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

1. Bright Eyes: After numerous solo tours and his excellent Phoebe Bridgers collaboration Better Oblivion Community Center, influential indie-folk star Conor Oberst is on the road again with his old Omaha bandmates for a Midwest jaunt ahead of a Mexico gig. They reissued their three earliest albums last year with newly re-recorded versions of some tunes, which led to nicely varied setlists at last year's shows. "Stranger Things" actor Maya Hawke will open, touting her debut LP. (8 p.m. First Avenue, 701 1st Av. N., Mpls., $40, axs.com)

2. Iris DeMent: While her fellow songwriter husband Greg Brown is claiming he's retired, the Arkansas-born, Iowa City-based folk favorite is back with one of the best albums of her acclaimed career. "Workin' on a World" tries to make sense of America's great divide with sometimes wry or tender and sometimes seething lyrics, all sold by her ultra-down-home voice and the warm charm that made her John Prine's best duet partner. Minnesota's Liz Draper is playing bass with her on tour. (7:30 p.m. Cedar Cultural Center, 416 Cedar Av. S., Mpls., $40-$45, thecedar.org)

3. Minnesota Orchestra: Only a handful of classical violinists are virtually guaranteed to deliver a deeply thought-out and thrilling performance whenever they step to the lip of a concert hall's stage to deliver a solo. And one of them is Leonidas Kavakos. The Greek virtuoso will be both soloist and leader for J.S. Bach's First Violin Concerto, then put down his bow and pick up a baton to conduct Johannes Brahms' First Symphony. (11 a.m., also 8 p.m. Fri. Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $40-$109, minnesotaorchestra.org)

Also: Legendary Minneapolis piano man Cornbread Harris celebrates his 96th birthday in an extravaganza with a cast of musical friends (6 p.m. Hook and Ladder, $20-$25); unstoppable cabaret queen Marilyn Maye, who turned 95 last month, is back from Kansas City for more standards and zingers (7 p.m., also 5 & 8 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 4 p.m. Sun., Crooners, $55-$65); former Hüsker Dü bassist Greg Norton's new international band UltraBomb kicks off its U.S. tour behind its debut album, "Time to Burn," with U.K. openers Bar Stool Preachers (8:30 p.m. Turf Club, $23-$25); with last year's "Reboot," his first solo album in more than 30 years, veteran organist Ronnie Foster found the soul-jazz good grooves again on Blue Note, his label of five decades ago (7 p.m. the Dakota, $30-$40).

4. Off! One of the greatest punk rock bands of the 21st century features alumni from some of the 20th century's best. Los Angeles howler Keith Morris, of Circle Jerks and early Black Flag fame, fronts a newly re-formed lineup of the hard-throttling, age-defying Off!, now with Burning Brides' Dimitri Coats on guitar and a funkier rhythm section including Thundercat drummer Justin Brown. They dropped a wild new EP on Record Store Day, cheekily titled "Free LSD." (8 p.m., Fine Line, 318 1^st Av. N., Mpls., $20-$35, axs.com)

Also: Still accompanied by top-notch guitarist Steve Stevens, Billy Idol brings that snarl and his beloved MTV hits "White Wedding" and "Dancing with Myself" (8 p.m. Palace Theatre, $50-$100); Sophie B. Hawkins, known for the 1992 hit "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover," is touring behind the self-empowering "Free Myself," her first new album in 11 years (7 p.m. the Dakota, $35-$45); many Twin Cities music fans are heading downriver for the two-day Mid West Music Fest in downtown Winona with a sprawl of stages and performers including Nur-D, Sleeping Jesus, Mayyadda, UltraBomb, We Are the Willows and Big Salt (3 p.m.-close, $45 or $80/two-day); Foreigner, led by guitarist Mick Jones and featuring vocalist Kelly Hansen, reminds what "Double Vision" is all about (8 p.m. Treasure Island Casino, $59-$99); a Twin Cities all-star lineup including Jay Bee, Lynval Jackson, Kathleen Johnson, Cornisha Garmon, Kevin Jackson and Lamont Keten celebrate Stevie Wonder's 73rd birthday and wonderful catalog (9:30 p.m., also Sat., Bunkers, $17-$25); the rootsy Wood Brothers are supporting their brand new album "Heart Is the Hero" with special guests Shovels & Rope (7 p.m. Utepils Brewing, sold out).

5. Luke Combs: Like Morgan Wallen, this North Carolina native has exploded into a stadium headliner in no time. A two-time CMA entertainer of the year, Combs is a burly, bearded, beer-drinking Everyman who sings barroom romps like "Beer Never Broke My Heart" as well as ballads like "The Kind of Love We Make." He's got a parade of opening acts: Riley Green, known for "I Wish Grandpas Never Died"; Lainey Wilson, the "Yellowstone" co-star and CMA's reigning best new artist whose "Bell Bottom Country" was one of the best Nashville albums of 2022; Flatland Cavalry of Lubbock, Tex., and Brent Cobb, the Americana singer-songwriter who will return later this summer at the Dakota in Minneapolis and Amsoil Arena in Duluth. (5:45 p.m. U.S. Bank Stadium, Mpls., resale at $75 and up, ticketmaster.com)

