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

1. Joy Oladokun: This Arizona-raised, R&B-infused folk singer is a favorite songwriter among some of Nashville’s most reputable songwriters, including Jason Isbell, Chris Stapleton and Maren Morris (all of whom have recorded with her). She has also recently been tapped by Brandi Carlile and Hozier as a tour opening act. She’s on the verge of a commercial breakthrough but didn’t move to slicken up her approach. Instead, she made her deep-reaching new album all by herself. Titled “Observations from a Crowded Room,” the record’s rawness highlights her emotional power and positivity-preaching lyrics, with many songs tinged with the persistence it takes being a proud queer Black woman in the year 2025. (7:30 p.m. First Avenue, 701 1st Av. N., Mpls., $26, axs.com)

2. Jukebox the Ghost: Minneapolis is one of only four cities to get the piano-punchy, D.C. area pop-rock trio’s 3 Nights, 3 Albums Tour this winter, and we’re the first one up. As the name suggests, this three-night stand will center around a different record at each show. First up is the band’s 2008 debut “Let Live & Let Ghosts” on Friday, featuring the hit “Under My Skin,” recorded while the members were in their senior year at George Washington University. The early-‘10s LPs “Everything Under the Sun” and then “Safe Travels” follow. Each night will also feature newer tunes and some of the fun twists these guys always offer. (8 p.m. Fri.-Sun. Fine Line, 318 1st Av. N., Mpls., $30/night or $80/three-night pass, axs.com)

3. Minnesota Orchestra: At age 24, Swedish violinist Johan Dalene has the makings of a major classical music star, having won Denmark’s Carl Nielsen International Competition in 2019 and receiving Gramophone magazine’s Young Artist of the Year honor in 2022. He’ll be the soloist for Nielsen’s Violin Concerto as the orchestra concludes its Nordic Soundscapes Festival. Thomas Søndergård also will conduct works by Norwegian composers of the 19th and 21st centuries — Edvard Grieg and Ørjan Matre — and 20th-century Swede Hugo Alfvén. If it’s too cold for you, Friday night’s concert will be livestreamed and broadcast on TPT. (11 a.m. Thu., 8 p.m. Fri., 7 p.m. Sat. Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $20-$121, minnesotaorchestra.org)

Also: Minnesnowta Hotel Takeover features a diverse lineup of artists — including Hayley Jane, Mark Joseph, Ethno, Dead Larry, the Devine Collection and Reed Grimm — over four days at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Plymouth (Fri.-Sun. $80-$145); rustic Chicago-reared bluesman Jake LaBotz plays the smaller Starlight Room at Icehouse for his January residency there (8 p.m., $20-$27); Minneapolis rock hero Curtiss A has his monthly gig in St. Paul with his bluesy garage-group the Dark Click (7-10 p.m. Minnesota Music Cafe, $10).

4. St. Paul Chamber Orchestra: Israeli pianist Roman Rabinovich is acclaimed for his way with music of the classical era, which has made his SPCO debut — featuring Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 — a particularly hot ticket. But the winner of the 2008 Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition also will be among the performers for Francis Poulenc’s chamber cantata “The Masked Ball,” featuring baritone John Moore, last here for December’s “Messiah.” Completing the program are a Mozart Horn Quintet and Igor Stravinsky’s “Basel” Concerto. (11 a.m. Fri., 7 p.m. Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Ordway Concert Hall, 345 Washington St., St. Paul, $16-$68, students and children free, thespco.org)

Also: Lil Ed & the Blues Imperials, Chicago’s veteran boogie band led by slide guitarist Ed Williams, are a late addition to the Dakota’s calendar (7 p.m., $35.77 and up).

5. Jamie XX: Forget the lush, Mercury Prize-winning chill-funk of his (namesake?) band the XX. In his solo endeavors, the London electronic producer and multi-instrumentalist — who has also laid tracks for Tyler, the Creator, Miley Cyrus and Frank Ocean — pumps up the jams, operating more as a DJ and churning out sample-laden, high-energy dance music. He’s on tour touting his first solo album in a decade, “In Waves,” whose guests include Robyn, A$AP Rocky and the Avalanches. Not all fans of the XX will be into it, but older EDM fans down on today’s dubstep-heavy sounds should be up for it. Staffers from the great Chicago reissue label Numero Group will serve as opening DJs. (7 p.m. the Armory, 500 S. 6th St., Mpls., all ages, $66-$78, ticketmaster.com)

6. Lissie: Hats off to all the Minnesota artists who play residency gigs to fill the void in January, but extra kudos should go to this Iowa rocker for coming up from an at least slightly warmer southern climate to do it. The “When I’m Alone” singer — who brought more attention to her rich, Stevie Nicks-ian song catalog with a role on the Netflix series “Loudermilk” — has played January shows at the Parkway for several years now since her backing band is based in the Twin Cities. This year, she’s mixing up the timing and formats more with two shows over two weekends, starting with a full-band gig this Saturday with Trash Date opening and then a solo set Sunday. Next weekend, she’s doing another one with the whole crew on Jan. 25, then a stripped-down trio set on Jan. 26 with pal Chris Koza warming up. (7:30 p.m. Sat. & Sun., Parkway Theater, 4814 Chicago Av. S., Mpls., $29-$49, sold out this Sat., theparkwaytheater.com).

