MUSIC

TC Summer Fest

While not a real music fest — there's only one stage, and it's mostly reserved seating — this new two-day offering from the Twins organization amounts to a couple of nicely stacked rock concert lineups in the festive ballpark setting. Friday's roster is loaded with acts known for high-energy live shows, including "Mr. Brightside"-hitmaking Las Vegas showmen the Killers, carnivalesque indie-rock faves the Flaming Lips and Ben Gibbard's mightily moody Death Cab for Cutie, plus Cannons and Yam Haus. Another Vegas-born band, "Radioactive" anthem machine Imagine Dragons, tops off the Saturday bill over poppy "Your Shirt" strummer Chelsea Cutler, Em Beihold and Talk. (3:30-11 p.m. Fri. & Sat., Target Field, 1 Twins Way, Mpls., $74-$239, tcsummerfest.com)

CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER

Lakefront Music Fest

The 14th annual country and rock event sponsored by Prior Lake Rotary has turned to Lynyrd Skynyrd, on its never-ending farewell tour (launched in 2018) despite the death of the last original member, Gary Rossington, in March. Singer Johnny Van Zant and crew still deliver "That Smell," "Gimme Three Steps" and the inevitable "Free Bird" with Southern rock swagger. Joining Skynyrd on Friday will be REO Speedwagon and Black Stone Cherry. For Saturday's country lineup, Darius Rucker tops the bill with his Nashville faves like "Wagon Wheel" and old Hootie & the Blowfish hits like "Hold My Hand." Also appearing will be Tyler Hubbard, formerly of Florida Georgia Line, and Joe Nichols. (6 p.m. Fri. & Sat., Lakefront Park, 5000 Kop Pkwy. SE., Prior Lake, sold out, lakefrontmusicfest.com)

JON BREAM

Béla Fleck

His deep and delightful 2021 disc, "My Bluegrass Heart," the finale in a decades-long trilogy, featured the adventurous banjo genius teaming with all-star guests including Chris Thile, Billy Strings, Jerry Douglas and Molly Tuttle. The record earned Fleck his 15th Grammy. Now he is taking these bluegrass tunes on tour with the formidable lineup of Michael Cleveland, Sierra Hull, Justin Moses, Mark Schatz and Bryan Sutton. No matter whom Fleck plays with, he's a marvel and master of innovation and spirit. (6:30 & 8:30 p.m. Thu. & Fri., the Dakota, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $70-$85, dakotacooks.com)

J.B.

Lucy Michelle

After performing around town with the happily strumming Velvet Lapelles and moodier and rockier Little Fevers since her teens, this St. Paul music fixture started assembling her first solo album before the pandemic and labored over it with ample love from crack Minnesota musicians including John Munson and Dylan Hicks. The results, titled "Womanly," sound intimate yet expansive, like a Bright Eyes album or Norah Jones on a rock kick. Michelle's familial, big-hearted lyricism shines bright in such highly relatable songs as "American Mom" and "The Comfort I Give." The Brian Just Band opens the release party. (7 p.m. Sun., Parkway Theater, 4814 Chicago Av. S., Mpls., $15-$20, theparkwaytheater.com)

C.R.

Minnesota Orchestra

The orchestra opens its four weeks of "Summer at Orchestra Hall" with creative partner Jon Kimura Parker taking to the keys for Felix Mendelssohn's First Piano Concerto. The Seattle Symphony's associate conductor, Lee Mills, has been called one to watch, and you can do so as he leads the orchestra in works by Clarice Assad and Rodrigo Cicchelli Velloso before the concert concludes with Beethoven's Eighth Symphony. (8 p.m. Fri., Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $35-$90, 612-371-5656 or minnesotaorchestra.org)

ROB HUBBARD

Changing the Narrative

Journey North Opera is a local company devoted to putting the stories of women front and center and promoting social change. It's created some memorable productions, like its 2019 version of Benjamin Britten's "The Rape of Lucretia," and will be presenting a Nico Muhly opera this fall. But it will spend this summer night serenading audiences on the very pleasant patio of Urban Growler Brewing Co., showcasing the voices of eight women. (6 p.m. Thu., 2325 Endicott St., St. Paul, free, journeynorthopera.com)

R.H.

