Best of the Week (Sept. 22-29): Post Malone, Maggie Rogers, 'The Great Gatsby,' Luke Combs, Zeitgeist, more

This month's release of his third album, "Hollywood's Bleeding," has only added to the high anticipation for Post Malone's first local headlining tour stop since his 2017 breakout. The new No. 1 record is mighty goofy — the Ozzy Osbourne collaboration is just part of his crazy train — but it's also a lot of fun and very catchy, as the Dallas singer/rapper openly touts himself as a pop star more than a hip-hop thug. His "Sunflower" partner Swae Lee opens.

Chris Riemenschneider

8 p.m. Thu. & Fri. Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul. $50-$377, ticketmaster.com.

Maggie Rogers is one of the most impressive pop newcomers of 2019. Buoyed by a First Avenue show and a "Saturday Night Live" appearance before her debut album, "Heard It in a Past Life," was released in January, this 25-year-old Maryland native combines pop-styled lyrics with electronica instrumentation. Part Lorde and part Florence Welch, Rogers is a strong-voiced, literate popster who sings about identity and romance with 20-something authority.

Jon Bream

8 p.m. Thu. Armory, Mpls. $32.50 & up, ticketmaster.com.

British composer Carl Davis knows about using music to heighten storytelling. In the 1970s, he became the go-to guy for scoring rereleases of silent films, like Charlie Chaplin's "City Lights." In Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre's version of "The Great Gatsby," Davis mixes jazz and popular music for sumptuous accompaniment. Choreographed by Jorden Morris, this retelling of F. Scott Fitzgerald's masterpiece about longing for the American Dream is performed with a live orchestra.

7:30 p.m. Sat. Northrop, Mpls. $30-$76, 612-624-2345, northrop.umn.edu.

After his 2017 debut album spent a record (for a male artist) 44 weeks at No. 1 on the country charts, North Carolina's Luke Combs is finally set to drop his sophomore effort, "What You See Is What You Get," in November. He's already offered two new singles, "Beer Never Broke My Heart," his sixth No. 1 hit, and "1, 2 Many," a beer-drinking boogie featuring Brooks & Dunn. Opening are the Cadillac Three and Jameson Rodgers.

J.B.

7 p.m. Sat. Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul. $25-$50, ticketmaster.com.

Lucid dreaming is when you are aware of your own dreams as they happen, and can sometimes even control them. It forms the basis of a mini-festival curated by St. Paul-based contemporary music group Zeitgeist. At its heart is "The Gates of Horn and Ivory," a new work by American composer Janika Vandervelde. Zeitgeist's live percussion is interwoven with electronic soundscapes over two evenings, with introductory talks by lucid-dreaming expert Robert Waggoner.

7 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Studio Z, St. Paul. $30, zeitgeistnewmusic.org.

Whether the limit to your artistic talent is drawing stick people or you can color a canvas with flair, everyone can appreciate various art media. During Crystal's Art on the Strip, a mural by international artist and Crystal native Shawn McCann will be unveiled. Make your own felt coasters or lawn signs with participating artists. Watch the creation of live art, learn to salsa and jam in a robot dance party.

Melissa Walker

10 a.m.-1 p.m. Sat. North side of Bass Lake Road at Sherburne Avenue, Crystal. Free, crystalmn.gov.

Mortality is very much on the mind of Caryl Churchill, the 81-year-old British playwright who is perhaps the playwright saint of Frank Theatre. "Escaped Alone," about four mature women, is the first of two experimental Churchill one-acts in the company's current production. The other is "Here We Go," which orbits a man post- and pre-death. Both playlets are slight but potent. The dialogue and monologues feel like dystopian poetry.

2 p.m. Sun., 8 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Ends Sept. 29. Gremlin Theatre, 550 Vandalia St., St. Paul. $25-$30, 612-724-3760, franktheatre.org.

Ditch the kids for an evening of Bagpipes & Bonfires, a Celtic street festival that warms up guests not only with a blazing fire, but beverages from Lift Bridge Brewery and local wines. The night begins with a ceremonial lighting of the bonfire as the Brian Boru Irish Pipe Band parades about. The manliest of men can compete in beard and kilt contests. Taste foods from local vendors and play games of skill, including Hammerschlagen and a wine toss.

M.W.

5:30-10 p.m. Sat. Episcopal Church of the Ascension, Stillwater. Free.

Pianist Jeffrey Siegel has made a specialty of lecture recitals where he talks to audiences about the music on the program before playing it. His latest "Keyboard Conversation" at Sundin Music Hall features a mix of piano works by two titans of the classical period, Haydn and Mozart.

7:30 p.m. Tue. Sundin Music Hall, Hamline University, St. Paul. $12-$28, hamline.edu/sundin or 651-523-2459.