Nicki Minaj
All of the Toronto Barbz will be in the house when the NOW cover star brings her bad self to the Molson Amphitheatre as part of her Pinkprint world tour. But it’s the guests she’s got in tow that put this concert over the top: rising R&B singer Tinashe, trappy Detroit rapper/singer Dej Loaf, ridiculously energetic recent NXNE headliners Rae Sremmurd and prolific Philly mixtaper Meek Mill. July 28 at the Molson Amphitheatre, 909 Lake Shore West. $47.75-$229.25. Ticketmaster.
Black Lips
The Horseshoe better batten down the hatches when Black Lips swing into town. The Atlanta bluesy garage rock four-piece put on a capital-S show, sometimes involving nudity, fireworks, vomiting… that sort of thing. (They’re on Vice, after all.) Solid local openers on each bill make the two-show engagement even more anticipated. Teenanger and Pow Wows support the first night, Milk Lines and the Beverleys the next. 370 Queen West. July 9 and 10. $22.50. horseshoetavern.com, rotate.com, soundscapesmusic.com.
Aboriginal Pavilion
Amid the Pan Am/Parapan Am Games hoopla, don’t let the Indigenous Music and Arts festival fall off your radar. It’s multidisciplinary. It’s free. It’s outdoors at Fort York’s Garrison Common. It’s on for 17 days, starting with a Cree Cabaret on July 14 with Tomson Highway and Patricia Cano. The music component includes over 40 indigenous North American musicians: A Tribe Called Red, Digging Roots, Crystal Shawanda, Quetzal Guerrero, Susan Aglukark and Derek Miller, to name just a few. Food and dancing, too. July 10-26. 250 Fort York. alppavilion.ca.
