The Big Gigs: Shows and highlights of the upcoming entertainment week

They've played the Minnesota Zoo and the 10,000 Lakes Festival. Now Umphrey's McGee, the Midwest's most popular jam band, is settling into First Avenue for a three-night residency. That means almost as many long-winded guitar solos as a weekend at the 10KLF. (9 p.m. today, 7 p.m. Sat., 9 p.m. Sun., First Avenue, $20.) (J.B.)

Still holding off on a Blink-182 reunion tour (as inevitable as a second season of VH1's "Celebrity Rehab"), former Blink coleader Tom DeLonge has returned with a second album by his artier "grown-up" band Angels & Airwaves. "I-Empire" blends DeLonge's boys-of-summer pop-rock hooks and '80s new wave with mixed results, as evidenced by the modest hit "Everything's Magic." Openers include Utah-reared cutey-pie rock sisters Meg & Dia and the Color Fred, a new band led by Taking Back Sunday guitarist Fred Maschnerino. (5:30 p.m. Sat., Myth. All ages. $22-$25.) (C.R.)

Twin Cities favorites the BoDeans are playing a free in-store show to promote their new CD, "Still," coming out Tuesday. It was produced by T-Bone Burnett, who did the band's debut in 1986. (3 p.m. Sat. Best Buy, Roseville, free). (J.B.)

They are such big names in the Christian-music marketplace that they're playing the Wolves basketball arena. TobyMac got his start with dc talk, the musically hip Christian trio that started at Jerry Falwell U, aka Liberty University. Since the talk split in 1999, TobyMac has continued to combine hip-hop and urban rock with godly messages. Jeremy Camp, one of contemporary Christian music's biggest stars of the '00s, favors a contemporary rock sound; think Creed with more overt messages. (7 p.m. Sat., Target Center, $25-$45.) (J.B.)

Sounding like an unlikely melding of My Bloody Valentine and Slayer, Chicago's prog-metal instrumental duo Russian Circles blends atmospheric guitar noodling with thrashing bursts. The band recently finished an album with hot producer Matt Bayles (Mastodon, Minus the Bear) and is touring its way down to South by Southwest. It opens for Newark, N.J.-based experimental hip-hop duo Dälek -- yet another odd but welcome musical pairing. Young Widows open. (9 p.m. Sat., Triple Rock. $10-$12.) (C.R.)

Sierra Leone's Refugee All-Stars are a party band; their blend of Afropop, R&B and reggae will keep you dancing for hours. They also are a political band, born in a West African refugee camp. They recently recorded a version of "Give Peace a Chance" with Aerosmith for an Amnesty International CD and "Seconds" with Joe Perry for an upcoming tribute CD, "In the Name of Love: Africa Celebrates U2." (7:30 p.m. Mon., Guthrie Theater, $18-$20.) (J.B.)

They call themselves Rain; the Faux Four might be a better moniker. Like "Beatlemania," "Rain: the Beatles Experience" is a multimedia musical salute to the Fab Four. The "stars" were recruited from "Beatlemania" productions. Recommended for those who yearn for "Yesterday." (7:30 p.m. Mon., Orpheum Theatre, $42-$52.) (J.B.)

After a six-year hiatus, Bob Mould went back to fronting a loud rock band and even played a bevy of old tunes on his 2005 tour, documented on last year's "Circle of Friends" DVD. The former Hüsker Dü and Sugar frontman is also making full-on rock albums again -- including the classic-sounding new one, "District Line." He and his band will kick off their tour in his former hometown. Read an interview with Mould in Vita.mn or Sunday's Arts section. (8 p.m. Wed., First Avenue. 18 & older. $15.) (C.R.)

Of all the oldies that Cities 97 plays, "Sweet Surrender" by Big Head Todd & the Monsters may be at the top of the list. But while Cities lives in the past, the Colorado band is more forward-looking. In a Prince-like move, the group's current CD, "All You Need Is Love" -- a tasty mix of middleweight blues-rock, Poco-like country-rock and generic jam-band rock -- was being given away for free on the band's and Croc's websites. In another prudent move, Todd has teamed with Paul Kelly, the celebrated Australian singer-songwriter. (7 p.m. Thu., First Avenue, $23-$25.) (J.B.)

