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

With longtime drummer Mike Portnoy back in the fold, prog-metal vets Dream Theater are on tour celebrating their 40th anniversary and playing the new album, “Parasomnia” (8 p.m. Orpheum Theatre, $63-$183); after loads of success writing for bigger Nashville singers, Brent Cobb is out again with his own band behind his new album, “Ain’t Rocked in a While,” and he has one of Replacements manager Peter Jesperson’s favorite L.A. bands opening, Gold Star (8 p.m. Fine Line); like his Allman Brothers dad Dickey, Duane Betts was born to be a ramblin’ man who can play some serious guitar (7 p.m. Sheldon Theater, Red Wing, $21-$39); lo-fi, trippy St. Paul electropunk duo Me Me Me celebrates its new eponymous album with Cha Cha 9 (6:30 p.m. Cloudland Theater, $12-$15).

He’s a former “American Idol” judge, a TV host, the husband of Nicole Kidman, a two-time CMA entertainer of the year and one of the best combinations of singer and guitarist in country music. At 57, Urban remains as energetic as ever, with inspired staging, hot guitar licks and countless hits, including last year’s “Messed Up in Me.” After treating the Twin Cities to an underplay at the Fine Line last year, Urban brings his High and Alive Tour featuring songs from at least eight albums as well as covers, such as a fresh “Pink Pony Club.” Opening are Chase Matthew, Alana Springsteen and Karley Scott Collins. (7 p.m. Grand Casino Arena, 199 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, $45 and up, ticketmaster.com)

If you haven’t yet experienced a concert with South African cellist and SPCO artistic partner Abel Selaocoe, you really should. He’s such an imaginative programmer and charismatic performer that his concerts with the orchestra create instant community within the concert hall, often with a spiritual bent. Three choirs from the University of Minnesota will sing on a program that features works by Selaocoe, Gabriella Smith, Shawn Okpebholo and others. (7 p.m. Fri. and Sat. Ordway Concert Hall, 345 Washington St., St. Paul; 2 p.m. Sun. Ted Mann Concert Hall, 2128 S. 4th St., Mpls., $16-$70, students and children free, thespco.org)

Also: Roof-rattling hard-rock star Lizzy Hale and her namesake band Halestorm are on tour with violin wiz Lindsey Stirling and Apocalyptica (6:30, Treasure Island Casino Showroom, $55-$192); veteran Canadian singer/songwriter Ron Sexsmith is out behind his 18th studio album “Hangover Terrace” (7 p.m. the Dakota, $35 and up); Mint Condition and Sounds of Blackness drummer Brandon Commodore steps out again with his jazz/hip-hop all-star crew NRG (7:30 p.m. Berlin, $20-$25); former Back Door Slam blues-rocker Davy Knowles has counted Peter Frampton and Joe Satriani as some of his biggest fans (8 p.m. Hook & Ladder, $20-$30); Chicago jazz vocalist Bruce Henry, who spent many years in the Twin Cities, is back at Crooners, accompanied by his septet (8 p.m. Belvedere tent, $30-$40); when he’s not touring as keyboardist for Ruthie Foster, Twin Cities soul man Scottie Miller fronts his own quartet, this time previewing his upcoming album “Hello Pain” (7 p.m. Crooners, $35-$45).

As we’ve learned since he left the bandstand on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” three years ago, the Grammy-grabbing New Orleans piano maestro is a musical polymath, concerned with an uplifting spirituality and social consciousness that will unite a divided nation. That’s why the uber-dynamic, ultra-musical entertainer hits the stage on his current tour under a banner that declares “This is the circus of love / Under our tent there is revival & joy.” That’s a couplet from the title track of his new album, “Big Money,” his meaningful salute to the many sounds of his hometown. Opening are Diana Silvers and Andra Day, a Grammy winner who duets with Batiste on the new “Lean on My Love.” (8 p.m. Palace Theatre, 17 W. 7th Place, St. Paul, resale only, axs.com)

Can you still call it a punk band if it’s heavy on synths and dance beats? That’s a valid question surrounding “Never Enough,” the fifth album by this Grammy-winning Baltimore rock quintet, which sounds a lot more akin to the Police and 311 than 7 Seconds. There’s still a lot of intense energy coming from Brendan Yates and his bandmates, though, enough to turn the large general admission floors into one of the biggest mosh pits this city has seen in a while, especially after the devilishly potent Mannequin Pussy also performs. Speed and Jane Remover open. (7 p.m. the Armory, 500 S. 6th St., Mpls., all ages, $81, ticketmaster.com)

Along with Wet Leg, the Last Dinner Party and Lambrini Girls, these Londoners are part of a thrilling wave of female-fronted U.K. bands making some of rock’s most electrifying work of the day. They were ahead of the pack with their breakout hit “Don’t Delete the Kisses” in 2017 but seem to be really hitting their stride this year with their fourth album, “The Clearing,” which boasts a slicker, poppier sound but still shows off frontwoman Ellie Roswell’s knack for biting lyricism. Willy Mason opens. (8 p.m. First Avenue, 701 1st Av. N., Mpls., $48, axs.com)