THEATER

'The SpongeBob Musical'

Hey, is it time to get up and dance with SpongeBob SquarePants? Tina Landau's 2016 musical is about the cartoon denizens of Bikini Bottom, whose response to an existential crisis resembles those of folks in the real world. When a volcano threatens to erupt, some residents see it as a problem to be solved while others welcome the ensuing chaos as an opportunity to make money with an apocalypse sale. The show features music by Yolanda Adams, Steven Tyler and Cyndi Lauper, among others, and is staged by Matt McNabb. (July 14-Aug. 13. 7:30 p.m. Thu.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. with 7:30 p.m. Wed. shows in August. Lyric Arts, 420 E. Main St., Anoka. $37-$45. 763-422-1838, lyricarts.org)

ROHAN PRESTON

'The Kung Fu Zombies Saga: Shaman Warrior and Cannibals'

Ten years after the premiere of "Kung Fu Zombies vs. Cannibals" at Theater Mu, Lao American poet and playwright Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay has added a part two for a saga. Vongsay plumbs the subconscious in her irreverent play with zombies symbolizing things that haunt us. In this case, it's unexploded bombs that were dropped on Laos during the Vietnam War. The cast includes Twin Cities regulars Katie Bradley, Sandy Agustin and Payton Woodson. Lily Tung Crystal directs. (July 20-Aug. 13. 7:30 p.m. Wed.-Fri., 2 & 7:30 p.m. Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Luminary Arts Center, 700 N. 1st St., Mpls. Pay-as-able. theatermu.org)

R.P.

COMEDY

Please Don't Destroy

This comedy trio is part of the "Saturday Night Live" family in more ways than one. Troupe member Martin Herlihy is the son of former "SNL" head writer Tim Herlihy; John Higgins' father, Steve, is a current "SNL" scribe who also plays sidekick on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon." But the two offspring, along with their partner Ben Marshall, are not just a nepotism act. They create those inventive film shorts for the late-night show in which they play the Three Stooges to guest stars like Taylor Swift, Lizzo and Jenna Ortega. Through live sketch shows, they're determined to prove they're ready for prime time. (7 p.m. Sat., Pantages Theatre, 710 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls. $40-$75. hennepintheatretrust.org)

NEAL JUSTIN

DANCE

Twin Cities Flamenco Collective

Twin Cities Flamenco Collective is bringing a piece of Spain to the Icehouse when guest dancer Melinda Hedgecorth joins the group for a tablao performance. Hedgecorth spent 14 years in Spain, developing her practice in theaters and flamenco clubs, and has brought that knowledge to the United States where she performs and teaches out of Kansas City. Other guest artists for the performance include guitarist Trevor May and dancers Brigid Bollweg (who also sings) and Cecilia Calvo. (5 p.m. Sun., Icehouse, 2528 Nicollet Av. S., Mpls. $15 in advance, $20 door, 612-276-6523, icehousempls.com)

SHEILA REGAN

ART

'Grow, As We Are'

On Martha's Vineyard, there is the seaside town Oak Bluffs that Black families have for years called a safe haven. The Inn at Shearer Cottage, a Black-owned inn designated in the Green Book, is also there. Yet when Minneapolis-based multidisciplinary studio and creative media platform The Bureau went through 2,000-plus images of the island's visual archive, it found only a handful of images of Black people. In 2021, The Bureau returned to document the Black community on the island and also do an oral history with its inhabitants, business owners and new visitors alike. The exhibition at MCAD's gallery showcases portraits of the community. (Ends Aug. 5. 2501 Stevens Av. S., ground floor. Free. Hours: 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat. 612-874-3700 or mcad.edu)

ALICIA ELER

'Faraway Home: Tibetans in Minnesota'

Little known fact: Minnesota's Tibetan community is the second-largest in the United States after New York. A new exhibition at the Hennepin History Museum tells the story of Tibetan history, culture and spiritual heritage as well as the immigration and refugee experience in Minnesota. The show features photographs by Tenzin Phuntsok Waleag, who has been documenting the community for more than 10 years, and Keri Pickett, who started photographing the resettlement project in 1992. Both also have photographed the Dalai Lama's visits to Minnesota at different times. (Ends spring 2024. 2303 3^rd Av. S., Mpls. Pay as you can. Hours: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Thu. & Fri., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat. hennepinhistory.org or 612-870-1329)

A.E.

FAMILY

'Corteo'

Cirque du Soleil is back with a production that has been in its repertoire since 2005 after the Canadian company had a near-death experience in 2020 when it filed for bankruptcy. Aerial acrobats, jugglers and humorous skits tell the story of a clown named Mauro, who is on his deathbed and imagines his own funeral in a festive carnival setting. But "Corteo," which means "joyous procession" in Italian, is anything but morose. It features swinging chandeliers, bouncing beds, catapulting gymnasts and a balloon-borne clown. Be prepared for the whimsical and some astonishing acts. (7:30 p.m. Thu.-Fri., 3:30 & 7:30 p.m. Sat., 1 p.m. Sun., Xcel Energy Center, 199 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul. $59 & up. ticketmaster.com)

ARTHI SUBRAMANIAM

Minnesota Scottish Fair Street Party

Kilts, bagpipes and drums will be on parade. View the clans and Scottish exhibitors, the Scottish marketplace and the upbeat bounce of a Scottish Highland Dance Competition. Car lovers can see British cars and guests can participate in a silent auction and raffle. The day ends with a ceilidh, a social event with Scottish and Irish folk music. (10:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Sat., $5-$15, 18 and under free, Celtic Junction, 836 Prior Av., St. Paul, mnscottishfair.org)

MELISSA WALKER