He wasn't the best-known Guns 'N Roses guitarist, but Gilby Clarke still got plenty of limelight during GNR's "Use Your Illusion" era. Last seen as part of the unavoidably ill-fated "Rock Star: Supernova" group from the CBS contest/series, Clarke is back fronting his own band. Local hard-rock favorites Scarlet Haze open. (9 p.m. Thu., The Rock. $13-$16.) (C.R.)

CELTIC Irish music mainstay Altan recently made its debut appearance in Hawaii, so it can proudly claim to have performed in all 50 states. But the group might feel most comfortable here in Minnesota, band member Daithi Sproule's adopted home. (7:30 p.m. Tue., Cedar Cultural Center. $25-$35.) (T.S.)

JAZZ How many times can a guy record his farewell album? But 88-year-old Twin Cities sax master Irv Williams pointedly titled his new CD, "Finality," even though it's his fourth album of new material since 2004. "That's it. I'm through," he said with a trademark laugh. "My skills are really going into deterioration. I feel I just got under the wire with this album." A lot of fans won't believe a word of it since he keeps coming up with sublime surprises such as "Debra's Dream," a haunting original for his daughter that includes a long unaccompanied sax foray. "That's a melody I started playing way back in 1948 or '49, when my kids were going to Longfellow School. I played it like a nursery rhyme at the time, and it was really popular with all the kids at the school, they would march behind me and sing along." Now it works beautifully as a wistful, tender ballad -- who says you can't teach a legendary old dog new tricks? (9 p.m. today-Sat., Artists' Quarter. $10.) (T.S.)

Two guitar greats equally adept at blues or jazz, Larry Carlton and Robben Ford have been heard with Steely Dan, Joni Mitchell, the Crusaders, Michael Jackson, Barbra Streisand and John Lennon and on numerous soundtracks and TV spots. They recorded a live CD in Japan last year, so this will morph into a collaborative affair. (7:30 p.m. Sun., Fitzgerald Theater, St. Paul. $39.50.) (T.S.)

The "Pure" anthology in 2006 reminded us of the creativity and depth of Tuck & Patti, the husband-and-wife guitar/singer duo. They do standards, such as the instrumental "Body and Soul," with style and grace, but they make rock classics, including "Woodstock" and "Tears in Heaven," their own. Patti Cathcart is a deliciously soulful contralto and Tuck Andress is an understated guitar star. After more than 25 years, this pair can be accurately called a classic duo. (7 & 9:30 p.m. Thu., Dakota Jazz Club, $25-$37.) (J.B.)

CLASSICAL Here's a red-letter event, presented by the enterprising Lyra Baroque Orchestra. A trio of Holland's (and the world's) finest period musicians -- flutist Wilbert Hazelzet, cellist Jaap ter Linden and harpsichordist Jacques Ogg (Lyra's artistic director) -- offers a cosmopolitan program of "Bach and Friends," featuring Johann Sebastian's Cello Suite No. 3 and his B-minor Flute Sonata. The "friends" are the Italian Veracini and Frenchmen Couperin and Leclair. It's Amsterdam on the Mississippi! (8 p.m. Sat., Sundin Music Hall, Hamline University, 1531 Hewitt Av., St. Paul. $10-$23. 651-209-6799 or www.uptowntix.com.) (L.F.)

Long a presence on the English scene, pianist Imogen Cooper suddenly seems to be everywhere. Daughter of a distinguished musicologist, trained in Paris and Vienna, appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2007, she brings to her regional recital debut a characteristically demanding program of Bach and Schubert, closing with the latter's A-major Sonata, D.959 -- one of the glories of the repertoire. (3 p.m. Sun., Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center, Macalester College, 130 Macalester St., St. Paul. $12-20. 612-822-0123 or www.uptowntix.com.) (L.F.)

Contributors: Staff critics Jon Bream and Chris Riemenschneider and freelancers Tom Surowicz and Larry Fuchsberg.