Paul Simon At 76, it makes sense that Paul Simon is saying bye to tour life. This Amalie show isn’t as big of a deal as Elton John’s farewell gig, but an arena concert where one half of Simon & Garfunkel says thanks to lifelong fans should definitely be on the radar. Sept. 7. Amalie Arena, Tampa. 8 p.m. $50-$150. 813- 301-2500. amaliearena.com.
Adult. w/Plack Blague It’s been two decades since Detroit wife-husband duo Adult. emerged from the Motor City’s electro-techno scene, but this just might be Nicola Kuperus and Adam Lee Miller’s Bay area debut, too. Fitting since it’s happening at a venue that’s poised to finally sustain life at a much-beleaguered University of Tampa area haunt where another indie fave (Jacuzzi Boys) is set to play later in the fall. Bonus points because Rob Halford-approved, gay-dance, leatherbound weirdo Raws Schlesinger opens the show as Plack Blague. Sept. 21. Hooch and Hive, Tampa. 9 p.m. $12. 813-251-1234. aestheticized.com.
Troye Sivan w/Kim Petras/Leland South African-born Australian pop enigma Troye Sivan has the seal of approval from one of music’s biggest stars (Taylor Swift brought the 23-year-old out during one of her Los Angeles stadium shows). This is a chance to see the young LGBT icon and “My, My, My” singer up close and personal in a room that you won’t see him in again (the same could be said for the Christina Aguilera show happening at Mahaffey in November). Sept. 28. Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg. 7:30 p.m. $45.50 & up. 727-892-5767. themahaffey.com.
David Byrne w/Tune-Yards David Byrne’s American Utopia tour finds the Talking Heads songwriter and accompanying band/dancers roaming freely about the stage during a show that critics are already calling a once-in-a-lifetime thing. Throw in the fact that Merrill Garbus’ Tune-Yards project will open the show, and what you have is a no-brainer. Sept. 30. Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg. 7 p.m. $59.50 & up. 727-892-5767. themahaffey.com.
Hinds Troye Sivan or Ed Sheeran may be the biggest imports on the Bay area’s fall slate of pop shows, but don’t sleep on Madrid’s Hinds. The young, exciting and hard-partying indie band recently worked on a new album with Strokes producer Gordon Raphael, who helped Hinds achieve a gritty garage-rock sound that’s poppy enough to make you feel like you just caught Ariana Grande in a back alley smoking a doob with The Drums. This is one of three killer femme-informed shows (read: Mothers on Sept 29., Pale Waves on Halloween) at Crowbar this fall. Oct. 2. Crowbar, Ybor City. 7 p.m. $14-$16. 813-241-8600. crowbarybor.com.
4U: A Symphonic Celebration of Prince w/Wolf Trap Orchestra There’s plenty of Prince lovin’ to go around this fall (Morris Day & the Time and Sheila E. are playing the Clearwater Jazz Holiday), but this Questlove-curated symphonic tribute to the Purple One should take the cake since it’s the first major live tour that the late pop icon’s estate has officially sanctioned. Questo isn’t touring with the production, but he did pick the songs and work on on the orchestral arrangements, which a live band and orchestra plus an assortment of vocalists will perform. Oct. 5. Yuengling Center, Tampa. 8 p.m. $25 & up. 813-974-3111. yuenglingcenter.com.
Horsewhip LP Release w/Yashira/Reality Asylum/Sentries To CL, local album release shows trump all the rest (shout-out to old-school Tampa emo band Pohgoh making its comeback in September). This one from Horsewhip — a St. Petersburg hardcore quartet featuring ex-members of Reversal of Man, Combatwoundedveteran, and Early Grace — is easily the loudest, and also an opportunity for scene newbs to get acquainted with one of Tampa’s most charming and divey DIY venues. Oct. 6. American Legion Seminole Post 111, Tampa. 8 p.m. $5 donation. 813-237-1271. horsewhipfl.com.
Todd Snider Hard Working Americans’ March set at Gasparilla Music Festival was a reminder that Nashville songwriting weirdo Todd Snider is one of the most righteous and radical barefooted hippies out there. Community radio station WMNF 88.5 FM is bringing the 51-year-old Americana icon back for a solo set under the Skipperdome, which just may end up being the folk-rock show of the year. Oct. 12. Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa. 8 p.m. $20. 813-971-0666. wmnf.org.
Denzel Curry Plenty of hip-hop this fall, but Denzel Curry is far better than all the other lil Soundcloud rappers out there. The Florida native’s 2018 album, TA13OO, will likely land on a lot of year-end best-of lists, and this could be the last time you see the 23-year-old in a room this small again. Oct. 15. Orpheum, Ybor City. 7 p.m. $25 & up. 813-248-9500. theorpheum.com.
