The big gigs: 10 concerts to see in the Twin Cities area this week

1. John Mellencamp: The contrarian Indiana rocker arrives for a three-night stand with an unconventional opening act — clips from vintage movies because his tour is sponsored by cable outlet Turner Classic Movies. Then the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and his band (with fiddler Lisa Germano back in the fold after a 29-year absence) deliver his classics like "Pink Houses" and "Rain on the Scarecrow" plus choice cuts from last year's "Strictly a One-Eyed Jack." On the criminally overlooked and highly commendable album, Mellencamp evoked Bob Dylan in more ways than a gravelly voice, and he got Bruce Springsteen to join him on three numbers. (8 p.m. Thu.-Sat., State Theatre, 805 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls. $49.50-$139.50, ticketmaster.com)

2. Kirk Whalum: His saxophone has been heard on his own Grammy-nominated smooth jazz records, R&B records by the likes of Luther Vandross and Jevetta Steele, jazz records by George Benson and George Duke, gospel records by CeCe Winans and T.D. Jakes, soundtracks including "The Bodyguard" and "Boyz n the Hood," and Whitney Houston's blockbuster albums and tours. An ordained minister, Whalum also has recorded the "Gospel According to Jazz" album series. This spring, he's hit the road with his own jazz combo for a tour of small venues. (6:30 & 8:30 p.m., the Dakota, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $30-$40, dakotacooks.com)

3. Trés: If you find yourself free around lunchtime some Thursday, know that there's probably some splendid music filling the multilevel atrium of St. Paul's Landmark Center. Coming out of COVID-19, the Schubert Club's Courtroom Concerts of chamber music and mini-recitals moved from an upstairs courtroom of the old Federal Courts Building to the spacious stony center of the building's ground floor. This week, holding forth will be Trés, a Grammy-nominated trio of two saxophones and a piano. (Noon Landmark Center, 75 W. 5th St., St. Paul, free, Schubert.org.)

Also: Aly & AJ, the sister duo last seen in 2022 opening for Ben Platt at Target Center behind their 2021 LP with the too-long title, are back, supporting their brand-new "With Love From," a smart collection of modern California pop (7:30 p.m. Fillmore Minneapolis, $39.50 and up); Joyann Parker, one of the area's most deeply emotive vocalists, teams up with guitarist Mark Lamoine and bassist Chris Bates for a program called "Acoustic Gospel Roots" featuring hymns, blues, Southern gospel and mountain music (6:30 p.m. Crooners, $25-$35); D.C. pop-rock trio Jukebox the Ghost is back out saying "Cheers," as was the title of last year's album (8 p.m. Varsity Theater, $40); Siama's Congo Roots with soukous guitar master and storyteller Siama Matuzungidi plays Hopkins Center for the Arts (7 p.m., $12-$15).

4. The Heavy Heavy: After half of the tracks on their six-song 2022 EP were prominently played on radio and TV, including "Miles and Miles" and "Go Down River," this rootsy and hazy British rock band with boy/girl lead vocalists are hitting the road harder than ever in 2023 playing bigger venues and festivals. They just released a deluxe edition of the EP featuring bonus-track covers from Crosby, Stills & Nash and Father John Misty, excellent examples of singers Georgie Fuller and Will Turner's cool, Jefferson Airplane-y vocal mingling and their band's Laurel Canyon-esque vibe. Sun June opens. (9 p.m. Fine Line, 318 1st Av. N., Mpls., $20-$40, axs.com)

5. Tommy Stinson: Since postponing his home-for-the-holidays gig in December because of back surgery — a reminder of how long and hard he's been at it since helping start the Replacements at age 12! — the Minneapolis rock legend has announced details of a new album by his duo with ex-in-law Chip Roberts, Cowboys in the Campfire, coming in June. Some of those new songs will complement his usual mix of Bash & Pop and solo tunes at this intimate performance, as will an appearance by his sultry-voiced, R&B-flavored daughter Ruby Stinson as the opener. (8 p.m. Turf Club, 1601 University Av. W., St. Paul, $20, etix.com)

