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

Playing around the corner from where they made a strong first impression just a year and a half ago at the Amsterdam Bar, haze-poppy Australian rockers Royel Maddell and Otis Pavlovic and their namesake band have made a lot of headway in that time. They hit many of the biggest music fests earlier this year and are now touring theaters riding steady viral spins for their singles “Sofa King” and “Car” as well as their newly issued cover of the Cranberries’ “Linger,” which was also a hit when they encored with it at that local coming-out gig. Buzzing London band bby opens. (7 p.m. Palace Theatre, 10 W. 7th Place, St. Paul, $50-$149, axs.com)

Probably best known as Kacey Musgraves’ ex-husband, the Nashville singer/songwriter offered his divorce album with 2023’s “The Weakness,” and this year he bounced back, finding the light on “Pale, Through the Window,” about his new relationships — with God and a girlfriend. He bonded with violinist Tia Cubelic over a game of pickleball (he was a neophyte) which led to the single “Pickleball,” which has echoes of Blink-182. On the rest of “Pale,” which dropped last month, the emo-y Kelly often evokes the warmth and introspection of vintage Jackson Browne. Kelly opens his tour behind “Pale” in Minneapolis. (8 p.m. Fine Line, 318 1st Av. N., Mpls., $25 and up, axs.com)

The love affair between Adam Weiner and his hard-grooving Philly crew with First Ave is a strong, heated and enduring one that goes back to when their classic boogie-down tunes “Boozophilia” and “Shake It Like Tina” were catching on in the early 2000s. Their fun romance continues even as the rowdy piano man makes more serious headlines by speaking and playing out against tyranny, antisemitism and other woes of the day, highlighted by the band’s recent protest single “Livin’ in the U.S.A.” Local rocker Monica LaPlante and Dutch upstart Judy Blank open. (8 p.m. First Ave, 701 1st Av. N., Mpls., $33, axs.com)

Also: A local saxophonist who’s played with Craig Finn, Bon Iver and the Riffin’ Trio, Nelson Devereaux steps out front with his jazz trio to promote his new album, “Three Lights in the Dark” (7 p.m. Berlin, $22-$25).

My prediction was wrong. I thought the veteran trumpeter’s appearance two years ago at the Ordway would be his last local show. He was vibrant, entertaining and musically satisfying so it’s not surprising that, at age 90, he’s back to reprise those Tijuana Brass ‘60s instrumental classics like “The Lonely Bull” as well as such later hits as “Rise” and “Diamonds.” Alpert, the “A” in A&M Records, will be joined once again by Lani Hall, his wife, and the voice of Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66 and “The Fool on the Hill.” (7 p.m. the O’Shaughnessy, St. Catherine University, 2004 Randolph Av., St. Paul, sold out, dakotacooks.com)

She could have been relegated to the bin of one-hit wonders (“One of Us”) and a Lilith Fair memory. But the Kentucky-reared singer has reinvented herself since her ‘90s heyday. She has toured as a vocalist with the Funk Brothers and the Dead (as in Grateful). She has recorded classic blues and rock covers as well as collections of original material. For a few years in the ‘10s, she fronted the rock band Trigger Happy (with drummer Steve Gorman, the current KQ DJ). In 2017, Osborne offered “Songs of Bob Dylan,” and this year, she revisited that catalog with “Dylanology Live,” featuring her distinctively bluesy and sometimes psychedelically spiked takes that will be the focus of her Minneapolis shows. (7 p.m. Fri. & Sat. the Dakota, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $63.58 and up, dakotacooks.com)

Also: A.J. Croce is back to salute his famous father, Jim Croce, with favorites like “Operator” and “Time in a Bottle,” along with his own tunes (7:30 p.m. Pantages Theatre, $50 and up); before Tesla heads to Las Vegas for a short residency, the ‘80s rockers return to Mystic Lake Casino for two nights to revisit “Modern Day Cowboy” and “Little Suzi” (8 p.m. Fri. & Sat., $39 and up); Minneapolis punk/indie haven Cloudland Theater is celebrating its second anniversary with a fun, wild lineup that includes Yesterday’s Numbers, Hellcat and punk-rock karaoke (8 p.m., donations requested); Milwaukee’s neo-bluegrass scenesters Chicken Wire Empire are pairing up with the Allmans tribute band Brothers Allmanac (8 p.m. Hook & Ladder, $22-$26); Kingfishr, a new Irish indie folk trio, visits Minneapolis’ West Bank with opener Scout Willis, the L.A. singer/songwriter who grew up in a show biz family (8 p.m. Cedar Cultural Center, $22.50 and up); Minneapolis jazz vocalist supreme Connie Evingson joins Patty & the Buttons for some hot club jazz (6 p.m. Dunsmore Room at Crooners, $37.89 and up).

