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

1. Stanley Clarke: The master bassist’s website lists five different groups in which he is touring for the rest of the year. In a rescheduled gig from 2020 at the Dakota, he’s bringing Stanley Clarke N 4ever, which plugs into his deep jazz fusion legacy that dates back to Return to Forever, the 1970s electrifying ensemble led by Chick Corea. Over the years, the five-time Grammy winner has played in various jazz combos as well as such rock-informed bands as the New Barbarians (with Ron Wood and Keith Richards) and Animal Logic (with Stewart Copeland). Equally distinguished on electric and upright bass, Clarke is a prolific composer for films (“Boyz N The Hood,” “Romeo Must Die”) and television (“Woke”) and an adventurous live performer in any situation. (6:30 & 9 p.m. Thu. & Fri., the Dakota, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $35-$60, dakotacooks.com)

2. Classical at the Fair: Rock, pop, country and world music surround you as you wander about the State Fair, but consider catching some classical fare, too. At 2 p.m. Thursday, meet Minnesota Opera’s new batch of resident artists as the young singers perform arias from this season’s slate of operas (MPR Stage, Judson and Nelson streets). On Friday, head over to Dan Patch Park (Carnes Avenue and Chambers Street) for the 1:30 p.m. debut of musicians from a new professional concert band, the Minnesota Winds, led by the Minnesota Orchestra’s principal trumpeter, Manny Laureano. (State Fair admission, $18-$16; mpr.org/statefair)

Also: The Minnesota State Fair grandstand may feel like home-sweet-home to Mötley Crüe, who return there to play their first local gig with Mick Mars’ replacement John 5 on guitar, with White Reaper for openers (7 p.m., $77-$207); the last surviving heyday-era member of the Ramones, Marky Ramone plays a second night at the State Fair paying tribute to his old band (8 p.m. Leinie’s Lodge Bandshell, free with fair admission); summer’s best free music series in the Twin Cities, Lowertown Sounds continues with an alt-twangy twofer featuring Becky Kapell & the Fat Six with Lonesome Dan Kase (6-9:30 p.m., St. Paul’s Mears Park); two vets from past Lowertown Sounds, Robert Wilkinson of the Flamin’ Ohs and Dan Israel are playing for free again as part of the Hook & Ladder’s Open Door series (7 p.m., Mission Room); the theater side of Hook & Ladder is being taken over by funky soul/R&B stalwarts the Soul Tight Committee (7:30 p.m., $17-$25).

For more info on live music at the State Fair, see our picks among the Minnesota acts performing each day and a daily highlights roundup.

3. The Gaslight Anthem: After channeling their fellow Jersey boy Bruce Springsteen to great effect on their joyously rocking 2008 breakout album “’59 Sound,” Brian Fallon and his crew actually got the Boss to sing with them on their latest album, “History Books.” It’s the band’s first new record in almost a decade, as Fallon went the solo route and then staged a reunion with his old group in 2022. They seem to have a new spark after always being a fiery band. Joyce Manor and Pinkshift open. (7 p.m. the Fillmore, 525 N. 5th St., Mpls., $60, ticketmaster.com)

4. Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ Top: This doubleheader of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame bands must have been too big for the State Fair grandstand so it’s landed at the bigger Treasure Island amphitheater. Skynyrd is in its sixth year of its farewell tour and there are no original members (the last one, guitarist Gary Rossington, died last year), but singer Johnny Van Zant has been lead singer longer than his brother, Ronnie Van Zant, the original voice of “Free Bird” and “Sweet Home Alabama.” Billy Gibbons is the irrepressible frontman of ZZ Top, that little ol’ blues band from Texas with the dressed up MTV videos and new bassist Elwood Francis, who replaced the late Dusty Hill in 2021. (8 p.m. Treasure Island Casino amphitheater, 5734 Sturgeon Lake Rd., Welch, $49-$600, ticketmaster.com)

