Holiday Arts Guide: Locals bands and touring favorites unwrapping a little jingle swing

Nov. 27—The holidays are about tradition, and after a season without concerts due to the pandemic, this is the year to return to an old favorite or start a new tradition altogether. While some acts — including the Blenders and George Winston — chose to sit this one out, this season's Twin Cities concert calendar is filled with familiar locals (Lorie Line, the New Standards, Trailer Trash) and touring favorites (Jim Brickman, Pentatonix, For King and Country) eager to provide a little jingle bell swing for fans. Here's a look at what's on tap.

The Dakota

Nov. 28, Dec. 3-5, 8-15: Windham Hill's Winter Solstice (4 and 7 p.m. Nov. 28; $40-$30); Nicholas David's Annual St. Nick's Day Show (7 and 9 p.m. Dec. 3; $40-$30); Holiday in the Heartland (5:30 p.m. Dec. 4; donation of your choice); Home for the Holidays with Ginger Commodore, T. Mychael Rambo and Thomasina Petrus (7 p.m. Dec. 5; $25-$20); Hot Sardines Holiday Stomp (7 and 9 p.m. Dec. 8; $45-$35); David Benoit Christmas Tribute to Charlie Brown (7 and 9 p.m. Dec. 9; $55-$35); The Beautiful Day: Kurt Elling Sings Christmas (7 and 9 p.m. Dec. 10; $45-$35); Merry Christmas from Jose James (7 p.m. Dec. 11-12; $50-$40); The Peterson Family — Twas the Jam Before Christmas (7 p.m. Dec. 13-14; $40-$30); and Morgan James: A Very Magnetic Christmas (7 and 9 p.m. Dec. 15; $45-$35). Dakota, 1010 Nicollet Ave., Mpls.; dakotacooks.com.

Chanhassen Dinner Theatres

Nov. 28-Dec. 31: Chanhassen Dinner Theatres is devoting an entire month to holiday concerts. Tickets are $40. The lineup includes: A Three Tenors Christmas (7 p.m. Nov. 28), Rock and Roll Xmas Spectacular (8:15 p.m. Dec. 1-4 and 8-11, 1 p.m. Dec. 4 and 11, 7 p.m. Dec. 5 and 12), JazzMN Returns Home for the Holidays (7:30 p.m. Dec. 13), Christmas ... With a Whole Lot of Soul (8:15 p.m. Dec. 14-15, 1 p.m. Dec. 15), A Kat Perkins Christmas (8:15 p.m. Dec. 16-18, 1 p.m. Dec. 18), Celtic Holiday Hooley (7 p.m. Dec. 19, 7:45 p.m. Dec. 20-21, 1 p.m. Dec. 20-21), Christmas on the Prairie (8:15 p.m. Dec. 22-23, 1 p.m. Dec. 22), An Andy and Bing Christmas (1 and 7 p.m. Dec. 26, 8:15 p.m. Dec. 27-31, 1 p.m. Dec. 29), Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, 501 W. 78th St., Chanhassen; 952-934-1525 or chanhassendt.com.

Ames Center

Nov. 30, Dec. 2-3, 13-14, 16-21: The Ames Center in Burnsville is offering an eclectic array of concerts, including Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (7:30 p.m. Nov. 30; $54-$34), Rocky Mountain High Experience: A John Denver Christmas (8 p.m. Dec. 2-3; $60), Shaun Johnson and the Big Band Experience (7:30 p.m. Dec. 13; $39), Tonic Sol-fa (7:30 p.m. Dec. 14; $41), That Holiday Feeling (7 p.m. Dec. 16; $30), For Kids From 1 to 92 (7:30 p.m. Dec. 17; $53-$33), Rhythmic Circus Holiday Shuffle (7:30 p.m. Dec. 18; $50-$30), An Andy and Bing Christmas (2 p.m. Dec. 19; $43-$38), Hitchville Country Christmas (7:30 p.m. Dec. 20; $28) and Anthony Shore's Christmas With Elvis (7:30 p.m. Dec. 21; $48-$28). Ames Center, 12600 Nicollet Ave., Burnsville; 952-895-4685 or ames-center.com.

The New Standards

Dec. 3-4: The Suburbs' Chan Poling and his jazz trio the New Standards present their 14th annual holiday show. In addition to the two evening performances, they're offering a shorter, family-friendly Saturday matinee. Expect jazzy takes on holiday classics, special high-wattage surprise guests and plenty of friendly banter from the chatty group, which also features John Munson of Trip Shakespeare and Semisonic on bass and Steve Roehm of Electropolis on vibraphone. 8 p.m. Dec. 3-4 and 4 p.m. Dec. 4; State Theatre, 805 Hennepin Ave. S., Mpls.; $124-$29; hennepintheatretrust.org.

