The Big Gigs for Sept. 5-11: Buddy Guy, Concrete & Grass, Paul Weller, Buzzcocks, more

With Clapton swearing off the road and B.B. reduced to shtick, Buddy Guy is probably the blues' most famous ambassador these days (nope, John Mayer doesn't count). Guy can also be a little too showy at times, but he still packs a wallop as a guitar player and howler at age 78. And if for some reason the Chicago legend doesn't deliver, his tourmates Robert Randolph & the Family Band always pack enough bang for two bands with their funky, gospel-ized, steel-guitar-led brand of blues. (7 p.m. Sun., Orpheum Theatre, $48.50-$58.50.) Riemenschneider

The last installment in what could probably be declared the best year ever for live music in Mears Park, the Concrete & Grass Festival returns with its usual eclectic mix of homegrown talent. Forty-member vocal ensemble the Prairie Fire Lady Choir, which debuted powerful original songs at the start of summer, headlines Friday's lineup along with Latin dance vets Salsa de Soul and the jazzy Adam Meckler Orchestra. The Twin Cities' resident British rock legend, Badfinger's Joey Molland, tops off Saturday playing hits such as "No Matter What" and "Baby Blue," preceded by a Minnesota Opera showcase, Breaking Brass and the Ancia Saxophone Quartet. (5:30-10 p.m. Fri., 4-10 p.m. Sat., Mears Park, downtown St. Paul, free, ConcreteandGrass.com.) Chris Riemenschneider

Meet the new Jayhawks, same as the old Jayhawks — but not the original Jayhawks. Gary Louris once again takes front and center in Minnesota's beloved country-rock band, just as he did in 1997 when co-leader Mark Olson quit the group. He's back with the "Sound of Lies"-era lineup touting a reissue of that cathartic album and the two that came after it, with Kraig Johnson of Run Westy Run and Golden Smog on guitar, keyboardist Karen Grotberg and the standard rhythm section of Marc Perlman and Tim O'Reagan. Brit-rocky locals Two Harbors open the first show, and Milwaukee's Trapper Schoepp is on for the second night. (8:30 p.m. Fri. & Sat., First Avenue, $30.) Riemenschneider

Since her divorce album "Interiors" in 1990, Rosanne Cash has made art, not hit songs. One of her masterworks is the new "The River & the Thread," a deeply ruminative and elegant rhapsody on her Southern roots. Those tunes will be the focus of her current tour but she'll always sing her signature "Seven Year Ache." Read an interview with Cash at www.startribune.com/music. (8 p.m. Fri., the O'Shaughnessy, St. Catherine University, St. Paul, $40-$60.) Jon Bream

The dedicated archivists at Sundazed Records recently gave local 1960s rock heroes Crow the deluxe reissue treatment, putting out both CD and vinyl editions of "The Best of Crow," with intriguing bonus cuts. There's an unreleased demo of the boys covering the Beatles ("When I Get Home"), an extended version of their hit "Cottage Cheese," plus the epic "Evil Woman" — covered by both Black Sabbath and Ike & Tina Turner — along with "Don't Try to Lay No Boogie Woogie on the King of Rock and Roll" and anything else you might remember from this fine group that toured with Janis Joplin and rivaled Steppenwolf with their gritty power. Three original members — singer Dave Wagner, songwriter/bassist Larry Wiegand and keyboardist "Kink" Middlemist — are still flying high, joined by guitarist Jeff Christensen and drummer Norm Steffen. (9 p.m. Fri., Famous Dave's Uptown, $8.) Tom Surowicz

Already familiar to local Deep Blues Fest attendees, Alabama's gritty, blaring Southern rockers Lee Bains III & the Glory Fires have since been signed to Sub Pop Records and just released one hellacious album for the famed Seattle label, "Dereconstructed." Memphis-reared singer/songwriter John Paul Keith, who's part Nick Lowe and Eddie Cochran, also made a name for himself locally with a recent set on the "Real-Phonic Radio Hour." Hometown hell-raisers Eleganza! also perform. (9 p.m. Sat., Turf Club, $10-$12.) Riemenschneider

A reminder that bearded locavores and hipster vegans aren't entirely new to Uptown, the Wedge Co-Op's 40th Anniversary Block Party boasts an impressive array of musicians who've shopped and/or worked at the natural-foods store. Americana stalwarts the Pines, acoustic folk vet Spider John Koerner and twang man Erik Koskinen suit the co-op's rootsy flavor, but hip-hop maven Maria Isa and innovative electro-looper Dosh will also be there to represent its progressive side. (Noon-6 p.m. Sun., 2105 Lyndale Av. S., Mpls. all ages, free.) Riemenschneider

