Wire: The U.K. punk-era iconoclasts have trimmed themselves down to an even leaner and meaner trio, and the recent “Red Barked Tree” – only their 12th studio album in 34 years – functions as a solid career overview of the band’s many stylistic shifts, 9 p.m. Saturday at Metro, 3730 N. Clark St., $21; etix.com.

Robert Plant: The former Led Zeppelin singer has left a lot of money on the table to pursue his artistic muse rather than cashing in on reunion tours. His Band of Joy includes monster guitarist Buddy Miller and sublime vocalist Patty Griffin,  8 p.m. Saturday with the North Mississippi Allstars at the Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Congress, $45, $75, $95; ticketmaster.com.

Emmylou Harris: The marvelous Nashville-based singer has forged a career that has skirted the edges of country convention while carrying forward the maverick soul of her ‘70s collaborator Gram Parsons. She headlines the Old Town School of Folk Music’s annual benefit concert, 6 p.m. Saturday at Old Town School of Folk Music, 4544 N. Lincoln Av., $250; 773-728-6000.

greg@gregkot.com

3 stars (out of 4)

The most cerebral of punk bands, Wire rarely wastes its time on the trivial. When the band has something to say, it regroups and records intensively, then it disappears. Now in the midst of its third major incarnation, this time as a trio, Wire retains its high standards on “Red Barked Tree” (Pink Flag), only its 12th studio album in 34 years. In contrast to the more focused violence on “Send” (2003), Wire’s latest releases -- “Object 47” (2008) and now “Red Barked Tree” -- function more as career overviews of the band’s many stylistic shifts. There’s the relentless attack of “Moreover” and “Two Minutes,” the hymn-like “Adapt,” the spastic “A Flat Tent,” the waltz-time title track, the deceptively serene “Please Take.” In the latter, the caustic collides with the beautiful, as Graham Lewis calmly sings over a dreamily atmospheric bed of guitars, “Please take your knife out of my back and when you do, please don’t twist it.” Wire doesn’t break ground on “Red Barked Tree,” but more than three decades into its career, the band’s deceptively simple songs still exude subversive allure.

greg@gregkot.com