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

Toronto singer JP Saxe, remembered for his Julia Michaels collab “If the World Was Ending,” is visiting again, promoting his 2023 release “A Grey Area” (7 p.m. Varsity Theater, $27.50 and up); from the subways of New York comes the funky brass band Too Many Zooz (8 p.m. Fine Line, $23-$25); Montreal’s zydeco-influenced Le Winston Band bridges the connection between Louisiana Cajuns and French Canadians (7:30 p.m. Cedar Cultural Center, $22-$27); surf-rocky punks the Black Widows’ “Greatest Show Ever” residency continues with psychedelic punk band Ice Climber, comedian Gabby OK, games and more (7:30 p.m. Hook & Ladder Mission Room, $10-$15); Joyann Parker, one of the metro’s finest vocalists, salutes Loretta, Tammy, Dolly and other classic country singers (7:30 p.m. Crooners, $25-$35); Maine singer/songwriter Howie Day is celebrating the 20th anniversary of his album “Stop All the World Now” (7 p.m. the Dakota, $35-$40); blue-collar Americana singer/songwriters Martin Devaney, John Swardson and Matt Caflisch are all together at White Squirrel Bar (8 p.m., free).

1. Danny Brown: Reputable enough among other rappers to have collaborated with everyone from Kendrick Lamar and Q-Tip to Earl Sweatshirt and JPEGMafia, the Detroit star is now living in Austin, Texas, has gone sober and started a popular comedy podcast. That all sounds good and fun, but there’s a dark and somber tone to the hot-wired, wild-eyed, André-3000-soundalike rapper’s latest album, “Quaranta,” songs from which were started during quarantine and amid a divorce. (7 p.m. Varsity Theater, 1308 SE 4th St., Mpls., all ages, $39, livenation.com)

Also: Compelling French-Chilean singer/rapper Ana Tijoux, who has been endorsed by Rolling Stone, the New York Times and Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, visits the West Bank, with St. Paul’s own Maria Isa (8 p.m. Cedar Cultural Center, $35-$40); Veruca Salt frontwoman Louise Post is on tour supporting her first solo album “Sleepwalker” with well-picked local opener Creeping Charlie (8 p.m. 7th St. Entry, $20-$25); Minneapolis-reared keyboard master Bobby Lyle, who has had a fruitful career as a recording artist and musical director for the likes of Bette Midler, returns to celebrate his 80th birthday with a Hammond B3 organ performance (8 p.m. Crooners, $40-$50): Men at Work frontman and Ringo Starr All Starr Colin Hay, a singer/songwriter with a quick sense of humor, returns solo (8 p.m. Pantages Theatre, $60-$80); saxophonist Chris Potter leads the always rewarding SF Jazz Collective on its 20th anniversary tour featuring vibraphonist Warren Wolf, trumpeter Mike Rodriguez, pianist Edward Simon and others (6:30 & 8:30 p.m. the Dakota, $25-$45); the Twin Cities Gay Men’s Choir is staging “God Save the Queens!,” a tribute to British rock and pop royalty (7:30 p.m. Fri. & Sat., Ted Mann Concert Hall, $20-$45); Twin Cities expat Chris Morrissey, who’s played with the likes of Mason Jennings and Margaret Glaspy, returns from New York touting a new singer/songwriter album (7 p.m. Fri. & Sat., Berlin, $30).

CANCELLED 2. Bad Bunny: He’s big enough to be a presenter on the Academy Awards and brave enough to be a WWE wrestler. But Bad Bunny — Benito to his fans — is best known as the king of Latin trap. The most streamed artist in any genre from 2020-22, the Puerto Rican singer/rapper is bringing his blend of trap and reggaeton to a Twin Cities arena for the first time as part of his Most Wanted Tour. Expect a heavy helping of his blockbuster 2023 album “Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana.” (8 p.m. Target Center, 600 1st Av. N., Mpls., $121 and up, ticketmaster.com)

3. Dwight Yoakam: Even though it’s been nine years since he released an album of new material, the California cowpoke remains an essential country music maverick and a must-hear DJ on SiriusXM’s “The Bakersfield Beat.” He returns with his crazy legs and honky-tonk jukebox, filled with songs associated with Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Buck Owens as well as breathtaking originals like “Fast as You” and “Guitars, Cadillacs.” (7 p.m. Treasure Island Casino, Red Wing, $59-$109, ticketmaster.com)

