AMALIE ARENA
Must see: Lorde w/Run the Jewels/Mitski (April 11) Sorry Taylor, but this Lorde show has the biggest chance of being the best pop concert of the year. Not just because the Melodrama-tic 21-year-old released one of 2017’s best albums, but also because she’s bringing a riot-starting hip-hop duo (Run The Jewels) and a rising darling of the D.I.Y. scene (Mitski) to open an arena show that feels more like a miniature Pitchfork Music Festival. 7 p.m. $33.75-$95.75. local.cltampa.com
Also see: Justin Timberlake (May 15) Quality of his latest single, “Filthy,” aside, this is easily one of the spring’s hottest shows, and the former *Nsync-er’s first appearance remotely near the area since a string of sold-out “20/20 Experience” shows in 2013-14. Timberlake’s new album is supposed to be more rustic than anything else he’s ever done, but you can bet your ass there’ll still be a lot of rump-shaking going down at this one. 7:30 p.m. $49.50-$250. local.cltampa.com
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CAPITOL THEATRE
Must see: Rufus Wainwright (February 14) His Grammy-winning dad (Loudon Wainwright III) comes to play Ruth Eckerd Hall’s side room (Murray Studio) in March, but Rufus will take the stage at the more spacious Capitol Theatre a month beforehand. Fans not living in the young Wainwright’s atmosphere have been left to chew on recordings from his 2016 album of operatic takes on Shakespeare’s sonnets, and hopefully they’ll get a taste of Hadrian (Rufus’s second opera, set to premiere in Canada this year) at what should be a very special Valentine’s Day show. Capitol Theatre, Clearwater. 8 p.m. $35-$59. rutheckerdhall.com
FESTIVALS
Must see: Gasparilla Music Festival (March 10-11) In its seventh year, GMF continues to stitch together lineups that (a) defy the homogeneous headliners that top so many other “bigger festivals” like Bonnaroo, Governors Ball or even Austin City Limits, and (b) make the best use of what is surely a tight budget that makes it near-impossible to compete in the expensive festival booking game. This year’s edition features The Roots, Father John Misty and Spoon among the 10 announced acts, and while waiting on a mix of 40 more national, regional and local acts is a nail-biting experience, GMF has proven to be one of the best values fan experiences the Bay area festival market has ever created. [Full disclosure: From 2013-2016, this writer coordinated social media efforts for GMF.] Downtown Tampa. $30-$200. 813-708-8423. gasparillamusic.com.
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Also see: Reggae Rise Up Florida Festival (March 16-18) In year four, Reggae Rise Up has decided to bank on its past successes and expand to three days. While that would be a risky move for a party like GMF (whose infrastructure is built into an already bustling downtown in Tampa), rolling the dice at Vinoy Park seems to be a smart choice since fans of laid-back reggae (roots, rock and California strains alike) always seem eager to get comfy by the water of Tampa Bay where headliners Soja, Damian Marley and Rebelution will get irie while dolphins frolic in the distance. Vinoy Park, St. Petersburg. $45-$225. 801-419-0858. reggaeriseupflorida.com.
JANNUS LIVE
Must see: Dashboard Confessional w/Beach Slang (March 24) It’s been almost two decades since Dashboard Confessional ushered in a new era of raw, emotional (and commercially viable) alternative rock, and now the band — led by Boca Raton boy Chris Carrabba — is coming back with a new album (Crooked Shadows, due Feb. 9) and heading back to St. Pete. D/C will have Beach Slang — led by equally deep-feeling, much harder-rocking James Alex — in tow, making for the best one-two emo punch of the spring. Jannus Live, St. Petersburg. 5:30 p.m. $37.75. 727-565-0550. jannuslive.com.
THE MAHAFFEY
Must see: Queens of the Stone Age (May 2) We’re nervous about this one since animated Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme spent his winter break apologizing after kicking a photographer’s camera into her face during a December 9 show in Los Angeles. QOTSA’s 2014 show in the same room was one of the best of that year, so here’s to hoping the Homme — who is gloriously unhinged and cocksure on the band’s near-perfect 2017 album Villains — has figured his shit out by the time this show rolls around. Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg. $39.50-$75. 727-892-5767. local.cltampa.com.
MIDFLORIDA CREDIT UNION AMPHITHEATRE
Must see: Foo Fighters (April 25) Foo-kin’ A, this show can’t come soon enough. Fans have been chomping at the bit since the October announcement of the band’s second Florida show in a decade, and you can bet they’ll know all the words to the Foos’ latest album, Concrete and Gold, by the time the ol’ shed at the Fairground opens back up after taking the winter off. MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa. $37-$91. 813-740-2446. 813-350-6500. local.cltampa.com
RAYMOND JAMES STADIUM
Must see: Kenny Chesney (April 21) After a five-year drought, Tampa Bay is getting another sip of country megastar Kenny Chesney, who is kicking off his 2018 “Trip Around the Sun Tour” at Raymond James Stadium. No telling how early loyalists of his No Shoes Nation will arrive to tailgate, but we’ll bring the bromosas if we can get an invite. Raymond James Stadium, Tampa. $32-$285. livenation.com.
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RUTH ECKERD HALL
Must see: Willie Nelson w/Los Lonely Boys (February 15) Willie Nelson recently had to cancel a few shows due to breathing problems not caused by the weed he’s famous for smoking (rep said the 84-year-old songwriter needed time to recover from a “bad cold or the flu”). We’re not saying this’ll be the last time you’ll see the hard-touring American icon around here, but we are telling you not to take his shows for granted. Plus, his new album God’s Problem Child is pretty damn good anyway. 8 p.m. Sold Out. rutheckerdhall.com
Also see: Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (April 17) Isbell is the guy — albeit in his non-sober days — who once drank a fifth of Jack Daniel's on stage at Crowbar without missing a guitar lick. He’s also the guy who ended up writing an epic song about one of those nights (“Damn near strangled by my appetite/in Ybor City on a Friday night/couldn’t even stand up right,” he sang on “Travelling Alone” from 2013’s Southeastern.) He’s since gone sober and managed to marry songwriter/fiddler Amanda Shires, all while writing even more heartbreaking Americana. Isbell brings his magic to Clearwater, where Shires and UK bluesman Richard Thompson open the show. 8 p.m. $32.50-$60. rutheckerdhall.com.
This article appears in Jan 18-25, 2018.