A half-dozen cool things in the world of music, from two points of view:

Tina Turner, Target Center. Rock's proudest survivor rocked with a very energizing show. Tina knows how to work the stage and the crowd. This was my fifth Tina concert since 1985, and it never gets old. Nice to see Lisa Fischer as one of her backup singers (she also sang for Chaka Khan and Luther Vandross).

Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Orpheum Theatre. An old-school favorite who evokes memories of my youth in Brooklyn in the '60s, listening to WABC Radio. I always enjoyed their songs and harmonies, with the hint of doo-wop.

Janet Jackson. Nice to hear she has resumed her tour after cancelling several shows due to migraine-related vertigo. Janet will make it up to her fans with enjoyable, visually appealing performances and, oh, that body!

RENITA FORSH, ST. LOUIS PARK

"Control" on DVD. Unlike most music biopics, this film on Joy Division singer Ian Curtis (directed by rock photographer Anton Corbjin) doesn't overdo the drama or sentimentality. It's also not as drab as a black-and-white movie about a suicidal rock star might sound.

The Dirtbombs at First Ave, last Monday. Opening for TV on the Radio, this hard-boogieing Detroit garage band had a classic Motor City sound but a clever approach, with two dueling drummers, one of whom told the most tasteless Sarah Palin joke to date.

Zebulon Pike, "Intransience." The third album by this instrumental Twin Cities prog-metal band -- which opens for Metallica's tour opener the Sword at the Triple Rock on Monday -- features only three tracks but clocks in at 40 minutes, which chug by like a logging truck thundering down the interstate.

CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER, STAR TRIBUNE

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