4. Sleater-Kinney: While many fans still miss Janet Weiss, singers/guitarists Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein have enjoyed something of a creative and commercial renaissance in the half-decade since parting with their original drummer and taking on a fuller and more accessible sound. Their latest record, “Little Rope,” found Brownstein digging herself out of an emotional hole with Tucker’s help following her mother’s accidental death. It’s ultra-moving and cathartically rocking. They return to one of their favorite towns to play with Indigenous indie-rocker Black Belt Eagle Scout, who’s touting her new album on Saddle Creek Records. (8 p.m. Palace Theatre, 17 W. 7th Place, St. Paul, $39-$75, axs.com)

5. Valerie June: The Tennessee-reared, Brooklyn-based songstress can get lost in alluring celestial visions as evidenced on 2021′s “The Moon and Stars: Prescriptions for Dreamers” (highlight: “Call Me a Fool,” a slice of soul featuring Memphis/Stax Records great Carla Thomas). With her dreamy, nasal voice, June can get bluesy, rootsy, twangy, soulful, New Age-y and even indie-rock-y. It all seems seamless as she mixes originals with material from 2022′s “Under Cover,” showcasing her appealing treatments of tunes by Nick Drake, Nick Cave, Bob Dylan and Frank Ocean. (8 p.m. Hopkins Center for the Arts, 1111 Mainstreet, Hopkins, $38-$48, hopkinsartcenter.com)

6. Cinzia Milani: While classical music’s obsession with youth can send gifted kids into early burnout, Italian guitarist Cinzia Milani has grown up gracefully. The winner of several international competitions by age 14 (including one when she was 5), Milani is now not only a renowned performer and recording artist as a guitarist, but has been a violinist in at least three European orchestras. She’ll stick to the six-string for a Minnesota Guitar Society recital of music by 20th-century composers from Europe and South America. (7:30 p.m. Sundin Music Hall, 1531 Hewitt Av., St. Paul, $10-$25, mnguitar.org)

7. The Rochester Thaw: Like Red Wing’s Big Turn and Winona and LaCrosse’s Mid West Music festivals, this one-day music fest will showcase a wide range of Minnesota music in a small enough downtown area to allow for venue-hopping. Highlights include Twin Cities rockers Mae Simpson Band and Monica LaPlante at the historic Chateau Theatre, rapper Nur-D at the event space LC’s Venue, psychedelica kids Sleeping Jesus and Space Monkey Mafia at Bleu Duck Kitchen, plus Samantha Grimes, Mike Munson, Timisarocker, Holyrose, Levi Henry and Hiahli. (3-11 p.m., along Broadway Av., downtown Rochester, $55-$65, mytownmusic.com)

8. Concert for Peace: This oddly named, eclectic evening is something of a celebration of the new Ekwe music app, whose CEO and cofounder, Michael Cain, is director of electronic music and recording arts at MacPhail Center for Music. The concert will feature performances of new compositions by Cain, Barbara Cohen and Aaina Padiath, whose piece will be composed in India and performed live at the concert using the Ekwe app. Performers include frame drummer Yousif Sheronick and such Twin Cities stalwarts as J.D. Steele, Zacc Harris and Abinnet Berhanu. (7 p.m. MacPhail Center for Music, 501 S. 2nd St., Mpls., free)

Also: Adam Ant will bring his hussar jacket and such MTV favorites as “Goody Two Shoes” along with the always peppy English Beat of “Mirror in the Bathroom” fame (8 p.m. Uptown Theater, $90 and up); local Celtic rockers Boiled in Lead resurface in March once again, this time to celebrate their new live album “40 Years of Rock ‘n’ Reel” (8 p.m. Parkway Theater, $25-$30); Emmaline, an enticing young Nashville jazz singer who provided guest vocals for Bootsy Collins and opened a tour for Chaka Khan, gets intimate accompanied by guitarist Ryan Mondak (7 p.m. the Dakota, $35-$40); always a commanding live act, Toronto folk-rock trio Rural Albert Advantage is touring its new album, “The Rise & Fall” (9 p.m. First Avenue, $27.50); Minnesota’s stellar soprano Maria Jette will be accompanied by pianist Sonja Thompson and violinist Stephanie Arado on works by Xavier Montsalvatge, Rachmaninoff and others (4:30 p.m. Crooners, $25-$35); vocalist Linda Peterson, the first born child in Minnesota’s first family of jazz, explores the Great American Songbook accompanied by her son, Jason Peterson DeLaire, and her nephew Paul Peterson (8 p.m. Crooners, $25-$35); 20-year-old viral phenom Claire Rosinkranz brings her breezy California alt-pop to town (8 p.m. Varsity Theater, $38.50 and up); cult-loved Twin Cities dance-rap duo Koo Koo, fka Koo Koo Kanga Roo, host a kid-friendly afternoon party (1 p.m. First Ave, $25).

