Twin Cities concerts of the week: The Weeknd, Jimmy Webb, Glass Animals, Black Sabbath tributes

Also spotlights on Wynton Marsalis, Black Uhuru, SurlyFest, Joseph, Lavender Country, Dale Watson and more.

September 22, 2017 at 4:13PM
The Weeknd performs Sunday at Xcel Energy Center.
The Weeknd performs Sunday at Xcel Energy Center. (Associated Press/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The Weeknd: When his "Can't Feel My Face" was all over the place in 2015, he didn't bring his headline tour to the Twin Cities. Now the Grammy-winning, "Starboy" hitmaker is finally going to show his face in our place. Reports indicate that he'll fly over the fans like Kanye West, sing with a pure pop voice like Michael Jackson and give off a vibe like Drake, his hometown pal from Toronto. Opening acts include Nav and Gucci Mane. (7:30 p.m. Sun. Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, $39.75- $125.75, ticketmaster.com)

Jimmy Webb: The famous songwriter will tell the stories behind his famous songs, including "MacArthur Park," "Up, Up and Away" and "The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress." But the evening will take on a special resonance as Webb revisits "Wichita Lineman," "Galveston" and "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," the classics he penned for the late Glen Campbell. Last month when the singer died, Webb wrote a heartfelt tribute in Variety magazine, promising, "While I can play a piano, he will never be forgotten." (7 p.m. Sat. Dakota Jazz Club, Mpls, $40-$50, dakotacooks.com, 612-332-1010.)

SurlyFest: Minneapolis's biggest brewery now hosts one of the coolest, least-polka-filled Oktoberfest celebrations. This year's lineup features -- in order of appearance starting at 1 p.m. -- Alan Sparhawk's great blues-stomp band Black Eyed Snakes, Afrobeat revivalists Black Market Brass, live hip-hop pioneers Heiruspecs, hard-howling timekeepers 4onthefloor and the return of Lizzo's "Let 'Em Say" duet partner Caroline Smith, followed by a Shannon Blowtorch DJ set. (11 a.m.-10 p.m., Surly Brewery, Mpls., free, SurlyBrewing.com.)

Rise Against: The hard-hitting, loud-roaring, deep-thinking Chicago rock band finds plenty to rage about politically speaking on its new album, "Wolves," which it's touting on a fall tour with fellow Warped Tour vets Pierce the Veil. (7:30 p.m. Sat., Skyway Theatre, 15 & older, $37.50.)

Home Free: Minnesota's a cappella champs from NBC's "The Sing Off" are celebrating the release of their third studio album for Columbia, "Timeless." It features interpretations of some classics including "Man of Constant Sorrow" and "Life Is a Highway" as well as John Mayer's "In the Blood" — plus a few originals such as "Good Ol' Boy Good Time" and the title track. (8 p.m. Sat. Pantages, $30.)

Joseph: The harmonious Portland, Ore.-based folk trio with sisters Allison, Meegan and Natalie Closner came to the fore with the charging single "White Flag" and then charmed the crowd at 89.3 the Current's birthday parties in January. They're back on their own with a mostly acoustic new EP in tow, "Stay Awake," highlighted by a Tears for Fears cover. (9 p.m. Sat., First Avenue, $20.)

Dale Watson: His favorite mop-wielding bar owner isn't there anymore, but the old-school Texas honky-tonk star still likes to stop in at the Minneapolis watering hole he likes so much he named a song after it. (9 p.m. Mon., Lee's Liquor Lounge, $15-$18.)

Peggy Lee tribute: It's a special salute to the queen of cool, the voice behind "Fever," "Is That All There Is" and four characters in Disney's "Lady and the Tramp." The voices will be New York cabaret maverick Nellie McKay, versatile Lincoln Center jazz vocalist Catherine Russell, new Twin Cities arrival Jonatha Brooke and local piano powerhouse Davina Lozier. An expanded iteration of the New Standards will be the house band, with narrator James Gavin, author of the acclaimed 2014 biography "Is That All There Is?: The Strange Life of Peggy Lee," telling the stories behind the songs. (7:30 p.m. Mon. Guthrie Theater, $35-$60.)

