Don’t miss…
Songstresses in the key of FLA Several alluringly diverse songstresses land in the Tampa Bay area this fall, including two NYC-based piano pop rockers. Jazz-leaning sultry-voiced Fiona Apple backs her first LP in seven years (Sept. 29, Ruth Eckerd Hall) while blue-eyed dulcet-toned Russian-American darling Regina Spektor issued her sixth full-length, What We Saw From the Cheap Seats, in May (Nov. 15, Ruth Eckerd). We’ve also got the tropicali-quirky outbursts of Rachel Goodrich (Sept. 23, Crowbar); iconic activist folk rocker Ani DiFranco (Oct. 16, The Ritz Ybor); the rhyme-slinging recording artist behind viral single “Gucci Gucci,” Kreayshawn (Nov. 8, Orpheum); alt-country folkie Iris DeMent (Dec. 9, Capitol Theatre); and long-lasting alt-rock maniac Natalie Merchant (Jan. 18, Ruth Eckerd).
One-stop hip-hop shop Pretty much every flavor of high-quality hip-hop is on tap over the next several months, starting with Yelawolf (Sept. 19, State Theatre), a young, white and tatted Slim Shady-in-training Southern rapper, followed by Dr. Dre-approved Comptonite Kendrick Lamar (Sept. 26, The Ritz Ybor). Wu Tang alum GZA hits town on a tour that has him playing Liquid Swords — his critically-acclaimed sophomore solo LP — in its entirety with some pretty stellar opening acts (Sweet Valley, Bear Hands) (Oct. 10, The Ritz, Ybor). Die Antwoord reps freaky-experimental rap rave sounds from South Africa (Oct. 23, The Ritz Ybor); the Yoni Wolf-led WHY? delivers their own weirdo mix of alt hip-hop and indie rock (Oct. 28, Crowbar); Harlem’s “Goldie” single-maker A$AP Rocky is joined by his A$AP Mob and Detroit quack-rapper Danny Brown (Nov. 10, The Ritz Ybor); and Atlanta’s own Southern hip-hop purveyor, Waka Flocka Flame (Nov. 15, The Ritz Ybor), rounds it out for now.
Retro flashback Three concerts feature performers that enjoyed their heydays in the ’70s and ’80s. Blondie and Devo co-headline the “Whip It To Shreds” tour (Sept. 23, England Brothers Bandshell Park). New Wave/post punk luminary Adam Ant makes up a date re-scheduled from February (Sept. 27, Hard Rock Cafe). And most highly anticipated — Public Image Ltd. (PiL), the seminal rock band formed by John Lydon after the demise of the Sex Pistols that reunited in 2010 after 18 years off (Oct. 6, Cuban Club).
Also on the radar…
Elton John The Rocket Man’s first headlining gig here in 14 years is a special enough occasion, but the show makes for a spectacular kick-off for the newly renovated Sun Dome. Sept. 14, USF Sun Dome.
Florence + the Machine The UK’s soulful rocking Florence Welch-led purveyors of the smash 2010 single, “Dog Days Are Over.” Sept. 25, USF Sun Dome.
Metric The Canadian indie rock band fronted by Emily Haines (Broken Social Scene). Sept. 29, The Ritz Ybor.
Gotye This could be the last chance to see blowing-up Belgian-Aussie art pop rocker Gotye in such a small venue … and you’ve gotta drive to Orlando on a Monday night for those particular bragging rights. Oct. 8, House of Blues.
Andrew Bird with Here We Go Magic The multi-instrumentalist phenom treats his fans to proper stage-warming with electro-folkadelic outfit Here We Go Magic. Oct. 9, Straz Center.
Band of Horses Seattle’s Southern crunchy indie rock quintet stops here a month after the release of their fourth studio album. Oct. 14, The Ritz Ybor.
Shpongle This British downtempo/ambient psych-synth music project has been cranking jams since 1996. Oct. 25, The Ritz Ybor.
Weezer Rivers Cuomo and his merry band of mainstream alt rock Cosby sweater-wearing miscreants. Nov. 9, Mahaffey Theater.
Dr. Dog Live, the exuberance of this psych rock six-piece is intoxicating. Nov. 10, State Theatre.
Japandroids The super-hip garage-noise duo is touring on the heels of a 2012 third album. Nov. 28, Crowbar, Ybor City.
Dan Deacon The DIY electro artist's ecstatic, celebratory show is a definite treat. Dec. 15, Crowbar.
This article appears in Sep 6-12, 2012.