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✔️ = Critic's Pick
✔️ Whigfest w/Umphrey’s McGee/The Heavy Pets/Stokeswood/Polyenso/Forrest Hoffar/Swimm/J.T. Brown/Mountain Holler/Kristopher James/Loose Talk/more WhigFest — which initially established itself on St. Pete’s First Block with parties headlined by Surfer Blood, Pinback, Mofro and AMFMS — took a break in 2016, but its founders made plans to resurrect it in Ybor City for 2018. The revival was supposed to be a two-day party at the Cuban Club, but the itinerary changed just a bit after a state restoration grant forced the Cuban Club to start upgrading the historic venue’s foundation ASAP. Now, Whigfest is taking place at four different Ybor City venues over the course of just one day. The big shows (a three-hour set by Umphrey’s McGee and one from the Heavy Pets) will be at the Ritz Ybor’s mainstage, while The Ritz’s side room hosts sets by Stokeswood and Loose Talk. Look for more singer-songwriter fare at First Chance Last Chance and mosey on down to Orpheum for acts like St. Pete indie-pop group Polyenso plus tribute acts like Uncle John’s Band (Grateful Dead) and Antelope (Phish). See even more detailed, up-to-date, info via whigfest.com. (Various Venues, Ybor City) INFO
WHIGFEST SHUFFLE
WhigFest organizers: "Deteriorating foundation" at Ybor's Cuban Club means new schedule, stages
Jesse Colin Young Youngbloods fans can settle for this appearance by the group’s lead singer, Jesse Colin Young, who’s been a leftie-ass folk-singer for the past 50 years now. There’s nothing wrong with preaching peace, love and understanding, but don’t pigeonhole the 76-year-old, whose sound now resembles a unique fusion of jazz, blues, folk and rock. (Capitol Theatre, Clearwater) INFO
✔️ Wyclef Jean w/Roots of Creation In 2001, Wyclef Jean immortalized the Tampa Bay area in song by name-dropping Mons Venus into “Perfect Gentleman,” the third single from his August 2000 album The Ecleftic: 2 Sides II a Book. Nearly two-decades later, the 48-year-old songwriter who rose to fame as a member of hip-hop collective The Fugees comes to St. Pete with a new album (last year’s Carnival III: The Fall and Rise of a Refugee) in tow. Wyclef — whose full name is Nel Ust Wyclef Jean — is probably the most underrated Fugee, but he’ll be front and center at this Jannus gig, part of a recent resurgence for him. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg) INFO
Florida Poets In Song Poetry can be lyrical, but that doesn't mean you can just put it to a tune and have yourself a song. That's why Florida Poets in Song will be so interesting — who knows how composer William Dawson, baritone Christopher Holloway and a crew of Eckerd College faculty members and students will interpret works by Florida poets (including CL contributor and Florida Poet Laureate Peter Meinke, Hannah Kahn, Scott Ward and Anne-Marie de Moret) musically? You'll have to go to know. (Roberts Music Center at Eckerd College, Clearwater) INFO —Scott Harrell
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ALSO PLAYING
Classical/Chorale
Florida Orchestra Presents Romeo and Juliet & West Side Story w/Håkan Hardenberger (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater) INFO
USF Symphony Orchestra (School of Music Concert Hall at University of South Florida, Tampa) INFO
Steinway Piano Series w/David Kalhous (Barness Recital Hall at University of South Florida, Tampa) INFO
Tribute/Cover
Sandy Hackett's Rat Pack Show (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater) INFO
Trailside Phantoms (3 Daughters Brewing, St. Petersburg) INFO
Rock
Revolt w/Moose Knuckle (Fubar, St. Petersburg) INFO
Bury Your Dead w/Through The Eyes Of The Dead (Crowbar, Ybor City) INFO
Blues/Funk
Betty Fox Band (The Ale & the Witch, St. Petersburg) INFO
The Get Right Band w/Bird Tribe (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa) INFO
Big Mean Sound Machine (Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin) INFO
Liz Pennock & Dr. Blues (Ella’s Americana Folk Art Café, Tampa) INFO
DJ
Ol' Dirty Sundays "350th Party" w/Diamond D (DITC) (Crowbar, Ybor City) INFO
Americana
Sunday School for Sinners w/The Hummingbirds (Independent Bar and Cafe, Tampa) INFO
Reggae
Juanjamon Reggae Jam (Ringside Café, St. Petersburg) INFO
Singer-songwriter
SoFar Sounds (The Blue Note, Tampa) INFO
Jill Colucci (First Unity Spiritual Campus, St. Petersburg) INFO
This article appears in Feb 15-22, 2018.