The Big Gigs: Upcoming shows in the week of entertainment

COUNTRY The poobahs at the Starkey Hearing Foundation have scored a coup they have to remain silent about. But we won't keep the secret: Semiretired country superstar Garth Brooks is headlining the eighth annual So the World May Hear Gala. Expect at least a half-hour from the man who redefined country concerts in the 1990s. Scheduled to perform short sets are rock belter Pat Benatar (with guitarist Neil Giraldo), and Indiana singer/songwriter Jon McLaughlin, best known for his performance of Oscar-nominated "So Close" in the film "Enchanted." (4 p.m. Sat., RiverCentre, St. Paul, $1,250.) (J.B.)

Although he'll spend much of the summer playing at country festivals, county fairs and Up North resorts, Rockie Lynne is sticking close to home for a gig at the Guthrie. The Coon Rapids country star will do several new tunes, including "The Chance to Say Goodbye," written after the I-35W bridge collapse. After making his underappreciated debut on Universal South in 2006, Lynne is now recording for a country indie, Robbins Nashville. (7:30 p.m. Mon., Guthrie Theater, $20.) (J.B.)

While this weekend's Winstock (see cover story) kicks off a summer of country-music fests, next weekend's Country Splash is the new kid in the metro. The folks behind Float-Rite Amphitheater in Somerset, Wis., are bringing a bunch of midlevel country stars to a site better known for heavy metal and alt-rock. Country Splash starts Thursday with the kick-butt redneck sounds of Gretchen Wilson plus Clint Black, John Michael Montgomery and Lonestar. See countrysplash.com for info. (J.B.)

POP/ROCK The Electric Fetus 40th Anniversary Party is as much a celebration of the Twin Cities' continuously rich music scene as of one store's survival in the less-than-rich record business. In First Avenue's main room, one band will represent each of the store's five decades: acoustic blues stalwart Tony Glover and V3 ('60s), garage-rock godfathers the Hypstrz ('70s), Chan Poling's and John Munson's pop-reinventionist trio the New Standards ('80s), Ed Ackerson's Brit-poppy fuzz-rock vehicle Polara ('90s) and all-star hip-hop crew Doomtree ('00s). The Entry lineup features acts of store employees, including Moon Maan, A Night in the Box and the Jon Rodine-led Fetus All-Star Revue. (8 p.m. today. $5-$10.) (C.R.)

Last year he opened for Bob Dylan. This year, he had a song in an AT&T commercial. Now Amos Lee is getting ready to release his third CD, "Last Days at the Lodge," June 24. Maybe Dylan rubbed off on this warm, witty folkie because two new tunes are positively Bob-like: the swirling blues-rocker "Listen" and the easy, banjo-accented folk-blues "Ease Back." (7:30 p.m. Sat., Minnesota Zoo, $32.) (J.B.)

Exactly how does an animated death-metal band perform live? That's one of many questions to be answered when Dethklok, stars of the cultish Adult Swim animated TV/Internet show "Metalocalypse," arrive on a headlining tour featuring Ohio's real-life metal giants Chimaira and New Orleans' Soilent Green as openers. In the cartoon world, Dethklok's unknowingly murderous members -- including Nathan Explosion, Skwisgaar Swigelf and Pickles (!) -- make fans sign waivers in case they get "burned, lacerated, eaten alive, poisoned, de-boned, crushed or hammer-smashed." If even one of those dangers comes up in the real world -- where the show's creator, Brendon Small, will be among the musicians -- sign us up. (6:30 p.m. Sat., First Avenue. All ages. $22-$25.) (C.R.)

A zero-waste event with organic food and proceeds benefiting the Minnesota Fringe Festival, the second annual Red Stag Block Party in northeast Minneapolis is clearly not your dad's kind of Bud Light-fueled block party. The Minneapolis indie answer to "A Prairie Home Companion," the Electric Arc Radio crew, will perform/emcee. For more laughs, E.L.nO (an E.L.O. tribute) and the goofy accordion duo Lady Hard On are also on the bill. Other performers include coed somber-pop darlings the Owls, the fun instrumental group Big Trouble (with members of Heiruspecs and Ela), Doomtree's hotheaded rapper Mike Mictlan and its DJ, Paper Tiger, plus Buffalo Jack & the Plow Boys. (5-10:30 p.m. Sat., 509 1st Av. NE., Mpls. Free.) (C.R.)

Perhaps the only metal band driving a veggie-oil-fueled van on tour, Philly trio the Burning Brides came to be known as an opener for Eagles of Death Metal and A Perfect Circle. The group's stonerish hard rock is balanced with clear-headed topicality and story songs, as heard on its fourth album, "Anhedonia." One of Rolling Stone's 10 bands to watch in 2008, Yearlong Disaster, opens with the Bastard Saints. (9 p.m. Sun., 7th Street Entry. 21 & older. $8-$10.) (C.R.)

