G. Love and Special Sauce: Since their Twin Cities debut in 1994 at the now-defunct Uptown Bar, this Philly soul/jazz/blues/hip-hop trio has been a local favorite. They've found a new venue — Mystic Lake Casino — to showcase 2015's album "Love Saves the Day." It's an eclectic, electric excursion with assists from Lucinda Williams, David Hidalgo, Citizen Cope and Ozomatli. This is the second consecutive G. Love album for Jim Prescott, Special Sauce's original bassist, who rejoined the 25-year-old group in 2014 after a five-year hiatus. (8 p.m. Fri. Mystic Lake Casino, $20-$30., mysticlake.com)
Happy Birthday, Janis: The 11th annual tribute to the late, great Joplin with former "Love, Janis" star Jill Henderson (nee Mickelson) and other powerhouse women vocalists will include full performances of both the "Kozmic Blues" and "Pearl" albums. (7:30 p.m. Fri., First Avenue, $20.)
Jackie Venson: Opening for her fellow Austinite Gary Clark Jr. on tour last summer helped this Texas guitar slinger make a name for herself, and now she's setting herself apart from other blues-rockers with headlining gigs and a new live album that show off her fun blend of R&B and soulful rock sounds. Local Swedish transplant Jessica Manning opens. (8:30 p.m. Sat., Turf Club, 1601 University Av. W., St. Paul, $16-$18, eTix.com.)
The Badinovs: Fresh off his old band Swing Set's audible appearance in the Netflix series "Stranger Things," local vet Mike Nilles is putting out "The Big Picture," a second album with his longtime collaborator Patrick Olberding in their faux Russian-spy band, actually a refreshingly straight-ahead "Rubber Soul"-meets-early-R.E.M. rock quartet. Johnny Rey & the Reaction opens. (8 p.m. Sat., Hook & Ladder, $10-$12.)
Roy Hargrove: The trumpet adventurer has won Grammys in Latin jazz and jazz instrumental. He's worked with many big names in jazz as well as heroes from other genres including John Mayer, Common and D'Angelo. He's delved into hip-hop and soul with one of his combos, RH Factor, whose alums include Jon Batiste, Pino Palladino and James Poyser of the Roots. Hargrove live is always challenging and rewarding. (7 & 9 p.m. Tue.-Wed. Dakota Jazz Club, $25-$40, dakotacooks.com)
Tracy Nelson: Boz Scaggs and Steve Miller weren't the only blues-rock singers to launch their careers in Madison, Wis. Native Tracy Nelson started singin' the blues there before recording in Chicago and moving on to San Francisco, where her band Mother Earth was part of the scene with the Jefferson Airplane and Janis Joplin. At 73, Nelson still sings the blues with robust authority. She'll be backed by Missouri's Bel Airs. (7 p.m. Thu. Dakota Jazz Club, Mpls., $30-$35, dakotacooks.com)
The Killers: Listed atop the lineups for Bonnaroo, Governor's Ball and many other 2018 festivals, the Killers went away for a few years and apparently came back bigger than ever. The Las Vegas rockers of "Mr. Brightside" and "When You Were Young" fame graduate to arena headliner behind fifth album "Wonderful, Wonderful," a fun if quizzical exploration of singer Brandon Flowers. (8 p.m. Wed., Xcel Energy Center, 175 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, $62-$197, Ticketmaster.com.)
Bleachers: Jack Antonoff seems to be everywhere in the pop world these days — writing and producing albums by Taylor Swift, Lorde, St. Vincent and Pink. Occasionally, he gets involved with his own projects, like this band which plays its pop-rock down the middle of the road. (8 p.m. Thu. Mystic Lake Casino, $35-$50.)
