MUSIC
Janet Jackson
The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer knows how to do it live. On her Together Again Tour this spring, she proclaims "50 years … of me" and proceeds to deliver about 40 songs from her 41-year recording career (that followed her early years on TV). Expect plenty of awe-inspiring ensemble dancing, numerous hits, deep tracks like "Throb" and "Diamonds," and songs she's heretofore not done on tour, like "Damita Jo" and "Girlfriend/Boyfriend." Will Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis join her for her first arena appearance in their hometown since 2015? Opening is rapper and "Fast and Furious" actor Ludacris. "Yeah!" (8 p.m. Tue. Xcel Energy Center, 199 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, $36-$1,700, ticketmaster.com)
JON BREAM
Ondara
After calling off his tour late last year to rethink his approach, the Grammy-nominated Twin Cities strummer formerly known as J.S. Ondara is finally out again playing intimate solo gigs behind "Spanish Villager No. 3." The conceptual album was sung from the standpoint of a graphic-novel character he created based on his outsider status as a Kenyan immigrant; local music fans certainly welcomed him once they got a load of his elegant, piercing voice. (7:30 p.m. Thu., Cedar Cultural Center, 416 Cedar Av. S., Mpls., $23-$27, thecedar.org)
CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER
Caterwaul
Described as a "gathering of the weirdos" in its inaugural 2022 run, this four-day, 50-plus-band marathon across two Minneapolis venues looks even weirder the second time. Among this year's experimental/punk/thrash/etc. noisemakers are: bombastic San Francisco pioneers Flipper, who will be joined by Cows frontman Shannon Selberg; Texas freaks Cherubs; a rare reunion by Los Angeles trio Totimoshi; Detroit grime-makers Child Bite; regional favorites Tongue Party, Vaz and Gay Witch Abortion, and many lovingly curated unknowns. (7 p.m. Fri., 10 p.m. Sat. & Sun., Mortimer's, 2001 Lyndale Av. S.; and noon-10 p.m. Sat., Sun. & Mon., Palmer's Bar, 500 Cedar Av. S., $30-$40/day, $140/four-day, caterwaul.org)
C.R.
Terrace Martin
No indications of what the multi-instrumentalist will do but it will be multi-genre and probably hard to classify as anything but cool. The Los Angeles jazz/hip-hop/R&B music-maker has contributed as a musician and/or producer to projects by Kendrick Lamar, Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, Snoop Dogg, Robert Glasper, Lalah Hathaway and Thundercat (his cousin), among others. He's recorded several albums under his name (including 2021's "Drones"), and he's a member of the supergroup Dinner Party with Kamasi Washington, Glasper and 9th Wonder (they dropped an album last month and played at Coachella). Fresh from a Dinner Party gig in Berlin, Martin will cook in Minneapolis. (6:30 & 9 p.m. Fri. & Sat., the Dakota, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $25-$35, dakotacooks.com)
J.B.
St. Paul Chamber Orchestra
SPCO artistic partner Jonathan Cohen recently was named artistic director of Boston's Handel and Haydn Society, America's oldest purveyor of classical concerts and one of its most respected groups when it comes to music of the 18th century and earlier. The conductor/harpsichordist/cellist will lead a one-hour program of music premiered in Paris from the pens of Mozart, Joseph Haydn and Jean-Philippe Rameau. (6 p.m. Thu., 8 p.m. Fri. and Sat., Ordway Concert Hall, 345 Washington St., St. Paul; 3 p.m. Sun., St. Andrew's Lutheran Church, 900 Stillwater Road, Mahtomedi; $11-$50; 651-291-1144 or thespco.org)
ROB HUBBARD
La Grande Bande
This period-instrument orchestra and chorus from southern Minnesota will give you a sense of what the atmosphere was like when J.S. Bach premiered many of his masterworks in German coffeehouses and beer halls. German restaurants in Arlington and Minneapolis will be the setting for Bach's "Coffee Cantata" and some madrigals by Claudio Monteverdi. (7 p.m. Thu., Arlington Haus Too, 147 W. Main St., Arlington, Minn.; 7 p.m. Fri., Black Forest Inn, 1 E. 26th St., Mpls.; $10-$20; lagrandebande.org)
R.H.
THEATER
'The Prom'
It's prom season, and not just for high school students. If you still have your prom dress, join other patrons wearing their chiffon and satin outfits (plus the odd tiara) to Michael Brindisi's heartfelt production. The Chad Beguelin and Matthew Sklar musical stars Monty Hays as a teenager whose high school cancels its prom rather than allow her to bring her girlfriend (Maya Richardson) to the end-of-school dance. The story also revolves around self-serving Broadway also-rans who travel to small-wn Indiana to expose its closed-minded ignorance. (8 p.m. Tue., 1 & 8 p.m. Wed., 8 p.m. Thu.-Fri., 1 & 8 p.m. Sat., 6:30 p.m. Sun. Ends June 10. Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, 501 W. 78th St., Chanhassen. $53-$93, 952-934-1525 or chanhassendt.com)
ROHAN PRESTON
ART
'Justice for George'
The grassroots organization Memorialize the Movement started in 2020 with a goal to preserve murals painted in the wake of George Floyd's murder by Minneapolis police. Since then, the organization has hosted events each year to continue commemorating George Floyd's life and legacy and to empower the community through art. The third annual "Justice for George" event will take place Saturday and Sunday at Squirrel Haus Arts with a theme of "Breaking Barriers and Building Bonds." The preserved murals will be used as a jumping-off point to discuss mental health and healing within Black, Indigenous and other communities of color from the 2020 uprising and the COVID-19 pandemic. Events include a panel discussion on art and mental health with Lissa Karpeh and Christopher Harrison, live mural painting, food from locally owned businesses and more. (3450 Snelling Av. S., Mpls. Sat. from 5-9 p.m., Sun. from noon-7 p.m. Attendees must register in advance at memorializethemovement.com)
ALICIA ELER
DANCE
'Works in Progress'
Red Eye Theater's annual New Works 4 Weeks festival kicks off this weekend with the "Works in Progress" series, filled with opera, dance, ghosts and Black joy. Rebecca Nichloson's 15-minute opera, "Submerged Pt. 1," centers around a Black woman in the underworld. In "Ania Bwia Bwia Toochia," Sam Aros-Mitchell explores the human relationship with the natural worlds. Atim Opoka fuses Afro-pop and alternative beats and shares the experiences of growing up as a Black immigrant from Uganda. Margaret Ogas shares an interdisciplinary dance work that takes place in the dream realm in "Nightquakes (a prelude)." After this weekend, New Work 4 Weeks continues with the "Isolated Acts" series of longer works through mid-June. (7 p.m. Thu., Fri. & Sat., Red Eye Theater, 2213 Snelling Av. S., Mpls., $15-$50, redeyetheater.org)
SHEILA REGAN
FAMILY
Kickoff to Summer at the Fair
Start festival season right via a smaller version of the Great Minnesota Get-Together, with the bonus of free parking. Indulge in new food this year, including Auntie M's Gluten Free, Chimborazo, Richie's Cheese Curd Tacos, Sambusa Express and more. Three entertainment stages feature performers, music and Zumba to work off the sweet and savory treats. Chum up to mascots Fairborne & Fairchild, play mini golf, pickleball and speed down the Giant Slide. (4-9 p.m. Thu.-Fri., 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sat.-Sun., $12.50-$15.50, 1265 N. Snelling Av., Falcon Heights, mnstatefair.org)
MELISSA WALKER
