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

1. St. Paul & the Broken Bones: Ain't no party like a St. Paul party. Powerhouse soul-man and showman Paul Janeway and his large, funky, Alabama-based ensemble have been dazzling local crowds for a decade with their retro, Stax-stacked sounds. Their new album, "Angels in Science Fiction," is a love letter of sorts to Janeway's new daughter and tries a little more tenderness and neo-soul slow-jamming. Their appearance in the well-received Sparkyard Sound outdoor concert series is a warm-up gig to a full tour behind the new LP. Bluesy Chicago singer Elizabeth Moen and local R&B belter Jaedyn James open. (6 p.m. Bauhaus Brew Labs, 1315 Tyler St. NE, Mpls., $45-$135, etix.com)

2. Daryl Hall and Todd Rundgren: These Rock & Roll Hall of Famers from Philadelphia love to collaborate. Rundgren produced Hall & Oates back in the day ("War Babies" in 1974). And these two vets began touring together last year when they rocked the State Theatre. Hall offers material from his solo albums plus a few H&O favorites. Rundgren delves into his solo catalog as well as some R&B classics. And they encore together, collaborating on each other's tunes as well as a Philly soul classic. (7 p.m. Mystic Lake Casino showroom, 2400 Mystic Lake Blvd. NW, Prior Lake, $90 and up, ticketmaster.com)

3. The Jayhawks: For the second time in three summers, Minnesota's alt-twang-cum-folk-rock band is meeting up for a special outdoor show at Minneapolis' most scenic outdoor venue, one sponsored by a dentistry office in the neighborhood. Brings new meaning to the lyric, "Smile when you're down and out." Frontman Gary Louris and his crew of "Blue" and "Waiting for the Sun" fame have been steadily gigging since the pandemic ended with lots of welcome recent fare included in their setlists. (7:30 p.m. Lake Harriet Bandshell, 4135 W. Lake Harriet Pkwy., Mpls., free.)

4. A Musical Field Guide to Minnesota Wildflowers: Twin Cities composer Jonathan Posthuma has created a work for winds that will be premiered at three local concerts featuring a variety of combinations of two woodwind trios, Texas' Plumeria Winds and Minnesota's Reed⁵. On display at each concert will be KT Thompson's watercolor paintings inspired by the piece. The Friday concert also features new works by Samantha Hogan, Elizabeth King and Jared Steven Coffin. (7 p.m. Studio Z, 275 E. 4th St., St. Paul, also 7 p.m. Fri. Zion Lutheran Church, 1697 Lafond Av., St. Paul, 11 a.m. Sun. White Bear Center for the Arts, 4971 Long Av., White Bear Lake, free-$20, https://www.facebook.com/events/252792167579440/)

Also: Part-time Jayhawk Kraig Johnson won't make that Minneapolis gig because his now-full-time-again band Run Westy Run is headlining the Lowertown Sounds series in St. Paul with Doug Collins & the Receptionists (6-9:30 p.m. Mears Park, free); Dallas alt-country darlings the Old 97's of "Barrier Reef" fame are celebrating their 30th anniversary on tour this year (8 p.m. Fine Line, $25-$45); it's "New Wave Night" in the zoo's Wild Nights series, bringing back Twin Cities-reared electro-pop pioneers Information Society of "What's on Your Mind" fame, plus the tribute band Mallrats, DJ Jake Rudh and more (6-10 p.m., Minnesota Zoo, $30-$40).

The Doobie Brothers are back in Minnesota for a third consecutive year in a different venue, but this time without singer-guitarist Tom Johnston, who is sidelined after back surgery (8 p.m. Ledge Amphitheater, Waite Park, $59.50 and up); Adi Yeshaya Big Band, led by its namesake Twin Cities pianist, composer and arranger extraordinaire, will have a 30-year reunion and feature vocalist Jennifer Grimm (7:30 p.m. Crooners, $25-$35); Twin Cities all-world bassist Billy Peterson showcases another next generation Peterson, his piano-playing son, Will Oliver (6:30 p.m. Dunsmore Room at Crooners, $25-$35); Los Angeles' rhythmically punchy and high-wired indie-pop band Local Natives return to the Mainroom (9 p.m. First Avenue, $35); family R&B band Nunnabove perform for the Star Tribune's Music & Movies series before a screening of the live-action "Mulan" (7:30 p.m. Lake Harriet Bandshell, free); Munson-Hicks Party Supplies features Semisonic's John Munson singing Dylan Hicks' artful, novella-like songs, with openers Aby Wolf and Faith Boblett (7 p.m. the Dakota, $25-$30); local Celtic rock institution Boiled in Lead is playing a special outdoor summer gig with klezmer-led act Bella's Bartok (6-10 p.m, Palmer's Bar, $25).

