Destiny's Last Dance
Easily the most popular girl group to achieve superstardom since the days of TLC, Destiny's Child spent much of the late '90s and early '00s at the top of the pop charts on the strength of a sound that imbued contemporary urban-music production with shades of soulful gospel and tons of skillful harmonies. The group was also omnipresent in industry tip sheets and gossip columns for a while, due to the parents-as-management situation and a seemingly endless line of young women filling and vacating the spot not reserved for Beyonce Knowles and Kelly Rowland.It's easy for pop-haters to dismiss the trio out of hand as a prefab producer's vehicle. (And make Jackson 5-style jokes about domineering parents. And blame Beyonce's smash solo single "Crazy in Love" for removing everything but the hook from club jams.) But anyone who's witnessed one of the ladies' infrequent a cappella performances knows they've got the talent, and this gig should be a cavalcade of suggestive dancing and really expensive, really revealing costumes. Plus, it might be the last time Florida fans get a chance to see 'em – the group has announced its intent to split permanently after the promotion cycle for its current album, Destiny Fulfilled.
Destiny's Child w/Mario/Amerie/Tyra. Saturday, July 16, St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa. 7 p.m., $62.25/$53.25/$43.25.
THURSDAY, JULY 14
DAVE MATTHEWS BAND Briefly among the most beloved bands on the planet, strum-pop/jam-lite flagship Dave Matthews Band has been very slowly backing out of the public eye since the millennial turnover, yet seems to be keeping its massive core audience as it does so. (Successfully negotiating this tricky move is known as "doing a Pearl Jam.") The group's last few efforts – particularly the Glen Ballard-helmed Everyday – have been noticeably blander than the tight, rhythmic fare that made it famous, however. Not that it matters; this show will be jammed to the gills anyhoo. (Ford Amphitheatre, Tampa)
REEL BIG FISH/AMERICAN HI-FI/EL-PUS/PUNCHLINE/ZOLOF THE ROCK & ROLL DESTROYER Enduring ska-punk party act Reel Big Fish weathered the lean years, and kept a pretty big fanbase throughout; now, the group celebrates ska almost being popular again with an album called We're Not Happy 'Til You're Not Happy, and this here Coast to Coast Roast tour spectacular. Filling out the lineup are faded but rocking power-pop combo American Hi-Fi ("Flavor of the Weak," y'all); Atlanta's hip-hop-meets-slop-rock El-Pus; punk-pop act Punchline; and Zolof The Rock & Roll Destroyer, a spastic coed rock unit from Philly. (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
FRIDAY, JULY 15
HOT HOT HEAT w/EISLEY/WORLD LEADER PRETEND Canadian quartet Hot Hot Heat broke out of the dance-punk underground this year with a pop-rock album called Elevator and annoyingly persistent MTV2 pimpage. See the Music Feature for the whole story, or just know that this gig will be absolutely packed with an entertaining mix of young hipsters who hate being called hipsters and young mainstream music fans who think they're hipsters. The only thing at Hot Topic that comes in white is belts, people. Providing support are rising outfit Eisley, and a mature yet interesting new quirk-pop band called World Leader Pretend. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
SATURDAY, JULY 16
DISCO INFERNO FEAT. THE TRAMMPS/PEACHES & HERB/THE SUGAR HILL GANG/THELMA HOUSTON Is it finally safe to put a package tour together and tag it with the word "disco"? Never was a genre so roundly thrashed and dismissed – virtually overnight, as the '70s gave way to the '80s. Maybe the re-embracement of the term disco dovetails with my recent willingness to admit that I, too, wore polyester bellbottoms and shirts (buttoned to the navel), stack shoes and high hair; that I, too, danced the hustle with some level of proficiency; that I, too, really liked a lot of Donna Summer's tunes and other disco songs. There, it's out. I feel cleansed. I feel old. But about the show: The most disco of the above acts is, to these ears, The Trammps, but overall it should be a fun evening of boogie-night nostalgia. Interesting factoid: The Sugar Hill Gang's early hip-hop hit "Rapper's Delight" copped the rhythm track from one of the great disco tunes ever, "Good Times" by Chic. (Lakeland Center, Lakeland) -ERIC SNIDER