The Rev. Horton Heat & Fishbone: A cool pairing of two truly alternative stars of the '90s alt-rock era, Texas punkabilly king Jim "The Rev." Heath still puts on a high-revving show while Angelo Moore is still breaking new ground with his Afropunk/funk troupe of "Party at Ground Zero" fame. (7:30 p.m. Tue., First Avenue, $25.)

Glass Animals: After a run of festival gigs from Coachella to Lollapalooza — the first of which found frontman Dave Bayley grooving through a broken ankle — the psychedelic, electronic pop-funkers are headed back indoors for their fall U.S. tour. The British band hit it big with its peanut-buttery 2014 hit "Gooey" and continued to add radio play with another ubiquitous food-themed hit this year, "Pork Soda," from its sophomore album "How to Be a Human Being." (7 p.m. Wed., Palace Theatre, 17 W. 7th Place, St. Paul, $41-$16, eTix.com.)

Zakk Wylde/"The End of the End:" Black Sabbath fans have two unique chances to rock out this week. First up is the local debut of Zakk Sabbath, the almost-family tribute band led by Ozzy's longtime guitarist Zakk Wylde, with Oz bassist Blasko and ex-Danzig drummer Joey Castillo. They play staples like "War Pigs" alongside such deep cuts as "Behind the Wall of Sleep" (9 p.m. Tue., Fine Line, 318 1st Av. N., Mpls., $25). Then movie theaters nationwide will be screening "The End of the End" for one night only, a concert film from Sabbath's final shows, including the Lagoon in Minneapolis and Marcus theaters in Oakdale and Shakopee. (7 p.m. Thu., see BlackSabbathFilms.com.)

Black Uhuru: One of Jamaica's most influential music exports, the reggae group landed its "Red" album high on Rolling Stone's best albums of the 1980s tally and has carried on in recent years without lead singer Michael Rose under the leadership of co-founder Derrick "Duckie" Simpson. Local ska band the Skruffians open. (8 p.m. Thu., Cedar Cultural Center, $25-$30.)

Broke Social Scene: The large, collective-like indie-rock band from Toronto once included Feist and still features such reputable songwriters as Kevin Drew and Brandon Canning, who helped round up the troops for another big go-round behind another sonically sprawling album, "Hug of Thunder." Moody and experimental Scottish favorites Frightened Rabbit make for an excellent twofer as openers. (8 p.m. Thu., Palace Theatre, $31.)

Lavender Country: Seattle area country singer Patrick Haggarty has some pretty great old-school country tunes to go along with his truly remarkable story. His 1973 self-titled album as Lavendar Country is widely heralded as the first openly gay country music LP. It has been reissued and made the subject of a cool documentary in recent years, prompting him to tour again. Eleganza opens. (8 p.m. Thu., Hook & Ladder Theater, Mpls., $15.)

Jimmy Webb
Jimmy Webb (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
about the writers

about the writers

Chris Riemenschneider

Critic / Reporter

Chris Riemenschneider has been covering the Twin Cities music scene since 2001, long enough for Prince to shout him out during "Play That Funky Music (White Boy)." The St. Paul native authored the book "First Avenue: Minnesota's Mainroom" and previously worked as a music critic at the Austin American-Statesman in Texas.

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Jon Bream

Critic / Reporter

Jon Bream has been a music critic at the Star Tribune since 1975, making him the longest tenured pop critic at a U.S. daily newspaper. He has attended more than 8,000 concerts and written four books (on Prince, Led Zeppelin, Neil Diamond and Bob Dylan). Thus far, he has ignored readers’ suggestions that he take a music-appreciation class.

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