Rock for Pussy: The 14th almost-annual David Bowie tribute by an all-star cast of Twin Cities club vets — which doubles as a feline-rescue fundraiser — took on a new life following the Starman's death in 2016. But it's the same classic approach, with the John Eller-led house band and guest singers including Har Mar Superstar, PaviElle, Jeremy Messersmith, Lady Lark, Venus DeMars, the Prairie Fire Lady Choir and lots of surprises. (9 p.m. Fri., First Avenue, $17-$20.)
Audra McDonald: A classically trained soprano, she has captured more Tony Awards for acting — six — than anyone else. Performing with the Minnesota Orchestra, McDonald will take a tour of Broadway, visiting famous ("My Fair Lady," "Porgy and Bess") and less known shows ("She Loves Me," "The Grass Harp"). Many of these pieces can be heard on her new concert album, "Sing Happy," recorded with the New York Philharmonic. McDonald can soar with thrilling trills and swing with jazzy panache. And she can surprise with playful humor on "Facebook Song." (8 p.m. Fri. Orchestra Hall, Mpls., sold out.)
Lakefront Music Fest: Splintered again into a rock and country night, Prior Lake's annual outdoor bash features "It's About Time" pop-rockers Young the Giant with the Revivalists and Coin on Friday, followed by a much more marquee-worthy Saturday lineup with Louisiana hunk Hunter Hayes and "Redneck Woman" hitmaker Gretchen Wilson, plus local faves the Chris Hawkey Band. (5 p.m. Fri. & Sat., Lakefront Park, Prior Lake, $40/night, lakefrontmusicfest.com.)
Mary Chapin Carpenter: On this year's "Sometimes Just the Sky," the veteran literate singer-songwriter revisits earlier material with a stripped down, quieter approach. This is the opposite tact that she took with 2014's "Songs from the Movie," for which she re-recorded old material with a full orchestra and choir. This time around her songs resonate with a quiet intimacy and deeper introspection. (7:30 p.m. Fri. Minnesota Zoo, $47-$59.50)
Moore By Four: This jazzy vocal ensemble used to be everywhere in the Twin Cities in the 1980s and 1990s. But, in recent years, Dennis Spears and Sanford Moore have focused on theater while Connie Evingson, Ginger Commodore and Yolande Bruce have concentrated on solo careers. These reunions are always spirited, swingin' evenings. (7:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Crooners, $20-$25)
The Bacon Brothers: Kevin is the famous six-degrees-of-separation actor from "Footloose" and "Mystic River." Michael is an Emmy-winning composer ("The Kennedys") and college teacher. Kevin is more of rocker, Michael more of a folkie; they write songs separately but perform them together. Their new album, "The Bacon Brothers," their ninth in 21 years, kicks off with "Tom Petty T-Shirt," which is not about Petty but about patching up a rocky relationship. (7 p.m. Fri. Dakota, $60-$100; 3:30 p.m. soundcheck and meet-and-greet, $200)
Roots, Rock & Deep Blues Festival: Always one of the most musically rich and communally vibed block parties in town, the five-stage, 27-band, zero-waste affair offers some real treats from out of town in its eighth this year. Duluth's spiritually kindred but sonically opposite blues purveyors the Black Eyed Snakes and Charlie Parr top off the lineup along with Mississippi music heir Kent Burnside (RL's grandson) and Left Lane Cruiser. Local greats on the bill include Davina & the Vagabonds, Willie Murphy, Big George Jackson, Cornbread Harris, the Bad Man, Angie Oase, the Shackletons and Savage Aural Hotbed. (2 p.m.-midnight Sat., outside the Hook & Ladder, 3010 Minnehaha Av. S., $20-$25, rootsrockdeepblues.com.)
Turnpike Troubadours, Old 97s: Mankato's great downtown amphitheater landed one of the coolest stacked lineups for alt-country fans this summer, led by the Oklahoma-tough Troubadours and featuring Dallas' enduring pop-twang punks the Old 97s, Waylon's well-proven worthy heir Shooter Jennings and St. Louis's barroom stalwarts the Bottle Rockets. (6 p.m. Sat., Vetter Stone Amphitheater, Mankato, $33-$67, Ticketmaster.com.)