The Big Gigs: 10 concerts to see in the Twin Cities this week

1. The Black Keys: Last year's standard-sounding album "Dropout Boogie" earned a tepid reception, but the blues-spiked Akron, Ohio, rock duo has lined up enough radio hits and cool classics over two decades to still put on a fun live show, including some of the ones it played at the grandstand back in 2008 opening for the Black Crowes. Colorado openers the Velveteers are one of the many young bands Keys frontman Dan Auerbach has produced. (7 p.m. State Fair grandstand, $69-$159, etix.com)

2. Carly Pearce: The Grammy-winning, rising country star has been a regular opening act in the Twin Cities — last year with Kenny Chesney, this year with Blake Shelton and next year with Tim McGraw. Now comes a chance for Pearce to offer a full 75-minute set, immediately after the Twins vs. Rangers game. Expect to hear lots of vulnerable material from her stand-out divorce disc, "29: Written in Stone," as well as her new single "We Don't Fight Anymore," another heartbreaker, a duet with Chris Stapleton. (Game time 6:10 p.m. Target Field, 1 Twins Way, Mpls., $21 and up, mlb.tickets.com)

Also: It was bound to be an extra hot night at Lowertown Sounds even without the temperatures with Twin Cities barroom rock hero Robert Wilkinson and his enduring '70s band the Flamin' Oh's, plus Oasis-y openers Two Harbors and Chemistry Set (6-9:30 p.m., St. Paul's Mears Park, free); masked surf-rock vets Los Straitjackets, known for touring with Nick Lowe in recent years, are all on their own this time with rootsy bluesman Jake La Botz (7 p.m., Hook & Ladder outdoors, $25-$40); there will be no degrees of separation at the Bacon Brothers, featuring actor/singer Kevin Bacon and his sib Michael, promoting their 10th album, 2022's "Erato" (8:30 p.m., also Fri., State Fair bandshell, free with admission); 3rd Elephant Trio stretches the boundaries of acoustic music with local players Richard Kriehn, Charles Asch and Nathan Wilson (6:30 p.m. Dunsmore Room at Crooners, $20-$30); Ginger Commodore, simply one of the best vocalists in the Twin Cities, salutes Tina Turner (7 p.m. the Dakota, $20-$35).

3. The Chicks: It's the return of the original lightning rods of cancel culture in country music, who got blacklisted for dissing President George W. Bush on the eve of the Iraq War in 2003. After a six-year hiatus to focus on parenting, the Texas trio wowed with two shows at the State Fair in 2016, and four years later dropped the fiery album "Gaslighter," their first since 2006's Grammy-winning "Taking the Long Way." Those new songs will be the focus this time, but there will be wide open spaces for older faves like "Cowboy Take Me Away" and "Goodbye Earl." (7 p.m. State Fair grandstand, $77-$197, etix.com)

4. Arctic Monkeys: Recently hailed as "the last great guitar band" by Blur's Damon Albarn — never mind how understated the guitar work is on their latest album — British rockers the Arctic Monkeys are kicking off their long-awaited U.S. tour with a two-night stand in Minneapolis. Frontman Alex Turner has curiously turned crooner-ish and lovebird-y on the group's last couple of records, including last year's "The Car," but word is he and his Sheffield-reared bandmates balance the lounge-act stuff with their punkier material on tour. At least expect a rowdy set from Irish openers Fontaines D.C. (8 p.m. Fri. & Sat., the Armory, 600 S. 5^th St., Mpls., resale tickets only, armorymn.com)

Also: Cult-loved Twin Cities songwriting vet Mason Jennings is issuing another of his large self-issued albums, "Underneath the Roses," with a hometown release party (8 p.m. Parkway Theater, $39-$79); the Wailers, reggae's seminal band, carry on Bob Marley's legalize-it legacy, led by Aston Barrett Jr. (son of Familyman Barrett) and new singer Mitchell Brunings (6:30 & 8:30 p.m. the Dakota, $35-$50); New York cabaret vet Ann Hampton Callaway offers a program of 1970s material and maybe a preview of her Sept. 29 album, "Finding Beauty, Originals, Volume 1," a collection of self-penned tunes with guests Melissa Manchester, Kurt Elling and Tierney Sutton (7:30 p.m., also Sat., Crooners, $40-$50).