Also: One of India’s top rock acts, New Dehli’s Peter Cat Recording Co. is touring the States with a new album, “Beta” (8 p.m. First Avenue, $30); Night 1 of the “First Avenue Goes to the Fair Revue” with the Al Church-led house band will feature Yam Haus’ Lars Pruitt, Fanaka Nation, members of Pit Stop and more (8 p.m. Schell’s at West End Stage, free); whirring groovers Muun Bato head up a triple bill of psychedelic garage-rock at Cloudland Theater (8 p.m., $12-$15); ever-smooth Rob Thomas leads Matchbox Twenty for a parade of hits including “Unwell” and “Bent” (7 p.m. State Fair grandstand, $82-$149); Bradley Greenwald tells the stories and Maria Jette, Kathryn Rupp, Lisa Drew and Jim Bohn sing the songs of Cole Porter (6:30 p.m. Crooners, $30-$40).

5. Stephen Sanchez: Sounding like the long-lost son of Roy Orbison and Patsy Cline, this 21-year-old has become a heartthrob with his retro-embracing pop originals. After scoring the hit single “Until I Found You,” the Elton John-endorsed newcomer delivered a knockout conceptual debut album in 2023, “Angel Face,” detailing the dramatic love triangle between a nightclub singer, his gal and a mobster in the 1950s. Last year at First Avenue in Minneapolis, the Sacramento-reared smoothie had young women swooning to his early Elvis-like moves and charisma. Suave must be Stephen Sanchez’s middle name. (7 p.m. State Fair grandstand, $34-$68 with admission ticket, etix.com)

6. Zeitgeist: As part of its Festival at the Farm, new music ensemble Zeitgeist presents two weekends of fresh compositions amid the Wisconsin countryside about an hour southeast of the Twin Cities. At 7 p.m. Saturday, a Kyle Hutchins piece for eight percussionists is on the menu, while the following weekend features the premiere of a new piece written for Zeitgeist by the always imaginative Pamela Z. She’ll also perform some of her solo works for voice and electronics before Zeitgeist plays the watercolor-inspired music of Todd Harper. (7 p.m. Fri. & 7 p.m. Sept. 7, 4 p.m. Sept. 8, Barringer Family Farms, N4815 810th St., Ellsworth, Wis., $5-$10, zeitgeistnewmusic.org)

Also: One of the original gangsta rap icons of South Central L.A., Ice Cube is playing a casino gig in north central Minnesota with fellow hip-hop pioneers E-40 (8 p.m. Grand Casino Hinkley, $69-$89); Night 2 of the “First Avenue Goes to the Fair Revue” includes Pop Wagner, the Mood Swings’ Ashley Ackerson, Ava Levy and more (8 p.m. West End Stage, free); punk and metal shop Extreme Noise Records’ 30th anniversary concert series continues with Seattle/Olympia area bands Iron Lung and Physique (7 p.m. Cedar Cultural Center, $30-$35); former Bad Plus pianist Ethan Iverson returns from New York, accompanied by the first-call Twin Cities rhythm section of Anthony Cox and Kevin Washington (7 p.m. Crooners, $25-$35); a local bluegrass stalwart who was a favorite on “A Prairie Home Companion,” Becky Schlegel is back at the Aster Cafe (9 p.m., $12).

7. TLC: It’s been 22 years since the death of third member Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes and a decade since her bandmates Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas opted to tour without her. They’ve been shown a lot of love since then, with fans lining up to crowdfund their 2017 self-titled album and cheering them on during tours with Nelly, Shaggy and other ‘90s hip-hop and R&B stars. You can bet their Minnesota fans will be working hard on Labor Day weekend singing along to their timeless feminist anthems such as “No Scrubs,” “Waterfalls” and “Creep.” (7 p.m. Treasure Island Casino Showroom, 5734 Sturgeon Lake Rd., Welch, $60-$74, ticketmaster.com)

