall (7 p.m. Treasure Island Casino Showroom, $35-$50); Wisconsin folk-rock vet Willie Porter will mark the 25th anniversary of his record “Falling Forward” (8 p.m. Icehouse, $25-$30); if you’re scared to admit you like ska, you can hide in a costume to attend the “Ska-owleen” concert with Space Monkey Mafia, the Prizefighters and more (7:30 p.m. Turf Club, $15); wigged-out local tribute band E.L.nO. hosts its annual Halloween party (8 p.m. Uptown VFW, $25-$30)

4. The Cedar Celebration: To commemorate its 35 years of presenting an alluring array of music on the West Bank, the venerable Cedar Cultural Center, the movie theater-turned-music space, is staging a “fun-raiser.” That’s a fundraiser with a parade of musical acts that represents the eclecticism of the sounds over the years, including roots, global and Minnesota music. The program features Jack Klatt, Fanaka Nation, Brass Messengers, Pieta Brown, Glen Helgeson & Gary Shulte and host Dessa, who is witty and wise with words as an MC and emcee. (4-8 p.m. Cedar Cultural Center, 416 Cedar Av. S., Mpls., $35, thecedar.org)

5. Minnesota Bach Ensemble: It has been 11 years since conductor Andrew Altenbach and a group of Minnesota Orchestra musicians founded this little chamber orchestra in order to explore the music of J.S. Bach and his baroque-era contemporaries. Altenbach has since moved to Boston (where he’s music director of the Brookline Symphony), but he returns to launch the MBE season by leading the group in a program in whichwhere German composers display Italian influences and vice versa. Soloists include violinist Cecilia Belcher, oboists Basil Reeve and Merilee Klemp and soprano Linhn Kauffman. (3 p.m. MacPhail Center for Music, 501 S. 2nd St., Mpls., $15-$35, mnbach.org)

6. The The: You can tell this pioneering British alt-rock group came from the last century just based on its unfortunately un-Googleable band name. It’s a name that still resonates with many Gen-X music lovers, though, thanks to elegantly produced, dramatically emoted ‘80s albums like “Soul Mining” and “Mind Bomb” and darkly poetic songs like “The Beat(en) Generation” and “This Is the Day.” Frontman Matt Johnson’s contempt for the music biz has abated enough for him to have released their first album of the 21st century, “Ensoulment,” leading to their long-overdue return to Minnesota. (8:30 p.m. Palace Theatre, 17 W. 7th Place, St. Paul, $50-$100, axs.com)

Also: After NPG singer Liv Warfield rocked the Dakota on Monday, Shelby J arrives from North Carolina to bring the Uptown funk to downtown Minneapolis (7 p.m. the Dakota, $60-$65); British folk-rock hero Richard Thompson of “1952 Vincent Black Lightning” and “Shoot Out the Lights Fame” is going strong at 75 and will be rocking songs with his full electric band touting his new album “Ship to Shore” (8 p.m. Fitzgerald Theater, $35);

7. Stevie Wonder: In his quest to promote unity and urge people to vote, the wondrous music maker has undertaken a brief 11-city campaign with the mouthful title Sing Your Song! As We Fix Our Nation’s Broken Heart Tour. It takes its name from Wonder’s new single, “Can We Fix Our Nation’s Broken Heart,” advocating for “joy over anger, kindness over recrimination, peace over war.” Of course, the 25-time Grammy winner will do the classics like “Higher Ground” and “Living for the City” and comment about the state of the nation, as he is wontwon’t to do. (8 p.m. Target Center, 600 1st Av. N., Mpls., $54.50 and up, axs.com)

