KDWB Star Party: His Fyre Fest shenanigans don't exactly make him a role model for kids, but hip-hop vet Ja Rule is cleaning the slate and heading up an eclectic end-of-school edition of the Star Party. Ex-Minneapolitan Lizzo is far and away the hottest act on the bill right now, but she'll only be doing an abbreviated set, as will Why Don't We, the State Fair-headlining boy band of "8 Letters" semi-fame. Other performers include Canadian production duo Loud Luxury, "Undrunk" singer Fletcher and New York singer/rapper Bryce Vine. (6 p.m. Fri., Myth, 3090 Southlawn Dr., Maplewood, ticket giveaways only, kdwb.iheartradio.com.)
Mazarati: With "100 MPH," the tune Prince wrote for them, appearing on his just-released "Originals" album, it seems like an opportune time for Terry Casey and the mid-'80s Minneapolis rockin' funkateers, under the tutelage of producer Brown Mark, to reunite for the first time in 10 years. It's on the Purple One's birthday, no less. Will they do "Kiss," which was originally intended for them? Brown Mark and Micki Free are scheduled to appear as well. (9 p.m. Fri., Muse, Mpls., $28-$80.)
Ingrid Chavez: A Prince protégé going back to the "Lovesexy" album who later starred opposite him in the movie "Graffiti Bridge" she's hitting Prince's favorite local record shop to perform and sign her personal and poetic new album, "Memories of Flying." (7 p.m. Fri., Electric Fetus, Mpls., free.)
The Specials: With an undercurrent of U.S. and European politics making their racism-fighting, anti-corruption songs relevant again, England's influential, mutli-racial ska band is on a 40th anniversary tour that coincides with the release of its first new album in 20 years, "Encore," and its first since 1980 with heyday co-vocalist Terry Hall. (9 p.m. Fri., First Avenue, Mpls., $40.)
Rhett Miller: Fresh off launching his own new podcast about living a creative lifestyle, "Wheels Off," the Old 97's frontman is touring on his own again — really on his own this time, with no band. Wisconsin favorite Trapper Schoepp opens. (8 p.m. Fri., Turf Club, St. Paul, $22-$25.)
Billie Eilish: With such playful, dark-fantasy, electro-pop songs as "You Should See Me in a Crown," "Bad Guy" and her breakout "Ocean Eyes" earning mad streaming numbers, the 17-year-old Los Angeles singer has turned from a bedroom-bound online artist to one of the biggest acts on tour this summer, and her live show adds even more intrigue. Read our interview with her brother/collaborator Finneas at startribune.com/music. (7:30 p.m. Sat., Armory, Mpls., sold out.)
Chastity Brown & Minnesota Orchestra: Like Dessa, the New Standards and Jeremy Messersmith before her in recent years, Tennessee transplant Brown has been layering, arranging and rearranging her Southern-stewing folk-rock with the biggest band in town for its annual Symphony Ball. Here's hoping this promising pairing is the start of another beautiful hometown friendship. (7:30 p.m. Sat., Orchestra Hall, sold out.)
Rob Thomas: At 47, the Matchbox Twenty frontman has started to sing about being middle-aged. "Once we were young/ We were beautiful/ When we were young," he croons in "We Were Beautiful" on his fourth solo album, this year's "Chip Tooth Smile." In "One Less Day," he sings: "I'm not afraid of getting older, I'm one less day from dying young." Musically, he sounds pretty much the same, with a slightly broader palette thanks to producer Butch Walker. On his solo tour, Thomas is turning to mostly selections from his solo albums, with a few Matchbox Twenty tunes plus, of course, his Santana collab "Smooth." (8 p.m. Sat., Mystic Lake Casino, $60-$125)
Luis Miguel: He's considered the Frank Sinatra — or Elvis Presley — of Mexico. Either way, the English-speaking, Spanish-singing star remains a hugely popular international attraction. In his first Twin Cities appearance since 2008, he'll be focusing on material from 2017's "México Por Siempre," the mariachi-dominated record that captured the Latin Grammy for album of the year. Expect the 49-year-old heartthrob to also offer plenty of boleros and romantic songs to make women swoon. (8:30 p.m. Sat., Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, $29 and up, ticketmaster.com)
Craig Finn: After the thrilling, three-show Minneapolis return of his beloved band the Hold Steady last year, the Edina native is back in solo mode touting "I Need a New War," his last in a trilogy of albums made in Woodstock, N.Y. This is the mellowest and moodiest of the batch, way more Leonard Cohen than Thin Lizzy. But Finn's religious, redemptive and geographic themes remain a constant in his songwriting, and his touring band the Uptown Controllers is very consistent now, too. (9 p.m. Sat., Fine Line, Mpls., $25, eTix.com.)