If life is seeming hectic and chaotic, consider decompressing with a classical guitar recital by an elite player. The Minnesota Guitar Society opens its International Artists Concert Series with this performer, who has garnered raves in performance and on record. A winner of multiple international competitions, Davin has been a favorite collaborator for such stars as soprano Estelí Gomez, violinist Tessa Lark, harpist Emily Levin and fellow guitarist Sharon Isbin. (7:30 p.m. Sundin Music Hall, 1531 Hewitt Av., St. Paul, $10-$25, mnguitar.org)

Also: After a fun summer tour with local vets the Jayhawks as openers, ’90s jangle-rock hitmakers Toad the Wet Sprocket of “Walk on the Ocean” fame are playing theaters this fall with KT Tunstall (7:30 p.m. Ames Center, $83-$146); ‘90s Nashville star Clay Walker of “Live Until I Die” fame headlines Freedom Fest, a benefit for the Invisible Wounds Project (6 p.m. Running Aces, Columbus, $60 and up); movie soundtrack maestro Hans Zimmer brings his New Dimension show featuring music from “Dune,” “The Lion King” and “Pirates of the Caribbean” (8 p.m. Target Center, $82 and up); singer/songwriter Keri Noble, the former Twin Cities radio personality, offers a solo piano performance (7 p.m. Crooners, $35 and up).

Iron Maiden’s many rabid fans have a chance to catch the British metal gods’ high-soaring frontman on his first solo tour in three decades. He’s out promoting last year’s well-received concept record, “The Mandrake Project,” and a newly “reworked” version of his 1994 album “More Balls to Picasso,” both of which sound more Queensrÿche-like than Maiden-y. He’s touring with a band that includes Puddle of Mudd drummer Dave Moreno and mostly avoiding his old band’s material. (7 p.m. Uptown Theater, 2900 Hennepin Av., Mpls., $64-$98, ticketmaster.com)

Known for making a subversive, avant-garde style of lyrical electronic music, Maus could be mistaken for a mad-scientist musician from Berlin or New York rather than a southern Minnesota boy. He lived and worked in his hometown of Austin before the pandemic and is coming back to his native state touting “Later Than You Think,” his first album in seven years for the influential U.K. label Domino Recordings, another lo-fi synth-rock set loaded with the free-minded, combative sociopolitical commentary that has gotten him canceled in some indie-rock circles. Texas upstart Lex Walton opens. (8 p.m. Green Room, 2923 Girard Av. S., Mpls. $35, ticketmaster.com)

Also: Warped Tour-era Georgia pop/punk band Cartel is back from hiatus with an apparent pent-up demand for live shows, as the 20th anniversary celebration of its “Chroma” got bumped up to a bigger venue and still sold-out (6:30 p.m. the Fillmore, resale only); Minneapolis jazz/R&B piano legend Cornbread Harris’ weekly Church of Cornbread gigs have moved to the Schooner Tavern in south Minneapolis following the closure of Palmer’s (5-7 p.m., free); gruff voiced Canadian country singer/songwriter Colter Wall favors a throwback sound on his 2023 album “Little Songs” as he sings “I don’t care what’s cool or where it’s at” (8 p.m. Treasure Island Casino, $69 and up); former John Prine sidemen, guitarist Jason Wilbur and bassist Dave Jacques, revisit his treasured catalog (7 p.m. the Dakota, $35-$45).

The 20-year-old New York bedroom pop singer has vaulted from TikTok sensation to mainstream pop star. His song “Back to Friends” not only amassed 800 million streams on Spotify but it climbed to No. 25 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and just snagged an MTV VMA for best alternative video. After dropping his lushly produced (think Beach Boys) debut album “I Barely Know Her” last month, Sombr will kick off the North American leg of his Late Nights & Young Romance Tour this week. His popularity has surged, so his St. Paul gig has been moved from Amsterdam Bar & Hall to the much larger Palace Theatre. (7 p.m. Palace Theatre, 17 W. 7th Place, St. Paul, resale only, axs.com)

Also: San Francisco’s great psychedelic/fuzz-rock trio Black Rebel Motorcycle Club is marking the 20th anniversary of their debut album, “Howl” (8 p.m. First Ave); Semisonic and New Standards bassist John Munson, recovering from a stroke, will be back in action as the leader of the all-star house band for the “Wits” radio-show reunion (7:30 p.m. Fitzgerald Theater); a band that employs an actual hurdy-gurdy man, Swedish duo Symbio is another in the Cedar Cultural Center’s long line of Nordic folk bookings (7:30 p.m., $25).

Chicago techno-rap bad boy 2Hollis, a waif-y, 21-year-old model lookalike with a big TikTok following, is already playing the First Ave mainroom after only just making his local debut at the Amsterdam in February (7:30 p.m., all ages, $158); Bay Area art-rock innovator Merrill Garbus and her band Tune-Yards just dropped one of their wildest and funkiest collections yet, the EP “Tell the Future with Your Body” (8 p.m. Fine Line); rootsy and bluesy Idaho singer/songwriter Eilen Jewell returns to the Hook & Ladder (7:30 p.m., $35-$55).