Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience The prodigal son of John returns with his tribute to dad and the band he drummed in until his death in 1980. The five-piece performs a 20-song set of Zepp, and draws on the majority of the band's catalog — "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You," "Moby Dick," "Celebration Day," "When The Levee Breaks," and "Kashmir" among them — and paired with video and light displays. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Kenny Neal w/Jimbo Mathus and the Tri State Coalition Son of harmonica great Raful Neal, Kenny is a modern Louisiana bluesman and axeman who brews a mix of groovin' swamp-boogie, jazz, R&B and straightforward blues. Jimbo Mathus was called "the singing voice of Huck Finn" by late Memphis producer Jim Dickinson. Mathus, the former visionary frontman of neo-ragtime jump-blues act Squirrel Nut Zippers, now leads the Delta-fused Tri-State Coalition, which signed to Memphis International and released their debut, Confederate Buddha, this year. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
SAT 19
Southern Culture on the Skids w/Pokey LaFarge and the South City Three Dearly loved SCOTS — an S.C. trio that plays a swampy fusion of surf, psyche and experimental rock — just dropped a new(ish) album, Zombified. A tribute to the low budget 1960s and '70s horror and exploitation flicks specific to Southern theaters and drive-ins, the album was originally released in Australia as an EP in 1998. This fresh edition was filled out with five new tunes and made its proper U.S. debut as a full-length on their own Kudzu Records imprint. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
Earl Klugh A smooth acoustic jazz guitarist with a relentlessly melodic tone, instrumental musician Earl Klugh has written more than 200 compositions and released upwards of 20 albums in his three-decade career. He first gained attention in 1971 for his contributions to George Benson's White Rabbit, and since then, he's earned 12 Grammy noms, the last in 2009 for The Spice of Life. (Largo Cultural Center, Largo)
Tijuana Hercules w/ Doll Parts/Crippled Masters/The Friendly Sort The name pretty much captures the band: Tijuana Hercules, from Chicago, plays junkyard roots-blues that's brash, wild, gritty and packs a mighty raucous punch. Singer/guitarist John Vernon Forbes leads in an alternately loud and booming or deeper-timbred bear growl; currently, he's joined by Tony Mendoza (on "kick drum and junk"). (Emerald Bar, St. Petersburg)
Johnny Cakes and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypso w/Hey Rube/CIO The ska-calypso-punk-jam rockin' ensemble Johnny Cakes is a 10-piece that includes a full suite of horns (five players total), a percussionist, a gruff-voiced vocalist/frontman who also plays steel pan (Michael Middlebrooks), and a trio of dancers. This show is the fifth anniversary party of Johnny Cakes (and a 30th birthday celebration for Middlebrooks). (Market on 7th, Ybor City)
Mahaffey Theater Grand Opening Weekend: Marc Anthony Mahaffey's opening festivities come to a grand conclusion with salsa-leaning Latin pop idol Marc Anthony, the ex-amor of Jennifer Lopez who's been rocking the separated status since July. Expect an added layer of sincere anguish in his heartbreaking ballads. (Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg)
The Miles Davis Experience For everyone under the age of 60, Miles Davis's early work (from Birth of the Cool through Kind of Blue) is experienced strictly through recordings, but songs like "Budo," "Boplicity," and "So What?" needs to be heard in a live setting. Enter bandleader Donald Palmer and his quintet, which will showcase the late great trumpeters most-beloved tunes in a live performance at the Straz. In addition to the music, The Miles Davis Experience includes multimedia, with images from the '50s and beat-poet narration by actor Donald Lacy. This is the second-to-last show of the tour, so expect the band to be on point and on fire. (Ferguson Hall at the Straz Center, Tampa) —Joe Bardi
Hollywood Undead / Asking Alexandria w/Borgore/We Came As Romans/D.R.U.G.S. This current "WWIII Tour" powers its way into town with a double headliner, both with sophomore albums out this past April — Hollywood Undead, an LA sextet of musicians who hide behind pseudonyms and face paint, serve up a vigorous mix of nu metal and industrial alt rock, and peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 with American Tragedy; British metalcore/Euro-trance five-piece Asking Alexandria's own second, Reckless & Relentless, only reached as high as No. 9. (Green Iguana — Stadium, Tampa)