Thursday, May 18
1. Tanya Tucker: Her remarkable renaissance continues. Not only did she make a Grammy-winning comeback in 2019 with "While I'm Livin'" and its hit "Bring My Flowers Now," Tucker was deservedly named this year to the Country Music Hall of Fame. On June 2, the Texas veteran is set to release "Sweet Western Sound," her second consecutive collaboration with co-producers Brandi Carlile and Shooter Jennings. Tucker already has dropped two singles, the wistful ballad "When the Rodeo Is Over (Where Does the Cowboy Go)" and the late-in-life plea "Kindness." She'll bring her new tunes, frisky personality and classics like "Delta Dawn" to the metro. (8 p.m. Mystic Lake Casino, 2400 Mystic Lake Blvd., Prior Lake, $49-$129, ticketmaster.com)
2. The Shackletons: One of Minnesota's hardest-working young rock acts has not surprisingly turned into one of its best. The band of Stillwater-raised brothers — best known locally from the Current airplay staple "Minnesota Girls" — rolls into its biggest hometown gig of late fresh off a spring tour with Memphis rockers Lucero, whose rowdy yet soulful and intelligent rock is echoed by these Minnesota boys. It's a nice matchup in the Under the Canopy series with throwback rock hero Little Man. The trio then heads to Winona's Mid West Music Fest on Saturday. (7 p.m. Hook & Ladder Theatre, 3010 Minnehaha Av. S., Mpls., $15-$20, thehookmpls.com)
Also: Omaha indie-rock staple Cursive is on tour marking the 20th anniversary of its best-known LP for Saddle Creek, "Domestica" (8 p.m. Fine Line, $25-$30); rootsy Twin Cities players Erik Brandt & the Urban Hillbilly Quartet are back in action with back-to-back gigs starting in Excelsior (8 p.m. 318 Cafe, $18) before a Northfield show on Friday at the Contented Cow; Gabe Barnett & Them Rounders showcase their new single "A Message from U" to preview a new Minnesota music album "Thirst" (8 p.m. Icehouse, $12-$17).
Friday, May 19
3. Liquid Zoo & Whirlygig: The two big live music bashes for Art-A-Whirl this year are at kindred northeast Minneapolis breweries a half-mile apart with a wide cross-section of Twin Cities talent between them. Bauhaus Brew Labs' annual Liquid Zoo party kicks off Friday night with in-house rockers Viva Knievel and has a long lineup Saturday with (in reverse order) Early Eyes, Solid Gold, the Mae Simpson Band, McNasty Brass Band, Birdroom and more. Indeed Brewing's Whirlygig boasts: Nur-D, Mayyadda and Honeybutter on Friday; jazz upstart L.A. Buckner, powwow singer Joe Rainey, Papa Mbye, Denim Matriarch, Creeping Charlie, Room3 and more Saturday; then Turn Turn Turn, the Foxgloves, Cornbread Harris and more Sunday. (5-10 p.m. Fri., noon-10 p.m. Sat & Sun., Bauhaus: 1315 Tyler St. NE; Indeed: 711 NE 15th Av., Mpls.; all-ages, free, bahausbrewlabs.com and indeedbrewing.com)
4. Ambrose Akinmusire: The acclaimed avant-garde trumpeter, who travels in jazz, classical and hip-hop circles, is planning two special evenings in Minneapolis. The first will be a night of improvisation with 10 musicians including buzzy jazz guitarist Mary Halvorson, Mivos String Quartet and rapper Kokayi. On the second night, Akinmusire will offer the world premiere of a lengthy composition titled "Honey from a Winter's Stone." (8 p.m., also Sat., Walker Art Center, 725 Vineland Pl., Mpls., $26.50-$33.50, walkerart.org)
5. Minnesota Bach Festival: The Bach Society of Minnesota's annual multi-concert celebration of its namesake's genius features two settings of the "Magnificat" (the Virgin Mary reacting to her pregnancy) by Papa Bach and his talented offspring, C.P.E. Bach. Four outstanding soloists will sing while Matthias Maute conducts a choir and orchestra. Then there will be a week's worth of outdoor chamber music concerts on front porches and in parks and parking lots in the Twin Cities, Rochester, Winona, St. Cloud and Duluth, May 24-28. (7:30 p.m. St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral, 519 Oak Grove St., Mpls. (also livestreamed); 7:30 p.m. Sat. St. Thomas More Catholic, 1079 Summit Av., St. Paul, free-$35, bachsocietymn.org)
6. Seal: The British singer and ex-husband of Heidi Klum may get top billing but the key to this concert is Trevor Horn. Not only will he lead the opening act, the Buggles, known for the first MTV clip ever, "Video Killed the Radio Star," but he produced Seal's first two hit albums in the 1990s and will direct the Buggles as Seal's backup band in concert. Those first two Seal albums included such hits as "Crazy," "Prayer for the Dying" and the smash "Kiss from a Rose," which was boosted in the movie "Batman Forever" and captured Grammys for song and record of the year in 1996. (7:30 p.m. Orpheum Theatre, 810 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls. $79.50-$179.50, ticketmaster.com)
Also: Rootsy American-Australian singer-songwriter John Butler is leaving his trio behind on his first solo North American tour (8:30 p.m. Fitzgerald Theater, $39.50); get your Van Morrison fix outdoors with the Belfast Cowboys' Under the Canopy gig featuring Linda Ronstadt tribute act de'Lindas (7 p.m. Hook & Ladder, $15-$30); Andrew Walesch, the Minnesota singer-pianist who recently moved to Phoenix, returns to work his Frank Sinatra magic with an orchestra (7 p.m. Dakota, $35-$40); Twin Cities saxophonist Kenni Holmen, who has played with Prince, Celine Dion and Tony Bennett, among others, shares his stories and sounds (7:30 p.m. Crooners, $25-$35); Ahmed & the Creators, led by veteran Minneapolis trumpeter Ahmed Abdulkarim, offer some classic jazz in the intimacy of the Dunsmore Room (6:30 p.m. Crooners, $20-$30).