Vampire Weekend: Far removed from when his cutely collegiate New York band played the Triple Rock 12 years ago, Ezra Koenig is now a full-time L.A. resident with a baby (Rashida Jones') and a Beyoncé co-writing credit. His band's first album in six years, "The Father of the Bride," is as sprawling yet breezy 18-track collection reflective of his new surroundings — a bit kooky and pretentious, but fun and pleasant enough. Old songs have been outnumbering new ones on the tour so far. Psychedelic tropicalia rockers Chicano Batman open. (7:30 p.m. Sun., Armory, Mpls., $88 "platinum" tickets only, ticketmaster.com)
Bettye LaVette: The inventive song stylist hit a grand slam with her reimagination of Bob Dylan songs — both on record and in concert. Her "Things Have Changed" was one of the best albums of 2018, and her performances behind the project were unforgettably mesmerizing. Arriving fresh from the big Chicago Blues Festival, the R&B veteran will welcome a return to the intimacy of the Dakota. (7 p.m. Mon., Dakota, $45-$55.)
New Kids on the Block: This Boston-reared 1980s/'90s boy band has been on a steady comeback concert trail since 2008. When Donnie Wahlberg isn't busy filming CBS' "Blue Bloods" or opening another Wahlbergers restaurant, NKOTB hit the road with other oldie acts from their era. On this year's Mixtape Tour, it's Tiffany, the mall-launched pop singer of the 1987 hits "Could've Been" and a remake of "I Think We're Alone Now," as well as pop thrush Debbie Gibson, the "Foolish Beat" hitmaker-turned-Broadway star; Salt-N-Pepa, the very entertaining first ladies of hip-hop of "Shoop" fame, and Naughty By Nature, the force behind the '90s jams "Hip Hop Hooray" and "O.P.P." (7:30 p.m. Tue. Xcel Energy Center, $36.95 and up.)
Maceo Parker: The longtime James Brown saxophonist and sometime sideman to George Clinton and Prince always brings the funk, adding a special Purple touch when he comes to town. His performance with special guest Candy Dulfer was a treat last year at the PRN Alumni Foundation fundraiser. (7 & 9 p.m. Tue., Dakota, $25-$50)
Pedro Capó: The Puerto Rican dance-pop singer, who lived in Minneapolis for a spell and now calls New York home, comes from Latin music royalty as the grandson of Bobby Capó. He's becoming a big name on his own after starring on Broadway in "Celia" and landing on the Billboard world charts with "Calma," a song Alicia Keys liked so much she enlisted him to remake it with her. (7:30 p.m. Tue., Cedar Cultural Center, all ages, $40-$55.)
Machine Gun Kelly: For better or worse, the blue-eyed Cleveland rapper of "Bad Things" hitmaking fame made a great Tommy Lee in the Motley Crue biopic "The Dirt," but now he's back out on the road aiming to be more than a one-hit wonder. His new album, "Hotel Diablo," still doesn't have a release date but he's touting it anyway. Cam Girl opens. (8 p.m. Wed., Myth, Maplewood, $35.)
Jeff Dayton: The Minnesota-bred guitarist spent years touring in Glen Campbell's band. Now he puts his own spins on "Galveston," "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" and other Campbell favorites. (7 p.m. Thu., Dakota, $40-$45)
