Pop Music

This post has been updated. See below for details. Any appreciation of soul singer Fontella Bass, who died Wednesday at age 72, must first acknowledge “Rescue Me,” the propellant 1965 R&B banger that became her signature. But equally vital in her -- and the American -- pantheon is “Theme de Yoyo,” her rousing vocal turn during the free jazz collective Art Ensemble of Chicago's 1970 album “Les Stances a Sophie.” Fontella Bass: An Appreciation The two works illustrate the range of the singer's power: One is a gut-busting soul cry, the other a nine-minute thrill ride that drives funk and boundary-busting jazz through one instrumental climax after another.

Mid-City's Tarfest is beginning to stake out a niche for bringing ace local indie rock to an unlikely setting of geologic importance. Everest, A House for Lions, Saint Motel and others play alongside a bevy of entertainment, art and food. Hancock Park area, 5801 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. Noon Sun. Free. tarfest.com.

Janet Jackson will reprise her many chart-topping R&B hits for this retrospective tour, during which she'll try to reassert her place among today's young crop of party-nihilist divas. Santa Barbara Bowl, 1122 N. Milpas St., Santa Barbara. 7 p.m. Sat.-Sun. $47.50-$137.50. http://www.sbbowl.com

After a ravely reviewed Staples Center show earlier this week, Britney Spears' latest comeback tour seems to be off to a triumphant start. Fans have another chance to catch the pop princess onstage at the Honda Center, with Nicki Minaj, Jessie and the Toy Boys and Nervo opening. Honda Center, 2695 E. Katella Ave., Anaheim. 7 p.m. Fri. $25.50 and up. (714) 704-2400. http://www.hondacenter.com.

Jon Brion's rambunctious Largo sets, where he plays pretty much every device capable of sonorous pleasure on a loop, have become a tradition of L.A.'s smart-pop demimonde. Come hear the most imaginative and tastefully curated gantlet of covers in the West Coast, and expect a revolving crowd of adoring alt-celebs at his feet. Largo, 366 N. La Cienega Blvd., L.A. 9:30 p.m. Fri. $25. http://www.largola.com.

Amid the cross-pollination between hip-hop and dance music, French producer and house DJ David Guetta has parlayed clubland success in Europe into crossover appeal, thanks to collaborations with such artists as Kelly Rowland, Akon, the Black Eyed Peas and Kid Cudi. He brings his catalog of upbeat grooves laced with catchy guest vocals to Hollywood just ahead of the release of his latest album, "One More Love," out at the end of the month. Hollywood Palladium, 6215 W. Sunset Blvd., L.A. 8 p.m. Sat. $79.25.

Wizened veterans at an average age of 25, the spunky U.K. rockers Arctic Monkeys will cause some listeners to do a spit take with the title of their new album, "Suck It and See. " But the music is not quite so crass — instead, it's airtight, tense-coil post-punk with a bit of sun-cracked desert air to it, along with trademark barbed verbosity in the lyrics. Hollywood Palladium, 6215 Sunset Blvd., L.A. 8 p.m. $29.50. livenation.com.

MUSIC Put on your saddest pair of black jeans, dye your hair dark, grab your runniest black eyeliner and cry into your morning coffee: Morrissey, the king of melancholy rock, is in town. The beloved, deep-voiced crooner and former frontman of the Smiths will bring his most practiced pout to the stage along with a host of songs off his new greatest hits collection sure to deliver the eager audience straight back to its most awkward high school years. The Shrine Auditorium, 665 W. Jefferson Blvd., L.A. 8 p.m. Sat. $45 to $79.50.