Photo: Lana Del Ray

Lana Del Ray performs at Lollapalooza on Friday night.

ZANE CARNEY
8/8 at 9 Although family band Carney has been put on hiatus while band mate (and brother) Reeve slings in Broadway’s Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, Zane nabs his own deserved curtain call. The blues guitarist joins John Mayer on his national tour (in town August 9) and moonlights with a handful of solo dates that give credence to the quips about Eric Clapton Jr. $8–$10. Schubas, 3159 N Southport. schubas.com.

JIMMY EAT WORLD
8/18 at 7:30 Pop punk’s answer to the Foo Fighters plays with the vigor of a band still coming of age. Eight albums and commercial markers haven’t changed the veterans’ XL hooks or flipbook riffs. Sold out. Vic Theatre, 3145 N Sheffield. jamusa.com.

K. SERRA
8/7 at 9 With the iron lungs of Florence Welch and the glittery guts of Grimes, the local electro-pop artist Rachel Sarah Thomas is the harmonious avant-garde act Yoko Ono should strive to be. Taylor’s best material is done ad hoc with a Pandora’s box of instruments and live looping that’s as much concert as it is art installation. Chicago’s ethereal Love and Radiation open. $8. Free with RVSP before 8/7. Empty Bottle, 1035 N Western. emptybottle.com.

LIL WAYNE
8/10 at 7 After Wayne’s series of seizures had the folks from MTV News on deathwatch earlier this year, the prolific rapper reemerges with “Lollipop” in hand for America’s Most Wanted Music Festival, alongside T.I. and 2 Chainz. There’s a more pressing reason to see the Cash Money star, though: Having played the game since the age of nine, Wayne is ready to retire—and with more Billboard singles than Elvis, there’s not much more can he do. $29.75–$109.75. First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre, 19100 Ridgeland, Tinley Park. ticketmaster.com.

LINCOLN HALL
8/16 at 9 Angel Olsen. The former Bonnie “Prince” Billy contributor seems to answer the question of whatever happened to Bobbie Gentry. With spectral narratives and wispy guitars, Olsen’s solo work proves she is a high-def singer-songwriter. $13–15.
8/31 at 9 Austra. This Canadian electro choir is the DJ at Figaro and Madame Butterfly’s wedding reception. With classical influences and operatic harmonizing, their new-age dance albums are more than a shot in the dark—they are a light for synth pop’s sometimes tunnel vision. $15–18. 2424 N Lincoln. lincolnhallchicago.com.

LOLLAPALOOZA Critic’s Pick
8/2–4 While spectacle headliners Nine Inch Nails, the Cure, and newly reunited indie rockers the Postal Service are sure to draw swarms to their flashing lights, it is the midday bands that really heat up the summer fest, including American noir star Lana del Rey, British nightingales Emeli Sande and Jessie Ware, hip-hop’s rising young’uns Azealia Banks and Chance the Rapper, and new draft picks Deap Vally and Haim. Sold out. Grant Park, from Monroe to Balbo. lollapalooza.com.

MUDHONEY
8/31 at 8 The grunge godfathers baptized the genre with 1988’s Superfuzz Bigmuff, a disarming and influential EP, as iconic of the Seattle sound as its control tower Sub Pop Records. Both celebrate 25 years in 2013 by pushing forward—Mudhoney with a mammoth ninth LP that shows why bands like Pearl Jam can still play at Wrigley instead of going extinct. $29. Mayne Stage, 1328 W Morse. maynestage.com.

NORTH COAST FESTIVAL
8/30–9/1 With a predominantly dance and hip-hop lineup, the folks behind North Coast bid adieu to festival season with a considerable care package. Legendary tribe Wu-Tang Clan deliver their seminal album 36 Chambers in full, while local indie rock trio On An On shows why it caught Time magazine’s attention. Other highlights: The producer extraordinaire Afrojack, local soul revivalists JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound, blues-rock trophy Gary Clark Jr., and hotwired electric circuits AlunaGeorge and Purity Ring. $150–$225 for a three-day pass. Union Park, 1501 W Randolph. clubtix.com.

TAYLOR SWIFT
8/10 at 6:30 The country-pop trailblazer is the working girl of the modern Nashville empire. On her latest album, Red, the “You Belong with Me” hit maker lapped industry vets with the highest album sales in a decade. Although choreographed arena productions suggest superstar, chaste odes of heartbreak root Swift in coffee shop culture, which makes her relatable to legions of adoring fans. $39.50–$99.50. Soldier Field, 1410 Museum Campus. ticketmaster.com.

Check back for more events:
Music: Folk, Country, World | Music: Classical, New Music, Opera | Theatre: Dramas
Music: Rock, Pop, Hip Hop | Theatre: Comedies | Music: Classic Rock, Blues, Soul
Theatre: Musicals | Art Galleries | Museums | Best of the Rest