8. Charles Lloyd: At 87, he pulled off a rare feat in jazz this year: DownBeat’s Critics Poll named him jazz artist of the year (for the second consecutive year), top tenor saxophonist, jazz album of the year and a new member of the DownBeat Hall of Fame. Lloyd first captured DownBeat’s artist of the year back in 1967. An ever-curious seeker and adventurer, he plays in four different combos these days. He’s bringing his quartet, which includes pianist Aaron Parks, bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Eric Harland. (7:30 p.m. Ordway Concert Hall, 245 Washington St., St. Paul, $50-$89, Ordway.org)

9. The Chiaroscuro Quartet: If you’ve wondered what the string quartets of Mozart and Haydn sounded like at their premieres, this historically informed, London-based foursome has made such aural time travel its mission. Don’t expect anything academic and stuffy when it opens the Schubert Club’s Music in the Park Series season, judging from the passionate performances violinist Alina Ibragimova has delivered on past visits. The program features Mozart’s “Dissonance” Quartet (don’t worry, it’s not that dissonant) and Franz Schubert’s fiery farewell to the form, his G-Major Quartet. (4 p.m. St. Anthony Park United Church of Christ, 2129 Commonwealth Av., St. Paul, $23-$33, schubert.org)

Also: Earnest Irish rockers Inhaler, who sound more like the Killers than they do their singer’s dad’s band U2, are coming back around amid rising viral fame (7:30 p.m. the Fillmore, $45); a tradition that started with his 2010 album “The Reluctant Graveyard,” local pop craftsman Jeremy Messersmith is finishing off his two-day “All Hollow’s Eve Variety Show” with friends playing two sets on Day 2 (3 and 7 p.m. Parkway Theater, $27-$67); nü-metal kingpins Korn are on tour marking the 30th anniversary of their self-titled debut album with openers Gojira and Spiritbox (6:30 p.m. Xcel Energy Center, resale tickets only).

10. Vince Staples: After releasing his comedic TV series “The Vince Staples Show” on Netflix in February, the versatile rapper from Long Beach, Calif., got serious about getting back to what he does best. His new album, “Dark Times,” is personal and topical in tone and cohesive and focused musically, as he leaned on Frank Ocean/SZA collaborator Michael Uzowuru and some other innovative producers but didn’t bring in any other rappers for guests. The “Norf Norf” hitmaker’s Black in America Tour features innovative North Carolina electro-soul singer Baby Rose as the opener. (8:30 p.m. Palace Theatre, $40-$65, axs.com)

Also: Well-connected jazz trumpeter Chris Botti — who has played with a host of bold-face names like Paul Simon and Aretha Franklin — becomes Ed Sullivan in his multi-night club stands with a parade of disparate guests, this time including singer Veronica Swift, violinist Anastasiia Mazurok, singer/songwriter John Splithoff, pianist Julian Waterfall Pollack and guitarist marvel Leo Amuedo (6:30 & 8:30 p.m. Mon.-Wed. the Dakota, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $95-$160, dakotacooks.com); quirky British bedroom rocker Declan McKenna, who went viral with his 2015 soccer-inspired song “Brazil,” is still having madcap fun on his new album “What Happened to the Beach?” (7 p.m. First Ave, all ages, $35).

Fresh off making his late-night TV debut on Stephen Colbert’s show last week, Oklahoma twang-rocker Wyatt Flores worked with Orville Peck’s producer Beau Bedford on his just-released debut album, “Welcome to the Plains” (7:30 p.m. First Avenue, $31); local composer and scenemaker Chris Strouth and his experimental ensemble Paris 1919 will perform an original score for the 1925 silent-film version of “Phantom of the Opera” for early Halloween chills (7:30 p.m. Parkway Theater, $15-$20).

British singer Myles Smith comes to town with “Stargazing,” the TikTok-launched stomp-and-holler tune that has become an international hit (7:30 p.m. Fine Line, $28 and up); Rochester will get a sweet installment of the many ‘90s nostalgia package tours when the Barenaked Ladies and Toad the Wet Sprocket hit town together (7:30 p.m. Mayo Civic Center, $37-$147).

Classical music critic Rob Hubbard contributed to this column.