Twin Cities concerts of the week: Snoop Dogg, Chris Koza, VocalEssence does Dylan, Prince tributes

This week's big gigs for April 26-May 2, also including Neko Case, Kodak Black, Arturo Sandoval, Foals and more.

Snoop Dogg performs onstage at State Farm Arena on Saturday, Jan. 5, 2019, in Atlanta. (Photo by Paul R. Giunta/Invision/AP) ORG XMIT: GAPG002
Snoop Dogg (Photo by Paul R. Giunta/Invision/AP) (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Snoop Dogg: With the Roots headed to Mystic Lake this summer, Snoop's show this week might be the start of a new wave of old-school rap acts performing at local casinos. About time, really. On tour this year, the Southern Cali hip-hop legend is marking the 25th anniversary of "Doggystyle," the Dr. Dre-produced debut that gave us "Gin & Juice" and "Who Am I? (What's My Name?)." His longtime crony Warren G of "Regulate" fame will join him. (8 p.m. Fri., Treasure Island Casino, Red Wing, sold out.)

LP Music: As part of unofficial Prince Week, two veteran players from his orbit — NPG and Madhouse saxophonist Eric Leeds and multi-instrumentalist St. Paul Peterson of the Time and the Family— do their funky jazz thing. Their all-star Twin Cities ensemble will include drummer Petar Janjic, percussionist Marc Anderson and keyboardists Brian Z and Ricky Peterson, on break from the Fleetwood Mac tour. (11 p.m. Fri. Icehouse, $30)

Chris Koza: After a five-year lull between albums, the perennially underrated Twin Cities-via-Portland, Ore. singer/songwriter of Rogue Valley and Ben Stiller soundtrack notoriety has not one but two new thematically tied solo LPs in the can. But he's only releasing one at the moment, and that's more than enough. Titled "Sleepwalkers, Part 1," it brings back some of the lush misty-mountain folk-rock arrangements from his RV days with a few excitingly amped-up, Beatles-y rockers and heart-strung intimate gems. He's touting it with a full band and the Twins of Franklin opening. (8 p.m. Fri., Parkway Theater, 4814 Chicago Av. S., Mpls., $15, theparkwaytheater.com)

Black-Eyed Snakes: A standing favorite in our memories from the Duluth Homegrown festival, Low frontman Alan Sparhawk's hard-stomping blues quartet — hard enough to require two drummers — is finally playing in town again with Chicago's eclectic Southern groove band the Claudettes, fronted by steamy voiced Twin Cities native Berit Ulseth. (8:30 p.m. Fri., the Hook & Ladder Theater, $15-$18.)

Prince Live on the Big Screen: For the second year in a row, it's a concert video of the late Prince on a giant video screen with a live band of NPG alums onstage. It's oddly emotional but it worked musically last year at Target Center. The venue this time is half that size. (8 p.m. Fri., Armory, $49-$199)

Love 2 the 9's: With all the high-profile hubbub of Prince Week, here's a chill Purple happening. NPG keyboardist Tommy Barbarella will accompany Twin Cities vocalist Julius Collins, a veteran of Greazy Meal and various theater productions, in an intimate evening of Prince music. Collins has fronted a bunch of NPG alums (including Michael Bland, Sonny Thompson and Barbarella) for full-band Prince tribute shows. (11 p.m. Sat., Parkway Theater, $55-$129, theparkwaytheater.com)

James Hunter Six: The charming British retro-soul man, who is equal parts Sam Cooke, James Brown and Jackie Wilson, is still touring behind last year's solid Daptone release "Whatever It Takes," which features probably his strongest songwriting yet. And Hunter does whatever it takes — with his soulful voice, expressive guitar, horn-driven band or facile jokes — to entertain a crowd. (7 & 9:30 p.m. Sat., Dakota, Mpls., $30-$45.)

Delbert McClinton: The well-traveled, Grammy-winning bluesy rocker explored his more intimate side on 2017's "Prick of the Litter," a commendable sometimes jazzy, ballad-heavy collection with assists from Lou Ann Barton, Jimmie Vaughan and Al Perkins. Of course, McClinton included a shuffle, the earthy "Middle of Nowhere," and a roadhouse workout, the horn-flavored "Don't Do It," that should be worthy additions for his live gigs. (7:30 p.m. Sat., Medina Entertainment Center, $36 and up)

VocalEssence: Bob Dylan as choral music? Adventurous artistic director Philip Brunelle knows no musical boundaries. His singers have sung with the Rolling Stones and Josh Groban and performed a medley of pop songs associated with Minnesota. So why not an evening of material penned by the state's most famous living songwriter? (8 p.m. Sat. Palace Theatre, $16.50-$40.)

