Jonas Brothers
Has the Jonas Brothers' hold on teenage girls' hearts, wallets, and bedroom walls run its course? It would appear so, now that so many Jonas fans are afflicted with temporarily incurable cases of Bieber Fever. But the Jonas Brothers' reign never really seemed as strong or as widespread as corporate bosses Disney made it appear. Their albums — the latest is last year's Lines, Vines and Trying Times — sold well, but they weren't monster huge. And the most talented one's solo project from earlier this year — Nick Jonas and the Administration's Who I Am — was a bust. The Jonases have a pair of ventures on Disney Channel's schedule: the weekly Jonas L.A. series and the upcoming Camp Rock 2: Final Jam movie. Their respective soundtracks bombed. So how will this week's concert at the Q go over? No doubt there are still fans out there who'll shriek, squeal, and probably not hear a note of music once Nick, Joe, and Kevin walk onstage. And until Bieber plays Cleveland in November, this will have to do. — Michael Gallucci
Jonas Brothers, with Demi Lovato. 7 p.m. Tuesday, August 31. Quicken Loans Arena. Tickets: $32-$92; call 888-894-9424 or go to theqarena.com.
Brooks & Dunn/Merle Haggard
After 20 years together, country duo Brooks & Dunn are calling it quits after one last tour. And there are only a few dates left: The final show is scheduled in Nashville next week. Their "Last Rodeo" pretty much started a year ago, when Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn released the two-disc Number 1s ... and Then Some, a career-spanning compilation that reveals just how solid a recording act they have become over two decades. The band's modern-day honky tonk is way more durable than their big hats and occasional sentimentality let on. Be sure to get to the concert early: Opener Merle Haggard isn't going to be around forever either. The 73-year-old country-music legend released his most consistent album in years in April. He'll probably play some songs from I Am What I Am during his set, but he has 45 years' worth of hits to choose from. There's no doubt when it comes to Haggard's honky tonk. It's the real thing. — Gallucci
Brooks & Dunn, with Merle Haggard. 7:30 p.m. Thursday, August 26. Blossom Music Center. Tickets: $20-$69.50; call 330-920-8040 or go to livenation.com.
Lou Barlow
To paraphrase John Waters: If you're still full of the same piss and vinegar at age 50 as you were at 20, you're probably a jerk. While Lou Barlow is six years away from that 50-year mark, he isn't quite stuck in the indie rock and low-fi limbo of his past. As members of Dinosaur Jr., Sebadoh, and the Folk Implosion, Barlow has steered his entire career toward the anti-mainstream, DIY aesthetic. His most recent solo albums, 2005's Emoh and last year's Goodnight Unknown, are smooth, accomplished, and grown-up, but you don't have to worry about Barlow taking over one of the vacated judges' seats on American Idol any time soon. His willowy, breathy vocals and pensive romantic ruminations remain fundamental — there's just less tape hiss and more ripened angst these days. Goodnight Unknown (recorded with the Melvins' Dale Crover and singer-songwriter Lisa Germano) has the subdued and melodious style of vintage Nick Drake and Simon and Garfunkel. But don't confuse this dexterity with dullness. Barlow certainly doesn't. — Mark Keresman
Lou Barlow, with Wye Oak and Rainy Day. 8 p.m. Friday, August 27. Grog Shop. Tickets: $12, $10 in advance; call 216-321-5588 or go to grogshop.gs.
Xavier Rudd/Good Old War
Sustainability hero, surfer, and singer-songwriter Xavier Rudd wears a lot of labels these days. But don't let things like a 2007 PETA award for "World's Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity" throw you. Rudd's blend of blues, roots, and world beat — not his love of leafy greens, animal rights, and straw-bale housing — have made this didgeridoo-carrying Aussie a sleeper sensation. Rudd has toured with Jack Johnson, Ani DiFranco, and G. Love & Special Sauce, made fast friends with fellow musician-activists like Ben Harper and Michael Franti, and owes much of his success to a pair of lauded sets at Bonnaroo a few years ago. Peppered with slide guitar, banjo, and Aboriginal vocals, Rudd's latest roots-inspired album, Koonyum Sun, melds messages of love, social justice, and environmental consciousness with late-night surf-and-campfire moodiness. Rudd and his group Izintaba (bassist Tio Moloantoa and percussionist Andile Nqubezelo) are faithful to the songs onstage, but they often open them up with improvisation. Get there early for Philly indie-folk group Good Old War, who warm things up. They played a barn-burning set at the Kent Stage when they supported Brandi Carlile last month. They'll probably do the same here. — Peter Chakerian
Xavier Rudd, with Izintaba and Good Old War. 8:30 p.m. Friday, August 27. House of Blues. Tickets: $21, $18 in advance; call 216-523-2583 or go to houseofblues.com.
Ozomatli
After 15 years of urban collision music, wildly inventive culture-mashers Ozomatli should be a household name. The global grooves emanating from this Los Angeles collective speaks to the melting pot and harmonic cacophony found in the group's hometown. Ozo's career started with community activism (they formed to play a labor protest), but their mash-up of hip-hop, dancehall, salsa, merengue, and funk has snagged many disparate fans over the years. A favorite of Carlos Santana — who toured alongside the band and has also engaged musical invention throughout his career to break down social and cultural barriers — Ozo show no signs of cooling. At the invitation of the U.S. State Department, the group served as official cultural ambassadors for a series of government-sponsored international tours of Asia, Africa, South America, and the Middle East. That says a lot about their fire-branded live shows. The Grammy award-winning band is supporting Fire Away, its latest slate of Mexifunk genre-splicing. Like all of Ozo's music, it's grandiose, chock-full of positivity, and downright joyful. Detractors may say it's all been done, but Ozomatli dispel any convention with spirit. — Chakerian
Ozomatli. 8 p.m. Sunday, August 29. Beachland Ballroom. Tickets: $20; call 216-383-1124 or go to beachlandballroom.com.