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

Two words Minnesotans love to hear every summer, “free” and “outdoors,” are strong selling points for Lowertown Sounds, but so is the fact that the nine-week series in St. Paul’s picturesque downtown park consistently spotlights some of the Twin Cities music scene’s best talent. First up this year is an old favorite of both the scene and the series, the Flamin’ Oh’s, the Bowie/Kinks-tinged rock unit led by Robert Wilkinson with heart and soul since the late ‘70s. They’ll be joined by a series newcomer, punchy rocker Faith Boblett, and roots picker Lonesome Dan Kase. (6-10 p.m., Mears Park, E. 5th and Sibley streets, St. Paul, free, all ages, lowertownsounds.com)

After creating awkward laughs as David Letterman’s playful talk-show nemesis, she became a successful hyphenate as a standup comic, singer, actress (currently seen on TV’s “Severance”) and radio host (“Sandyland” on SiriusXM). She is a witty, unfiltered comic who will discuss pop culture, politics and whatever’s on her mind. She’s also a big music fan who will indulge in her interpretations of any number of favorites, including the Monkees, Lana Del Rey and, of course, Prince. The wildly entertaining Bernhard is calling her special Pride show “Shapes and Forms.” (7:30 p.m. Parkway Theater, 4814 Chicago Av. S., Mpls., $69-$119, theparkwaytheater.com)

Before saying “See you in September,” Thomas Søndergård closes his second season as the orchestra’s music director by returning to a favorite focus: works by 20th-century Russian composers. Winner of the 2021 International Chopin Piano Competition, Bruce Liu will be the soloist for Sergei Prokofiev’s Third Piano Concerto before the season concludes with Sergei Rachmaninoff’s farewell to the orchestral form, his Symphonic Dances. A piece by the always intriguing contemporary American composer Carlos Simon opens the concerts. (11 a.m. Thu., 8 p.m. Fri., 7 p.m. Sat. Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $36-$111, minnesotaorchestra.org)

Also: Frank Beard is back behind the drum kit for ZZ Top after taking two months off to deal with foot and ankle issues, so expect “Legs,” “Tush” and “La Grange” from Billy Gibbons, Elwood Francis and Beard after Jakob Dylan’s Wallflowers open (7:30 p.m. Ledge Amphitheater, $50-$450); Jessie Reyez, the Toronto-reared soulful polymath, returns in support of her new “Paid in Memories” featuring the over-the-top opener “I Never Said I Was Sane” as well as guest spots by Lil Wayne, Ari Lennox and Big Sean (7:30 p.m. the Fillmore, $45 and up).

Hungary’s Gábor Takács-Nagy is a conductor who knows how to bring out the best in this excellent ensemble, and it’s become an annual tradition for him to visit each June and close the SPCO’s season, a role cemented when he was named one of the orchestra’s artistic partners. He’ll conduct works by American composer Geoffrey Gordon, Maurice Ravel, Béla Bartók and cap the season with Mozart’s “Prague” Symphony. (11 a.m. Fri., 7 p.m. Sat., 2 p.m. Sun., Ordway Concert Hall, 345 Washington St., St. Paul, $16-$68, students and children admitted free, thespco.org)