THE DIRTY DOZEN BRASS BAND Amid the State Theatre's ongoing effort to eclecticize its programming, the Dirty Dozen really stands out. The ensemble plays New Orleans brass band music, which is a straight-up blast. With an array of horns, a marching bass drum for percussion and a tuba for bass, the DDBB makes a raucous, funky racket. The band is a mobile unit that moves around as it performs, sometimes in the crowd. No shoegazing or moshing here, folks, but if the band has anything to do with it, you will dance. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg) -ES
A BENEFIT FOR THE FAMILY OF TOMMY LASKAS Thomas Laskas was the tattoo artist so senselessly killed during a fight at Masquerade a few weeks back; he is survived by his wife (who also was injured at Masquerade) and stepdaughter. Some friends and sympathizers have gotten together to play music and raise money in his honor. There will be more of these in the coming months – and there was one last week, but it came together at the last minute, and we were unfortunately unable to list it on such short notice – but today's event (which starts at noon) features a lineup that runs from metal to pop to hip-hop to noisy-ass punk: Nemesis, Mr. Bella, Red Tide, Lives Page, Urbane Cowboys, The Semis, The Reset Method, Knowing Stu, Trace of Day, The Dukes of Hillsborough, The Tim Version, Soulfound, and Battlestar. (Masquerade, Ybor City)
KIMBERLY SUMMER Asheville, N.C., singer-songwriter Summer is celebrating the release of her new CD Listen all over the Southeast; she's just that kind of lady. Her Bay area stops include Harry's and Rum Runner's on St. Pete Beach as well as several other venues, but for her first night in town, she'll be plying her evocative and eclectic folk-rock at Safety Harbor's Green Springs Café. (Green Springs Café & Meeting Place, Safety Harbor)
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BIG NIGHT AT THE BANK A buttload of Bay area musicians do their thing, both full-volume and acoustic, at St. Pete's The Bank. Two stages, two itineraries, seven hours of strum and pummel. The acoustic stage features Crux Trigger's Randal Snyder, The Human Condition's Dean Johanesen, Ode's Gina and Jason, Chasing Yesterday's Travis Akers, and Shawn Fisher; the full-band stage boasts Ode, Bad Cat, Crux Trigger, Exodus 20:17, Fairweather Friend and Wasted Talent. (The Bank Nightclub & Concert Venue, St. Petersburg)
TUESDAY, JULY 19
THE BRAVERY w/NIC ARMSTRONG & THE THIEVES/THE DEAD 60S There are only two things you need to know about The Bravery, and you really only need to know one of those things if you're a music-scene gossip hound: the band apes the stylish synth-rock sounds of the '80s with cloyingly trendy aptitude, and its singer is the guy that tool from The Killers, in a stunning example of the pot calling the kettle black, publicly accused of bandwagon-jumping. Nic Armstrong digs much further back for his influences, recapturing the energy of primordial fuzzed out rock 'n' blues with tangible excitement and cool, while The Dead 60s, intriguingly, split the difference between The Clash and Oingo Boingo. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
DIGBY w/AUDITORIUM/FOUR STAR RIOT/KNOWING STU Digby hails from Louisville, and ably works an amiable pop-rock sound full of jaunty rhythms, infectious backups and vintage guitar sounds. I like 'em; they remind me a bit of a slightly more eclectic, retro and soulful Barely Pink, with some electric piano and the occasional synth line thrown in for good measure. Three of Pinellas County's better-known rock acts provide support with varying mixtures of the catchy and the crunchy. (Masquerade, Ybor City)
WEDNESDAY, JULY 20
VERTICAL HORIZON w/THE PAT McGEE BAND Originally a primarily acoustic college-days project, Vertical Horizon scored an Adult Alternative hit back in '99 with the title track from its major label debut Everything You Want. Several other tracks from the album garnered respectable airplay, and the group retained a high profile as it headed into the studio to record a follow-up. The usual corporate bullshit delayed the follow-up until '03, and by then the band was largely forgotten by pop culture at large. Opening act The Pat McGee Band plays an overtly accessible mix of Matchbox Twenty-style pop and roots rock, but is better than what that description probably just inspired in your head – it's extremely listenable stuff. (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
This article appears in Jul 13-19, 2005.