The Breeders Minus the Bear is bringing its breakup tour to the same venue, but that’s not enough to drag that show out from underneath the shadow of this one from indie-rock figureheads The Breeders, who returned with one hell of a comeback album, All Nerve, this spring. Oct. 18. The Ritz, Ybor City. 7 p.m. $25.50 & up. 813-784-6198. theritzybor.com.
Bob Dylan Sure, it’s pretty much a never-ending tour where fans aren’t ever quite sure about what they’re going to get, but Bob Dylan (arguably the most important folk songwriter in American history) is 77 years old, and, well, these bodies don’t last forever. While seeing Dylan’s 2013 mini-festival at the old Gary amp was cool, nothing beats the large-scale intimacy achieved at Clearwater’s most important venue. Oct. 20. Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater. 7 p.m. $72.75-$132.75. 727-791-7400. rutheckerdhall.com.
Pre Pre-Fest w/Love Lost/Happy Accidents/Hora Douse/Lost In Society/more Big Pre-Fest is easily Tampa Bay’s best 48 hours of punk rock bliss, but let’s not forget the even more homegrown unaffiliated smaller shows surrounding the festivities. This one is international (bands from Canada, the U.K. France, Venezuela, Finland and Jersey are on the bill) and cheap as dirt, too. Oct. 23. Lucky You Tattoo, St. Petersburg. 5 p.m. $15. 727-623-9928. luckyyou.tattoo.
J Balvin If you believe in streaming numbers, then J Balvin may be the biggest pop star on the planet (in July, Spotify announced that the 33-year-old’s fifth studio album, _Vibras_, had accrued over 48 million monthly listeners on Spotify, besting previous record-holder Drake). The hype is well deserved, too. Balvin’s uplifting take on reggaeton is bringing Latin pop to the masses in the biggest way, and we’re hoping to see this show sell out. Oct. 27. Yuengling Center, Tampa. 8 p.m. $56.20 & up. 813-974-3111. yuenglingcenter.com.
Shemekia Copeland The Attic above Rock Brothers tasting room has birthed a new era of intimate Ybor City concerts, and this one from Johnny Copeland offspring and emerging blues icon Shemekia Copeland is just one, soulful shred of the venue’s ambitious, and appreciated, calendar. Nov. 11. The Attic at Rock Brothers Brewing, Ybor City. 7 p.m. $35-$55. 813-41-0110. rockbrothersbrewing.com.
Ray LaMontagne Bay area fans of bearded, beautiful folk are living their best lives this fall thanks to an appearance from Iron & Wine (playing Tampa Theatre on Nov. 15) and this show with reclusive, husky-voiced songwriter savant Ray LaMontagne, who’ll be backed by Wilco’s John Stirratt on bass (and, we assume, some vox) for this date as part of an insanely anticipated 25-date acoustic tour. Nov. 11. Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg. 7:30 p.m. $49.50-$99.50. 727-892-5767. themahaffey.com.
Elton John Don’t act surprised by the fact that Sir Elton John is taking three years to say goodbye to fans. Just be happy that the 300-plus-date “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” world tour is stopping in Tampa sooner than later. Do be unhappy, however, if you end up without a ticket to what is sure to be a sold-out soiree. Nov. 28. Amalie Arena, Tampa. 8 p.m. $55.75-$245.75. 813-301-2500. amaliearena.com.
Underøath w/Dance Gavin Dance A surprise guest has yet to be announced, but it’ll already be a treat to see posthardcore hometown-band-gone-global Underøath headline an arena that’s just a few miles away from where many of the band’s members went to high school. Dec. 14. Yuengling Center, Tampa. 7 p.m. 813-974-3111. yuenglingcenter.com.
We’ve got a few more of the big ones, festivals and essentially-obscure shows listed below.
