The big gigs: 10 concerts to see in the Twin Cities this week

1. Culture Club: Duran Duran got rained out last weekend, so fans of 1980s MTV-buoyed British new wave can get their fix with Boy George and his mates (original members Roy Hay and Mikey Craig remain). It's always a treat to hear "Karma Chameleon," "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" and "I'll Tumble 4 Ya," but half the fun of a Culture Club concert these days is the unpredictable pronouncements that come out of Boy George's unfiltered, often sassy mouth. (8 p.m. Mystic Lake Casino showroom, Prior Lake, $49-$129, ticketmaster.com)

2. Leon Bridges: When he emerged from Houston in 2015, he was a delicious throwback soul man in the spirit of Sam Cooke. He's evolved, as last year's "Gold-Diggers Sound," his third full length, demonstrates. He's favoring a chill, down-tempo, almost conversational flavor of modern R&B. He gets some help from jazz stars Robert Glasper and Terrace Martin, vocalist Jazmine Sullivan and Minneapolis-bred songwriter Dan Wilson. Expect Bridges to feature material from his new album as well as his fancy dancing. Little Dragon opens. (8 p.m. the Armory, 500 S. 6th St., Mpls., $67 and up, ticketmaster.com)

Also: The State Fair's grandstand series kicks off with a '90s rock flashback featuring Jerry Cantrell's reborn Alice in Chains and Gavin Rossdale's Bush along with '00s hard-rock hitmakers Breaking Benjamin (5:30 p.m., $36-$79); Oklahoma Americana singer-songwriter Parker Millsap is touring behind his fifth album, "Be Here Instead" (8 p.m. Turf Club, $22); top-notch Twin Cities R&B/blues stylist Joyann Parker and Beau Baker Band are featured at the Lowertown Sounds series (6 p.m. Mears Park, free); Minneapolis soul/jazz stalwart Ginger Commodore presents music inspired by the Oscar-winning documentary "Summer of Soul" (8 p.m. Crooners, $25 and up); the nonprofit Minnesota Music Coalition hosts a cool showcase with Diane, Cindy Lawson and Junior Choir (7:30 p.m. Hook & Ladder outside, $10-$15); rap vet Crescent Moon and rap-rock instrumentalists Big Trouble play a too-rare-of-late gig together saluting a friend (8 p.m., White Squirrel Bar).

3. Kamasi Washington: After working his way up from Icehouse to the Palace and Rock the Garden over the past seven years, the otherworldly Los Angeles saxophonist and his thrilling cosmic-funk band are making a rare step back into clubland to play the Twin Cities' best-loved jazz venue before a bigger gig at Chicago's Sacred Rose Festival. He debuted a bold new tune earlier this year, "The Garden Path," but his last album was 2020's score to the Michelle Obama documentary "Becoming." So who knows what to expect from this weekend's four intimate sets? That adds to the excitement. (6:30 & 9 p.m., also Sat., the Dakota, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $50-$80, dakotacooks.com)

Also: It's a doubleheader of standout '90s alt-rockers who are still making new music, with Counting Crows and the Wallflowers (7 p.m. Minnesota State Fair grandstand, $34-$51); Martina McBride brings some powerhouse '90s country to the horse track with "A Broken Wing" and "Independence Day" (7 p.m. Canterbury Park, $40-$70); Pat Hayes delivers the endless boogie with Lamont Cranston (7 p.m. Belvedere tent at Crooners, $35 and up); harmonious folk-rock trio Turn Turn Turn with the Honeydogs' Adam Levy is paired with the musical Pixar hit "Soul" in the lakeside Star Tribune Music & Movies series (6:30 p.m. Lake Harriet Bandshell, free); glam-metal grinders All the Pretty Horses play outdoors with Duluth's Stardust Collective (6 p.m. Palmer's Bar); Utah indie-pop duo IDKHOW is on tour with peppy Rochester, N.Y., rockers Joywave (7 p.m. the Fillmore, $33 & up).

