Kenny Chesney, Zac Brown Band, Billy Currington and Uncle Kracker

4:30 P.M. SATURDAY. ARROWHEAD STADIUM.

Kenny Chesney already knows all about Arrowhead Stadium. The country music superstar and avid football fan served as one of George Strait’s opening acts at Arrowhead in 2001, the last time the stadium hosted a concert. Although he’s had to fight his way through a few rough patches in the intervening decade, Chesney now finds himself at the top of the country heap. Of the three performers supporting Chesney on Saturday — the Zac Brown Band, Billy Currington and Uncle Kracker — Brown is the strongest contender to top the bill at a country music blowout at Arrowhead in 2021. Advance tickets: $39.50 to $225.

O.A.R.

7 TONIGHT. CROSSROADS KC.

The group quickly developed a national following after the release of its 1997 debut album, “The Wanderer,” winning over the ears of college-aged students with songs such as “Crazy Game of Poker.” O.A.R. also has a reputation for dynamic live performances, typically playing different versions of the same songs at each show. The group’s new album, “King,” arrived in stores earlier this week. Tickets: $35-$50.

My Morning Jacket

7:30 P.M. WEDNESDAY. UPTOWN THEATER.

Let’s hear it for old-fashioned rock ’n’ roll bands. Like Wilco, Pearl Jam and Neil Young with Crazy Horse, My Morning Jacket lacks a gimmick, notable special effects or a particularly compelling image to attract fans to its concerts. Instead, the band from Kentucky makes no-nonsense guitar-based music that’s alternately spooky and life-affirming. A review in Rolling Stone suggested the songs on “Circuital,” the band’s new album, are “new-fangled packages for old-fangled transcendence.” Advance tickets: $33.

Paul Thorn

9 P.M. FRIDAY. KNUCKLEHEADS.

Paul Thorn had already staked a claim to fame before seriously pursuing a career as a story-telling troubadour. In 1988, he traded punches with legendary boxer Roberto Duran in a nationally televised match. Thorn lost. Numerous local appearances and a catalog of deeply amusing songs has made the Mississippi-based singer/songwriter a favorite among Kansas City audiences. As he’s backed by a full band while he performs his signature song, “I’d Rather Be a Hammer Than a Nail,” on Friday, Thorn will almost certainly admit that singing is a much more pleasant way to make a living than getting beat up by the likes of Duran. Tickets: $20 in advance.

Sonic Spectrum Tribute to AC/DC

8 P.M. SUNDAY. RECORD BAR.

96.5 the Buzz DJ and raconteur Robert Moore, known for his expertise in esoteric indie rock, rarely flirts with music’s mainstream. His unabashed affection for AC/DC is a rare exception. Moore has hand-selected tough-minded area musicians to interpret AC/DC’s immensely popular blues-based metal in the latest installment of his ongoing Sonic Spectrum tribute series. Included on the bill are manic punks the Architects, burly rockers Federation of Horsepower, barroom heroes Faster Than Hell and roots-rockers Mark Smeltzer & the Country Shags. Tickets: $7 in advance.

Cults

9 P.M. TUESDAY. RIOT ROOM.

It’s hard to believe that Cults, one of the breakout indie rock bands of 2011, will be appearing in the cozy confines of the Riot Room rather than at a much larger venue. Cults would even merit a prominent time slot at next weekend’s Kanrocksas festival. Indie rock fans seeking fresh “I saw ’em first” bragging rights need look no further than Tuesday’s show by the New York-based duo. The media-shy act Guards, California-based Writer and local up-and-comer Minden open the show for the Pitchfork-approved headliners. Tickets: $10 in advance.