Lolo's Ghost: Kanye West offered a "Sunday Service" at Coachella last weekend, but Minneapolis gets one year-round, thanks to the weekly brunch-bunch shows by master songwriter James Loney and his crack band at the cozy Driftwood Char Bar. This weekend they celebrate a new live album, recorded by superfan Terry Katzman — mastermind behind the Hüsker Dü box "Savage Young Dü" — who wandered in one Sunday and was hooked. And unlike Kanye, you can get eggs and a Bloody Mary here. (11 a.m. Sun., 4415 Nicollet Av., no cover).

Arturo Sandoval: The 10-time Grammy-winning Cuban jazz trumpeter had another banner year in 2018, scoring Clint Eastwood's "The Mule" and releasing his "Ultimate Duets" album, featuring Ariana Grande, Pharrell Williams, Placido Domingo, Stevie Wonder, Josh Groban, Prince Royce and the late Al Jarreau. (7 & 9 p.m. Sun., Dakota, $30-$50.)

Kevin Eubanks: Best known as Jay Leno's bandleader on "The Tonight Show" for 18 years, the veteran jazz guitarist took a bicoastal approach on his 2017 album, "East West Time Line," his 15th studio project as a leader. He swings hard in the East and finds a nice Latin groove in the West. Three players from the album — drummer Smitty Smith, bassist Rene Camacho and saxophonist Bill Pearce — join him on tour. (7 & 9 p.m. Mon., Dakota, $25-$45)

Foals: With a little post-punk groove and Radiohead-like sonic drama, this stormy British band has developed a strong cult following over five albums, and now it's adding a little prog-rock conceptualization with its first in a pair of thematically tied albums, "Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost, Pt. 1." Preoccupations and Omni open. (8 p.m. Tue., First Avenue, $33.50.)

Neko Case: Last year's Palace show was maybe the most solid and awe-inspiring of this torchy twang-rocker's many Twin Cities appearances, which made sense considering last year's "Hell-On" was one of her greatest songwriting feats, dabbling in poppier but still dramatic and personal territory. She's taking a victory lap and stretching out over two nights in St. Paul's other First Avenue-run theater, which she already knows well. Quirky, cool Shannon Shaw of Shannon & the Clams opens. (8 p.m. Wed. & Thu., Fitzgerald Theater, $50.)

Kodak Black: Despite his arrest on gun and drug charges at the Canadian border last week following a slew of other legal troubles — you'd think somebody would've told him to leave that stuff at home, no? — the murky-voiced Florida rapper of "Zeze" and "Tunnel Vision" notoriety is still keeping up with his U.S. tour dates. Roddy Ricch and Calboy open. (8 p.m. Wed., Myth, Maplewood, $40, all ages.)

Jessie James Decker: She's a spokesmodel, author, reality-TV star, designer of her own clothing line, wife of ex-Gophers receiver Eric Decker and, oh yeah, a country-pop singer. Her first single, "Wanted," made a little noise in the dance clubs in 2009 but she's still searching for a signature hit as she works on her third album. (8 p.m. Thu., State Theatre, Mpls., $25.50-$59.50)

Chris Koza
Chris Koza (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

about the writers

Jon Bream

Critic / Reporter

Jon Bream has been a music critic at the Star Tribune since 1975, making him the longest tenured pop critic at a U.S. daily newspaper. He has attended more than 8,000 concerts and written four books (on Prince, Led Zeppelin, Neil Diamond and Bob Dylan). Thus far, he has ignored readers’ suggestions that he take a music-appreciation class.

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Chris Riemenschneider

Critic / Reporter

Chris Riemenschneider has been covering the Twin Cities music scene since 2001, long enough for Prince to shout him out during "Play That Funky Music (White Boy)." The St. Paul native authored the book "First Avenue: Minnesota's Mainroom" and previously worked as a music critic at the Austin American-Statesman in Texas.

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