Our Friday best: Eric Church, New Kids on the Block, 'The Girls in the Band' and We Are Still Here

Eric Church

This is one Church session that will keep you standing for more than two hours. Of course, the country superstar's "One Hell of a Night" concert in Minneapolis — one of only two stadium shows on his schedule — will last much, much longer. The party starts with "Flower Shops" hitmaker Ernest, a rare Nashville-born singer, before the infamous Morgan Wallen takes the stage. The Nashville pariah's "Dangerous: The Double Album" has become a blockbuster despite limited radio airplay but maximum publicity because he was caught on camera last year uttering a racial slur. Church is nothing if not a risk-taker. (6:30 p.m. Sat., U.S. Bank Stadium, Mpls., $89-$650, ticketmaster.com)

JON BREAM

Tash Sultana

Working as a one-person band with rhythmic loops and lots of nifty tricks, the reggae-sun-splashed Australian singer/songwriter has risen up to be a festival favorite and theater act since the release of their 2016 viral hit "Jungle" while still a teen. The "MTV Unplugged" brand has been revived to showcase Sultana's prowess as a live act via a new concert album featuring their own emotional tunes as well as a cover of Bon Iver's "Flume." (7:45 p.m. Tue., Palace Theatre, 17 W. 7^th Place, St. Paul, $45, axs.com)

CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER

New Kids on the Block

J.B.

Bach Roots Festival

This annual weeklong summer celebration of all things J.S. Bach opens with two "Bach & Brews" programs, where you can quaff a craft beer or two while being serenaded (and singing along) with some of the composer's secular fare. (7 p.m. Sunday, Como Lakeside Pavilion, 1360 N. Lexington Pkwy., St. Paul, $20-$5; 7 p.m. Monday, Utepils Brewing, 225 Thomas Av. N., Mpls., free.) But the sacred is center stage for the festival's main event, a performance of the epic "St. Matthew Passion" featuring two orchestras, three choirs and 16 vocal soloists. (7 p.m. June 17, Westwood Lutheran Church, 9001 Cedar Lake Road, St. Louis Park; 7 p.m. June 18, Roseville Lutheran Church, 1215 W. Roselawn Av., Roseville; 2 p.m. June 19, Boe Memorial Chapel, St. Olaf College, 1523 Campus Drive, Northfield; $30.) There's also a family concert at which the "Coffee Cantata" becomes the "Juice Cantata." (10 a.m. June 18, Minnehaha Park Bandshell, Mpls., free.)

ROB HUBBARD

'The Girls in the Band'
Judy Chaikin's 2011 documentary film "The Girls in the Band" shines a spotlight on the often under-recognized contributions of women in jazz, like the boogie-woogie talent of Dorothy Donegan and "Queen of the Trumpet" Valaida Snow. For a dance production with the same title, choreographer Jolene Konkel similarly finds inspiration from female jazz greats of the swing and big band eras, and ones from later generations in a full-length program that will have you tapping your feet. (7:30 p.m. Thu., 7:30 p.m. Fri., 2:30 & 7:30 p.m. Sat. Screening of "Girls in the Band," 4:30 p.m. Sat., Bloomington Center for the Arts, 1800 W. Old Shakopee Road, Bloomington; $30, screening free with purchase of dance performance, concertodance.com/girls-in-the-band.)
SHEILA REGAN

The Twin Cities' pioneering transgender glam-rock star and her darkly metallic band are celebrating a new album that was a long time coming. "I Think the Darkness" is tinged with Trump-era angst and filled with hard-hewn characters and stories, including epic originals such as "Jackie Ray" and the title track as well as coolly remade covers of the Velvet Underground's "Heroin" and David Bowie's "Hallo Spaceboy." Chaotic punks Big Salt open the outdoor release party. (7 p.m. Sat., Hook & Ladder, 3010 Minnehaha Av. S., Mpls., $15-$20, thehookmpls.com)

C.R.

We Are Still Here

Indigenous artists Raymond Janis (Oglala Lakota), Sheldon Starr (Oglala Sioux) and Missy Whiteman (Northern Arapaho, Kickapoo) worked with mentor Jonathan Thunder (Red Lake Band of Ojibwe) in the inaugural collaboration between Hennepin Theatre Trust and All My Relations Arts. Out of this 18-month cohort collaboration came digital designs that were previously on display in downtown Minneapolis, along Hennepin Avenue and other Twin Cities locations. The works focus on uplifting Native voices and changing narratives about Native people and culture, while also dismantling harmful, inaccurate stereotypes by using education, humor and design. (Ends July 2. 1414 E. Franklin Av., Mpls. Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Fri, 12-3 p.m. Sat. allmyrelationsarts.com)

ALICIA ELER

Short summers in Minnesota mean that every week is packed with community and cultural festivals and county fairs. Deutsche Tage (German Days) returns with the theme "Fairy Tales: Medieval to Modern." Satiate your thirst and hunger with authentic German beer and brats. Merriment of the weekend affair includes tunes by Dale Dahmen & the Polka Beats, Chmielewski Funtime Band, Bavarian Musikmeisters, Mark Stillman and more. Children's entertainment includes princess appearances, puppet shows, storytelling and a castle bounce house. (Noon-9 p.m. Sat.; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun. Germanic-American Institute, 301 Summit Av., St. Paul. 651-222-7027. gai-mn.org.)