Critics’ picks: The 12 best things to do and see in the Twin Cities this week

More than any other country music artist touring arenas or stadiums, this folky and folksy Oklahoma singer’s concerts are all about the songs. There are older ones like 2019′s “Heading South,” which earned him viral fame while he was still serving in the U.S. Navy. There are his first chart-toppers, 2022′s “Something in the Orange” and “I Remember Everything,” the latter of which paired him with Kacey Musgraves. And there’s his newest hit, the funeral-inspired “Pink Skies,” another No. 1 even though Bryan still receives very little of the radio play that other major country acts rely on. Whatever the song, fans sing along louder to his than at just about any other concert. Fellow Okies the Turnpike Troubadours open his biggest local gig yet. (5:30 p.m. Sat., U.S. Bank Stadium, 401 Chicago Av. S., Mpls., $300 & up, axs.com)

CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER

Chicago’s feel-good, positive-vibed hip-hop hitmaker has been slow to return to the road after filling arenas on his 2019 tour behind his last album, “The Big Day.” In the interim, he served as a coach on NBC’s “The Voice” and put on his Black Star Line Festival in Ghana. He’s been trickling out songs from his next LP, “Star Line,” including the familial ode “Together.” His longtime fan base in the Twin Cities is getting one of his only performances of 2024 as he prepares for a full comeback next year. (7 p.m. Fri., Minnesota State Fair grandstand, $48-$148, etix.com)

C.R.

He retired from NBC’s “The Voice” after a fruitful, career-boosting run, but he’s still active in country music and elsewhere. He showed up in July to duet with Gwen Stefani, his wife, on the new “Purple Irises” at the Minnesota Yacht Club fest in St. Paul. In concert, the quick-witted Oklahoman invariably wins over crowds with his personality and parade of hits, including “Honey Bee,” “God’s Country” and “Drink on It.” Emily Ann Roberts opens. (7 p.m. Sun., State Fair grandstand, $77-$207, etix.com)

JON BREAM

They’re a little bit country and a little bit rock ‘n’ soul. The exhilarating, Michigan-reared, Nashville-based duo comes across like the Mike and Tanya Trotter Revue — a modern-day, Southern fried, gospel-infused funk-rock update of the Ike and Tina Turner Revue. Except Michael and Tanya clearly love each other big time. The War and Treaty have won Americana Music Awards (including best new artist), entertained on various country awards shows and backed up Zach Bryan on the single “Hey Driver.” (8:30 p.m. Mon.-Tue., State Fair, Leinie Lodge Bandshell, free with fair admission)

J.B.

Each August, talented string players from high schools, colleges and grad schools around the country meet on the shores of northern Minnesota’s Lake Vermilion for 10 days of playing chamber music in the forest and string orchestra music inside log cabins. The musicians then head down to the Twin Cities for a concert, this year featuring chamber music by such composers as Mozart, Johannes Brahms, Dmitri Shostakovich, Caroline Shaw and Minnesota’s Steve Heitzeg and works for string orchestra by Benjamin Britten and Edward Elgar. (7 p.m. Thu., Augustana Lutheran Church, 1400 S. Robert St., West St. Paul, free, chambermusicmn.org)

ROB HUBBARD

This celebrated foursome was formed 32 years ago, quickly gaining international attention by winning the highly regarded Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. Today, they’re among the most popular bands in St. Louis, where they’re on the music faculty at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and host both a regular concert series and a weekly show on the local classical public radio station. For the marquee concert of Northfield’s Bridge Chamber Music Festival, they’ll perform quartets by Joseph Haydn, Bohuslav Martinů and Beethoven. (7:30 p.m. Fri., Urness Recital Hall, St. Olaf College, Northfield, free, bridgechambermusicfestival.com)

R.H.

One is a stage star known for his mellifluous, carbonated voice and for bringing bonhomie and joy to a myriad of roles, including as the plant in the Guthrie’s just-closed “Little Shop of Horrors.” The other is the consummate raconteur familiar to audiences of TPT’s “Almanac” and NPR’s “All Things Considered.” Now T. Mychael Rambo and Kevin Kling have teamed up for an evening of songs and stories. While Rambo once sang on the same Orchestra Hall bill as Kling, this is the first time that they’re doing something like this. “I sing and tell stories of the heart with my songs, and Kevin tells stories that are songlike,” Rambo said. “We’ve planned a fun 90 minutes.” (7 p.m. Mon. Dakota, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls. $30-$35. 612-332-5299, dakotacooks.com)

ROHAN PRESTON

Since his unprecedented six-show run at the Ordway in June 2023, this red-hot comedian has hosted “Saturday Night Live” and performed at the Hollywood Bowl. He’s the perfect talent to play the State Fair: self-deprecating and so family-oriented that sometimes his preteen daughter handles the introductions. “I guess people are going to talk more about me being clean now more than ever, but it’s not like it’s about that,” Bargatze told the Star Tribune last year. “It’s just what I do. I’m not doing comedy for that sake.” (7 p.m. Sat., State Fair grandstand, $77-$197, etix.com)

NEAL JUSTIN

Highpoint Center for Printmaking’s annual co-op member exhibition turns 44. Prints from 35 of the artist cooperative members include works in screenprinting, lithography and more. Many are available for sale and at reasonable prices. Gabi Estrada’s woodcut print “maiz” takes an abstract approach to corn, while linocuts like Nicole Sara Simpkins’ “Correspondence I” capture two wolves exploring a natural habitat. Ends Aug. 24. (9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., noon-4 p.m. Sat., 912 W. Lake St., Mpls., free, 612-871-1326 or highpointprintmaking.org)

ALICIA ELER

Artists Jennifer Nevitt and Galilee Peaches’ collaborative exhibition is informed by a series of walks taken between 2020 and 2021 in grasslands and plains of Minnesota. For the show, the artists create a landscape with wooden structures, drawings and painted paper. Ends Sept. 14. (Noon-5 p.m. Thu.-Sat., NE. Sculpture | Gallery Factory, 1720 NE. Madison St. #14, Mpls., free, ne-sculpture.org)

A.E.

Tap dancer, teacher and influencer Sarah Reich, who just launched a streaming series on Vimeo called “It’s Tappening” exploring tap dance culture across the world, heads to Fridley for a night of tap and original music. The Los Angeles-based dancer runs a company called Tap Music Project, and has put out a tap jazz album called “New Change.” At Crooners Supper Club, she’ll be joined by tap dancer Enrique Rosario and a live band, celebrating jazz and the play between movement, sound and rhythm. (8 p.m. Sat. Crooners Supper Club, 6161 Hwy. 65 NE., Fridley. $30-$40, croonersmn.com)

SHEILA REGAN

The harvest is in for the vegetable that can be roasted, boiled, baked, fried and even made into ice cream. Valleyfair hosts this food festival offering sweet and savory takes on one of Minnesota’s favorite foods. On weekends through Labor Day, participate in corn-themed activities including corn eating contests, games, crafts and live entertainment. Of course, there’s also the amusement rides for sky high thrills and the water park to escape the heat. The final weekend of the event, Aug. 31 will feature rescheduled fireworks from the 4th of July when they were canceled because of partial flooding of the park. (11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sat.-Sun. through Labor Day, $39.99, 1 Valleyfair Drive, Shakopee, valleyfair.com)

MELISSA WALKER