THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19
Travie McCoy The frontman for Gym Class Heroes has lately kept some pretty heady company, including Bruno Mars, who guested on his Top 5 hit “Billionaire,” and Jason Mraz, chipping in on current single “Rough Water.” McCoy’s agreeable pop — infused with easygoing rap and beachy reggae — makes you feel the breeze in your hair and the sun on your face. (Amphitheatre, Ybor City) —Eric Snider
Fun. w/Tegan and Sara The Grammy award-winning indie alt pop rock trio with the quirky melodic hooks and Queen-esque moments as led by lead singer-songwriter Nate Ruess stops in Orlando on their “#MostNights” tour, joined by Canadian twin sister synth rock duo, Tegan and Sara, who back 2013 seventh studio album, Heartthrob. Read more about the latter in Tiffany Razzano’s interview with Sara Quin here. (UCF Arena, Orlando) —Carol Currie
Classic Albums Live: Led Zeppelin II “Whole Lotta Love,” “What Is and What Should Never Be,” “Thank You,” “Heartbreaker,” “Ramble On,” “Moby Dick” — every one of these legendary tracks made it onto Led Zeppelin II and into the classic rock pantheon, and all of them plus the three I left out (but that you likely know) will be staged in their entirety at the latest Classic Albums Live presentation. An assemblage of fine musicians recreate II with “note for note, cut for cut” accuracy, keenly respecting the music as it was recorded, without costumes or impersonations. An all-hits Zep set follows. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater) —Leilani Polk
An Evening with Icon for Hire Illinois-based Tooth & Nails Records quartet Icon for Hire — fronted by vocalist Ariel Bloomer, of the magenta-streaked hair, self-made threads, and sweet clear vocals that can transform into ugly sneering commands — offers a packed night to their fans on the current 14-date tour: a meet and greet, an acoustic performance and a Q&A, in addition to a full plugged-in concert of their electro-grinding punk-edged alt rock. Ariel also shows pieces from her fall fashion line and likely hawks “regular” threads, too (alt grrl corsets, wrist cuffs, lace leggings and other stuff available at her Etsy shop, CustomCatastrophes). (Local 662, St. Petersburg) —LP
Rebelution w/Collie Buddz/Zion I Rebelution has posi-vibing energy, a California sunshine-lit reggae rock sound, and songs full of socially conscious lyrics, which they bring back to the Sunshine State on their “Good Vibes” tour. Like acts support. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg) —CC
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20
Billy Cobham: Spectrum 40 With an arsenal of drums big enough to fill an above-ground swimming pool, Billy Cobham was one of the main poster boys of the ’70s jazz-fusion movement. An alumnus of Miles Davis’ early electric period and the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Cobham’s solo work of the time was an assault of serpentine melodies, tricky rhythms, squiggly synths, wailing guitars and lots and lots of super-aggro drumming. His current tour celebrates the 40th anniversary of his first title as a leader, the proto-fusion LP, Spectrum. He’s joined by guitarist Dean Parks and other burners. You just might hear a drum solo or eight. (Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg) —ES
Il Volo In the one year since Il Volo last played here, the Italian pop-opera crossover trio of youthful (barely legal) vocalists — who originally met on a music competition show (Ti lascio una canzone, “Leaving you a song”) — went from the Straz Center’s 2,610-seat hall to the half-stage configuration at the Forum, which accommodates nearly 10,000 people. Performing as special guests of Barbra Streisand’s fall 2012 tour probably helped beef up their non-tween fanbase, and they’ve kept the buzz alive with brand new material on a special edition release of 2012 album We Are Love in May and yet another PBS special (Il Volo: We Are Love) in June. (Tampa Bay Times Forum, Tampa)—LP
Caskey w/Dangeruss Pinch-voiced, white-boy rapper Caskey missed the whole boy band craze in his native Orlando and delved into N.W.A., Nas and Eminem. He has a debut studio album slated for release this year on the Cash Money label. St. Petersburg rhyme slinger Dangeruss was reportedly the inspiration for James Franco’s character in the execrable film Spring Breakers. Every time I cross Central to where the streets end in S, I think about our boy and hope he doesn’t have a cache of AKs like Alien. (Orpheum, Ybor City) —ES
Miranda Lambert w/Dierks Bentley/Randy Rogers Band Grab cowboy hats, y’all, “’Cause you’re running with the fastest girl in town…” — or so sings country superstar Miranda Lambert in a track off 2011’s Four the Record. Not only is the Grammy-winning Texas native married to one of the biggest names in country music — Blake Shelton — but she has three No. 1 hits of her own along with numerous other charting singles, and a curio cabinet full of award trophies, including a Grammy. Joining Lambert is “What Was I Thinkin’” country singer Dierks Bentley, promoting new album Riser. (MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa) —CC