Also: Fresh off releasing a well-received LP and EP in recent years after nearly two decades without recording, “Closing Time” hitmakers Semisonic carry on the tradition of having Minnesota rock royalty perform at the bandshell the last two nights of the State Fair (7:30 p.m. Sun. & Mon., Leinie’s Lodge Bandshell, free with fair admission); if Tina Turner and Little Richard had a daughter who was raised by her uncles Chuck Berry and James Brown, she’d sound like Nikki Hill, a spirited rock ‘n’ soul contender (7 p.m. the Dakota, $25-$35); it should be a warm night on the patio at Icehouse with songwriterly acts Bethany Larson & the Bees Knees and the Muatas (7 p.m., $15); the ever-creative Twin Cities musicmaker Andrew Broder kicks off a September residency at Berlin with Lonefront and Effygasm (6:30 p.m., free).

Marking its 25th anniversary this year, the Laughing Waters Bluegrass Festival returns to Minnehaha Falls Park with the usual array of beer and food trucks, Sea Salt takeout and a full day of regional pickers including King Wilkie’s Dream, Papa John & the Popettes, Corpse Reviver, Gentlemen Dreadnought and Nicole Christianson (1-7 p.m., free); known for their ultra-cheery teen-pop remakes of modern hits, the Kidz Bop Live crew is offering an afternoon singalong show as the Minnesota State Fair’s last grandstand concert of the year (3 p.m., $24-$48 with fair admission); another good music option for the fair’s last day besides Semisonic, Minnesota-based Allman Brothers tribute band the Brothers Allmanac plays their second night at the Schell’s Stage at West End (7:30 p.m., free with fair ticket).

8. King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard: The Aussie band is just as unusual as its moniker. The sextet is truly impossible to classify. On any given moment on their 26 albums (released in the past 14 years), the Gizz could be called psychedelic, thrash, country, blues, EDM, pop, stoner, garage rock, arena rock, or jam band. Their August release, “Flight b741,” has a definite ‘70s vibe with some occasional Joe Walsh-evoking guitar work. But the Gizz are at their best in concert. No wonder they’ve been cosigned by Trey Anastasio. Of course, no two gigs — or setlists — are alike. (7:30 p.m. the Armory, 500 S. 6th St., Mpls., $55 and up, ticketmaster.com)

9. Weezer, Flaming Lips and Dinosaur Jr.: Two more veteran bands that paved the way for Weezer’s melodic but weird noise to get on the radio and MTV in the mid-’90s are now opening for the enduring Los Angeles hitmakers. And the Twin Cities has the 22-city tour’s kickoff night. Rivers Cuomo and his gang are playing Weezer’s self-titled debut, aka “The Blue Album,” in full on the trek to celebrate its 30th anniversary. Wayne Coyne’s Lips have been celebrating the 20th anniversary of their record “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots” for about two years now. J Mascis’ “Freak Scene”-roaring band is the one still putting out solid albums, but we can probably expect oldies from them, too. (7 p.m. Xcel Energy Center, 199 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, $60-$220, ticketmaster.com)

10. Kehlani: This one’s a tour-kickoff show, too. The seductive “Nights Like This” and “Nunya” singer from Oakland, Calif. — who also made a big splash on Cardi B’s hit “Ring” — is launching theirmost ambitious tour to date after releasing their fourth album in June, “Crash.” This one’s a bit more commercial and poppy than coolly subversive, harder-grooving past records, such as the cult-loved “Blue Water Road.” It adds to the wide variety of tracks Kehlani has amassed since 2017′s breakout debut “Cloud 19.” FLO and Anycia open. (8 p.m. the Armory, 500 S. 6th St., Mpls., all ages, $46-$86, ticketmaster.com)

Also: Bon Iver-influenced ethereal indie-rock trio Poolboy celebrates the release of its first full-length LP, “Persona,” with Yellow Ostrich and more (7:30 p.m. 7th St. Entry, $12-$15).

Classical music critic Rob Hubbard contributed to this column.