They Might Be Giants
What was supposed to be a 30th anniversary show for quirky New York folk-rockers John Flansburgh's and John Linnell's MTV-bolstered album "Flood" in 2020 has turned into a two-night Gen X nostalgia affair and a promotion for a new album after COVID-19 delays. The new one is called "Book" and is accompanied by a 144-page hardcover book. The focus is still on "Flood," though, featuring the earwormy ditties "Birdhouse in Your Soul" and "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)." (8 p.m. Fri. at First Avenue, sold-out; and 8 p.m. Sat. Fitzgerald Theater, 10 W. Exchange St., St. Paul, $35-$45, axs.com.)
CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER
The Together in Hope Choir
When it comes to helping displaced people, the go-to organization has long been the Nobel Peace Prize-winning United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. To aid its work, Twin Citians Celia Ellingson and Gary Aamodt collected a variety of writings about the experience of immigration and commissioned renowned Norwegian choral composer Kim Andre Arnesen to set them to music. The result is "The Stranger," a 70-minute work that will receive its U.S. premiere this weekend, courtesy of a 54-voice choir. (7:30 p.m. Saturday, 3:30 p.m. Sunday; Ordway Concert Hall, 345 Washington St., St. Paul; $42; 651-224-4222 or Ordway.org.)
ROB HUBBARD
'Requiem: Fire in the Air of the Earth'
Mozart gets a reboot with a new collaboration between electronic composer Jlin and the New York-based dance company A.I.M. by Kyle Abraham. Jlin deconstructs Mozart's "Requiem in D minor," an unfinished work created the same year of his death, with synths and samples. Abraham, meanwhile, incorporates elements from ballet, hip-hop and capoeira to create a work that moves between classical lines and free flow. Dancers, dressed in flowing costumes designed by British fashion designer Giles Deacon, embark on a journey of death and rebirth, colored with mythological elements and a sharp sociopolitical edge. (7:30 p.m. Fri., Northrop, 84 Church St. SE., Mpls., $28-$45, 612-624-2345, northrop.umn.edu.)