[UPDATE: The Black-Eyed Snakes can no longer play this show, and in their place will be Derecho, the new psychedelic funk band Alan Sparhawk started with his son Cyrus and pal Al Church] 6. Black-Eyed Snakes: Long just a for-fun side project Alan Sparhawk started in Duluth to get his rocks off outside his full-time band Low, this rowdy and noisy electric-blues-stomp quartet might take on a more serious role now, following the November loss of Sparhawk's bandmate and wife Mimi Parker. Or maybe it'll be an even more fun and wildly veering vehicle now. Either way, Black-Eyed Snakes gigs don't come often enough and always hit like a Mack truck in high gear. Reggae-rocker Wain McFarlane's Dreadlock Cowboy opens. (7:30 p.m. the Hook & Ladder Theater, 3010 Minnehaha Av. S., Mpls., $15-$20, thehookmpls.com)

Also: Portland, Ore.-based ethereal rocker Katherine "KP" Paul channels her Swinomish Indian Tribal heritage as Black Belt Eagle Scout on a new album for Omaha's Saddle Creek Records (8 p.m. Cedar Cultural Center, $17-$22); Tina Schlieske, one of the most captivating live performers the Twin Cities has produced, comes home for her cabaret show called Sinatra to Simone (7 p.m. the Dakota, $30-$40); some of the Twin Cities' finest soul and R&B singers, including Jay Bee and Maurice Jacox, line up again for the two-night "What's Going On" birthday celebration of Marvin Gaye (9:30 p.m., Sat. also, Bunker's, $17); saxophonists Sue Orfield and Joan Hutton, who both are Twin Cities music educators, team up for an evening of original jazz (6:30 p.m. Crooners, $20-$30); East Coast punk bands the Bouncing Souls and Anti-Flag have paired up for a Warped Tour-evoking twofer tour (7 p.m. Varsity Theater, $30); jazz- and soul-infused Twin Cities singer/songwriter Lamar, known for the theme to the podcast "Terrible, Thanks for Asking," has a party for a new single (8 p.m. Icehouse, $12).

7. Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Strokes: Heyday guitarist John Frusciante's return and two 2022 albums have reignited the Chili Peppers, who've racked up more radio hits than just about any rock act of the '80s/'90s and usually tear through them all with impressive velocity in concert. Having New York indie-rock troublemakers the Strokes in town for the first time in a decade certainly adds spice to the lineup, too. Opener King Princess is equal parts St. Vincent and Taylor Swift and worth an early arrival. Look for a recap of RHCP's long legacy of Twin Cities gigs in Wednesday's Star Tribune. (6:30 p.m., U.S. Bank Stadium, 401 Chicago Av., Mpls., $45-$295, ticketmaster.com)

8. Future: The Atlanta rapper of "Mask Off" and "Jumpman" fame is jumping into arena-headliner status with gusto. His 2023 tour, dubbed One Big Party, has proven to be quite the guest-filled affair in other cities, with unannounced guests so far including Lil Durk, Kodak Black, Trippie Redd and Jeezy. Other names thrown around for upcoming dates include Don Toliver, G Herbo, Mariah the Scientist and Dess Dior. He's riding high off another hit, the Drake collaboration "Wait for You," and has been banging through nearly 40 songs from his now 12-year, nine-album recording career at shows. (7 p.m. Target Center, 600 1st Av. N., Mpls., $70-$350, ticketmaster.com)

