Twin Cities Jazz Festival: For the 20th annual edition, the fest is again headquartered at Mears Park but stretches all over St. Paul from Mancini's Char House on W. 7th St. to the Naughty Greek on University Av., with lots of stages in between. Headlining the main stage in Lowertown are saxophonists Tia Fuller and Houston Person (with the Emmet Cohen Trio) on Friday and vocal star Dee Dee Bridgewater on Saturday. (Fri.-Sat. Mears Park and elsewhere, free, twincitiesjazzfestival.com)
James Taylor and Bonnie Raitt: In concert in 2010, Taylor brought along an old friend, Carole King, his pal from the early '70s. The sweet-singing song man has a different friend on tour this time, Raitt, his pal from the No Nukes movement in the late '70s. The St. Paul show marks her return to the tour after having emergency surgery this spring. Since we last saw him in 2014, Taylor released an album, 2015's "Before This World" featuring a Red Sox World Series salute, "Angels of Fenway." And Raitt has new material from 2016's "Dig in Deep" as well as old standbys such as "Angel From Montgomery" and "Nick of Time." (7:30 p.m. Fri. Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul. $66-$100, ticketmaster.com)
Frank Turner: The British folk-punk troubadour with the rabid local fan base returned to his politically irate roots on his new album, "Be More Kind," and obviously he had no shortage of things to sing about. While the tunes have the usual lyrical edge — racists get their due in "Make America Great Again" — Turner softened his sonic approach with poppier layering that also makes it probably his most accessible yet. Lucero and the Menzingers open. (7 p.m. Fri., Myth, all ages, $22-$35.)
Pride in Concert: Once again, Twin Cities Pride organizers have picked a beloved R&B singer from old MTV playlists to top out their big outdoor bash. Brandy (aka Brandy Norwood) makes her first Twin Cities appearance in at least a decade, two decades after she became one of the top-selling singers of her era with such singles as "The Boy Is Mine," "Baby" and "Have You Ever?" The lineup also features Sounds of Blackness vet Jamecia Bennett, "RuPaul's Drag Race" alum Jujubee and sultry dance troupe the Vigilantease Collective. (6-10 p.m. Sat., Loring Park, downtown Mpls., $25-$99, TCpride.org.)
Devon Allman Project: Call this the Sons of the Allman Brothers as the late Gregg Allman's kid, Devon, and Dickey Betts' kid, Duane, team up for some originals and Allman Brothers favorites. In this new band is the Twin Cities hero from "The Voice," Nicholas David, on Hammond B3 organ. (9:30 p.m. Sat. Dakota, $40-$55.)
Har Mar Superstar Sings Sam Cooke: Minneapolis' beloved local indie-rock soul man is wrapping up the bi-coastal tour behind his Dakota Jazz Club-generated Cooke tribute show with a big hometown finale. (8 p.m. Sat., Fitzgerald Theater, $35.)
Dua Lipa: Another hot newcomer buoyed largely by Spotify and YouTube streams over radioplay, this soulfully voiced British electro-pop singer is making her Twin Cities debut amid a summer of festival appearances. Many Americans were introduced to her via a "Saturday Night Live" appearance in February, but she has yet to rack up the kind of U.S. success she has enjoyed with the U.K. mega-hits "One Kiss" and "New Rules." Maybe she'll click more on tour. (7:30 p.m. Sun., the Armory, 500 S. 6th St., Mpls., $33-$65, Ticketmaster.com.)
George Thorogood: Backed by the Delware Destroyers, this barroom blues guitar star plays some of the loudest music heard at the Minnesota Zoo. You know he's going to give you "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer" and "Bad to the Bone" but here's hoping he does a few acoustic blues chestnuts from last year's intimate solo blues album, "Party of One." (7:30 p.m. Sun. Minnesota Zoo, $62-$74)