7. Myles Kennedy: Known for his stratospheric vocals with Alter Bridge and Slash & the Conspirators, he steps front and center not only with his hellacious vocals but his guitar work on 2024’s “The Art of Letting Go,” his third solo album. Produced by Michael “Elvis” Baskette who helmed several Alter Bridge and Slash recordings, Kennedy’s trio (with drummer Zia Uddin and bassist Tim Tournier) doesn’t break any new ground here, but they cut loose, with echoes of Aerosmith and Van Halen. (7 p.m. Varsity Theater, 1308 4th St. SE, Mpls., $70 and up, ticketmaster.com)

8. Happy Birthday Janis Joplin. A day before the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer would have turned 82, Jill Mikelson, who starred in the Ordway’s production of “Love, Janis,” Jacy Smith and special guest DebraG will perform their 18th annual birthday tribute to the combustible bluesy rock powerhouse who died at age 27 in 1970. Joplin left us with many classics including “Piece of My Heart,“ “Mercedes Benz” and “Me and Bobby McGee.” For a special wrinkle this time, one section on the main floor of the Fitzgerald will be set aside for dancing. (8 p.m. Fitzgerald Theater, 10 E. Exchange St., St. Paul, $33.40-$45.98, first-avenue.com)

Also: A trumpeter and orchestra leader who has played with Cory Wong, Adam Meckler is in town playing with his namesake quintet (7:30 p.m. Berlin, $20); Kathleen Johnson, William Duncan and friends celebrate Martin Luther King with Songs of Hope, Peace and Freedom by Bob Marley, Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder and others (7:30 p.m. Crooners, $30-$40); two days before MLK Day, stellar vocalist Bruce Henry is back in his former home base to celebrate the unity that Martin Luther King advocated, backed by some of the Twin Cities finest players (7 p.m. the Dakota, $30-$35); billed as “a night of dark post-punk and soundscapes,” the aptly timed Gathering Darkness 2 concert will feature nine acts cross two stages, including the Rope, Another Heaven, Lovely Dark and the Muatas (7 p.m. Hook & Ladder, $15-$20).

And onward goes Charlie Parr’s January residency, as the acoustic folk/blues ace works in songs from last year’s standout Smithsonian Folkways album “Little Sun” and welcomes Michigan’s fingerpicking guitarist Laurel Premo as opener (7:30 p.m. Turf Club, $20-$25).

Jamecia Bennett, Known MPLS and Billy Steele and Fellowship Baptist Church will raise their voices as part of the Ordway’s 39th annual celebration of Martin Luther King Day, with chats by elders Josie R. Johnson and Reatha Clark King (10 a.m. Ordway, free with registration, ordway.org); Grammy-winning New Orleans second-line mainstay Rebirth Brass Band is back at the Dakota before heading home for its long-standing Tuesday night gig (6:30 & 8:30 p.m., $35-$40).

9. The Headhunters: Yes, they are the band that played with Herbie Hancock on his iconic 1973 fusion album “Head Hunters,” as well as two more collaborations. They’ve carried on as a group for 50 years, though the personnel has changed. Following 2023’s winning “Live From Brooklyn Bowl,” this New Orleans-based ensemble dropped “The Stunt Man,” their seventh studio effort, last fall. The Headhunters interpret George Gershwin’s “Embraceable You” and Wayne Shorter’s “ESP” as well as captivating modern jazz originals that blend elements of the Caribbean, New Orleans, Afrobeat and funk. The core trio of drummer Mike Clark, percussionist Bill Summers and saxophonist Donald Harrison will be joined by NOLA stalwarts Chris Severin on bass and Kyle Roussel on piano. (7 p.m. the Dakota, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $40-$45, dakotacooks.com)

10. Jontavious Willis: Just as Christone “Kingfish” Ingram is a young Southern bluesman carrying on the electric traditions of Muddy Waters and B.B. King, Willis is a young Southern bluesman carrying on the acoustic country blues traditions of Blind Lemon Jefferson and Willie McTell. Hailing from tiny Greenville, Ga., Willis first gained national exposure opening for the joint tour of Taj Mahal and Keb Mo in 2017, the year he self-released his first album. Both of those celebrated bluesmen joined Willis on his sophomore album, “Spectacular Class.” In 2024, Willis dropped his third effort, “West Georgia Blues,” a collection that mixes tradition-abiding originals (love “Rough Time Blues” and especially “Earthworm Basement Blues”) while moving the genre forward, notably on the jangly “Keep Your Worries on the Dance Floor” and the rollicking instrumental “Jontavious’ West Georgia Grind.” Equally accomplished as a singer and picker, Willis injects knowledge and humor into his passionate live presentations. (7 p.m. the Dakota, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $30-$35, dakotacooks.com)

Also: Neo-twang troubadour David Huckfelt and torchy Americana singer Molly Brandt team up for the Starlight Song-Swap series (7 p.m. Icehouse, $20-$27); rootsy, award-winning songwriter Sarah Morris and her Sometimes Guys play their monthly gig at the White Squirrel Bar (6 p.m., free).

Classical music critic Rob Hubbard contributed to this column.