ALSO PLAYING
Electronic
September 20, Prefuse 73 (Crowbar, Ybor City)
Classical
September 21, Game of Thrones w/Ramin Djawadi (Amalie Arena, Tampa)
Hip-hop
September 1, Jeezy (Whiskey North, Tampa)
September 22, Ski Mask the Slump God w/Bandhunta Izzy/Danny Towers/DJ Scheme (The Ritz Ybor)
October 5, Trick Daddy w/Trina (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)
Emo
September 14, Pohgoh Album Release w/DieAlps!/Blacksmith/Emo Night Tampa DJs (Crowbar, Ybor City)
October 7, The Early November w/The Dangerous Summer/Save Face/Jetty Bones (Crowbar, Ybor City)
Butt-rock
October 12, Kid Rock w/Brantley Gilbert (MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa)
Rock
September 17, Rainbow Kitten Surprise (Orpheum, Ybor City)
September 27, Anders Osborne (The Attic at Rock Brothers Brewing, Ybor City) SOLD OUT
October 14, The Struts (Orpheum, Ybor City)
Punk
October 20, Doyle (Crowbar, Ybor City)
October 25, NoTaFeStShOw w/Doc Hopper/Mikey Erg/Slap of Reality (Planet Retro Records, St. Petersburg)
Soul-pop
October 18, Maxwell (Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg)
October 12, Mike Yung w/Tommy Phenom & Cherry Bomb/DJ Deacon (Crowbar, Ybor City)
November 2, Allen Stone w/Nick Waterhouse (The Ritz, Ybor City)
Americana
September 23, Lucero w/Brent Cowles (The Ritz, Ybor City)
November 2, Lyle Lovett & Robert Earl Keen w/Joshua Reilly (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Classic rock/pop
September 14, Scorpionsw/ Queensryche (Amalie Arena, Tampa)
September 21, Here Come the Mummies (Capitol Theatre, Clearwater)
October 16, Lindsey Buckingham (Capitol Theatre, Clearwater)
October 24, Toto (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
November 5, Dickey Betts w/Billy Gibbons (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
November 7, Amy Ray (Crowbar, Ybor City)
November 9, Simple Minds (Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg)
Kids music that adults love
November 11, Koo Koo Kanga Roo (Capitol Theatre, Clearwater)
Country
September 15, Dierks Bentley w/Brothers Osborne/LANCO (MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa)
September 16, Sunny Sweeny w/Mickey Lamantia/the Hummingbirds (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)
September 28, Lady Antebellum w/Darius Rucker]/Russell Dickerson (MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa)
November 12, Vince Gill (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Pop
August 31, Charlie Puth w/Hailee Steinfield (MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa)
September 22, Niall Horan w/Maren Morris (MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa)
November 3, Twenty One Pilots (Amalie Arena, Tampa) SOLD OUT
November 7, Ed Sheeran w/LAUV/Snow Patrol (Raymond James Stadium, Tampa)
November 13, Christina Aguilera w/Big Boi (Mahaffey, St. Pete)
Alt-rock
September 28, Fozzy, w/Adelitas Way/the Stir (Orpheum, Ybor City)
September 28, Dashboard Confessional w/All Time Low/Gnash (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)
October 18, Beartooth (Orpheum, Ybor City)
October 19, Mike Shinoda (The Ritz, Ybor)
November 4, Jonathan Davis w/Birthday Massacre/Julien-K (Orpheum, Ybor City)
November 19, Hoobastank w/Secondhand Serenade (Capitol Theatre, Clearwater)
Opera/vocal
November 20, Il Divo (Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg)
Goth
October 31, Pale Waves (Crowbar, Ybor City)
November 25, Ghost (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Reggae
November 25 & 26, Michael Franti & Spearhead (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)
Indie-rock/pop
September 1, Mountain Goats (Orpheum, Ybor City)
September 13, Saintseneca w/TBA (Crowbar, Ybor City)
September 25, Jacuzzi Boys w/TBA (Hooch and Hive, Tampa)
September 27, Mat Kearney w/Atlas Genius (The Ritz, Ybor City)
October 5, Sales w/Trapfone (Crowbar, Ybor City)
October 10, Milky Chance (The Ritz, Ybor City)
September 29, Mothers (Crowbar, Ybor City)
October 18, The Nude Party w/Glove/Jackettes (Crowbar, Ybor City)
November 11, Sandy Alex G w/Halfwaif (Crowbar, Ybor City)
November 27, Minus The Bear (The Ritz, Ybor)
Blues
December 1, Robert Cray (Capitol Theatre, Clearwater)
Jam
December 1, moe. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)
Singer-songwriter/folk
September 23, John Wesley w/Geri X (Independent Bar and Café, Tampa)
November 15, Iron & Wine (Tampa Theatre, Tampa)
December 7, Leigh Nash of Sixpence None The Richer (The Attic at Rock Brothers Brewing, Ybor City)
Festival
October 18, Clearwater Jazz Holiday w/Sheila E./Morris Day and the Time/The Doobie Brothers/JJ Grey and Mofro/more (Coachman Park, Clearwater)
October 20, 8th Annual Tampa Pig Jig on the River w/Deer Tick/Chris Young/Riley Green/Futurebirds/Brett Dennen/Carson McHone (Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, Tampa)
November 3, 95.7 Beats By The Bay w/Keith Sweat/Fantasia/Tank/Next/Doug E. Fresh/Slick Rick (Vinoy Park, St. Petersburg)
November 15-17, St. Pete Beach BikeFest w/.38 Special/Sister Hazel/Travis Tritt/Saving Abel/Puddle of Mudd/Tobacco Rd Band/Greg Billings Band/Maiden Cane more (Tradewinds Island Grand Beach Resort, St. Pete Beach)
December 8, Winter Wonder Ride (Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, Tampa)
Jazz
December 8, Manhattan Transfer w/Herb Alpert/Lani Hall (Capitol Theatre, Clearwater)
Praise & Worship/Holiday
December 5, Brian Setzer Orchestra Christmas Tour (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
December 14, For King and Country w/Zach Williams (Amalie Arena, Tampa)
This article appears in Aug 23-30, 2018.