ZZ Top: That little ol' blues band from Texas is helping out their homies who have been harmed by Hurricane Harvey. Since last Friday, the Rock Hall of Fame trio has been donating all iTunes sales for the live version of "La Grange" from its current "Live! Greatest Hits from Around the World" to the Salvation Army for Harvey relief. Rest assured, that the Houston-spawned band will offer "La Grange" along with "Tush," "Legs" and "Sharp Dressed Man" when they bring their beard-fueled boogie back to the Twin Cities. (8 p.m. Sat. Mystic Lake Casino Showroom, Prior Lake, $55-$105.)
Spoon: Always one of the most subtly rhythmic bands in modern indie-rock, Spoon got more overt about its grooves without resorting to overtread electro-pop beats on "Hot Thoughts," its ninth album in an impressively consistent 21-year recording career. The 2017 album sparked some exciting new highlights when the Austin, Texas, group premiered it at the hometown SXSW fest, and the disc will get a full tryout over two nights here. (8 p.m. Fri.-Sat., Palace Theatre, St. Paul, sold out)
Thundercat: Part of the same Los Angeles jazz-funk collective that spawned Kamasi Washington and helped drive Kendrick Lamar's "To Pimp a Butterfly," Stephen "Thundercat" Bruner has had no trouble standing out from the crowd with his six-string bass guitar, oddball album and video imagery and viral "Tonight Show" performance with soft-rock heroes Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins. His album "Drunk," however, boasts a seriously potent, lightly melodic, deeply thumping sound, and attendees raved about his live set here at the Fine Line in February. (8:30 p.m. Sun., First Avenue, 701 1st Av. N., Mpls., $20-$25, eTix.com.)
J. Roddy Walston & the Business: After breaking big in 2014 with the howling single "Heavy Bells," the Baltimore boogie-rockers band the Business slicked things up on their latest album, "Destroyers of the Soft Life," but likely still put on a raucous live show. (Fri. First Avenue)
Snarky Puppy: This hard-to-classify cult-loved collective from Brooklyn and Texas has won three Grammys, one in R&B (with vocalist Lalah Hathaway) and two for best contemporary instrumental album. Beyond leader Michael League, the cast is somewhat revolving because the players work with so many others, including Kendrick Lamar, Kirk Franklin and Justin Timberlake, among others. Snarky Puppy is not a jazz band or a jam band but fans of both genres seem to dig Snarky P. (9 p.m. Sat. First Avenue, $30-$35.)
Matchbox 20 and Counting Crows: Treasure Island Casino ends its super-busy outdoor concert season with these two favorites from 1990s and '00s. Both boast still-charismatic frontmen, Rob Thomas and Adam Duritz, respectively, in this well-paired program. (7 p.m. Sat. Treasure Island Casino, $25-$62.)
Flaming Lips & Mac DeMarco: Since their kaleidoscopic-circus stage show has long been standardized, the weirdest thing about the Lips' latest gig in town could be the venue's suburban strip-mall location. The Oklahoma psychedelic rockers are not only touring with quirky Canadian slacker-rocker DeMarco but also just recorded a split-EP with him covering each other's songs, which could mean a little on-stage collaboration. (7:30 p.m. Sun., Myth, $40.)
Andrew W.K.: The hard-partying hard-rocker — also a motivational speaker and TV host on the side — recorded some of his blood-covered 2001 debut album "I Get Wet" in Minneapolis. This time, he might still be wet from his gig the day before at Riot Fest in Chicago. Kindred spirit Mark Mallman opens. (8 p.m. Mon., First Avenue, $20-$25.)
Gorillaz: For only the second time in the rather mind-boggling 16-year career of his "virtual band," Damon Albarn of Blur fame and his animator collaborator Jamie Hewett have taken Gorillaz out on an extended tour through America. This outing supporting the wildly assorted new album "Humanz" is more visually driven and doesn't have the all-star cast like the 2010 outing, which included members of the Clash, Bobby Womack, De La Soul and more. But opener Vince Staples and a few other up-and-comers are part of the act. (7:30 p.m. Wed., Roy Wilkins Auditorium, 175 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, $70, Ticketmaster.com.)
Alison Moyet: The British alterna-pop singer first popped up as a member of Yaz with Vince Clarke of Erasure and Depeche Mode fame. She went on to score her own minor hit with "Invisible" in 1984, and would be a bit player in big '80s moments such as Live Aid. Her enormous and dramatic, Annie Lennox-like voice still draws goosebumps on her new album, "Other," which follows a recent return to the mainstream after Selena Gomez covered her "Only You." (8:30 p.m. Wed., Fine Line Music Cafe, 318 1st Av. N., Mpls., $32.50-$50, Ticketmaster.com.)
Rhiannon Giddens: An underappreciated American musical treasure, Giddens of the Carolina Chocolate Drops delivered a stellar solo debut in 2015 covering songs associated with Nina Simone, Patsy Cline and Dolly Parton. On her sophomore CD, "Freedom's Highway," Giddens rises up by creating mostly originals in the folk/soul vernacular that trace the history of black culture, from the slavery piece "At the Purchaser's Option" to Pop Staples' title track that became a 1960s civil rights anthem. (7:30 p.m. Wed. The O'Shaughnessy, St. Catherine University, St. Paul, $27-$57, oshag.stkate.edu.)
Gene Simmons and Ace Frehley: Kiss' Simmons is a proud capitalist who can be charitable. He's proudly affiliated with Matter, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit, and will headline a Matter benefit concert for hurricane relief for children. Simmons will share a stage with estranged Kiss guitarist Frehley for the first time since 2001. Power-pop stalwarts Cheap Trick, ex-Eagles guitarist Don Felder and the Twin Cities' own Jayhawks and Flipp round out the three-hour program. (7 p.m. Wed. CHS Field, St. Paul, $60-$250, thechildrenmatter.ngo)
Afghan Whigs: The reunion phase was fun, but the cult-loved Cincinnati band that brought dark soul and thundering grooves to Sub Pop Records and the ensuing grunge era has moved on with two strong and more varied recent albums, including the brand-new "In Spades." Hometown opener Har Mar Superstar, a pal of the Whigs, issued his experimental but lush new EP "Personal Boy" in time for the tour. (8 p.m. Thu., First Avenue, $30-$35.)
Stiff Little Fingers: Belfast's snarling contribution to the late-'70s U.K. punk scene is still going strung under the leadership of frontman Jake Burns and playing a too-rare local gig to mark its 40th anniversary. (8:30 p.m. Wed., Turf Club, sold out.)
