Twin Cities concerts of the week: Ja Rule and Ashanti, Pussy Riot

Reina del Cid: Charming local audiences since they were teenage folk-rockers, Rachelle Cordova and her bandmates grew up in a big way on their thematic, topical new record "Rerun City," which landed them a main-room headlining slot with support from pals Marah in the Mainsail and Americana darlings Farewell Milwaukee. (8 p.m. Fri., First Avenue, $12-$14.)

Casey Abrams: One of the most eccentric musical finalists ever on "American Idol," the upright bass-playing dude with a flair for funk and scat singing will showcase material from his new album "Put a Spell on You." (8 p.m. Fri. Varsity, ticketmaster.com)

Demi Lovato: The former Disney star has become a hero as much for overcoming struggles in her life as for recording pop songs. The 25-year-old has personally dealt with depression, self-harm, bullying, eating issues, substance abuse and bipolar disorder. In documentary movies and her activism, Lovato has helped educate young people about these and other issues. She also reaches them with her dance-pop, including last year's "Sorry Not Sorry," her biggest hit single. Ubiquitous hitmeister DJ Khaled opens. (7:30 p.m. Sat. Target Center, Mpls., $30-$150, axs.com)

Ja Rule & Ashanti: It's been a decade and a half since these two longtime cronies topped the pop charts together with "Always on Time" and "Mesmerize," around when she also landed her own big hits "Rock Wit U" and "Foolish." It'll probably be a few more decades before Ja Rule lives down the disastrous Fyre Festival, which left thousands of young partiers stranded on an island. They've both been earning good marks so far on their co-headlining reunion tour. (8 p.m. Sat., Myth, 3090 Southlawn Dr., Maplewood, all ages, $50-$70, mythlive.com.)

Pussy Riot: St. Paul landed the second stop on the balaclava-masked Russian punk-rock protest feminist performance troupe's first-ever U.S. tour, so it's hard to know what to expect. At least we know the tour is still on, after two of the members were purportedly missing after being held by police in Crimea last week — another headlining-grabbing cash with authorities like the church stunt that landed two other members two-year jail terms in Moscow for Putin. Sounds fun. (9 p.m. Sat., Turf Club, St. Paul, sold out.)

Andrea Gibson and Chastity Brown: Oak-solid singer and contemplative Minneapolis songwriter Brown has been steadily touring since the release of last year's twang-tinged Red House album "Silhouette of Sirens," including recent dates with Colorado poet/activist/author/songwriter Gibson. (8 p.m. Sat., Cedar Cultural Center, sold out.)

Dirkschneider: The grade-A shrieker from cult-loved '80s metal band Accept, Udo Dirkschneider is now touring with his own namesake group but still mustering the testosterone behind old classics such as "Balls to the Wall" and "Restless & Wild" — purportedly his last time doing so. (7 p.m. Mon., Cabooze, $25.)

Jose James: Never one to repeat himself from project to project, the Minneapolis-born, South High-educated jazz-soul man will salute the music of Bill Withers, sounds he grew up with, in concert. The acclaimed singer is recording an album of Withers' tunes this month, for release in September. (7 p.m. Tue.-Wed Dakota, $30-$35)

Nada Surf: Matthew Caws and his melodic but powerful rock band are marking the 15th anniversary of their 2003 rebirth album "Let Go" by playing it in full on tour, along with a second set of other tunes. (7 p.m. Wed., Fine Line, $22.)

k.d. lang: Canada has given us its share of revered songwriters including Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell and Neil Young. It's most treasured pop voice has to be the sublime lang. She is celebrating the 25th anniversary of her biggest selling album "Ingenue." She will sing the record in its entirety, including her hit "Constant Craving" and "Miss Chateleine." Let's hope lang, who hasn't released a solo album since 2011, also does her version of Cohen's "Hallelujah." It's stunning. (7:30 p.m. Wed. State Theatre, Mpls., $55-$353, ticketmaster.com)

Walk Off the Earth: A band that owes much of its fame to YouTube, the Juno-winning Canadian vocal quintet is known for its novel remakes of modern pop hits such using oddball instruments such as theramin and glockenspiel going back to its 2013 take on Goyte's "Somebody I Used to Know." Recent viral faves include "Havana" and "Shape of You." You'll either love it or hate it. (8 p.m. Thu., Myth, Maplewood, $35.)

They Might Be Giants: Maybe the nerdiest band to ever land MTV hits, the quirky and catchy "Birdhouse in Your Soul" hitmakers are marking their 35th year with a new album, "I Like Fun," a new gimmick you can look up at dialasong.com, and a full-scale tour with an expanded lineup. (9 p.m. Thu., First Avenue, 14 & older, $30.)