4. Rammstein: What's a German metal band with scant U.S. radio play or mainstream chart success doing touring stadiums across North America? The answer lies entirely in the group's massive-scale, cinematic, pyro-filled live show, which is so ambitious it takes four days to set up and requires a stadium-size space to spread out. After a nearly three-year wait because of COVID-19 delays, Minnesota fans finally get to experience the carefully crafted tour, which will include songs from the album released in the interim, "Zeit," which means "time." It's bound to be a good time. French classical pianists Duo Jatekok opens; no kidding. (7 p.m., U.S. Bank Stadium, 401 Chicago Av., Mpls., $26-$146, ticketmaster.com)

5. Caitlyn Smith: The singer-songwriter from Cannon Falls, Minn., has found a career in Nashville even though she's never scored a radio hit under her own name. (She penned the Meghan Trainor/John Legend winner "Like I'm Gonna Lose You.") Last year, she collaborated with Old Dominion on "I Can't," which made a little noise, and this year she dropped an eight-song EP, "High," featuring some smart verses and explosive Nashville-by-the-numbers choruses. The standout track is the ballad "Nothing Against You" with the winning line "I don't want to hold nothing against you but me." (8:30 p.m. also Sun. Leinie Lodge Bandshell, Minnesota State Fair, free with gate admission)

Also: Five years since their falsetto hit "Feel It Still" crossed over to Top 40 radio, Oregonian groovers Portugal. the Man headlines 89.3 the Current's annual Music-on-a-Stick shindig with Manchester Orchestra, the U2-ish Atlanta band behind "Bed Head," and local fun, book-smart trio Bad Bad Hats (7 p.m. State Fair grandstand. $27-$37); Twin Cities duo Erin Schwab and Jay Fuchs revisit the Summer of Love, which was 1967, with the Mamas & the Papas, Simon & Garfunkel, Jefferson Airplane and others (8 p.m. the Belvedere tent at Crooners, $20-$30); soulful Twin Cities rocker Mae Simpson and her hard-grooving band wrap a summer of Midwest gigs with a big hometown set, also featuring the Shackletons and Karate Chop (7 p.m. Hook & Ladder outside, $15-$20).

Global sensation Pitbull will keep the party going until the grandstand's fireworks, with "Fancy" opener Iggy Azalea (7 p.m. Minnesota State Fair grandstand. $39-$84, etix.com); shoegazer-y New York coed rock duo Cults finally makes it to town again supporting 2020's underrated LP "Host" (8 p.m. Turf Club, $21-$25); popular "Come On Get Higher" hitmaker Matt Nathanson just dropped his 13th album, "Boston Accent" (3:30 & 8 p.m. the Fillmore, $57.50); former "American Idol" runner-up Crystal Bowersox has a new album, "Hitchhiker" (7 p.m. the Dakota, $30-$45); local rock-turned-cabaret-jazz revisionists the New Standards play a rooftop gig (7 p.m. Hewing Hotel, $45-$50); the Endless Summer bash features a fun lineup of local garage and punk bands including the Silverteens, Rank Strangers, the Favorite Things and the 99ers (noon-8 p.m., Broken Clock Brewing).

Monday, Aug. 29

7. Dire Straits Legacy: Originally promoted as Dire Straits without frontman/guitarist Mark Knopfler, this group has retooled personnel since forming in 2013. DS original keyboardist Alan Clark is still on board as are long-timers Mel Collins, Phil Palmer, Danny Cummings and Jack Sonni. On bass is Trevor Horn of Yes and Buggles ("Video Killed the Radio Star") fame. The repertoire is classic-rock gold with "Money for Nothing" and "Sultans of Swing" as well as Yes' "Owner of a Lonely Heart." (8:30 p.m, also Tue. Leinie Lodge Bandshell, Minnesota State Fair, free with gate admission).

Also: The Mike Love-led Beach Boys and the Temptations, led by 80-year-old co-founder Otis Williams, bring nonstop nostalgic joy, with the funky horn-band Tower of Power opening (7 p.m. Minnesota State Fair grandstand, $37-$50).

Also: U.K. pop singer Calum Scott, who became a sensation on "Britain's Got Talent," comes to the States to promote his second LP, "Bridges" (7:30 p.m. Varsity Theater, $42 and up); rich voiced New York cabaret entertainer Dawn Derow brings her "My Ship: Songs from 1941" show featuring tunes from Duke Ellington, Irving Berlin, the Andrews Sisters and others (7 p.m. the Dakota, $25-$35).

9. Low Cut Connie: The happiest surprise among the State Fair free-stage bookings this year, this South Philly boogie-rock band canceled a grandstand gig last year out of COVID precautions and is making up for it with a two-night stand this year. Piano-plunking frontman Adam Weiner — who's part Springsteen, Little Richard and New York Doll — is an Atlantic City-style showman with an unflashy, blue-collar songwriting talent, especially evident on 2020's double-LP "Private Lives." Find out why he and his rowdy, soulful band's concerts have become must-see affairs for many Twin Cities music lovers. (8:30 p.m., also next Thu., Leinie Lodge Bandshell, Minnesota State Fair, free with gate admission)