Best of the Week (July 28-Aug. 4): Fringe Fest opening night, Tame Impala, X Games, Santana, more

High drama, lowbrow hijinks, musical interludes, parodies, improv and dance spring to action for the Minnesota Fringe Festival. On opening night, try musical improv trio the Shrieking Harpies' funny feminism and on-the-spot music making (5:30 p.m. Thu., Strike Theater). Or "Stoopidity," in which three graduates of the U/Guthrie BFA acting program explore what it means to love deeply (7 p.m. Thu., Rarig Xperimental). "Edith Gets High" is a mystical vision quest powered by a video game; it won best new work at the Minnesota Theater Awards (10 p.m. Thu., Rarig Arena). Sheila Regan

Festival runs Aug. 1-11. Various Minneapolis venues. $14 per show; minnesotafringe.org.

Aussie astro-pop groover Kevin Parker and his mellow-cool band Tame Impala haven't issued an album since 2015, but they've risen in stature considerably. They're going from playing one night at First Avenue that year to two outdoor gigs at Surly's 5,000-plus-capacity field. The falsetto-­favoring Parker has tailored 2019 sets to nighttime settings such as Coachella and other fests, with moody lighting and stargaze-y music, so the venue should suit them. Local electro-soul man Velvet Negroni opens.

Chris Riemenschneider

5:30 p.m. Mon.-Tue. Surly Festival Field, Mpls. Sold out.

Downtown Minneapolis becomes Shredville as the adrenaline junkies of the X Games descend on Mill City for a third year. This year also boasts the airborne festival's best ever music lineup, with the Wu-Tang Clan (Fri.), Diplo (Sat.) and Incubus (next Sun.) balancing the skate, BMX and motocross spectacle. Wu-Tang is celebrating 25 years of "Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)," and its Armory concert with Minneapolis opener P.O.S. is the very last stop on its reunion tour.

Jerard Fagerberg

Fifty years after Woodstock and 20 years after grabbing eight Grammys for "Supernatural," Santana has given us its most exciting and adventurous album in years, the superb "Africa Speaks." Eschewing his distinctive Latin jazz sound, Carlos Santana teams with singer Concha Buika for a fiery mix of Afro-Latin jazz-rock-blues-electronica. However, on tour with the Doobie Brothers, Santana is emphasizing its familiar material, including "Soul Sacrifice" and "Smooth."

Jon Bream

7 p.m. Sat. Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul. $100+, ticketmaster.com.

Long before pioneers made Minnesota their home, the state was inhabited by Dakota Indians. Gibbs Farm's Prairie Festival teaches about the history of the people of Cloud Man's village through interactive stations. Learn how items were traded for survival and make a bead bracelet with symbolic colors. Sample snacks from the Sioux Chef. Dakota Wicohan will lead crafting demonstrations.

Melissa Walker

The Lakes Area Music Festival in Brainerd, Minn., continues to flourish, and in a busy opening week, Wednesday's chamber music concert stands out. It's given by the Altius Quartet, the inaugural fellowship ensemble at the festival, and features Mozart's "Dissonance" Quartet, Janáček's "Intimate Letters" and Mendelssohn's String Quartet No. 6.

Terry Blain

7:30 p.m. Wed. Tornstrom Auditorium, Brainerd. Free, lakesareamusic.org.

Juvenile humor, political commentary and apocalyptic visions. Would you expect anything else from Tenacious D? On their first tour in five years, the musical comedy duo of Jack Black and Kyle Gass is supporting its new album, "Post-Apocalypto," which has a companion animated series on Tenacious D's YouTube channel. Opening is Wynchester, which features members of Tenacious D's backup band.

J.B.

Do you have what it takes to be sorted into the honorable house of Gryffindor, or are you a mischievous Slytherin type? Find out with the sorting hat at this Harry Potter Celebration in Forest Lake. Make your own wand and devise a plan to break free from an escape room. Have wizard- and witch-themed snacks while dancing to wizard rock band Tonks and the Aurors. Take on trivia and other activities centered around the wizarding world.

M.W.

3-7 p.m. Fri. Hardwood Creek Library, Forest Lake. Free, washcolib.libcal.com/event/5079368.

The English parlor song was a mainstay of the Victorian era, and despite its genteel reputation as innocuous fodder for amateurs, it can harbor surprising depths of emotion. Twin Cities baritone and actor Bradley Greenwald presents a selection of parlor songs in a recital with pianist Sonja Thompson.

T.B.