Critics' picks: The 14 best things to do and see in the Twin Cities this week
MUSICLuis Miguel
Imagine Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Luciano Pavarotti, Julio Iglesias, Wayne Newton, Michael Bublé, Neil Diamond, Bruce Springsteen and Celine Dion all rolled into a suave black suit, white shirt and black tie. That's how Miguel, the Mexican icon, impressed in 2019 in St. Paul. This totally suave, irresistibly dynamic performer is back, promising romantic songs, mariachi music, Latin pop and tributes to Michael Jackson and Sinatra. (7 p.m. Sun., Target Center, 600 1st Av. N., Mpls., $65-$205, ticketmaster.com)
JON BREAM
LCD Soundsystem
Between three-night stands in Seattle and Chicago, James Murphy and his hipster-adored New York dance-rock troupe are returning to the Twin Cities for one night only. At least they're not playing Roy Wilkins Auditorium again, site of their last three shows in town. The groove grinders behind sly party jams such as "North American Scum" and "Daft Punk Is Playing at My House" have been gradually working their way back from a long pandemic hiatus with big-city residency runs and festival gigs. They have at least one excellent new song, "New Body Rhumba," to help light up the general admission dance floor this time around. (7:30 p.m. Wed., the Armory, 500 S. 6th St., Mpls., $77-$170, ticketmaster.com)
CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER
Willie Nelson
He's on the road again. Isn't he always? At 91, the Texas legend keeps touring and releasing albums. Next week, he'll deliver "The Border," his 75th studio album and seventh LP this decade. He also has a new book coming in November, "Willie and Annie Nelson's Cannabis Cookbook: Mouthwatering Recipes and the High-Flying Stories Behind Them." Of course, Willie's been rolling 'em and smokin' 'em forever; might as well cook 'em, too. (7 p.m. Thu., Bayfront Festival Park, 350 Harbor Drive, Duluth, resale only, ticketmaster.com).
J.B.
Peso Pluma
There have been plenty of Mexican rappers before, but very few have incorporated their country's traditional music styles as overtly and thrillingly as this 24-year-old sensation from Guadalajara — and none has seen their careers blow up so quickly and wildly. The recent Rolling Stone cover boy caught on over the past year with global hits such as "AMG," "Por Las Noches" and "El Azul" and then won a Grammy for best música Mexicana album with his 2023 release, "Génesis." He livens up his emo-y rap tunes with a full-blown mariachi band in a rowdy, sometimes lovely, and overall truly unique stage production. (8 p.m. Tue., Target Center, 600 1st Av. N., Mpls., $50-$100, ticketmaster.com)
C.R.
Caterwaul
Described as a "gathering of the weirdos" by organizers in its inaugural year, this four-day experimental festival hasn't lost any of its strangeness or sense of adventure in year three. More than 40 underground acts will perform outside Palmer's and inside Mortimer's, led by San Francisco noise-rock vets Oxbow on Friday, Jawbox bandleader J. Robbins on Saturday, and reborn Ohio indie darlings Brainiac on Sunday. Other screamers, sonic wizards and madcap groovers through the weekend include Part Chimp, the Austerity Program, Art Gray Noizz Quintet, Thrones and local mainstays such as Scrunchies, Whores, Gay Witch Abortion. (8 p.m. Fri., 2 p.m. Sat., Sun. & Mon., Palmer's Bar, 500 Cedar Av. S.; Mortimer's, 2001 Lyndale Av. S., Mpls., $30-$45 or $145/four-day, caterwaul.org)
C.R.
St. Paul Chamber Orchestra
In a field sometimes too infatuated with youth, it's refreshing to find 80-year-old pianist Richard Goode getting the respect he deserves as a master interpreter of 18th- and 19th-century works. He's not showy, but few pianists will take you on such a deep journey into the heart, soul and mind of a composer. Expect some amazing Mozart when he joins the SPCO for two of his piano concertos (Nos. 18 and 23). (7 p.m. Thu., 11 a.m. Fri., 7 p.m. Sat., Ordway Concert Hall, 345 Washington St., St. Paul, $12-$55, students and children free, 651-291-1144 or thespco.org)
ROB HUBBARD
La Grande Bande
For five years, music of the baroque era has been ringing forth in the small towns of southern Minnesota, thanks to this talented ensemble. But the group traditionally closes its season by bringing its music northward for a night of German music with a side of German food, courtesy of legendary Eat Street establishment the Black Forest Inn. Have some schnitzel and spaetzle and hoist a stein to lighthearted cantatas by J.S. Bach and George Frideric Handel, with concertos for dessert. (7 p.m. Fri., Black Forest Inn, 1 E. 26th St., Mpls., $10-$25, meals sold separately, lagrandbande.org)
R.H.
