Summer Fun 2017: July highlights

July 1: Sheeran has commanded the Billboard charts since "Divide" was released in March, and his international success has made the British megastar's show at the X a hot ticket. Ubiquitous love song "Shape of You" was one of nine hits to occupy the U.K. singles chart, making "Divide" an unprecedented success for the 26-year-old singer. Despite critical naysaying, the fans have spoken. No one deserves the stadium treatment quite like the redheaded golden boy from West Yorkshire. (Xcel Energy Center. Sold out.) Jerard Fagerberg

July 7-8: The century-year-old Basilica of St. Mary hosts its 23rd annual block party, adding another chapter to the mission of restoring and maintaining one of the Twin Cities' most cherished structures. This year, the re-emergent Shins are a big draw, heading a two-day festival that includes AWOLNATION, Brandi Carlile and Walk the Moon. Locals Enemy Planes, Night Moves and Nick Jordan will also perform in the shadow of the Baroque landmark. (Basilica of St. Mary, Mpls. $55-$400; basilicablockparty.org.) J.F.

July 8-9: Fierce and sleek dragon boats will once again glide across St. Paul's Lake Phalen as paddling teams race the vessels to the finish line. This festival also showcases the arts of Asia, with ceremonial dances and theatrical performances. Wearing traditional clothing, musicians will play instruments from the hypnotic Chinese flute to the thunderous sound of Taiko drums. (10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. Lake Phalen Park, 1600 Phalen Dr., St. Paul. dragonfestival.org.) Melissa Walker

July 13-16: Call it a warmup for next year's Super Bowl LI — this big extreme-sports competition comes to U.S. Bank Stadium for the first of three summers, featuring top athletes in three sports: skateboarding, BMX and motocross. Producer/creator ESPN calls it "the world's premier action sports competition," not to mention "an all-encompassing youth culture experience." It's also a music fest, with pop-punkers A Day to Remember (July 14), electro producer Flume (July 15) and homegrown hip-hoppers Atmosphere (July 16). (U.S. Bank Stadium, Mpls. $20-$750; xgames.com.) Simon Peter Groebner

At the Drive-In

July 17: The experimental art-punk band from the wilds of El Paso, Texas, broke up in 2001 but gained wider fame in the interim as an influencer of many younger bands. They started playing reunion gigs last year and are carrying on without original guitarist Jim Ward to release a new album and play more dates this summer. A preview of the new tunes and lineup at Austin's SXSW fest found them as loud and frenetic as ever. Mexican rockers Le Butcherettes open. (Palace Theatre, 17 W. 7th Pl., St. Paul. $43: etix.com.) Chris Riemenschneider

July 21: The slow-stewing North Carolina rapper of "Déjà Vu" fame has been steadily working his way up the local concert ladder, from Myth nightclub in 2013 to the Soundset festival in 2015 to his first arena headlining date this summer. His 57-city 4 Your Eyez Only Tour follows last year's album of the same name, which holds the distinction of being the first record to land all 10 of its tracks on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart — a sign of its popularity on streaming sites. (Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul. $30-$110; ticketmaster.com.) C.R.

July 28-29: OK, we're cool again, Mr. Adams. After a long string of discombobulated and, in at least one case, outright distressing concerts in the '00s, the prolific alt-country/Americana tunesmith was written off by many Twin Cities fans as an unworthy investment for a concert ticket. He has been remarkably steady of late, though, and he has a strong new record blowing his sails this time around, "Prisoner," full of straight-ahead, even-keel rock tunes. The shows should have the same traits. (Palace Theatre, 17 W. 7th Pl., St. Paul. Sold out.) C.R.