Jim Brickman

Dec. 3: Now 59, romantic piano sensation Jim Brickman has spent more than 25 years recording and touring on the back of his music, which includes solo piano compositions, pop-inspired instrumentals and vocal collaborations with a long list of guests. His annual holiday tour ties in with his latest CD, "A Christmas Symphony," which features vocalists Kelli O'Hara and John Ondrasik. 7:30 p.m.; Concert Hall at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, 345 Washington St., St. Paul; $85-$33; 651-224-4222 or ordway.org.

Lorie Line

Dec. 4, 19: Pianist Lorie Line celebrates Christmas like no one else, with her 31st annual holiday tour offering 28 shows in eight states. Line, who famously got her start playing in Dayton's, is performing the tour solo and also offering a virtual concert available from Dec. 6 through 31 (tickets are $30 via lorieline.com). Line's Twin Cities performances are in Burnsville (3 p.m. Dec. 4; Ames Center, 12600 Nicollet Ave.; $63; 952-895-4685 or ames-center.com) and Plymouth (3 p.m. Dec. 19; Providence Academy Performing Arts Center, 15100 Schmidt Lake Road; $60; 952-474-1000).

Trailer Trash

Dec. 4, 10-11, 17-18: Minnesota's own honky tonk masters Trailer Trash are spending December airing their popular Trashy Little Xmas Show in venues across the Twin Cities. There are plenty of chances to catch them: 8 p.m. Dec. 4, Parkway Theater, 4814 Chicago Ave. S., Mpls., $35-$25, theparkwaytheater.com; 7 p.m. Dec. 10-11, Hook and Ladder Theater and Lounge, 3010 Minnehaha Ave. S., Mpls., $25, thehookmpls.com; and 8 p.m. Dec. 17-18, Turf Club, 1601 University Ave. W., St. Paul, $27-$25, axs.com.

Mystic Lake Casino

Dec. 4, 11, 18: Mystic Lake Casino has booked three holiday concerts, including A Very Countess Christmas (8 p.m. Dec. 4; $59-$39), Josh Turner: Holiday and the Hits (8 p.m. Dec. 11; sold out) and Marie Osmond's Magical Symphonic Christmas (8 p.m. Dec. 18; $49). Mystic Lake Casino, 2400 Mystic Lake Blvd., Prior Lake; 952-496-6563 or mysticlake.com.

Treasure Island Casino

Dec. 10, 19, 29: Treasure Island Casino has booked three holiday concerts, including Chris Isaak Holiday (8 p.m. Dec. 10; $89-$59), A Luminare Christmas (7 p.m. Dec. 19; $47.50-$29) and the Beach Boys Holiday Harmonies (7 p.m. Dec. 29; $79-$59). Treasure Island Casino, 5734 Sturgeon Lake Road, Welch; 800-222-7077 or ticasino.com.

For King and Country

Dec. 11: Australian brothers Joel and Luke Smallbone began their career when they were still in high school and provided backing vocals for Christian pop artist Rebecca St. James. In 2009, they signed a deal with Warner Music Group and began recording as For King and Country. Their 2012 debut album "Crave" peaked at No. 4 on Billboard's Christian albums chart and remained on the chart for 41 weeks. The brothers have since become a huge presence on contemporary Christian radio, where most of their singles land in the Top 10. A Drummer Boy Christmas is the name of their holiday tour. 7 p.m.; Target Center, 600 First Ave. N., Mpls.; $150-$20; 888-929-7849 or targetcenter.com.

A Christmas Celebration with the Steeles

Dec. 18-20: While they were born and raised in Indiana, the Steele family have called the Twin Cities home for years now and perform holiday gigs each December. This year they're livestreaming the show from the Dakota, with two encore performances. During their time in Minnesota, they've built a stellar resume, recording and performing with a list of artists that includes Prince, Donald Fagen, Morgan Freeman, George Clinton, Kim Carnes, James Cleveland and Mahalia Jackson. Their music has also been used in the films "Hoop Dreams," "Graffiti Bridge" and "Corrina, Corrina." Expect to hear a high-spirited evening of gospel-infused Christmas songs and all-around good cheer. 7 p.m. Dec. 18-19, 4 p.m. Dec. 20; $20; dakotacooks.com.

Pentatonix

Dec. 18: The five-piece a cappella group Pentatonix won the third season of NBC's "The Sing-Off" and a contract with Sony Music. They built a strong online following through the group's YouTube channel, which now boasts nearly 19.3 million subscribers. The group's Daft Punk medley, which has been viewed 355 million times on YouTube, won them their first of three Grammy Awards. In October, the group released their fifth holiday album, "Evergreen." 7 p.m.; Target Center, 600 First Ave. N., Mpls.; $360-$25.50; 888-929-7849 or targetcenter.com.