5. Jason Aldean: Cancel culture seems to backfire when it comes to country music. After CMT dropped Jason Aldean's controversial pro-gun video for "Try That in a Small Town," fans rallied behind him and consumed the song so many times that it not only shot to No. 1 on country charts but also on the pop list. For one week, Aldean was hotter than Taylor Swift and Morgan Wallen. The "My Kinda Party" hitmaker now has two-dozen No. 1 Nashville songs, dating back to "Why" in 2005. With special guests Mitchell Tenpenny, Corey Kent and Dee Jay Silver. (7 p.m. Treasure Island Casino amphitheater, 5734 Sturgeon Lake Rd., Welch, $45 and up, ticketmaster.com)

6. Sylvan Esso: After performing at Lollapalooza and Hinterland last weekend in Midwest cities cool enough to host big music festivals, the North Carolina-based electro-pop duo with Wisconsin ties is circling back our way for their largest local headlining show to date. Ex-Mountain Man singer Amelia Meath and her loopy producer, bandmate and husband Nick Sanborn sound happily wed to sonic experimentation and madcap beats on last year's album, "No Rules, Sandy," adding some wild, new touches to their ultra-charming live shows. Fellow N.C. musician Indigo Suiza opens. (8 p.m. the Armory, 500 S. 6^th St., Mpls., all ages, $40-$148, ticketmaster.com)

7. Lakes Area Music Festival Finale: A month of music in the Brainerd Lakes region concludes for dozens of musicians from America's top orchestras. And they're going out with a concert full of grand orchestral showpieces conducted by music director Christian Reif, including Richard Wagner's Prelude and Liebestod from "Tristan and Isolde" and Dmitri Shostakovich's 15th and final symphony. And soprano Felicia Moore sings French Romantic Augusta Holmès' "La Nuit et l'Amour." (7:30 p.m., also 2 p.m. Sun. Gichi-ziibi Center for the Arts, 702 S. 5th St., Brainerd, free-$50, lakesareamusic.org)

Also: Fresh off releasing their first album in nine years, St. Paul's pioneering live hip-hop band is hosting its namesake Heiruspecs Summer Classic block party with some other enduring '00s-era Twin Cities rappers, Maria Isa and Unknown Prophets (4-10 p.m., Keg & Case Courtyard, free, all ages); Lil Ed & the Imperials, fronted by Chicago blues royalty Ed Williams, bring their bottleneck boogie to downtown Minneapolis (7 p.m. the Dakota, $25-$35); last seen at Pride 2022 festivities, Tina and the B-Sides, the beloved Twin Cities band featuring the original music of Tina Schlieske, returns to the Mainroom fresh off releasing an old song revisited, "Blue Sky," with Gully Boys opening (8:30 p.m. First Ave, $25); two warmly received new bands fronted by familiar Twin Cities music vets of Honeydogs and Soul Asylum renown, Turn Turn Turn and the Scarlet Goodbye team up in the Under the Canopy series to tout their impressive 2023 albums (7 p.m., Hook & Ladder outside, $24-$40); raw, raucous and riling young punk quartet Surly Grrrly perform inside Hook & Ladder afterward (10 p.m., $15-$20); Chicago punk vets the Smoking Popes (9 p.m. Turf Club, $20-$24); Dosh and Alan Sparhawk's funk band Derecho will cut loose together on the Palmer's Bar patio (6-10 p.m., $15); for 20 years, Southside Aces have been playing traditional New Orleans jazz, and the Twin Cities combo added 15 originals from last year's "Minneapolis Bump" CD to their repertoire (5 p.m. Crooners, $20-$30); saxophonist Kenni Holmen, a well-traveled sideman for Prince, Cory Wong and others, moves to the front as a bandleader of a Twin Cities all-star ensemble with ubiquitous vocalist Jennifer Grimm (7 p.m. Belvedere tent at Crooners, $25-$35).

