POP/ROCK
February is unofficially jam band month at First Ave, starting with Dark Star Orchestra last Wednesday and moe., Railroad Earth and Karl Denson's Tiny Universe all coming soon. The biggest and probably the best, however, is the annual two-night stand by Chicago favorites Umphrey's McGee, which concludes Friday with no opener and no dance night to follow, guaranteeing a loooong night. (7 p.m. Fri., First Avenue. $25.) Chris Riemenschneider
Last year, Big Head Todd and the Monsters were celebrating the blues and Robert Johnson. This year, the Cities 97 mainstays are scaling back, playing smaller venues and, in some cities (but not here), their 1991 breakthrough album "Midnight Radio" in its entirety. Opening is ex-BoDeans singer Sam Llanas. (8 p.m. Fri., Varsity, $27-$29.) Jon Bream
Bowing out of the performance business after the 1998 release of his magnum opus might actually have been a smart career move for Jeff Mangum. In the 14 years since his old folk-rock band Neutral Milk Hotel issued its dramatic, raw, Anne Frank-inspired sophomore record "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea," a major cult has built up around that album and its singer. Signs of it have popped up everywhere from a recent Mangum-invoking episode of NBC's "Parks and Recreation" to a No. 4 ranking among Pitchfork's best albums of the '90s. Current indie-rock gurus who evoke Mangum's poetic flair and punky, to-the-bone approach include the Arcade Fire, Decemberists and a Twin Cities band that took its name from one of the record's song titles, Communist Daughter. Would all of this have happened had Mangum not become one of rock's great recluses? That question might finally be answered now that he's coming out of hiding for a much-ballyhooed solo acoustic tour, playing mostly songs from "In the Aeroplane." Opening are three members of Elf Power, part of the Athens, Ga.-based Elephant 6 psychedelic collective that spawned Mangum. (8 p.m. Sat., State Theatre. $35.50.) Riemenschneider
In the BoDeans, Sam Llanas played John Oates to Kurt Neumann's Daryl Hall. Llanas, who left the band in August, was the quieter, more acoustic-oriented half. That's obvious on his first post-BoDeans solo album, "4 A.M. (The Way Home)." These are late-night numbers, stripped down to create maximum moodiness. With Llanas' breathy but dramatic voice, these songs -- including three from the BoDeans repertoire and one Cyndi Lauper cover -- almost sound like demos from a sequel to Bruce Springsteen's "The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle." Llanas is a gifted storyteller who sounds more down on his luck than "Closer to Free." Opening are the Goldblooms and Half Past 6. (9 p.m. Sat., Fine Line, $12-$15.) Bream
Craig Finn once again returns to his old stamping grounds under new circumstances. The Edina native played his final shows with Lifter Puller for the Triple Rock's grand-opening concerts back in 2003. He returned a year later with a new group in tow, the Hold Steady, which grew too big for the place by the following year. Now, he has yet another set of musicians with him, the organic Texas players heard on his first-ever solo album, "Clear Heart Full Eyes," a quieter, twangier and more personal effort that promises an entirely different but perhaps equally powerful performance from what we normally get. North Carolina country-rock band Mount Moriah opens. Read an interview with Finn at Startribune.com/music. (9 p.m. Sat., Triple Rock. Sold out.) Riemenschneider
Two acclaimed Americana tunesmiths who've already had great luck using the Dakota's jazzed-up acoustics and intimacy, Texan Carrie Rodriguez and Iowan Pieta Brown return there together with Oregonian picker Kelly Joe Phelps as part of the third annual Acoustic Café Evening Tour. Inspired by the "Acoustic Café" syndicated radio show, it will feature solo sets and collaborations. Hosting duties fall to Rodriguez, who got her start with "Wild Thing" auteur Chip Taylor and collaborated last year with Twin Citian Ben Kyle of Romantica on the well-received duets EP "We Still Love Our Country." Brown is touring with "Mercury," a stirring new album on Red House Records featuring guest guitarist Mark Knopfler. (7 p.m. Sat., Dakota. $23.) Riemenschneider
After impressive shows at the Fitzgerald, Cedar and Varsity to promote its four albums in one year, Rogue Valley coming to 7th Street Entry might seem like a small-time affair. This could wind up as one of the orchestrated folk-pop band's most ornate and spot-free performances, however, as it marks the end of a couple months of steady touring, which frontman Chris Koza and guitarist Peter Sieve colorfully chronicled in a road diary posted at CityPages.com. The Farewell Circuit and Is/Is open. (9 p.m. Sun., 7th Street Entry. $10-$12.) Riemenschneider