9. Daniil Trifonov: Bursting upon the scene 13 years ago with medals from three major international piano competitions — the Chopin, Tchaikovsky and Arthur Rubinstein — this Russian pianist has since been named “Artist of the Year” by Gramophone magazine in 2016 and Musical America in 2019, and taken home a Grammy between them. He’s also accrued a mountain of superlatives, including a New York Times writer calling him “the most astounding pianist of our age.” This intimate Chopin Society recital will feature works by Jean-Philippe Rameau, Mozart, Felix Mendelssohn and Beethoven. (3 p.m. Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center, 130 S. Macalester St., St. Paul, sold out, chopinsocietymn.org)

Also: Louisiana soul man Marc Broussard winds up the winter leg of his 20th anniversary tour celebrating “Carencro” (7:30 p.m. Fine Line, $30-$50); Latino big band Charanga Tropical hosts another salsa dance party (5 p.m. Icehouse, $15); drummer Dave Power’s March residency continues with guest bassist Liz Draper (6 p.m. Berlin, free); piano man Cornbread Harris is gearing up for his 97th birthday bash with his usual Sunday afternoon session (5-7 p.m. Palmer’s Bar, free).

Talented pianist Kavyesh Kaviraj, who teaches at the University of St. Thomas, Minneapolis College and Walker West Academy, and his quintet explore the music of the great jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal (7 p.m. the Dakota, $15-$25); drummer JT Bates’ curation of the Monday night series at Icehouse continues with the Grain Trio, featuring Kevin Gastonguay on Hammond B3 organ and guitarist Zacc Harris (8 p.m., $20).

The Indigo Girls’ pairing with the Minnesota Orchestra has been long sold out (7 p.m. Orchestra Hall); dance-beat-driven British pop-rock band Jesus Jones, which was all over MTV and the radio in 1991 with “Right Here, Right Now,” will finally be here and now after postponing a show last year (7:30 p.m. Parkway Theater, $39-$59); the veteran Irish folk ensemble Altan makes its annual March visit to the Twin Cities where its guitarist, Dáithí Sproule, lives (7 p.m. the Dakota, $45-$50); Steve Hackett, the former Genesis guitarist who was a pioneer of two-hand tapping, is touting his 30th solo album, a rite-of-passage concept project “The Circus and the Nightwhale” (7:30 p.m. Pantages Theatre, $39.50-$79.50); alt-rockers LANY are touring behind “A Beautiful Blur,” their first album without keyboardist Les Priest (7:30 p.m. the Armory, $47 and up); Swiss R&B/pop singer Priya Ragu, who channels influences from her parent’s native Sri Lanka, has gained some viral traction with songs such as “Kamali” (8 p.m. Fine Line, $17).

10. Leela James: In addition to being a guest vocalist on projects with Ray Charles, Robert Randolph and Moby, the L.A.-launched songstress has had a steady presence on the adult R&B charts. (Billboard has a chart for every subgenre, it seems.) Dubbed the goddaughter of soul by Etta James (no relation), the molasses-voiced singer is known for “Don’t Want You Back,” “Set Me Free” and the romantic “Fall for You,” a favorite at weddings (see Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens). James’ ninth album, 2023′s “Thought U Knew,” reflects her Gemini personality, from the resilient title track to the album cover featuring her Cruella de Ville hairdo — half black, half white. (7 p.m. Wed. & March 28 the Dakota, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $60-$75, dakotacooks.com)

Also: London newcomer Lola Young has earned Amy Winehouse comparisons with soulful but playful tunes such as “Wish You Were Dead” and “Conceited” (7 p.m. 7th St. Entry, all ages, $15); saxophonist Cole Pulice mingles with instrumental guitar music in the band Kansas Plates (7 p.m. Berlin, free).

Classical music critic Rob Hubbard contributed to this column.