6. Yves Tumor: This Tennessee-reared, Italy-based artist is an experimentalist and provocateur who mixes poetry, noise and performance art. Influenced by David Bowie, Sun Ra, Prince and so many other musical geniuses, Tumor contemplates life, death and spirituality with screams, incantations, melodies and you name it. Fresh from Coachella 2023 (a "wonderland of violent delights," Rolling Stone said of Tumor), they are celebrating their dizzyingly eclectic, overstuffed fifth album, "Praise a Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds)." Pretty Sick and Nation open. (9 p.m. First Avenue, 701 1st Av. N., Mpls., $30, axs.com)

7. Palmer's Twang Fest: Patio season begins at one of Minneapolis' oldest and most-celebrated dive bars with a roundup of some of the Twin Cities' best Americana/alt-country players. Roots music maven Molly Maher and her all-star Disbelievers top off the six-act lineup, which also includes stylish song man Doug Collins and his Receptionists, torchy twang-rocker Becky Kapell, the Good Time Gals, Union Suits and John Magnuson. (4-10 p.m. Palmer's Bar, 500 Cedar Av. S., Mpls., $25, palmers-bar.com)

Also: Bluegrass royalty Peter Rowan, 80, brings a sterling band featuring mandolinist Chris Henry, banjoist Max Wareham, fiddler Julian Pinelli and bassist Eric Thorin (7 p.m. the Dakota. $40-$55); East Coast singer-songwriter Martin Sexton, whose "2020 Vision" EP talks about "Penny from the Land of Plenty," teams with "Black Horse and Cherry Tree" hitmaker KT Tunstall, who made last year's "Nut" while battling hearing issues (8 p.m. Varsity Theater, $45 and up); Michigan bluesman Larry McCray delivered the smokin' "Blues Without You" last year (8 p.m. Hopkins Center for the Arts, $35-$45); ABBA-Solutely Fabulous, a Twin Cities tribute band starring Katy Vernon and Jenny Russ, deliver "Dancing Queen" and other fab faves (4 p.m. Crooners, $35-$45); the Mid West Music Fest continues in Winona with Saturday performers including Gully Boys, the Shackletons, Your Smith, Humbird, Early Eyes and Eleganza! (noon-close, $45).

8. Crowded House: After a surprise stint touring with Fleetwood Mac, Crowded House frontman Neil Finn is back with co-founder Nick Seymour, and they're augmented by keyboardist Mitchell Froom, their producer extraordinaire, and Finn's kin Liam and Elroy. Known for the mid-'80s hits "Don't Dream It's Over" and "Something So Strong," the Aussie group returned to form in 2021 on their first album of new material in 11 years, "Dreamers Are Waiting," showcasing Finn's gift for melody, with the minor-key "Deeper Down" standing out. (8 p.m. State Theatre, 805 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls., $49.50-$160, ticketmaster.com)

Also: Veteran jazz pianist Keiko Matsui offered "Euphoria," her 2023 smooth jam featuring Kirk Whalum, Lalah Hathaway and Randy Brecker (7 p.m. the Dakota, $45-$60); for a Mother's Day treat, Cate Fierro and her daughters Maria, Ellie and Téa Fierro present "Soul Women," exploring the music of Laura Nyro, Eva Cassidy and Rickie Lee Jones (7 p.m. Crooners, $30-$40); Becky Schlegel and Mother Banjo, two Minnesota moms who twang, celebrate Mama's Night Out (8 p.m. Aster Cafe, $15).

9. Caitlyn Smith: A decade since she moved to Nashville to become one of Music Row's most perennially underrated singers — her songwriting chops, conversely, have been championed by Meghan Trainor, Miley Cyrus and Trisha Yearwood — the Cannon Falls native is returning home for a four-show run dubbed the Minnesota Residency. It's a grand idea to tout her similarly ambitious, richly produced third album for Monument Records, "High & Low." This first gig is solo/acoustic, at which she's particularly strong. Subsequent dates are May 24 at the Turf Club, Sept. 29 at First Avenue and Dec. 22 at the Fitzgerald. (8 p.m. 7th St. Entry, 701 1st Av. N., Mpls., $20 or $90 for all four shows, axs.com)

Also : The Bros. Landreth bring their Canadian folk-twang (8 p.m. Turf Club, $20); Kavyesh Kaviraj Quintet, led by the pianist who teaches at the University of St. Thomas, settles into downtown Minneapolis (7 p.m. the Dakota, $15-$20).

Karrin Allyson, the distinguished jazz vocalist who spent her salad days in the Twin Cities, explores her Brazilian repertoire (7 p.m. the Dakota, $35-$50).

10. Shania Twain: With another Las Vegas residency behind her, the '90s country queen has hit the road again, with a new album to promote, "Queen of Me," her first in six years. Expect plenty of costume changes, her enduring anthems like "Man, I Feel Like a Woman" and a healthy helping from her new LP, including the peppy single "Giddy Up" with its line-dance steps that have been popular on TikTok. Opening is Iowa-reared country singer-songwriter Hailey Whitters, who is touting her 2022 major-label debut, "Raised." (7:30 p.m. Xcel Energy Center, 199 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, $82 and up, ticketmaster.com)

Also: Hiromi, the energetic Japanese pianist who incorporates everything from jazz to classical, returns (6:30 & 8:30 p.m., also Thu., the Dakota, $30-$50); Muna, the Los Angeles trio making waves with "Silk Shiffon" on Phoebe Bridgers' label, headline their own gigs before opening for Taylor Swift in July (7 p.m. Palace Theatre, $39.50-$70); Hozier, Ireland's "Take Me to Church" hitmaker, dropped a new EP, "Eat Your Young" (7:30 p.m. First Avenue, $40).

Classical music critic Rob Hubbard contributed to this column.