The best live music coming to Tampa Bay from April 13-20, 2023

Taylor Swift dominates this weekend’s live music happenings with her historic run of three back-to-back-to-back sold-out shows at Raymond James Stadiums, but there’s even more happening on both sides of the Bay including Laura Jane Grace’s return to the old State Theatre, Tampa Bay Blues Festival, Hovvdy (pictured) and more.

Look below for the best live music coming to Tampa Bay from April 13-20 featuring shows curated by Creative Loafing Tampa Bay staffers and contributors, plus select events pulled from CL’s user-submitted events calendar. If you don’t see your show on the list, consider submitting it yourself.

Thursday, April 13

• Onyx w/R.A. The Rugged Man (Brass Mug, Tampa)
• Taylor Swift w/Beebadoobe/Gayle (Raymond James Stadium, Tampa)
• Tim Barry w/Rancho La Chua (Crowbar, Ybor City)
• Umphrey’s McGee (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)

Friday, April 14

• Animal Prince w/Dionysus/Anemoia (Shuffle, Tampa)
• Arbour Season (Music Gallery, New Port Richey)
• Covenant (Orpheum, Tampa)
• Fulcrum w/Vacancy/Dead Mirrors/Ramtha (Born Free Pub & Grill, Tampa)
• Jake Shimabukuro  (Bilheimer Capitol Theatre, Clearwater)
• Masego (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)
• Montell Jordan (BayCare Ballpark, Clearwater)
• Reckless Kelly (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)
• Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley (Craftsman House, St. Petersburg)
• #Pound Friday: Snails (The Ritz, Ybor City)
• Taylor Swift w/Beebadoobee/Gracie Abrams (Raymond James Stadium, Tampa)
• Tiny.Blips (The Moontower, Dunedin)
• Tampa Bay Blues Festival: Robert Cray/Tommy Castro/Ana Popovic/Larry McCray Band/Colin James (Vinoy Park, St. Petersburg)
• Ukulele Fest in the District: Songwriting for Songwriters w/Jim Beloff (Clearwater Building, Clearwater)

Saturday, April 15

• Busch Gardens Food & Wine Festival: .38 Special (Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Tampa)
• David Dondero (Crab Devil, Tampa)
• Have Gun, Will Travel w/Nick Dittmeier & the Sawdusters/Claire Vandiver  (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)
• L8 Night Flights (St. Pete Pier, St. Petersburg)
• Random Rab w/Lusine (The Factory, St. Petersburg)
• The Red Clay Strays (The Attic at Rock Brothers Brewing, Ybor City)
• Tampa Bay Blues Festival: Tower of Power/Tab Benoit/Dirty Dozen Brass Band/Chris Cain/Dawn Tyler Watson (Vinoy Park, St. Petersburg)
• Taylor Swift w/Beebadoobee/Gracie Abrams (Raymond James Stadium, Tampa)
• Ukulele Fest in the District: Evening Concert w/Jim Beloff (Clearwater Building, Clearwater)
• Whitechapel (Orpheum, Tampa)

Sunday, April 16

• Busch Gardens Food & Wine Festival: Mitchell Tenpenny (Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Tampa)
• Iris DeMent (Central Park Performing Arts Center, Largo)
• Laura Jane Grace meet and greet (Bananas Records, St. Petersburg)
• Laura Jane Grace (Floridian Social, St. Petersburg)
• The Lone Bellow Trio w/Stephen Wilson Jr. (Bilheimer Capitol Theatre, Clearwater)
• Punk Flea Pop-Up: Arcane Arcade w/Except You/Black Valley Moon/Twisty Chris & the Puddin’ Packs/DJ Dadd  (The Brutalist, St. Petersburg)
• Slaughter To Prevail (Orpheum, Ybor City)
• Tampa Bay Blues Festival: The Fabulous Thunderbirds w/Mr. Sipp/Vanessa Collier/Jimmy Carpenter/JT Lauritsen & The Buckshot/Hunter (Vinoy Park, St. Petersburg)
• Queensryche w/Trauma/Marty Friedman (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)

Monday, April 17

• Hovvdy w/Whitmer Thomas/girlpuppy (Crowbar, Ybor City)
• Styx w/Don Felder  (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)

Tuesday, April 18

• Billy Strings (Yuengling Center, Tampa)

Wednesday, April 19

• Chops: A Live Jazz Evening w/Rod Alnord Quartet (Ella’s Americana Folk Art Cafe, Tampa)
• George Benson (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
• GrowHouse’s WynWord Wednesdays: R&B and Poetry Night (Rose Bar, Tampa)
• The Happy Fits w/The Hails (Crowbar, Ybor City)

Thursday, April 20

• Drive-By Truckers w/Lydia Loveless (Floridian Social Club, St. Petersburg)
• Of Good Nature w/Wheeland Brothers  (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)
• Prof w/Juice Lord/Bayo/Willie Wonka (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)
• Tommy Prine  (Hough Hall at Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg)
• Wilco w/The A’s (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)

This article appears in Apr 6-12, 2023.