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✔️= Critic’s Pick
✔️ 97x Next Big Thing w/Panic! At The Disco/Bastille/Foster the People/Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness/Young the Giant/AJR/Chvrches/Elle King/Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats/LANY/Alice Merton/the Knocks/Grandson/Dreamers/Flora Cash/Max Front/more Florida weather is bonkers, but at least it lets us have outdoor festivals in December. That’s what’ll happen on Saturday and Sunday when Bay area alternative-rock station 97X takes over the old Gary Amphitheatre for a weekend of what’s hot on the airwaves these days. A slew of acts we’ve checked out recently highlight the bill (hi, Chvrches, Andrew McMahon and Foster the People), but the Next Big Thing’s crown jewel is a set from Las Vegas pop megastar Brendon Urie, who fronts Panic! At the Disco, which is playing what the station called the band’s last radio shows ever. The move makes sense, and it’s a good chance for fans who missed Panic!’s sold-out Amalie Arena show to catch Urie, 31, before the group’s next evolution. Sunday is the big day, but McMahon, Nathaniel Rateliff, Elle King, LANY and Bastille make Saturday pretty compelling, too. More info available at 97xonline.com (MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa) INFO
✔️ Crowbar 12th Anniversary w/Gringo Star/Mustard Service/Fr33dback/The Holy Terror/Radarmen You probably don’t need to be reminded about the precarious situation that Bay area rock and roll venues are living in these days, but just Google “Fubar St. Petersburg” or “New World Brewery” if you need a hint. Crowbar has been holding it down for more than a decade now, and club is celebrating a dozen years of supporting local acts and playing host to nationals by staging a free rager headlined by Atlanta mescaline-rock outfit Gringo Star, which will support a new release, Back to the City, after sets by Miami’s Mustard Service (which opened for Hinds in the same room in October), Tampa producer Fr33dback (who’ll bring a full band for this anniversary gig), John Nowicki and Radarmen. (Crowbar, Ybor City) INFO
Angelus House Charity Concert w/Montgomery Gentry/Confederate Railroad/Cody Webb/John Michael Montgomery/Bearded Brothers/Across the Wide/The Embry Brothers Band A slew of old and new country acts takes to Tampa’s premier country-music nightclub for an annual charity concert benefiting Angelus House, which helps adults with developmental disabilities lead meaningful lives. Fans of Kentucky duo Montgomery Gentry might also want to check out Hard Rock Café’s Thursday-night Angelus Jam Session hosted by Eddie Montgomery himself. (Dallas Bull, Tampa) INFO
✔️ Honeymoon Island Bluegrass Festival w/Lonesome River Band/Rekindled Grass/Beaumont!/Stump Hollow One of the most picturesque parks in Tampa Bay plays host to a one-day, dog-friendly bluegrass festival headlined by Lonesome River Band, which has withstood myriad personnel changes en route to piecing together a 30-year-old discography that honors the legacy of band influences like Flatt & Scruggs and Bill Monroe. Proceeds support Honeymoon and Caladesi State Parks plus programs that help visitors enjoy the recreational benefits of a beautiful area of the state, so don’t get mad about having to pay a park entry fee ($4-$8) on top of the $10 music fee. (Honeymoon Island State Park, Dunedin) INFO
Miracle on Cleveland Street w/Dirty Dozen Brass Band New Orleans ensemble Dirty Dozen Brass Band has added oomph to albums by bands like the Black Crowes, Widespread Panic, Elvis Costello and even Malian Tuareg group Tinariwen. On Saturday it headlines downtown Clearwater’s holiday festival and concert, which is mostly free (except for horse-drawn carriage rides, ice skating, inflatable bounce houses, and Rockem Sockem Robots, which require the purchase of $8 wristbands). VIP tickets are also available if you’ve got money like that. (Cleveland Street District, Clearwater) INFO
✔️ Uke It Out! 4.0 Learn more about the fourth annual ukulele fest organized by Tampa Bay community radio station WMNF 88.5-FM by reading a conversation with ‘MNF lifer and uke enthusiast Lee Courtney. (Cage Brewing, St. Petersburg) INFO
