It’s Rocktober in St. Paul and it looks like it’s the city’s busiest month ever for live concerts.

Nine shows are booked at Xcel Energy Center, which stands as the Twin Cities’ finest large-scale venue. That’s a record for the most concerts in one month at the X, which opened for business in September 2000. And October’s lineup offers a little something for everyone. Friday, Pitbull and Enrique Iglesias will turn the hockey arena into a dance club, while highly acclaimed country star Chris Stapleton makes his debut on the stage on Saturday.

From there, the calendar includes contemporary Christian titan Chris Tomlin (Oct. 13); alt-rock acts Imagine Dragons (Oct. 16), Kings of Leon (Oct. 18), Fall Out Boy (Oct. 22) and Arcade Fire (Oct. 29); Minnesota’s own Bob Dylan (Oct. 25); and another country artist, Thomas Rhett (Oct. 27), in his first local arena headlining performance.

Next door at Roy Wilkins Auditorium, Queens of the Stone Age (Oct. 14) and Alt-J (Oct. 20) are expected fill the room.

Also downtown, the Palace Theatre kicked off the month with two sold-out Fleet Foxes shows. Chris Thile’s second-season debut as host of “A Prairie Home Companion” has sold out the room on Saturday, as have Pixies for their second of a two-night residency Tuesday and Wednesday. All the tickets are gone for 89.3 The Current favorites the War on Drugs (Oct. 18) and Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile (Oct. 25), while the rest of the Palace’s calendar includes Iron and Wine (Oct. 14), Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue (Oct. 20), Dinosaur Jr. (Oct. 26) and Umphrey’s McGee (Oct. 27-28).

Thile’s Palace show Saturday — which features guest Stapleton, a few hours before he hits the X — is part of Minnesota Public Radio’s 50th anniversary block party. The free event runs from 3 to 10 p.m. and features performances from the Minnesota Percussion Trio, the Steeles, VocalEssence, Dessa, and Thile and the Prairie Home Companion House Band (Landmark Plaza); and Walker West Music Academy, Alan Sparhawk and Gaelynn Lea, Jeremy Messersmith and Erik Koskinen (Ecolab Plaza).

While it’s not a concert, MPR’s Fitzgerald Theater will host Lynne Rossetto Kasper in her final broadcast of “The Splendid Table” on Oct. 12. The terrific Kasper is retiring and turning the show over to Francis Lam. Thile will also be on hand that night and return to the Fitz for “APHC” on Oct. 14 (with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and Margaret Glaspy) and Oct. 21 (with Randy Newman and Margo Price). The venue also hosts folk/dance duo Niyaz (Oct. 23), singer/songwriter Shawn Colvin with Red House Records’ Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams (Oct. 26) and a book release/concert to launch the Current DJ Andrea Swensson’s new book “Got to Be Something Here: The Rise of the Minneapolis Sound” (Oct. 28).

The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts is home to the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra (Friday-Saturday, Oct. 27-28), the Minnesota Opera’s “Don Pasquale” (Saturday-Oct. 15) and Schubert Club (Oct. 29). The Ordway also has a handful of other concerts on the schedule, including the tribute “The Simon and Garfunkel Story” (Oct. 10), the JazzMN Orchestra (Oct. 20), Cantus (Oct. 21), the Sphinx Virtuosi (Oct. 22), Air Supply (Oct. 26) and a night dubbed “An Intimate Evening with Yanni: Piano and Intimate Conversation” (Oct. 30).

Small stages around St. Paul are busy, too. Highlights from the Amsterdam Bar and Hall’s typically eclectic calendar include Raekwon (Friday), Marah in the Mainsail (Saturday), Zola Jesus (Tuesday), the Trashcan Sinatras (Oct. 12), Lil Peep (Oct. 17), the Misfits’ Michale Graves (Oct. 20), My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult (Oct. 21) and KMFDM (Oct. 27).

The Turf Club has shows booked nearly every night this month, including gigs featuring Agent Orange (Oct. 11), Jessica Hernandez and the Deltas (Oct. 13), Bob Log III (Oct. 17), the Hold Steady’s Craig Finn (Oct. 18), Chelsea Wolfe (Oct. 25), Hiss Golden Messenger (Oct. 26), Nick Lowe (Oct. 27-28) and the Rebirth Brass Band (Oct. 31).

Vieux Carre has music most nights as well, including Velvet Caravan (Oct. 11), Twin Cities Hot Club (Oct. 19), Dee Miller Band (Oct. 21) and Erica West Band (Oct. 28).