The Big Gigs: 10 best concerts to see in the Twin Cities this week

1. Fred and Jearlyn Steele: You can sit around at Aunt Karen’s and rehash the election over stuffing, pumpkin pie and pro football. Or you can go to a safe — and joyous — space where siblings Jearlyn and Fred Steele, mainstays with Minnesota’s gospel-soul institution the Steeles, will harmonize and turn on their sparkling personalities. If you want turkey and the fixings, they are available with a preorder. But no disagreements will be on the menu. (7 p.m. the Dakota, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $25-$40, food is extra, dakotacooks.com)

2. Decolonize Thanksgiving 3.0: Sister and brother from the same mother, Earth, poetic folk tunesmiths Annie Humphrey and David Huckfelt are teaming up for the third year in a row to celebrate and promote Native American culture and causes as a counterpart to the old Thanksgiving myth. A former U.S. Marine and proud Anishaabe member from the Leech Lake Reservation, Humphrey is coming off last year’s release of her spiritually explorative album “The Light in My Bones,” which featured an elegant all-star Twin Cities backing unit. Huckfelt is the former co-leader of Iowa Americana group the Pines, who’s coming off tour dates with Cloud Cult and another busy year of benefit and/or activist gigs. They’ve created a new nonprofit arts collective called Fire in the Village, which will also present fashion, visual art and storytelling at this annual holiday soiree. (8 p.m. the Hook & Ladder, 3010 Minnehaha Av. S., Mpls., $18-$23, thehookmpls.com)

3. Cloud Nothings: Twelve years after garnering a strong critical buzz and underground following with their Steve Albini-recorded second album “Attack on Memory,” high-wired singer/guitarist Dylan Baldi and his Cleveland-based band are still creating beautifully bombastic but clever and catchy noise. Their newest album, “Final Summer,” shows Baldi has outgrown his youthful angst but is not having any trouble finding more adult themes to rail against. They’re also marking the 10th anniversary of their third album on this tour, “Here and Nowhere Else.” These guys have always been a hair-raising, knee-buckling live act, and it will be great to see them up close in the Twin Cities’ best small room again. Australia’s Armlock and Texas rockers Farmer’s Wife open. (8 p.m. 7th St. Entry, 701 1st Av. N., Mpls., $26-$30, axs.com)

4. St. Paul Chamber Orchestra: The SPCO is celebrating Thanksgiving weekend with a feast of American songs. Minneapolis-based mezzo-soprano Clara Osowski will help premiere arrangements by another local artist — composer Jonathan Posthuma — of songs by Charles Ives and others. After swinging things up with music by George Gershwin and Duke Ellington, the concert will conclude with what might be the ideal Thanksgiving soundtrack, Aaron Copland’s “Appalachian Spring,” music for which the SPCO once won a Grammy. (7 p.m. Fri. and Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Ordway Concert Hall, 345 Washington St., St. Paul, $16-$68, students and children free, thespco.org)

Also: Slapstick and cutesy Rochester-reared rapper Yung Gravy of “Betty” viral fame and MTV red-carpet make-out notoriety returns home for a post-Thanksgiving feast that he has dubbed Gravy Fest, also featuring fiery Atlanta rap vet Waka Flocka Flame (8 p.m. the Armory, $31-$99); veteran Mississippi bluesman Johnny Rawls is back, touting his latest, “Walking Heart Attack” (8 p.m. Fri. & Sat., Shaw’s, $10); local fuzz-rock wunderkinds Creeping Charlie are teaming up with slowavers Linus and Emma Jeanne (8 p.m. Cloudland Theater, $12-$15); veteran jazz trumpeter Ahmed Abdulkarim has an all-star local crew backing him as Ahmed & the Creators (7:30 p.m. Berlin, $15); Petty Comes Alive, the top-notch Twin Cities Tom Petty tribute band featuring Chris Castino, Gregg Hall and Dan Israel, resurfaces for its third annual post-Thanksgiving gig (7 p.m. Parkway Theater, $20-$25); Jamecia Bennett, one of the Twin Cities’ premier vocalists, offers a new tribute show to Monica and Brandy (7 p.m. the Dakota, $35-$45).

5. Guante & Big Cats: Last seen onstage locally at Target Center with British electronic producer/multi-instrumentalist Fred Again — who sampled his poem “Love in the Time of Undeath” on his Grammy-winning album “Actual Life 3″ — Twin Cities hip-hop pioneer and poet Kyle Tran Myhre, aka Guante, has reteamed with a longtime local cohort, beatmaker/producer Big Cats, for his first album in five years. Titled “All Dressed Up, No Funeral,” it’s a concept record centered on the global climate-change crisis and the feeling of hopelessness around it. Sounds dark, for sure, but the ever-spry wordsmith infuses songs like “Nuke the Whales” with cutting humor and inspirational messages. Lydia Liza also performs. (8:30 p.m. the Hook & Ladder, $10-$15, thehookmpls.com)

6. Minnesota Orchestra: While there have been two sequels and a Broadway musical, there’s nothing quite like the original 1985 “Back to the Future” film, in which teenager Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) accidentally takes a time-traveling sports car to 1955 and potentially disrupts his parents getting together. Among the keys to its success is Alan Silvestri’s score, which conductor Sarah Hicks and the Minnesota Orchestra will perform while a high-definition version of the film is screened above them. (7 p.m. Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $60-$132, minnesotaorchestra.org)

