Adrian Belew Power Trio: Who says music schools don't pay off? Guitar hero Belew met his partners in his latest band at an appearance at Paul Green School of Rock in 2006. Drummer Eric Slick and his sister, bassist Julie Slick, were students who joined Belew later that year on tour. Belew has been making music since before the Slicks were born. His resume also includes stints with Frank Zappa, David Bowie, King Crimson, Talking Heads and Nine Inch Nails as well as several albums under his own name. (8 p.m. Sun. Turf Club, St. Paul, $25, etix.com)
Mac Sabbath & Metalachi: One is a Black Sabbath tribute band whose members dress up as Hamburgler and other McDonald's costume charters. The other is a mariachi group that offers horn- and violin-laden, borderland cantina revisions of classics by Ozzy, GNR, Van Halen, etc. The two Californian acts really are a match made in kitsch-metal heaven, especially with Arizona's Ned Flanders-attired group Okilly Dokilly and the Twin Cities' own watermelon-smashing Metallica tribute band Metallagher. So fun. (9 p.m. Fri., First Avenue, Mpls., $10-$15, eTix.com.)
Grant Hart: Before he heads out on tour with his old SST labelmates the Meat Puppets and Mike Watt, the former Hüsker Dü co-leader is celebrating his 56th birthday at home with two mighty bands under his influence, Fury Things and the Rank Strangers. (9 p.m. Fri., Hook & Ladder Theater, Mpls., $7-$10.)
Aretha Franklin tribute: The Queen of Soul canceled twice recently in the Twin Cities so we'll have to settle for a parade of local soul princesses, including Jamecia Bennett, Ginger Commodore, Kathleen Johnson and Paris Bennett, helping to celebrate Aretha's 75th birthday. (9:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Bunker's, $12)
Panic! at the Disco: After flamboyant singer Brendon Urie took over as the sole auteur and only original member of his slick Las Vegas band, which hit it big in 2006 with "I Write Sins Not Tragedies," Panic! has enjoyed quite a comeback. Last year's platinum-selling record "Death of a Bachelor" produced the aptly named singles "Vitorious" and "Hallelujah," and it brought Urie from a warm-up slot at the 2014 Basilica Block Party back to arena-headlining status. MisterWives and Saint Motel open. (7 p.m. Sun., Xcel Energy Center, $39.50-$49.50, Ticketmaster.com.)
Noam Pikelny: Chris Thile's favorite banjoist, Pikelny is promoting his new solo disc, "Universal Favorite." A former member of Leftover Salmon, he also plays with Thile in the Punch Brothers. (8 p.m. Mon. Cedar Cultural Center, $25)
Judy Collins: Send in the Sondheim as the legendary folk and pop singer interprets the Broadway fare of Stephen Sondheim as well as songs she's made famous, including "Both Sides Now." (7 p.m. Mon.-Tue. Dakota, $60-$75.)
Nikki Lane: After working with Black Keys auteur producer Dan Auerbach last time around, this Nashville independent spirit is more in the country than Americana lane on this year's "Highway Queen." There's a snarl to the opening "700,000 Rednecks" and a sadness to the closing pedal steel-soaked ballad, "Forever Lasts Forever," about a failed marriage, and the key line "forever last forever until forever becomes never again." Lane is the kind of soul Nashville needs. With Brent Cobb and Jonathan Tyler. (8 p.m. Tue. Turf Club, st. Paul, sold out)
Allah-Las: Of all the hipster-y Los Angeles bands revisiting the era of flower-power and LSD, this hazy quartet is one of the more irresistible and original purveyors of Syd Barret-meets-Love psychedelica, as evidenced on last year's charmingly low-heat album "Calico Review." (9 p.m. Tue., Triple Rock, $15.)
Rakim: Widely regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time — going back to "Paid in Full" and his other groundbreaking late-'80s work with the duo Eric B. & Rakim — the Long Island legend on a solo tour ahead of well-merited reissues of those classic albums. (8:30 p.m. Wed., Amsterdam Bar & Hall, St. Paul, $25.)
Cold War Kids: A decade since its breakout hit "Hang Me Up to Dry," the hard-bopping, high-wired Los Angeles rock band muses on its hometown without offering much of a sonic change-up on its month-old sixth album, "L.A. Divine." (8:30 p.m. Wed., First Avenue, $27.50.)
Chuck Prophet: The relentlessly clever San Francisco singer-songwriter connects on his new album, "Bobby Fuller Died for Your Sins." The title track rocks about the mysterious death of Fuller, the voice behind the 1965 hit "I Fought the Law." In the same vein, Prophet salutes Suicide leader Alan Vega with "In the Mausoleum" and the various 2016 deaths in "Bad Year for Rock and Roll." He also offers cheeky tunes about Connie Britton and Jesus. Good stuff. Sam Cassidy opens. (8 p.m. Wed. Turf Club, $15.)
Gary Burton: The seven-time Grammy winning vibraphone master is calling this his farewell tour. At 74, the jazz giant is undertaking one last trek, with his longtime collaborator, pianist Makoto Ozone. (7 & 9 p.m. Wed. Dakota, $20-$40.)
Ariana Grande: What separates the former Nickelodeon star from the current parade of pop princesses is what she emphasizes in concert. It's about her voice, not about the spectacle. To be sure, there are dancers and costume changes but, in the end, the concert is about Grande's stratospheric voice. Expect the 23-year-old, ponytailed star to draw heavily from her 2016 album, "Dangerous Woman," and also deliver her earlier hits, including "Problem" and "Bang Bang." With Little Mix and Victoria Monet. (7:30 p.m. Thu., March 16, Xcel Energy Center, $29.95-$199.95.)
Juicy J: A decade after he made it to the Oscars with his former group Three 6 Mafia's — who could forget Jack Nicholson enjoying "It's Hard Out Here for A Pimp?" — Memphis rapper Juicy J has been pimping himself out on other people's hit singles, including Katy Perry's "Dark Horses" and Usher's "I Don't Mind." He's pushing to make a name for himself again with "Rubba Band," his first album in four years, which he's previewing on tour with support from his brother, Project Pat, and Belly, the Palestine-born, Ottawa-reared rapper of "Might Not" notoriety. (8:30 p.m. Thu., March 16, Myth, 3090 Southlawn Dr., Maplewood, $32-$115, Ticketmaster.com.)