8. Nur-D and Mayyada: After Talib Kweli took over Minneapolis' favorite jazz room last month, why not let one of the hometown scene's own masterful rap stars give the place a try, too? This promises to be a special set for the gregarious and comical yet meaningful and insightful MC and his funky band, especially with poetic and powerfully voiced neo-soul singer Mayyada opening following the recent release of her acoustic album "Try & Remember," the arrangements of which should sound extra potent in this space. (7 p.m. the Dakota, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $25-$30, dakotacooks.com)

Also: Another fun block party is happening in Minneapolis' Linden Hills neighborhood, the Tilia Augtooberfest, with a strong lineup of local bands featuring the Shackletons, Creeping Charlie, Drew Peterson and Private Oates (3-8 p.m., 2726 W. 43rd St., $10); appealing Philly-reared, Nashville-based soul man Devon Gilfillian is getting some love on 89.3 the Current for "All I Really Wanna Do" (8 p.m. Turf Club, $20).

9. Sigur Ros: Over the years, this Icelandic group has sometimes had an orchestral quality to their magical, mesmerizing hard-to-classify sound. So it's not surprising that the ambitious, adventurous band is willing to perform accompanied by a 41-piece orchestra. The program blending the electronic and the orchestral will feature material from the brand-new "Atta," Sigur Ros' first full-length in a decade, as well as selections from throughout their career. After four orchestral performances in Europe, the band has scheduled only eight such concerts in North America, including a return to Minneapolis. (8 p.m. State Theatre, 805 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls., $59.50-$169.50, ticketmaster.com)

Also: Blues-rock guitar star Eric Gales is touring behind last year's "Crown," which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's blues chart and earned a Grammy nomination for best contemporary blues album (7 p.m. the Dakota, $45-$50); trumpeter Alex Browne is curating the Monday night jazz series this month at Icehouse and has veteran singer Kathleen Johnson joining him (8 p.m., $12-$15).

10. Bettye LaVette: The veteran song stylist may have just dropped the best album in her illustrious bounce-back career. After separate themed collections featuring women composers, British Invasion material and Bob Dylan tunes (a remarkable album), LaVette has released a disc of songs by Randall Bramblett, an under-the-radar Georgia singer-songwriter. Featuring such guests as John Mayer and Jon Batiste, "Lavette!" is worthy of an exclamation point for the singer's usual raw emotion as well as a taste of humor on "Lazy (and I Know It)" and "Plan B." Bramblett is an underappreciated songwriter and the underrecognized LaVette is the perfect interpreter of his work. (7 p.m. the Dakota, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $50-$65, dakotacooks.com)

Also: Florida-reared singer/rapper Dominic Fike has momentum this summer thanks to the vibey, love-defining "Mona Lisa" from his California-loving sophomore LP, "Sunburn" (7 p.m. the Armory, $57 and up); after dates at the Wisconsin and Iowa state fairs, YouTube-loved violinist Lindsey Stirling will visit a Minnesota amphitheater, with Walk Off the Earth (7 p.m. Ledge Amphitheater, Waite Park, $45 and up); Ani DiFranco's label Righteous Babes Records has paired up some of its most promising young prospects on tour, Gracie & Rachel, Holly Miranda and Jocelyn Mackenzie (8 p.m. 7^th St. Entry, $20); Tessa Violet, the social media personality turned campy pop singer, pays a visit (7 p.m. Varsity Theater, $40 and up).

Jonatha Brooke, one of Minneapolis' most literate singer-songwriters, will premiere songs from her new musical "Switched" and offer duets with Aby Wolf and Linnea Mohn (7 p.m. the Dakota, $30-$35); two long-standing local tribute bands, Rattle & Hum and Trompe Le Monde, team up for what amounts to a revival of the Achtung Baby Tour (8 p.m. Turf Club, $15).

Classical critic Rob Hubbard contributed to this column.