Also: Icehouse’s summer patio series continues with a fun reggae twofer featuring the International Reggae All-Stars and Innocent (6:30 p.m., $20-$27); local rapper/rocker Diane is leading a Rage Against the Machine tribute show for her birthday (and other reasons) with Al Church and guests including Meghan Kreidler and Sophia Eris (8 p.m. Turf Club, $15); local hip-hop fireball Nur-D heads up this year’s first installment of the Minnesota Zoo’s Wild Nights series, also with Smells Like Nirvana and the Lighter Co. (6-10 p.m., $30-$40); another in a series of regional Mexican tours to hit at the Hennepin Theaters, the Palamazo Norteño show features the all-star quartet Lalo Mora, Elíseo Robles, Rosendo Cantú and Raúl Hernández (8:30 p.m. Orpheum Theatre, $106-$205); Chicago, those horn-happy Rock & Roll Hall of Famers, cover 50-some years of hits from “25 or 6 to 4″ to “Hard Habit to Break” (7 p.m. Ledge Amphitheater, Waite Park, $76 and up); pop-punky dad band Saint Small, led by former Current radio programmer Jim McGuinn, is back together to celebrate its double-EP release “Thank You Friends” with friends the Mood Swings and Little Man (7:30 p.m. the Hook & Ladder, $17-$22); Texas red-dirt rockers Whiskey Myers are getting ready to drop their seventh album, “Whomp Whack Thunder” on Sept. 26 via their own Wiggy Thump Records (8 p.m. Mystic Lake Casino Amphitheater, $39 and up): Minnesota treasure Thomasina Petrus will put the proper New Orleans touch with the Selby Avenue Brass Band (8 p.m. Belvedere tent at Crooners, $37.80 and up).

Remember the Weeknd’s rivetingly mysterious and theatrical Super Bowl halftime show in 2021? The Canadian superstar will strive for new heights with his After Hours Til Dawn Stadium Tour, relaunched in May after cancellations as an arena tour five years ago and then two postponements before coming to fruition. So much drama. And drama is what fans expect from the Grammy-boycotting singer born Abel Tesfaye as he brings his always high-concept performances to football stadiums, embracing tunes from his entire career, with an emphasis on this year’s “Hurry Up Tomorrow” album. Opening are Playboi Carti and Mike Dean. (7 p.m. U.S. Bank Stadium, 401 Chicago Av. S., Mpls., $80-$1,200, ticketmaster.com)

With titles like “She Loves Lyin’,” “It Might Be the Whiskey” and “Trouble at Home,” you can pretty well guess the direction things are headed in the latest batch of songs on traditional Twin Cities twanger Collins’ new album, “Lonely Memories.” The lower things get lyrically, though, the more clever and hooky they get musically, thanks to his Beatles-influenced songwriting prowess and ace band, featuring Gear Daddies members Randy Broughten and Billy Dankert. How fitting they’re playing a worn-out but fun old-school watering hole to celebrate this one’s release with Miss Georgia Peach opening. (8 p.m. Terminal Bar, 409 E. Hennepin Av., Mpls., $15 at door)

Also: A lineup as eclectic as the brewery it’s celebrating, the Pryes Block Party has local rock revivalists Kiss the Tiger for its headliners, preceded by cool and groovy Chicago bluesman Nathan Graham, Mary Bue, the Shackletons, Of the Orchard and the Roe Family Singers (noon-10 p.m., Pryes Brewing, all ages, free); I Love The 80’s Tour relaunches A Flock of Seagulls (“I Ran (So Far Away)”), Bow Wow Wow (“I Want Candy”) and Animotion (“Obsession”) (8 p.m. Uptown Theater, $55 and up); Alexis Krauss’ and Derek Miller’s boomtastic fuzz-pop/electro-rock duo Sleigh Bells is back on tour touting its seventh album, “Bunky Becky Birthday Boy” (8 p.m. Fine Line, $40); New Jersey rock balladeer Julia Wolf is gaining viral traction and fest gigs such as Riot Fest with angsty, Tori Amos-like tracks such as “In My Room” (8 p.m. Turf Club, $23); Twin Cities Flamenco Collective will be joined by singer José Cortés from Miami (7:30 p.m. Crooners, $37.80 and up); road warrior singer/songwriter John Gorka is back for a home-state gig (7:30 p.m. Parkway Theater, $25-$35); Watchhouse, the duo formerly known as Mandolin Orange, just dropped a new full-length, “Rituals” (8 p.m. Palace Theatre, $46.03 and up).