Ten songwriters will perform, but only one guitar will take center stage at Monday's Acoustic Guitar Project showcase. Texas-bred, Twin Cities-based folkie and recent "A Prairie Home" performer Ellis was hand-picked by Acoustic Guitar magazine to write a song on a certain six-string and then hand the instrument off to other local tunesmiths to do the same. Other participants include Chastity Brown, the Ericksons, Kevin Bowe, John Hermanson, Quillan Roe and Pennyroyal's Angie Oase — quite a wide array of artistry for one little guitar to withstand for one night. (7:30 p.m. Mon., Cedar Cultural Center, all ages, $12-$15.) Riemenschneider

We were sorry to hear of vintage Oklahoma roots-rock favorite JD McPherson's cancellation in May due to a death in the family, but it may have been a good thing for his strong contingent of local fans. The "North Side Gal" singer and his high-revving lo-fi band are coming right after the Turf Club's refurbishment, plus they tacked on a second night. We're hoping they'll have new songs to preview, too. (8:30 p.m. Tue. & Wed., Turf Club, $20.) Riemenschneider

Paul Weller is still best-known stateside for his pioneering, punk-gone-new-wave work with the Jam in the late '70s leading up to their 1980 hit "That's Entertainment," which he followed with the more synth-poppy and similarly influential duo the Style Council. In his native England, though, he's still very much a current rock star. His last album, "Sonik Kick," topped the U.K. charts in 2012. Weller is only mixing in a scant few old tunes with the newer stuff in a string of U.S. dates booked around the RiotFests. DJ Jake Rudh will spin Weller-centric jams to open. (8 p.m. Wed., Varsity Theater, $35-$49.50.) Riemenschneider

Nick Zammuto nearly gave up music when his experimental folk duo the Books broke up two years ago. Instead, the multi-instrumentalist did what any sonically innovative Vermonter would do: retreat to his tractor garage-turned-home studio and quickly launch a namesake solo project. This week Zammuto followed up 2012's self-titled rebound record with the kaleidoscopic "Anchor" — more of a full-band effort laden with bloopy and bleary synths and nimble guitar work. Def Kith, a new venture from Martin Dosh and Ghostband's Jon Davis, opens. (9 p.m. Wed., Triple Rock, $12.) Michael Rietmulder

Though other golden era U.K. punk bands grabbed more attention, none made a better album than the Buzzcocks' "Singles Going Steady," no doubt because every track was an attempt to score a hit 45. Its signature songs — "Ever Fallen in Love," "What Do I Get," "Something's Gone Wrong Again" — haven't aged one iota. Pete Shelley was downright brilliant in the 1970s, and he and co-conspirator Steve Diggle still sound credible and vital on the 2014 album "The Way," with Diggle's driving song "In the Back" an instant new favorite. The Magnolias make an apropos opening act. (8 p.m. Thu., Varsity Theater, $22.50-$35.) Surowicz

Stardom came quickly for Malian guitarist and singer Vieux Farka Toure. The songwriter was still in his 20s when his second album, "Fondo," crashed the Billboard world music chart and he's gone from strength to strength since, scoring another hit by collaborating with Israeli star Idan Raichel, and crossing over to new audiences via tracks with guest stars Dave Matthews, Derek Trucks and John Scofield. His opening act this week is a fellow guitarist and singer from West Africa, Kenn Wanaku, a multilingual smooth groover based here in Minnesota. (7:30 p.m. Wed., Cedar Cultural Center, $18-$20.) Surowicz

The return visit of New Orleans-based clarinet wizard Evan Christopher is billed as a "Tribute to Sidney Bechet," but to some degree every Christopher performance owes a sizable debt to Bechet, one of the early geniuses and superstars of jazz, on both clarinet and soprano sax. Still, Christopher is a charismatic, sometimes funky, often amazing soloist who never wallows slavishly in the storied past. He's likely to toss some cool curveballs into all of his sets. Last month Christopher worked up some Abdullah Ibrahim songs for a South African wine-tasting gala in the Crescent City, and he's been known to cover John Coltrane too. (7 p.m. Wed., Dakota Jazz Club, $20.) Surowicz