5. Keith Urban: The country superstar from Australia closed the U.S. leg of the Speed of Now World Tour in St. Paul in November. Before he heads to a Vegas residency this fall, he is squeezing in some festival and fair dates. Count on Urban, who is married to Down Under actress Nicole Kidman, to play many of his 22 No. 1 Nashville hits, including the apt "Long Hot Summer," and showcase his formidable guitar skills. Opening is Canadian star Lindsay Ell, who, like Urban, has serious guitar chops. (7 p.m. State Fair grandstand, $52-$87, obstructed view available, etix.com)

6. Boyz II Men/Chaka Khan: Last seen doing a Q&A at Prince Celebration 2023 at Paisley Park, Khan this time will sing her classics including "I Feel for You," "I'm Every Woman" and "Tell Me Something Good" that landed her in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Boyz II Men bring those Philly harmonies that made the vocal group so popular in the '90s with "On Bended Knee," "End of the Road" and "I'll Make Love to You." Opening is Nunnabove, the sibling quartet from Woodbury that made a splash at the Prince Celebration in June. (7 p.m. State Fair grandstand, $34-$68, etix.com)

Also: Two of metal's mightiest bands of the past couple decades, France's Gojira and Atlanta's Mastodon, team up together on tour this summer and will test the durability of the St. Cloud area's new amphitheater (7 p.m. the Ledge Amphitheater, Waite Park, $40-$232); relive the glory days of the Warped Tour, wallet chains and emo as the All-American Rejects head up a fun 2000s nostalgia tour also featuring New Found Glory, the Starting Line and the Get Up Kids (7 p.m. the Armory, $72, all ages).

7. 'Let Freedom Ring': Monday marks the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, when about 250,000 people gathered to call for the U.S. to make good on its Constitution's promise of equal rights for all Americans. It featured a lot of great music and, most famously, Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. The anniversary will be marked with a march, speeches and a free concert at Northrop featuring Twin Cities gospel star Jovonta Patton, Thomasina Petrus, the Threads Dance Project, Joe Davis & the Poetic Diaspora, and VocalEssence's G. Phillip Shoultz III conducting the Twin Cities Choral Consortium. It's free, but reservations are required. (March 5:30 p.m., concert 6:30 p.m. Northrop, 84 SE. Church St., Mpls., free, northrop.umn.edu)

Also: 5 Seconds of Summer, the Aussie hitmakers of "Youngblood," return in support of their fifth album, 2022's "5SOS5" (8 p.m. the Armory, $52.50 and up); Happy Together, the annual oldies tour put together by the Turtles, will feature such 1960s hitmakers as Little Anthony, Gary Puckett, the Vogues, the Classic IV and the Cowsills (7 p.m. State Fair grandstand, $34); costumed metal vets GWAR return to the Mainroom highlighting "The Age of Imbeciles" tour (7:30 p.m. First Avenue, $30); Slipknot and Stone Sour singer Corey Taylor is out on a solo tour behind his new album, "CMF2" (6 p.m. the Fillmore, $45, all ages).

8. Brandi Carlile: Remember: Minnesota embraced her first, long before she became a mainstay on awards shows and new best friend to Joni Mitchell, Elton John and her other heroes. The powerful, Grammy-winning voice behind "The Joke" and "The Story" returns to the grandstand. This year, the activist musician has been busy producing for Tanya Tucker, Brandy Clark and Mitchell. But she hasn't forgotten all those Twin Cities performances at the Basilica Block Party, Minnesota Zoo and the fair's bandshell because she remembers this was the first market to support her big-time. Opening is Carlile's pal Wynonna Judd, another powerhouse vocalist who has been on an emotional roller coaster following the death of her mother, Naomi, last year. (7 p.m. State Fair grandstand, sold out, etix.com)

10. The Lumineers: A decade since they came to fame via their clap-along hit "Ho Hey," Colorado's friendly, folky strummers have retained a large, faithful following thanks in large part to their feel-good, communal live shows. Last year's Xcel Energy Center show was well received, but those good vibes always feel warmer outdoors; or at least they will if the venue's new operators at Live Nation have worked out the long traffic and concession lines that have plagued other previous shows there this summer. British songwriter James Bay of "Hold Back the River" fame is a well-suited opener. (7:30 p.m., Somerset Amphitheater, Somerset, Wis., $35-$120, livenation.com)

Also: Drum hero Dave King's residency run at the Dakota continues with the return of his groundbreaking jazz trio Happy Apple with Michael Lewis on sax and Erik Fratzke on bass, plus a special appearance by pianist Nduduzo Makhathini (7 p.m., $40-$45); Alter Bridge, featuring members of Creed with ubiquitous singer Myles Kennedy, are touting last year's album "Pawns & Kings" (6:30 p.m. the Fillmore, $45); Small Town Strings, featuring siblings Caroline and JayJ Carlile, ply their folk-inclined Americana before their aunt, Brandi Carlile, gigs at the State Fair (1 p.m. Urban Growler, $20).

Yung Gravy, the 27-year-old rapper from Rochester, Minn., takes on the State Fair after garnering viral success and a cultish following fueled by the undeniably catchy, Rick Astley-sampling hit "Betty," which he performed at last summer's MTV Video Music Awards. (7 p.m. State Fair grandstand, $64); ; South African jazz pianist Nduduzo Makhathini is supporting his latest Blue Note recording, "In the Spirit of Ntu," with the Twin Cities all-star ensemble Suitor (7 p.m. the Dakota, $30-$35); Los Angeles indie-pop band Yoke Lore is riding a good buzz and warming up in clubs ahead of a tour with the Head & the Heart (7:30 p.m. Fine Line, $20, all ages).