Big Gigs, July 31-Aug. 6: Kelly Clarkson, Secret Stash Revue, Hazelfest, the Kills and more

After the successful breakout of revitalized soul man Sonny Knight — as evidenced by the joyous new concert album "Do It Live" — Knight's backing crew the Lakers and his record label Secret Stash Records are revisiting the formula that put them on the map in 2012 when they issued the acclaimed compilation "Twin Cities Funk & Soul: Lost R&B Grooves From Minneapolis/St. Paul 1964-1979." Their Secret Stash All-Star Revue will feature Knight alongside '60s "Funk & Soul" star Wanda Davis, who just cut a new single with the crew; Willie & the Bees vet Maurice Jacox; Afrobeat big band Black Market Brass and neo-soul singer/songwriter PaviElle French, both of whom share band members with the Lakers; plus Cameron Kinghorn of Nooky Jones. (9 p.m. Fri., First Avenue, $17-$20.) Chris Riemenschneider

A former New York folkie best known for writing "Mr. Bojangles," Jerry Jeff Walker was reborn as a cosmic cowboy in Austin, Texas, in the 1970s. Walker called his music "cowjazz" and his versions of "L.A. Freeway," "Desperados Waiting for a Train" and "Up Against the Wall Redneck Mother" caught on before Waylon, Willie and the boys coined the outlaw country label. In his many Minnesota Zoo performances, Walker has proved to be a tireless storyteller, engaging entertainer and a gonzo good guy. Austin duo Albert & Gage open. (7:30 p.m. Fri., Minnesota Zoo, $46-$58.50.) Jon Bream

Better known as the Bachelor Farmer Block Party to those not up on Swedish (or crawfish) lingo, Kräfstikva! 2015 will mark the first and last hometown show in many months for Poliça, whose frontwoman Channy Leaneagh is expecting a baby in 10 weeks. Her percussive whir-rock band also has a new album in the oven and delivered a few strong new songs at the Eaux Claires fest two weekends ago. They will be featured this weekend alongside Syracuse, N.Y.'s celebrated chamber-rock darlings Ra Ra Riot and Chris Koza's similarly well-orchestrated Rogue Valley, plus a big crawfish spread and a new specialty beer made by Fulton. All proceeds benefit the Mississippi River Fund. (5-10 p.m. Sat., outside Bachelor Farmer restaurant, 1st St. & 2nd Av. N., Mpls., $20.) Riemenschneider

The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation's Hazelfest has turned into one of Minnesota's most meaningful and outright enjoyable summer rock fests, promising a clean (read: non-drunk) environment in a scenic setting with ample messages of hope. Its third annual lineup boasts a fun hodgepodge of some of the Twin Cities' best live acts, with soulful R&B/pop showwoman Caroline Smith, poetic rapper and freestyling wiz Astronautalis, NPR-adored indie-rock songwriter Haley Bonar, Southern-baked boogie-woogie party band Davina & the Vagabonds, barroom mainstay GB Leighton and Get Cryphy DJ Last Word. Also look for actress Mackenzie Phillips to talk up recovery, a Super Why! kids area and 12-step programming. (Sat., 15251 Pleasant Valley Rd., Center City, Minn. $15-$25, 12 & under free, hazelden.org/hazelfest) Riemenschneider

Rise Against has finessed the inevitable dilemma of how a hardcore band that covered a Black Flag song in the 2005 skateboarding film "Lords of Dogtown" simultaneously "keeps it real" and avoids a thrashing rut a decade later. Since "Appeal to Reason" in 2008, the Chicago quartet has become a smidgen more pop-oriented. Now their latest, "The Black Market," occasionally turns their lefty agit-prop angst inward, toward more personal concerns. Which doesn't prevent gloriously vitriolic tunes like "The Eco-Terrorist in Me" from surging through. (6 p.m. Sat., Cabooze Plaza, $33-$38.) Britt Robson

With just two full-length albums to their credit, the London-based quartet Django Django has already consolidated a signature pastiche of sounds. They surf the '60s for Ventures guitar and Beach Boys harmony cream, mine the '80s and '90s for synth-driven gizmo grooves reminiscent of the Human League, and ladle in clever 21st-century art-rock like a less-caffeinated Franz Ferdinand. It's an appealing concoction, with different elements bubbling forth from song to song. (7:30 Sun., First Avenue, $20.) Robson

Always a riveting live band, the Kills are really not to be missed this time out, from the sounds of it. Gutter-scraping frontwoman Alison Mosshart — who moonlights in Jack White's Dead Weather — and her accomplice in the crunchy grime-rock band, Jamie Hince, are road-testing material for their first album in four years, which follows a hiatus spent on their respective visual art (both had exhibits recently open in New York). They're also on the road trying out a bold new incarnation of their band, with four percussionists behind them adding power to the rhythmic punch originally delivered by a drum machine. Danish rock trio Baby in Vain opens. (8:30 p.m. Mon., First Avenue, sold out.) Riemenschneider

