Ana Popovic
After being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020, the Serbia-born singer/guitarist commuted from Los Angeles to Amsterdam, where she received 14 chemotherapy treatments. All the while, Popovic and her bassist/musical director Buthel Burns connected via Zoom to pen tunes for "Power," which will be released in May. A preview of the L.A.-based, award-winning blues star's 11th album finds her exploring a modern mélange of rock, jazz, blues, R&B and pop with a becoming soulfulness and tastefully expressive guitar. Highlights: the bluesy boogie "Strong Taste," the funk-jazz "Deep Down" and the breezy, horn-soothed, guitar-seasoned ballad "Recipe Is Romance." (7 p.m. Wed.-Thu. The Dakota, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $35-$45, dakotacooks.com)
JON BREAM
'The Daughter of the Regiment'
For the first time in its 60-year history, Minnesota Opera will present Gaetano Donizetti's buoyant comic opera about a young woman raised on an army base who finds that she may have royal roots. It boasts fine leads in soprano Vanessa Becerra and tenor David Portillo — who impressed in the company's "Opera Afuera" and "Albert Herring," respectively — and a cameo by "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars" winner Monét X Change. (7:30 p.m. Sat. and Feb. 9 and 11, 2 p.m. Feb. 12; Ordway Music Theater, 345 Washington St., St. Paul; $25-$228; 612-333-6669 or mnopera.org.)
ROB HUBBARD
'These Old Shoes'
Illusion Theater brings back the Transatlantic Love Affair piece that grew from a show that was the hottest ticket at the 2013 Minnesota Fringe Festival. Diogo Lopes created and directed "Shoes," a memory play in which an elderly man tries to tie up loose ends before moving into a retirement community. The cast includes Heather Bunch, Adelin Phelps and Allison Vincent. (7:30 p.m. Wed.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sun., ends Feb. 19, 3754 Pleasant Av. S., Mpls., $35 but available on a sliding scale, illusiontheater.org.)
CHRIS HEWITT
Bad Bad Hats
After garnering national press, radio play and opening tour dates in recent years, the whimsical and wistful Macalester College-born indie-pop trio is revisiting the album that first made them darlings of their hometown scene. A 10th anniversary remastered edition of their hook-laden, smile-inducing debut LP for Afternoon Records, "It Hurts," is being issued via two release parties in one day. That's the record that featured the sugarcoated local hit "Super America," whose namesake stores did not fare as well as Bad Bad Hats in the interim. (4 p.m. all-ages & 9:30 p.m. 18-plus Sat., 7th St. Entry, 701 1st Av. N., Mpls., $22-$25, axs.com)
CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER
'Ten Thousand Birds'
Musicians from the avant-garde group Alarm Will Sound move through the Minneapolis Institute of Art in a concert that doubles as a work of performance art. The 20-member ensemble is known for its unconventional approach to music, creating physically alive works that push the boundaries of the form. As part of the Great Northern Festival, the group will play "Ten Thousand Birds," a work by composer John Luther Adams that seeks connections between nature and music. Birdsong, woodpecker tapping and other music from nature come to life inside the museum as the performers inhabit the space in an immersive world. (2 p.m. Sun, Minneapolis Institute of Art, donations accepted, registration encouraged, thegreatnorthernfestival.com.)
SHEILA REGAN
Songs of Freedom: Bob Marley Remembered
Lucky for Minnesotans, the late, great Jamaican global music icon's birthday happens to fall in early February, when his warm music and communal vibes do wonders in fending off the cold outside. Twin Citians are also fortunate to have Jamaica native Lynval Jackson and his International Reggae All-Stars in town to lead this celebration for 30 years running now. They've moved the party to the site of their weekly Tuesday gig and are once again inviting local reggae fixture Innocent to join them for two nights. (9:30 p.m. Fri. & Sat., Bunker's, 761 Washington Av. N., Mpls., $15-$25, eventbrite.com)
C.R.
Film Independent Spirit Awards
If you're a Walker Art Center member who missed some of last year's key indie titles, this annual showcase is your ticket. And the ticket is free. Screenings continue through the finale, "Tár," on Feb. 18, with gems like "All the Beauty and the Bloodshed" and "All That Breathes" in the interim. (Days and times vary, Walker Cinema, 725 Vineland Pl, Mpls., two tickets free to members on first-come basis, an hour before screenings.)
C.H.
Hudson Hot Air Affair
The skies over Hudson, Wis., will be filled with a rainbow of colors this weekend as more than 30 balloonists take flight in this annual winter event. Although guests cannot go for a ride, they can bundle up and watch balloons take flight in the sport of hot air ballooning. along with family activities. On the ground there will be an assortment of activities including geocaching, bird-watching, a Bloody Mary crawl, torchlight parade and more. (7:35 a.m. & 3 p.m. Sat.; 7:35 a.m. Sun. E.P. Rock schoolgrounds, 340 13th St. S., Hudson, Wis. hudsonhotairaffair.com.)
MELISSA WALKER