THEATER'Til Beth Do Us Part'
OK, it's time for a little comic escapism with a Mary Poppins of a marriage. In this show by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten, a couple in a lackluster marriage get whipped into shape by the wife's new assistant, whose solution for their doldrums is simple — get rid of the husband. Daytrippers Dinner Theatre stages the comedy at its new home — Plymouth Playhouse. Most shows are over the lunch hour and the run ends May 26. (12:15 p.m. Wed.-Thu., 5:15 pm. Fri. & Sat. Plymouth Playhouse, 2705 Annapolis Lane N., Plymouth. $32-$49. 952-393-3644, daytripperstheatre.com)
ROHAN PRESTON
'Blended 和 (Harmony)'
Lyricist and playwright Jessica Huang and composer Jacinth Greywoode make excellent partners in this world premiere about the Kim Loo Sisters, Minnesota-born siblings who were the first Asians to have a revue on Broadway. Director Lily Tung Crystal's splendid cast includes Audrey Mojica, Audrey Parker and Ethan Yaheen-Moy Chan, who shows himself to be a compelling new talent. (7:30 p.m. Thu.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Ends May 26. History Theatre, 30 E. 10th St., St. Paul. $15-$74. 651-292-4323, historytheatre.com)
R.P.
ARTPao Houa Her
Hmong American artist Pao Houa Her, a 2023 Guggenheim Fellow who was included in the 2022 Whitney Biennial and named Star Tribune's Artist of the Year that same year, opens her fourth solo exhibition at Bockley Gallery. For this show, "Nim ye," Her presents her first video installation, an immersive project focusing on Hmong song poetry. Her's work focuses on the complexities of the Hmong diaspora. Ends June 22. (Noon-5 p.m., Tue.-Sat., 2123 W. 21st St., Mpls., free, 612-377-4669 or bockleygallery.com)
ALICIA ELER
Intimate Landscapes
TOA Presents, a gallery in northeast Minneapolis, hosts other galleries as "residents." This next resident is Chicago-based PATRON, which curated a group exhibition around the theme of intimate landscapes. The show depicts nature as a source of inspiration, renewal and calm and includes new and recent works by Bethany Collins, Jamal Cyrus, Mika Horibuchi, Samuel Levi Jones, Caroline Kent, Harold Mendez, Kaveri Raina, Claire Sherman, Alice Tippit and Liat Yossifor. Opened Tuesday. (Open by appt. 655 19th Av. NE., Suite 104, Mpls., free, 773-844-2769 or theorangeadvisory.com)
A.E.
DANCEMinnesota Tap Dance Experience
Saturday marks National Tap Dance Day, a tradition that goes back to 1989, when the idea was signed into law by President George Bush. The official observance was only a one-time occurrence, but the celebration has carried on by tap dance enthusiasts since. Keene Sense of Rhythm has an afternoon full of festivities for its annual event at Como Lakeside Pavilion. KSR's Youth Tap Ensemble will perform, along with dancers from a variety of studios and schools around the metro area. (1-5 p.m. Sat., Como Lakeside Pavilion, 1360 N. Lexington Pkwy., St. Paul, free, 612-251-4744, tapcompany.org)
SHEILA REGAN
FILM'Rear Window'
It's the 70th anniversary of one of Alfred Hitchcock's most beloved films but it feels like it could have been made yesterday, other than the retro sexual politics (you could argue it's a movie where a murder is required for a woman to get the full attention of her beloved). Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly are in peak form (the first shot of her takes your breath away) as a crabby photographer, confined to his apartment by a broken leg, and his cheery girlfriend, who helps him get all Nancy Drew when he believes he sees a murder committed across the courtyard from his window. Suspenseful, romantic and funny, "Rear Window" is sheer bliss. (7:30 Mon., Heights Theater, 3951 Central Av. NE., Columbia Heights, $12, heightstheater.com)
CHRIS HEWITT
FAMILYTwin Cities Balloon Glow
Hot Air America is a new nonprofit seeking to give hot air ballooning a wider audience. Comprising a board of balloon enthusiasts, the group begins its inaugural tour in the Twin Cities with a display of larger-than-life floating objects of all shapes and sizes. The glowing balloon and character shapes will give the Washington County Fairgrounds a magical luminescence for families to enjoy. Weather-permitting, tethered rides will be available. (5-9 p.m. Fri.-Sun., $25-$50 per car, advance tickets only, 12300 40th St. N., Lake Elmo, eventbrite.com)
MELISSA WALKER