Big Gigs for May 8-14: Rush, Slipknot, Jessie J and Victoire

There are pop tarts and pop stars. And occasionally along comes a pop star who can truly sing without the help of AutoTune or other technical gimmickry. That would be Jessie J, who was a knockout on "Bang Bang" — both on the recording and live at Jingle Ball 2014 — with Nicki Minaj and Ariana Grande. But the former student at the BRIT School (where Adele and Amy Winehouse studied) has written hits for Miley Cyrus ("Party in the U.S.A.") and scored her own hits, including "Price Tag" and "Domino." (8 p.m. Mon., First Avenue, sold out.) Bream

Smooth stimulation has been a recurring motif in the bountiful "new classical" performances of the Liquid Music series over the past three seasons, and this weekend's enticing triple bill of Noveller, Glasser and Victoire, co-presented by Walker Art Center, is likely to burnish the trend. Sarah Lipstate, aka Noveller, may be the most raucous of the bunch. The Austin-via-Brooklyn guitarist/composer occasionally harks back to her ambient noise roots on the new album "Fantastic Planet," but mostly engages in lush layering. Cameron Mesirow, or Glasser, has been appropriately dubbed a "synth-pop chanteuse" for her playfully elegant, Alice in Wonderland-like songs. Victoire is an all-female chamber sextet that is the hand-chosen vehicle for founder Missy Mazzoli's deceptively sophisticated compositions. Each act will perform an individual set, then come together for what could be a beguiling finale. (8 p.m. Sat., Walker Art Center's McGuire Theater, $22, thespco.org) Britt Robson

On last year's two-disc live collection "Songs From the Road," guitar star Coco Montoya seems more subtle and less flashy than fans may be accustomed to. Maybe he's just showing his range. But anyone who has seen his own tours — or his work with John Mayall or Albert Collins before that — knows that the lefthanded guitarist is a bluesy R&B fret burner. (7:30 p.m. Fri., Minnesota Music Cafe, $15-$20.) Jon Bream

Even the millennial bands are getting in on album-anniversary tours. Ohio-bred, Christian-rooted metalcore sextet the Devil Wears Prada, which was a headliner on last year's Warped Tour, is back on the road and promising to play 2010's "Zombie" EP in full to mark its fifth anniversary. The heavy, holy thrashers will also preview a new EP, "Space," due this summer. (8 p.m. Fri., Mill City Nights, 15 & older, $17-$20.) Chris Riemenschneider

Somerset Amphitheater is getting a jump on the summer concert season with the inaugural Northern Invasion metal fest, which could wind up as one of the area's biggest festivals this year. Featuring Slipknot, Five Finger Death Punch, Halestorm, Anthrax, Three Days Grace, the Pretty Reckless and Volbeat, it's part of a network of reputable hard-rock festivals across the country this month, including Rock on the Range and Rocklahoma, and it harks back to the Ozzfests and X Fests that filled Somerset in the '90s. No surprise it's already sold out. This will be Des Moines vets Slipknot's first time through in support of its well-received fifth album, ".5: The Gray Chronicles," inspired by the death of bassist and onetime Minneapolitan Paul Gray. (Noon Sat., Somerset, Wis., sold out.) Riemenschneider

Did you know that Saturday is National Train Day? That's why Cannonball Paul and Carolina Red, a Twin Cities duo, will offer a selection of old-fashioned train and hobo songs including "Hey, Porter," "Wabash Cannonball" and "The Midnight Special" at — where else? — St. Paul's refurbished train station. (Noon Sat., Union Depot, 14 E. 4th St., St. Paul, free.) Bream

All-star tributes to the likes of Aretha Franklin, the Band, Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix, Luther Vandross and Janis Joplin are commonplace in Twin Cities clubs. Now add the late Joe Cocker to that list. "Feelin' Alright: A Tribute to Joe Cocker" features a bunch of musicians — including Mick Sterling, Melanie Rosales, Bobby Vandell, Scott Sansby, Chico Perez, Stanley Kipper, David Eiland and Billy Franze — who grew up on the raspy, eccentric soul stylist. (7:30 p.m. Sat., Parkway Theater, 4817 Chicago Av. S. Mpls., $15-$25.) Bream

Mark Lickteig has been a mainstay on the Twin Cities club scene for more than three decades, singing rock and soul with the likes of Dr. Mambo's Combo, the R Factor and Rupert's Orchestra. Now Lickteig has released "Workin'," a terrific album of originals. "I Can't Say Goodbye" is classic sax-fueled R&B that sounds like it came out of Ben E. King's songbook. Lickteig gets all gospelly and philosophical on "Home Is Where My Heart Is." And he cuts loose on an explosive soul duet with Margaret Cox appropriately titled "Whoop Whoop." Opening the CD release party is Ali Washington and the Movement, with Jaedyn James and the Hunger closing the evening. (9 p.m. Sat., Crooked Pint, $10-$15.) Bream