If you missed August’s Source Song Festival recital by this rising star of a baritone, here’s another opportunity to experience his artistry. Joined by one of classical music’s most celebrated collaborative pianists, Warren Jones, he’ll sing music by African American composers of the 20th and 21st centuries, including William Grant Still’s “Songs of Separation” and a new song cycle by B.E. Boykin, “26 Ways of Looking at a Black Man.” (8 p.m. Mairs Concert Hall, Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center, 130 S. Macalester St., St. Paul, free, events.macalester.edu)

Also: Fresh off playing “The Tonight Show” supporting their new Domino Recordings release “Double Life,” Night Moves are back home for a special back-patio gig at Grumpy’s Bar (5 p.m., $33); one-time New Pornographer Dan Bejar is on tour for “Dan’s Boogie,” his 14th album as the poetic sonic-whirl band Destroyer (8 p.m. Fine Line); another, heavier progenitor of the shoegaze sound from Oxford, England, Swervedriver is swinging our way after playing the Levitation fest in Texas (9 p.m. Turf Club); Bon Iver multi-instrumentalist S. Carey and jazz trumpeter John Raymond have teamed up as Shadowlands (8 p.m. Icehouse, $23-$30); Latin Grammy-winning Mexican sibling pop duo Jesse & Joy arrive with such favorites as “Dueles” and “3AM,” (8 p.m. Pantages Theatre, $95 and up); veteran Wisconsin folkie John McCutcheon is touring behind his 45th album, “Field of Stars” (8 p.m. Cedar Cultural Center, $27-$32); guitarist Alvaro Bermudez and pipe organist Greg Zelek team up for a program of French jazz with pieces by Django Reinhardt, Edith Piaf and Jacques Brel (7 p.m. Northrop, $30 and up).

You could call Finckel and Han the first couple of classical music, as well as chamber music royalty. Even before cellist Finckel completed his 34-year, nine-Grammy tenure with the Emerson String Quartet, he and pianist (and spouse) Wu Han were convening concerts as co-artistic directors of New York’s Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. To launch the Schubert Club’s Music in the Park Series season, violinist Beilman will join them for both of Franz Schubert’s piano trios. (4 p.m. St. Anthony Park United Church of Christ, 2129 Commonwealth Av., St. Paul, $25-$36, schubert.org)

Also: The esteemed songwriter and compelling storyteller Jimmy Webb is back to share the stories behind his big songs including “Wichita Lineman,” “MacArthur Park” and “Up, Up and Away” (7:30 p.m. Parkway Theater, $49-$69); Austin, Texas-reared stoner-metal revivalists the Sword are back in action celebrating the 15th anniversary of their “Warp Riders” album (7:30 p.m., First Ave); from Colombia’s Pacific Coast, Nidia Góngora has earned international acclaim blending Afro-Latin jazz and Colombian folk music (7:30 p.m. Cedar Cultural Center, $35-$40); Colorado’s outlaw-ish country rocker Jack Yoder and his band the Doublewide Disaster hit the Uptown VFW (7:30 p.m., $13-$17); local jazz piano maven Mary Louise Knutson sits down at the grand in the Dunsmore Room (6:30 p.m. Crooners, $32.31 and up).

Not to be confused with the ‘90s band also from Canada, Mico is a dramatic emo-pop rocker from Toronto who has gained a lot of streams and TikTok play with his single “Homesick” and other tunes from last year’s album “Internet Hometown Hero” (7:30 p.m. Fine Line, all ages).

Also: One of the Manchester, U.K., music scene’s mightiest modern bands, Elbow are on their first U.S. tour in five years and have local firestarter Mike Kota opening (8 p.m. First Ave); the Criticals are a throwback garage-rock band with a good buzz in the Nashville rock scene (8 p.m. 7th St. Entry).

After becoming a viral sensation on TikTok around his 20th birthday with his lovelorn singles “Different” and “More Than Friends,” this hunky bedroom pop-rocker from Tampa, Fla., is now teetering on mainstream stardom with his first major-label album release. Titled “Shut Up and Love Me,” the record offers up Maroon 5-ish hooks and grooves and has already sparked a couple more hits with “Ricochet” and “Are We in Love It?” His first big headlining tour features Zach Hood and Lulu Simons for openers. (7 p.m. Varsity Theater, all ages, $26, ticketmaster.com)

Also: Modesto, Calif.’s psychedelic indie-rock wizards Granddaddy are back on tour celebrating the 25th anniversary of their influential second album, “The Sophtware Slump” (8 p.m. First Ave).