9. Brett Young: He just set two records on Billboard's country chart with his single "You Didn't" — in its 70th week on the list, it became the slowest ascent into the Top 10 and the longest chart run overall. Don't know if the unrequited power ballad (he fell in love and she didn't) will rise to No. 1 like six previous Young hits, including "In Case You Didn't Know" and "Mercy," did. Opening are Ashley Cooke, who cut the single "Never Til Now" with Young, and Morgan Evans, the "Kiss Somebody" and "Day Drunk" hitmaker whose ex-wife Kelsea Ballerini appeared in this same venue last month. (7:30 p.m. the Armory, 500 S. 6th St., Mpls., $40 and up, ticketmaster.com)

Also: Rocket Club, a collective of experienced Twin Cities singer-songwriters featuring KFAN personality Chris Hawkey, has reunited after an eight-year hiatus and produced "Come On Home," the group's fifth album of country-pop (8 p.m. Varsity Theater, $30 and up); Nashville cat Jeff Dayton, who was Glen Campbell's bandleader and guitarist with Kenny Chesney, returns to his home state to play with old pals including bassist Gary Lopac (6:30 p.m. Crooners, $35-$45); alt-metalists Static-X are back touring without late leader Wayne Static but with fellow '90s thrashers Fear Factory as tour partners (6:30 p.m. the Fillmore, $48); Denver area wife-and-husband indie-pop duo Tennis has garnered praise for its latest album, "Pollen" (8 p.m. First Avenue, $30); expect an experimental spin on Van Halen's "1984" album with Sopko, Dosh and friends (10 p.m. Icehouse, $12-$17).

Two of the Twin Cities' most talented and versatile vocalists Ginger Commodore and T. Mychael Rambo team up to entertain during Easter brunch (11:30 a.m. the Dakota, $20-$25); Thomasina Petrus, who wowed in the Jungle Theater production of "Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill," offers her Billie Holiday repertoire in a posh jazz club (6 p.m. the Dakota, $30-$35); "Easter Joy" is how pals Gwen Matthews and Robert Robinson are billing their latest collaboration (6 p.m. Crooners, $35-$45).

Sanford Moore and Moore By Four bring their jazzy pizazz back to downtown Minneapolis (7 p.m. the Dakota, $30-$35); bluegrass/folk favorites the Roe Family Singers play every Monday at the 331 Club (8 p.m., free).

After delivering an all-Fender Rhodes piano album in 2020 called "Benny's Crib," veteran New York jazz pianist Benny Green is preparing to drop a solo piano disc, "Solo," in May, so he's touring solo (7 p.m. the Dakota, $30-$40); Lucy Wainwright Roche, half-sister to Rufus and Martha Wainwright, has carved out her own cultish following with predictably colorful and beautiful folk and pop tunes (7:30 p.m. Parkway Theater, $25-$33).

10. Hardy: He's a little bit country and a lotta rock 'n' roll, as demonstrated on his new album, "The Mockingbird and the Crow." The LP is half country ("Wait in the Truck" is a gripping ballad about abuse) and half rock ("Jack" roars from the perspective of Jack Daniels), with the title track bridging the two sides. He's a savvy songwriter, having co-penned a dozen No. 1 Nashville songs including Blake Shelton's "God's Country" and his own "One Beer." And he's a mighty enough metal maniac to send "Sold Out" to No. 1 on Billboard's rock chart this month. Catch Hardy in a small venue before he hits the stadium circuit opening for his bestie Morgan Wallen. With Jameson Rodgers and Blame My Youth. (7:45 p.m. also Thu., Fillmore Minneapolis, 505 5th St. N., Mpls., verified resale starting at $150, livenation.com)

Also: The irrepressible Ray Benson still steers the Grammy-winning Asleep at the Wheel, now in its 53rd year of tantalizing with Western swing and featuring notable new members Brennen Leigh and Joshua Hedley (8:30 p.m. the Dakota, $35-$50); well-traveled singer-songwriter Chris Smither, best known for writing "Love Me Like a Man" that's been famously covered by Bonnie Raitt and Diana Krall, has been recording for 50 years (7:30 p.m. Cedar Cultural Center, $28-$33).

Classical critic Rob Hubbard contributed to this column.