Best of the Week: Kendrick Lamar, 'Grease,' Beck, Indiafest, more

Widely considered the purest wordsmith and truest artist in big-league hip-hop right now, Kendrick Lamar skipped the Twin Cities on his last tour behind the psychedelic-soul masterpiece album "To Pimp a Butterfly." So he actually hasn't played here since 2012, the year he made it to Soundset. That hits home how far he's come with his newest record, "Damn," a more classic-sounding, bass-booming collection rife with emotions. Y.G. and D.R.A.M. open.

CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER

7:30 p.m. Sat., Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul. $40-$100, ticketmaster.com.

When Chanhassen staged "Grease" in 2006, the theater set a box-office record and launched Laura Osnes to national recognition. The current revival of the dated 1959 high school story is about kids at their own crossroads. With songs from both the stage show and the John Travolta/Olivia Newton-John movie, Michael Brindisi's exuberant production makes succumbing to peer pressure so much fun. Aleks Knezevich and Ruthanne Heyward charm in the lead roles.

ROHAN PRESTON

Ends Oct. 28. Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, Chanhassen. $58-$89, chanhassendt.com.

The Alexandria Festival of the Lakes continues its 25th-anniversary season with a marvelously varied recital of chamber music and instrumental classics. Vibrant Twin Cities soprano Maria Jette sings Bach's "Weichet nur, betrübte Schatten" and Dominick Argento's "Six Elizabethan Songs." Minnesota Orchestra oboist John Snow plays Britten's "Six Metamorphoses after Ovid" and flutist Adam Kuenzel offers a concerto by Telemann.

7 p.m. Thu., Alexandria United Methodist Church, Alexandria. $15, alexfest.org.

When Beck lands in St. Paul for his first Twin Cities appearance in nine years, maybe he'll explain what's happening with his first album in three years. It was due last year. Then this year. And now who knows when. He has released a couple of new tracks. His last effort, the super-mellow "Morning Phase," unexpectedly won the Grammy for best album. The L.A. musical collagist who gave us "Odelay" and "Mutations" is unpredictable but always capable of greatness.

JON BREAM

7:30 p.m. Thu., Palace Theater, St. Paul. $50, etix.com.

In "Holler Sessions," a Kansas City radio DJ plays music and talks at (and sometimes with) his audience. But the jazz in Frank Boyd's self-penned one-man play is not just music. It's a conduit to salvation. In one bit, he reads an in-flight magazine, critiques the bad writing, then finally throws the publication over his shoulder, saying, "Save us, Duke Ellington." This absorbing show is like a great record; you'll want to experience it again and again.

Ends Aug. 20, Guthrie Theater, Mpls. $9, guthrietheater.org.

Add a little spice to your weekend with Indian cuisine from eight local restaurants at Indiafest. Ornate booths share traditions and culture from various regions of India. Get an intricate henna painting design. Learn to play cricket or find your zen with yoga and meditation. Bollywood performances and children's activities also are scheduled.

MELISSA WALKER

11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sat. State Capitol, St. Paul. iamn.org.

Until the Smiths finally reunite, cult-adored Belle and Sebastian's concerts will remain the biggest show around for lovers of brooding, bookish, brokenhearted U.K. indie pop. Stuart Murdoch and his Scottish crew were last seen at Rock the Garden in 2015 and have put out only one single since then, "We Were Beautiful," the upside of which is they've been playing songs from throughout their 21-year discography at recent shows.

8 p.m. Tue., Palace Theatre, St. Paul. $40-$45, etix.com.

The Bakken Trio embarks upon its second season of Sunshine Concerts in Minneapolis parks, featuring string quartets by Haydn, Dvorák, Beethoven and Shostakovich. The atmosphere is family-friendly, trying to introduce kids to the classics played by Minnesota Orchestra musicians.

terry blain

10 a.m. Mon., Kenwood Park; 11:30 a.m. Mon., Webber Park; 10 a.m. Tue., Brackett Park; 11:15 a.m. Tue., McRae Park; 1 p.m. Tue., Pershing Park; 10 a.m. Wed., Matthews Park; 11:30 a.m. Wed., Powderhorn Park; 10 a.m. Thu., Audubon Park; 11:30 a.m. Thu., Hiawatha School Park. Free, bakkentrio.org.

"Rhythmically Speaking" is like an annual splurge of popular American dance. Now in its ninth year, the program is heavy on jazz, tap, rhythm and groove, with original pieces by six choreographers with Minnesota connections. Bonus: MC See More Perspective intersperses the proceedings with spoken-word performances.

7:30 p.m. Thu.- Sat., 2 p.m. Sat., Illusion Theater, Mpls. $20-$23, rhythmicallyspeakingdance.org.