Thursday, June 20
1. Morgan Wallen: For his first headline show in the Twin Cities, the country superstar is performing at U.S. Bank Stadium. For two nights! Yes, he’s become that big that fast since opening for Eric Church at the Vikings stadium two years ago. Nearly as hot as Taylor Swift, Wallen has sold more than 21 million albums of mostly his last two double discs, “Dangerous” and “One Thing at a Time,” while making headlines for late-night bad behavior. He’s crossed over from country to pop with “Last Night,” “Wasted on You” and his new No. 1 collaboration with Post Malone, “I Had Some Help.” Opening are Bailey Zimmerman, Nate Smith and Bryan Martin. (6 p.m. Thu. & Fri., U.S. Bank Stadium, 401 Chicago Av. S., Mpls., $100 and up, ticketmaster.com)
2. The Pixies and Modest Mouse: Since playing their first reunion gig in Minneapolis in 2005, Frank Black and his old Boston-based crew have been a more consistent live act than they ever were back in their ‘87-’93 heyday. Sounds like that’s still the case as the fiery alt-rock heroes break in a new bassist this year, Emma Richardson of Band of Skulls, the third to fill original Pixie Kim Deal’s big shoes. They’re kicking off the Surly Field concert season on a cool triple bill with “Float On” hitmakers Modest Mouse, who’ve also seemingly gotten past their spottier years. Opener is impactful dark balladeer Chan Marshall, aka Cat Power, whose Dylan tribute show in March was stunning. (5:45 p.m. Surly Brewing Festival Field, 520 Malcolm Av. SE., Mpls., resale tickets only, surlybrewing.com)
3. Nicole Zuraitis: A trained opera singer, she was a late bloomer to jazz. In 2015, at age 30, she was runner-up in the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition and one of the judges, jazz bass major domo Christian McBride, remembered her later at an encounter at a New York City restaurant. They collaborated on last year’s “How Love Begins,” a deeply felt collection of striking originals that deservedly earned the Grammy for best jazz vocal album over more famous singers like Patti Austin, Esperanza Spalding and Cecile McLorin Salvant. While that was Zuraitis’ fifth album as a leader, the singer/pianist established her prowess as a vocal stylist on earlier recordings of Prince’s overbaked “I Would Die 4 U” and Dolly Parton’s hauntingly jazzy “Jolene,” which received a Grammy nomination for best arrangement. (7 p.m. the Dakota, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $30-$35, dakotacooks.com)
Also: The New Standards, Minnesota’s favorite lounge lizards, are dubbing their annual Lowertown Sounds appearance as “Sun Drop” because it’s on summer solstice and doubles as a prequel to the Twin Cities Jazz Festival, with the highly recommended Laamar opening (6 p.m. Mears Park, free); after issuing the charmingly intimate “Live at the Bryant-Lake Bowl” acoustic album, Jeremy Messersmith is back with his ornate-sounding full band to play the Under the Canopy series with opener Anna Graves (7 p.m. Hook & Ladder, $24-$36); Grammy-winning Twin Cities gospel troupe Darnell Davis & the Remnant lead a Juneteenth Celebration (7 p.m. Icehouse, $20); singer/pianist Bryan Eng, a TV and Broadway actor, does his Nat “King” Cole thing (7 p.m. Crooners, $35-$45); it’s National Accordion Month (of course, you knew that) so Dan Newton has assembled five local accordionists for Accordion-O-Rama (8 p.m. Belvedere tent at Crooners, $30-$40); Curtiss A and his bluesy garage-rock unit the Dark Click have moved their monthly gig to St. Paul (7 p.m. Minnesota Music Cafe, $10); Mary Bue joins the Martin Devaney & Friends series at White Squirrel Bar (8 p.m., free).
Friday, June 21
4. Twin Cities Jazz Festival: This annual event could be the best two-day free outdoor music fest in town. The main action is in lovely Mears Park in the Lowertown section of downtown St. Paul with jazz songbird Karrin Allyson and vibraphone ace Stefon Harris on Friday and Kandace Springs, Prince’s soulful, jazzy piano-playing pal, and saxophonist Joe Lovano on Saturday. There are more than 80 acts in about 20 different venues, mostly in St. Paul but also in Minneapolis, Bloomington and Fridley. Many of the St. Paul spots are within walking distance of one another. Grab a bite from a food truck as you meander. (2 p.m. Fri. & noon Sat., various venues, free, twincitiesjazzfestival.com)
5. Black Pumas: After their cool-grooving 2019 sleeper hit “Colors” turned them into unlikely pop stars and even earned them a best new artist Grammy nomination, Texas studio partners Eric Burton and Adrian Quesada made good on the buzz by beefing up their band and putting on some true soul-stirring live shows. They continue to grow and strengthen on their long-awaited follow-up album, “Chronicles of a Diamond,” which leans into Burton’s Al Green-smooth voice and puts some innovative spins on modern soul music. Opener Abraham Alexander is another Lone Star State soul man who went over big at the Current’s last anniversary bash. (7 p.m. Surly Brewing Festival Field, 520 Malcolm Av. SE., Mpls., $50, axs.com)
6. Middle Kids: After hustling their way up the indie route and lighting up 7th St. Entry in their 2017 Twin Cities debut, these riveting loud-quiet-loud Australian rockers are teetering on mainstream success. Their last record won them an ARIA (Aussie Grammy) for best rock album. Their new one, “Faith Crisis, Hot Line,Pt. 1,” was co-produced by the 1975′s collaborator Jonathan Gilmore, adding new-wavy flavor to frontwoman Hannah Joy’s colorfully tortured confessional tunes. Young opener Gordi, aka Sophie PaytenPayton, is a rising Aussie electro-pop singer featured on a couple of Troye Sivan’s tracks. (8:30 p.m. Fine Line, 318 1st Av. N., Mpls., $23, axs.com)
7. Bach Roots Festival: Now in its fifth year, this summertime celebration of the music of J.S. Bach is tackling its most ambitious project yet with two performances of the composer’s magnum opus, the Mass in B Minor. Matthew Olson will lead a choir, chamber orchestra, nine vocal soloists and two instrumental soloists from the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. If you haven’t experienced a performance of one of humanity’s great artistic achievements, you really should. (7:30 p.m. Fri. Westwood Lutheran Church, 9001 Cedar Lake Road, St. Louis Park; 7:30 p.m. Sat. Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 700 S. Snelling Av., St. Paul, $5-$25, bachrootsfestival.com)