Here's a unique idea for a noble cause: "Voice: Songs for Those Who Are Silenced" is a concert named after a new all-star benefit album, both featuring Prairie Fire Lady Choir, We Are the Willows, Chris Koza, the Ericksons, Storyhill's John Hermansen and spoken-word pioneer Shá Cage with Black Audience's Jayanthi Kyle — all of whom sing without any instrumental accompaniment on the record, as do Haley Bonar, Dessa, Robert Robinson, Charlie Parr, Carrie Rodriguez and more. The project will raise money and shed light on the Women's Foundation of Minnesota's "Girls Are Not for Sale" campaign against sex-trafficking. Read a feature on it in Saturday's Variety or at startribune.com/music. (6 p.m. Sun., Bedlam Lowertown Theatre, $10.) Riemenschneider

For such menacing-sounding dudes, experimental doom duo the Body sure plays well with others. Having previously worked with the Haxan Cloak, Braveyoung and Assembly of Light Choir, the Portland, Ore.-based boys recently released their second collaborative record with Louisiana doom lords Thou. "You, Whom I Have Always Hated" death-marches through eight cold and crushing tracks, laced with guitar-din thickets, devastating grooves and hellish vocals. This tour features powerviolence noisemakers Full of Hell, and naturally the two bands plan to hit the studio together. Prostate and Thunderbolt Pagoda also perform. (9 p.m. Sun., Triple Rock, $10.) Michael Rietmulder

Three years ago, Rush, Canada's contribution to prog rock (and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame), came to the Twin Cities to celebrate its new album, "Clockwork Angels." It was three hours of deep album tracks, the new album and just two hits at the end, "Tom Sawyer" and "The Spirit of the Radio." Now, without a new album, Rush is doing a 40th anniversary tour that is doubling as something of a farewell tour because drummer Neil Peart reportedly suffers from chronic tendinitis. That doesn't mean the trio is breaking up; it just means Peart can't handle the rigors of touring. (7:30 pm. Tue., Xcel Energy Center, $48.50-$128.50.) Bream

San Fermin is a hard band to peg, even beyond its eclectic, classically tinged rock. The band's mastermind, Ellis Ludwig-Leone, is a composer and multi-instrumentalist but never the singer in the seven-plus-member ensemble. Instead, vocal duties are handled by Allen Tate, who could easily pass for the National's Matt Berninger, as well as siren Charlene Kaye and (on record only) the ladies of Lucius. Their grandiose, uncategorizable new album, "Jackrabbit," echoes the likes of Magnetic Fields and St. Vincent. They're touring with Natalie Prass, who stepped out from her guitarist duties in Jenny Lewis' band to release her inventive if sometimes too precious eponymous solo debut. (8:30 p.m. Tue., Triple Rock, $15.) Riemenschneider

Last seen in the Twin Cities sharing a stage with Ruthie Foster, guitarist/vocalist Eric Bibb plays the blues with a hushed intensity. Last year's "Blues People" album featured all kinds of guests including Taj Mahal, the Blind Boys of Alabama, Linda Tillery, Popa Chubby and Foster but none of them tilted the tone or upstaged Bibb. (8 p.m. Thu., Dakota, $25-$30.) Bream

Baltimore's classically trained electronic dance-rock maestro Dan Deacon has put on some of the most memorable free-form/audience-participatory shows the Twin Cities has seen over the past half-decade, from his dance-off throwdowns on the floor of First Avenue to his impromptu set in the parking garage of Walker Art Center when a rainstorm temporarily drenched Rock the Garden 2013. He's similarly all over the place on his latest record, "Gliss Riffer." Mystical psychedelic acts Prince Rama and Ben O'Brien open. (7:30 p.m. Thu., Cedar Cultural Center, all ages, $15.) Riemenschneider

It's been a while since Suzy Bogguss has had a country radio hit but the Illinois native, who has one of the prettiest voices in Nashville, continues to record commendable albums. Last year's "Lucky" was a formidable tribute to Merle Haggard and 2011's "American Folk Songbook" featured her interpretations of "Shenandoah," "Rock Island Line" and the like. (7 & 9 p.m. Fri., Dakota, $35-$40.) Bream

Veteran Twin Cities vocalist Prudence Johnson and pianist Dan Chouinard will celebrate their CD "Gershwin," featuring 18 numbers written by George and Ira Gershwin. While there's a formalism to some selections, Johnson truly shines on the soulful "How Long Has This Been Going On," the dark ballad "But Not for Me" and the soft "Love Is Here to Stay," which finds her in a deeper register. Some of this material appeared on a 2003 album, " 'S Gershwin." (7 p.m. Sun. Dakota, $25-$30.) Bream