It's shaping up to be one busy weekend for concerts. Are you ready for it? Tonight there's Martin Rev at Reggie's Rock Club, Rakim at the Shrine, and Tal National at Martyrs' (for more on Tal National I'd recommend reading Peter Margasak's excellent B Side feature on the Nigerien band and the local studio engineer who has provided a crucial role in the group's career).

Tomorrow night you can check out Obituary at Cobra Lounge, the Men and Fuzz at Logan Square Auditorium, Bonobo at the Mid, or Parris Mitchell and Paul Johnson at Smart Bar. On Saturday there's the Spits at Empty Bottle, Black Milk at Subterranean, and Mucca Pazza at the Fall Ball at Logan Square Auditorium. If you make it through all that and want to see even more live music on Sunday night, you can go see Bonnie Raitt and Mavis Staples at Akoo Theatre.

All that is just a fraction of this weekend's concerts—check out Soundboard for a full list of everything that's happening in the days ahead. And be sure to read on for recommendations from a few of our critics.