Robert Cray It’s been three years since Robert Cray played The Cap, but the fire that earned the 65-year-old blues guitarist and songwriter 15 Grammy nominations does not burn any less hot in 2018. Cray’s 2017 album found him teaming up with producer Steve Jordan and Memphis’ vaunted Hi Rhythm Section, which provided the backbone for albums by soul legends like Al Green, Ann Peebles, Syl Johnson and more. No one can duplicate what the Hi Rhythm section did, but we’re guessing Cray and his band will get pretty damn close at this one. (Capitol Theatre, Clearwater) INFO
moe. Fans won’t get the video game-themed concert that moe. presented for fans in Philadelphia, and that shouldn’t matter to the diehards who’ve grown attached to the New York jam band’s brand of freewheeling, often psychedelic and heavily improvised Americana. Don’t forget to check out the Unlimited Devotion after-party happening next door at Ringside Café. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg) INFO
Rock Solid Pressure Industry Showcase w/Warlab/Aurorae/Interstellar Overdrive/Polar Summer/The Longest Hall/Skarz/Vilest Breed/Jericho’s Siren/more Close to two dozen hard-rock and metal bands will play for a panel of industry insiders, label CEOs and agency reps during the 16th anniversary of the Rock Solid Pressure Industry Showcase. If you’ve ever wanted to see what a full day of bands looking to impress potential bosses looks like, then camp out at the Mug on Saturday. (Brass Mug, Tampa) INFO
Emo Night Tampa w/Ryan Berger/Crate Brothers Normally seen behind the lens, Tampa photographer and creative Ryan Berger will switch gears on Saturday when his homies at Emo Night Tampa invite him to select a few songs as part of The Bricks’ ongoing party dedicated to the sounds of every emo strain except for third-wave. Free to attend. (The Bricks, Ybor City) INFO
✔️ The Florida Orchestra Presents Star Wars Live In Concert: A New Hope Many Florida Orchestra performances get encores in Clearwater, Tampa and St. Petersburg, but there’s just one chance to see the ensemble work through John Williams’ score for Episode IV — aka Star Wars: A New Hope. We’re going to assume that cosplay is highly encouraged, and we’re willing to bet that there’ll be some major cheering happening as the 1977 sci-fi classic plays in the background. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater) INFO
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ALSO PLAYING
Rock/Pop
Next Big Thing acoustic after show w/Andrew McMahon (Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Tampa) INFO
King of Denmark w/Boo Ray/Down from Trees (The Blue Note, Tampa) INFO
Jam/Funk
Zach Deputy (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa) INFO
Them Vagabonds (Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin) INFO
moe. After party w/Unlimited Devotion (Ringside Café, St. Petersburg) INFO
Folk/Americana
The Bloody Jug Band w/The Woodwork (The Ale & the Witch, St. Petersburg) INFO
EDM
Walker & Royce (The Ritz, Ybor City) INFO
Baby Anne (Pegasus Night Club, Tampa) INFO
Singer-songwriter
Live & Local w/Eden Shireen (Tampa Riverwalk at David A. Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa) INFO
Helena Kletch (Hideaway Café, St. Petersburg) INFO
Tribute/Cover
Stormbringer (Buckets Grill & Tap, Tampa) INFO
Steve Olinger Band (Smokin’ 19, St. Petersburg) INFO
Den of Thieves (Two Buks, Clearwater) INFO
Big Band Tribute (Carrollwood Cultural Center, Tampa) INFO
The Cereal Killers w/Acoustic Thunder (3 Daughters Brewing, St. Petersburg) INFO
Carrollwood Jukebox (Carrollwood Cultural Center, Tampa) INFO
Country
Chris Lane (Wild Greg’s Saloon, Lakeland) INFO
LoCash (The Stockyard, Holiday) CANCELED
Hip-hop
Derez De’Shon (Whiskey North, Tampa) INFO
Jazz
First Saturday Jazz w/KELP feat. Tom Kersey (Independent Bar and Café, Tampa) INFO
DJs
DJ Cub/Gabe Echazabal/Denis Morecraft (Hampton Station, Tampa) INFO
Classical/Chorale
Streetcar Live w/Same Day Delivery Orchestra (TECO Streetcar Line, Tampa) INFO
Misc.
Florida Orchestra Holiday Home Tour Benefit (Holiday Tour Starting Point, St. Petersburg) INFO
Family Holiday Fun Day and Concert (Firehouse Cultural Center, Ruskin) INFO
Victorian Christmas Stroll (Henry B. Plant Museum at University of Tampa, Tampa) INFO
This article appears in Nov 29 – Dec 6, 2018.