One of the newbies who impressed us most at March's South by Southwest festival, balladic British folk-rocker James Bay seems like a shoo-in for future Basilica Block Parties and romantic-comedy soundtracks with his gorgeous willowy voice and bright-eyed lovelorn tunes, part Jeff Buckley and part Ed Sheeran. He makes his first headlining appearance in town following gigs at Lollapalooza and "The Tonight Show," where he played his gusher "Hold Back the River," already a big hit in England and Australia. (8 p.m. Tue., Varsity Theater, sold out.) Riemenschneider

Two Top 40 music B-listers closely affiliated with A-listers, Charli XCX and Bleachers have joined forces on a summer tour to try to up their star potential. England's wannabe-diva Charli XCX was the featured guest on Iggy Azalea's megahit "Fancy" as well as Icona Pop's "I Love It," but her own music is a see-what-sticks mish-mash of trite pop and rock formulas. Bleachers bandleader Jack Antonoff is better known as the guitarist for "We Are Young" hitmaking band fun. but has emerged with his own brand of breezy, '80s-flavored ditties such as "Rollercoaster." Groupon has been helping them sell tickets. Michigan falsetto balladeer BØrns opens. (6 p.m. Tue., Cabooze Plaza, all ages, $30.50-$36.) Riemenschneider

Powerhouse Midwestern-bred vocalist Lissie always kills it — whether she's appearing on the "Wits" radio program, singing on various TV ("Parenthood," "Californication") and movie soundtracks ("Paranoia," "Footloose"), doing background vocals (Snow Patrol, Robbie Williams) or offering covers (Fleetwood Mac, Danzig). She's just never managed to have a hit record even though she received love in the past from 89.3 the Current and Cities 97. This time around Lissie is performing solo on her Road to Ragbrai Tour; she had planned to participate in the RAGBRAI bike ride across Iowa this week. Tyler Lyle opens. (8 p.m. Wed., Varsity, $22-$35.) Bream

He performs so often at the Minnesota Zoo that Keb Mo must have his own personal parking spot. This time he'll be promoting "BluesAmericana," his 2014 collection of mostly originals that sonically travel to New Orleans, Texas, Memphis and Chicago. It's a splendid disc that earned a Grammy nomination and the Blues Music Award for best contemporary blues album. (7:30 p.m. Thu., Minnesota Zoo, $50-$62.50.) Bream

Like Prince and Sounds of Blackness, Mint Condition is a Twin Cities musical institution addressing current race-relations issues in song. Prince delivered "Baltimore" and the Sounds served "Black Lives Matter: No Justice No Peace." Mint is offering "Healing Season," which soothes both musically and lyrically. It's the title track of the band's first holiday album, due in October. Joining Stokley Williams and his eternally funky band for this infrequent local gig will be #MPLS, 1000 and Felix (of Heiruspecs), and DJ Ray Richardson. This event is a benefit for the National Association of Black Journalists, which will be celebrating its 40th anniversary at its convention next week in Minneapolis. (8 p.m. Thu., First Avenue, $20-$25.) Bream

It's the curiosity gig of the week. Woody Allen, the amateur clarinetist, and his New York-based New Orleans Jazz Band are making a rare U.S. tour. Regulars at the Carlyle Hotel in the Big Apple and in Europe, the filmmaker and his ensemble will be making a pit stop in Minneapolis — Allen says he's never been to Minnesota before but likes our politics — en route to some West Coast gigs. He says his knowledge of the music surpasses his ability to perform it, but it's a pretty joyous sound. Read an interview with Allen at startribune.com. (7 p.m. Sun., State Theatre, $53.50-$104.) Bream

In an era when cultural tensions between East and West seem more volatile than ever, Puccini's opera "Madame Butterfly," about a young Japanese girl made pregnant by a U.S. Navy lieutenant who then abandons her, retains a sharp contemporary resonance. A concert performance of Puccini's masterpiece (in Italian, with supertitles) brings the curtain down on the Minnesota Orchestra's Sommerfest, with Kelly Kaduce as Butterfly and Andrew Litton conducting. The score is packed full of great Puccini tunes like the "Humming Chorus," so expect an evening of romantic sumptuosity. (7:30 p.m. Sat., Orchestra Hall, $30-$80, 612-371-5656 or www.mnorch.org) Terry Blain

More than 90 high school and college students have been spending summer Sunday afternoons rehearsing for this year's Young Musicians of Minnesota concert. The program, featuring Barber's Adagio and Tchaikovsky's Sixth Symphony, gives the players plenty to tuck into, and they're assisted by embedded members of the Minnesota Orchestra, who have provided sectional tutelage. A variety of chamber groups from the YMM, including a string quartet, harp ensemble and baroque orchestra, perform sets from 1:30 p.m. in the Orchestra Hall lobby, in a snapshot of the rising generation of statewide classical talent. (3 p.m. Sun., Orchestra Hall, free, www.youngmusiciansofmn.org) Blain