He was Minnesota’s own rock star with a Liverpudlian accent. Molland, a member of the Paul McCartney-produced Badfinger, married a Hopkins woman and lived in the Twin Cities for 40 years. While here, he raised two sons and carried on with an incarnation of Badfinger, singing “Come and Get It,” “No Matter What” and “Day After Day” with a cast of local musicians. Several players will salute Molland, who died this winter, with Badfinger tunes on Father’s Day including Randy Casey, Steve Price, John Eller and Noah Levy. (7 p.m. Parkway Theater, 4814 Chicago Av. S., Mpls., $25-$30, theparkwaytheater.com)

Also: Country-rock royalty Jim Messina, formerly of Buffalo Springfield, Poco and Loggins & Messina, returns to regale with “Danny’s Song” and “You Better Think Twice” (6:30 & 8:30 p.m. the Dakota, $40-$65); with their 2003 hit “Are You Gonna Be My Girl?” featured in another new TV commercial for Audi, Australian throwback rockers Jet are back on tour with their first new music in 15 years, with Band of Skulls opening (8 p.m. First Avenue, $43); groovy Los Angeles R&B/neo-soul singer SiR is touting his latest record for Top Dawg Entertainment, “Heavy,” with Leven Kali (7 p.m. the Fillmore, $54); Barenaked Ladies, Canada’s witty alt-pop vets of “One Week” and “If I Had $1000000,″ return with the simpatico Guster and Fastball (7:30 p.m. Ledge Amphitheater, Waite Park, $40-$400); Chicago blues institution Corky Siegel, equally proficient on harmonica and piano, teams once again with ace jazz violinist Randy Sabien (5 p.m. Crooners, $49.05 and up).

Now that the dazzling Manhattan Transfer is history, long-time member Janis Siegel, the lead voice on “Sassy,” “Operator” and “Birdland,” is on tour, touting her 10th solo album, last year’s “Nightsongs” (7 p.m. the Dakota, $47.10 and up).

Before heading to Milwaukee for the opening day of Summerfest, the Texas blues revisionist is stopping into St. Paul again, where he won over a lot of new fans last summer as part of the Minnesota Yacht Club festival. The Austin native headed up April’s 50th anniversary celebrations for his hometown blues haven Antone’s, a reminder of how well he’s carrying on the spirit of Stevie Ray Vaughan while also venturing off into edgy funk, jazz and rock influences on last year’s wild album, “JPEG RAW.” (7:30 p.m. Palace Theatre, 17 W. 7th Place, St. Paul, $60-$130, axs.com)

Also: Minneapolis-reared multi-instrumentalist Shaun LaBelle has been living in the smooth-jazz world lately but made some R&B noise in the U.K. with “Your Love Kept Calling My Name,” and he has prudently enlisted some top-notch players to join him for his homecoming show, including keyboardist Bobby Lyle and singer/drummer Stokley Williams (7 & 9 p.m. the Dakota, $30.62 and up); fresh off winning a Grammy for its latest album “Hyperdrama,” French electronic dance music duo Justice is in town for its biggest Minnesota gig to date (8:30 p.m. the Armory, $72); the Adam Linz Quintet will play a Charles Mingus set as part of Berlin supper club’s Blue Tuesday dining series (6-9 p.m., $135 with dinner).

Seattle-reared, Iowa-born dance-rock dramatist Mike Hadreas is back as Perfume Genius of “On the Floor” viral fame, touting one of his most acclaimed records yet, “Glory” (8 p.m. First Avenue, $35); still trying to rebound from being outed for sexual harassment in 2019, one-time Americana music darling Ryan Adams is on tour celebrating the 25th anniversary of his first post-Whiskeytown solo album, “Heartbreaker” (7 p.m. Uptown Theater, $82); Boston folk music maven and LGBTQ music pioneer Melissa Ferrick is still going strong 32 years after the release of their acclaimed debut, “Massive Blur” (7:30 p.m. Cedar Cultural Center, $24-$29); Shakopee’s free and popular Rhythm and Rails series kicks off with the return of Martin Zellar’s Neil! tribute show (6-9 p.m., downtown Shakopee).