Also: One of the Twin Cities’ most influential rappers, Doomtree and Rhymesayers alum P.O.S. is stepping back out after a lengthy hiatus with support from his former mentee Dwynell Roland (8 p.m. Turf Club, $20-$25); Andy Powell leads veteran British rockers Wishbone Ash in a performance of their 1972 album “Argus” (8 p.m. Medina Entertainment Center, $37-$59); the Four Freshmen, the long-lived harmonizing quartet led since 1992 by Bob Ferreira, bring their holiday show featuring Minneapolis’ own Jake Baldwin, a member since 2020 (5:30 p.m. Crooners, $40-$50); Sparta, Minn.’s great Americana-spiked rockers Rich Mattson & the Northstars are back in town and bringing Clarence Tifton & the Iron Range Outlaw Brigade with them (7:30 p.m. Cabooze, $12-$15), the International Reggae All-Stars are stepping out from their usual Tuesday night gig with a weekend warm-up (9 p.m. Icehouse, $15-$23).

7. Allman Betts Family Revival: It’s the eighth annual touring salute to the Allman Brothers featuring scions of the original members. Gregg Allman’s son Devon Allman and Dickey Betts’ son Duane Betts are pretty fair guitarists and vocalists in their own right, but this time they’re teaming up to explore the repertoire of their famous fathers. The opening set will feature 1970s material from the Duane Allman era while the second segment deals with the Allmans’ ‘90s comeback. The all-star touring band includes Anders Osborne, Luther and Cody Dickinson of North Mississippi Allstars, Jimmy Hall of Wet Willie and Alex Orbison, son of Roy Orbison. (8 p.m. State Theatre, 805 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls., $49.50-$74.50, ticketmaster.com)

Also: The Toronto crew Choir! Choir! Choir!, which recently organized a giant Prince singalong at First Ave, is back in town to guide a roomful of singers through holiday songs (8 p.m. Fine Line, $27-$45); Charanga Tropical’s matinee salsa show is happening again (5 p.m. Icehouse, $15); orchestral pop rockers We Are the Willows are playing a special kid-friendly matinee show with a video component and Her Crooked Heart (3 p.m. Parkway Theater, $15-$20); Xina, a beguiling and mysterious Twin Cities multi-disciplinary artist, takes to the Dakota stage with the pianist/guitartist known simply as Marvelous (7 p.m., $20-$25).

8. Jennifer Grimm: One of the most versatile and consistently impressive singers in the Twin Cities, Grimm keeps busy booking talent at Crooners and performing her own shows. In the midst of her triumphant return in “I Am Betty,” the Betty Crocker musical at the History Theatre, Grimm steps out for her annual Yule show with family and friends. She’ll showcase her new EP, “Christmas Vibes,” featuring her jazzy take on “12 Days of Christmas,” with the help of a parade of guests including Kathleen Johnson, Debbie O’Keefe, Scottie Miller, and her mother, Colleen Raye. (7:30 p.m. Mon. & Tue. Crooners, 6161 Hwy 65, Fridley, $35-$45, eventbrite.com)

Also: Aby Wolf is curating Monday nights at Icehouse this month starting with golden-voiced neo-soul songwriter Mayyaada and rising indie-folker Ava Levy (7 p.m., $17-$24); Minnesota piano man George Maurer leads his annual swinging jazz holiday performance (7 p.m. the Dakota, $20-$30); new wavy Los Angeles synth-rock band Lo Moon is back touting its third album, “I Wish You Way More Than Luck” (8 p.m. 7th St. Entry, $25).

9. Ondara: After touring for his third album, “Spanish Villager, Vol. 3,” and winning a $50,000 International Songwriters Competition award in 2023, the elegantly voiced Kenyan folk strummer who immigrated to his hero Bob Dylan’s native state a decade ago mostly kept a low profile in 2024. Until now. Ondara is ending the year with a December residency series dubbed “An Alien in Minneapolis,” named after the song that won him the ISC award. Over the five-week run of Tuesday gigs — including a special early-evening New Year’s Eve set — look for new songs as he works toward a new album for 2025, plus older cuts going back to his 2019 debut, “Tales of America,” which earned a Grammy nomination for best Americana album. (8 p.m. Tue., Dec. 10, Dec. 17 and 5 p.m. Dec. 31, Icehouse, 2528 Nicollet Av. S., Mpls., $25-$32, icehousempls.com)

10. Cyndi Lauper: Hard to believe that the beloved “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” hitmaker has never headlined an arena tour before. And this is her swan song. For her farewell trek, the infectious New York pop icon has created a spectacle that’s as colorful as she is. Of course, she has. Lauper will sing her girl-power hits, gay anthems, pop bops, Broadway faves and choice covers. Maybe the chatty New Yorker will have a special Prince story when she plays his “When You Were Mine,” which appeared on her 1983 debut album, “She’s So Unusual,” that earned her the Grammy for best new artist. Opening is Gayle, the young Texas singer of the 2021 hit “ABCDEFU.” (8 p.m. Target Center, 600 1st Av. N., Mpls., $20 and up, ticketmaster.com)

Classical music critic Rob Hubbard contributed to this column.