Reunions can be shortlived. Take Bauhaus, the pioneering goths who in March released their first studio album in 25 years -- after disbanding yet again. That means vocalist Peter Murphy is on a solo tour. He has eight albums under his own name, but many of the tunes from his old band's new "Go Away White" more closely resemble his solo stuff than classic Bauhaus. Ali Eskandarian opens. (8 p.m. Mon., Fine Line, $41.50.) (J.B.)

Don't be like the lame-o fans at this year's South by Southwest Conference who left after DeVotchKa's showcase and missed the Constantines performing one of the most powerful sets of the fest. Onstage, the Toronto quintet comes off like a brawny but brainy, bursting cross of hometown heroes the Tragically Hip and the frazzled indie-rock bands on Broken Social Scene's company Arts & Crafts, the label behind the Constantines' new album, "Kensington Heights." Though not their best release (they've issued two EPs on Sub Pop and three other LPs), the disc offers a gloomy but growling potency. Red Pens and Millionth Ward open. (9 p.m. Tue., 7th Street Entry. 18 & older. $10-$12.) (C.R.)

Oklahoma's Cross Canadian Ragweed records for a Nashville label, shows up on the country chart and gets to play at country festivals such as Stagecoach. But they are really don't-mess-with-us Southern rockers, who sing about Jesus and joints in the same, um, breath and tell a "Record Exec" what to do when he gets too hands-on with the recording process. Local faves G.B. Leighton open. (7:30 p.m. Thu., Minnesota Zoo, $24-$36.50) (J.B.)

R&B When the legendary Stax Records reemerged last year, the first new artist chosen for the roster was Angie Stone, who comes off like a less-hippie Erykah Badu while harking back to such heyday Stax artists as Mavis Staples and Jean ("Mr. Big Stuff") Knight. Last year's album "The Art of Love & War" featured the pride-hammering anthems "My People" and "Happy Being Me" as well as some sexy love songs including the Betty Wright-accompanied "Baby," which won a Grammy for best R&B duet. (10 p.m. Sat., Epic. 21 & older. $35-$50.) (C.R.)

JAZZ One of Minnesota's most respected and potent sax soloists, Brian Grivna salutes one of the baddest alto players of all time with a two-night tribute to Cannonball Adderly. (9 p.m. today-Sat., Artists' Quarter. $10.) (T.S.)

Some people are overachievers. Making his Twin Cities debut, jazz piano phenom Taylor Eigsti is just 23, yet has six CDs as a leader, two Grammy nominations, ringing endorsements from the legendary Dave Brubeck and Marian McPartland, plus a nice color-drenched portfolio as a promising visual artist. His 2006 Concord Records album "Lucky to Be Me" was a groovy ear-grabber that traversed a lot of hip sonic territory -- from Mussorgsky to Björk, Bernstein to Coltrane. It offered a great marriage of technical wizardry and feel, reimagined standards and hip originals, freshness and fire. Eigsti has a new release, "Let It Come to You." (7 & 9:30 p.m. Mon., Dakota Jazz Club. $12-$20.) (T.S.)

Wanna be amazed and inspired, amused and dazzled? Don't miss "Saturday Night Live" trombone master Steve Turre's rare appearance with his unique Sanctified Shells band, wherein six great brass players also perform together on conch shells, summoning up solos and harmonies that are hard to believe, harder still to resist. (7 & 9:30 p.m. Tue., Dakota Jazz Club. $25-$40.) (T.S.)

The brilliantly adventurous Patricia Barber's return to the Dakota will feature some new wrinkles: Guitarist John McLean is temporarily sitting in, longtime sound engineer Jay Ten Hove died last month and Barber just completed a new CD, "The Cole Porter Mix" (no release date has been announced). Her piano and her daring always make Barber a must-see. (7 & 9:30 p.m. Wed., Dakota. $27 & $22.) (J.B.)

Along with the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Return to Forever introduced countless rock fans to jazz in the 1970s. Now its classic lineup -- keyboardist Chick Corea, bassist Stanley Clarke, drummer Lenny White and guitarist Al DiMeola -- is reuniting for its first tour in 25 years. There is no album of new material (just a new "Anthology"), but these four monster musicians will do plenty of improvising as they revisit the RTF repertoire in electric and acoustic sets. Read an interview with Corea in Sunday's Arts section. (7:30 p.m. Thu., Orpheum Theatre, $46-$83.) (J.B.)

Contributors: Staff critics Jon Bream and Chris Riemenschneider and Minneapolis writer Tom Surowicz.

On its sophomore album, "Get Awkward," Be Your Own Pet goes from Sonic Youth's pet teen band to a punk group that fans of all ages should be excited about. The feisty, fast and furious Nasvhille quartet is far more promising than the poseur headliners on the Nylon Magazine Tour, She Wants Revenge. So are buzzed-about power-popsters the Switches, who open the show along with the Virgins. Wow, quite the full bill. (8 p.m. Sat., Fine Line. 18 & older. $16-$18.) (C.R.)