Top musical acts coming to the Miami area this season include Imagine Dragons, The Weeknd
Long live rock! Time to head out and catch a live show, because rock n’ roll — and all our other favorite forms of pop music — is back with a vengeance. (Eric Clapton’s Sept. 26 show would definitely make our Top Ten list, but tickets will likely be sold out by press time.)
All tickets are available through Ticketmaster unless otherwise indicated.
Here are our best bets:
ZZ TOP
That Little Ol’ Band From Texas (that didn’t stay little for long) is in mourning right now, following the July death of founding bassist Dusty Hill. But the show must go on. Hill will be replaced by Elwood Francis, ZZ Top’s longtime guitar tech, who will join guitarist and vocalist Billy Gibbons and drummer Frank Beard in cranking out the group’s signature gritty, roadhouse blues rock. You’ll hear all the timeless hits, including “La Grange,” “Cheap Sunglasses,” “Tush,” “Tube Snake Boogie,” “Got Me Under Pressure,” “Legs,” “Gimme All Your Lovin’” and “Sharp Dressed Man.” Oh, and fittingly, Francis has a pretty epic beard himself.
▪ Nov. 7 at the Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood
DEAD & COMPANY
No one can replace the Grateful Dead’s late literal and spiritual leader Jerry Garcia. But Dead & Company will make you feel like you’re in San Francisco, circa 1972, watching the greatest improvisational rock band of all time while wearing flowers in your hair. Original Dead members Bob Weir (guitar, vocals) and drummers Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann team up with newbies Oteil Burbridge (bass/drums), Jeff Chimenti (keyboards) and soulful pop-rock superstar guitarist John Mayer to keep the iconic band’s legacy alive — and thriving. The set list is typically ever-changing, but you’ll hear plenty of standards, such as “Sugaree,” “Althea,” “Alabama Getaway,” “Uncle John’s Band,” “Don’t Ease Me In,” “Truckin’,” “Playing in the Band” and “Friend of the Devil.”
▪ Oct. 6 at the iThink Amphitheater in West Palm Beach.
KISS
So many artists do “farewell tours” that turn out to be “not so farewell” (hello, Elton John and The Who!). But KISS’s “End of the Road World Tour” seems to be the real deal. So old-school headbangers should make sure to catch this groundbreaking hard-rock band – and front man Gene Simmons’ demonic tongue — whose live show is unmatched in theatricality, pyrotechnics and sheer energy. You’ll hear all the hits, including “Detroit Rock City,” “I Was Made For Lovin’ You,” “Calling Dr. Love,” “Christine Sixteen,” “Beth,” “Shout It Out Loud” and “Rock and Roll All Nite.”
▪ Oct. 8 at the iThink Amphitheater in West Palm Beach.
III POINTS FESTIVAL
The two-day festival that champions alternative, experimental, indie and any type of music with an edge returns with a typically eclectic lineup featuring alt-rock darlings The Strokes, rap icons Wu-Tang Clan, chilled-out electronic group Rufus du Soul, Swedish techno DJ Eric Prydz, British indie electronic artist Jamie XX, electronic/hip-hop DJ Kaytranada, mysterious deep-house DJ Zhu, South African house DJ Black Coffee and South Korean DJ Peggy Gou. Also on the bill: Khruangbin, Three Six Mafia, Thundercat, Slowthai, Maceo Plex and dozens more.
▪ Oct. 22-23 at Mana Wynwood. Tickets at iiipoints.com
METALLICA
Hard to believe this pioneering thrash-metal band is celebrating 40 years. But the multiple Grammy-winning group – featuring drummer Lars Ulrich, guitarist Kirk Hammett, bassist Robert Trujillo and singer James Hetfield — is still forging on and will storm into town to rage through heavy anthems including “Enter Sandman,” “Master of Puppets,” “Nothing Else Matters,” “One” and “The Day That Never Comes.”
▪ Nov. 4 at the Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood.
TORTUGA MUSIC FESTIVAL
The three-day musical blowout on the beautiful Fort Lauderdale beach is top-heavy with country music superstars, including Luke Bryan (“Drink a Beer,” “That’s My Kind of Night,” “What Makes You Country”), Tim McGraw (“Humble and Kind,” “Live Like You Were Dying,” “I Like It, I Love It”), Miranda Lambert (“Gunpowder and Lead,” “The House That Built Me”), Lee Brice (“Rumor,” “One of Them Girls”), Kip Moore (“Somethin’ ‘Bout a Truck”), Jon Pardi (“Dirt on My Boots”), Locash (“I Love This Life”) and Cole Swindell (“Chillin’ It”), but there’s plenty for pop, rock and dance-music fans as well. Canadian rockers Barenaked Ladies will play their hits “One Week” and “Pinch Me,” while Mr. 305 himself, Pitbull, will get the crowd moving with dance-party anthems such as “I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho,” “Give Me Everything” and “Timber.” Even Vanilla Ice will get in the act!
▪ Nov. 12-14 at Fort Lauderdale Beach Park. Tickets at tortugamusicfestival.com
Umphrey’s McGee
Umphrey’s McGee is one of those bands that’s hard to pigeonhole. Yes, it’s a “jam band.” But unlike many jam bands, this effortlessly and endlessly imaginative, improvisational group that was formed at the University of Notre Dame is filled with virtuoso musicians and isn’t afraid to play anything at its legendary live shows. You’ll hear many original, genre-defying tunes, some from recent albums including “It’s Not Us” and “It’s You” (they have quite the sense of humor as well) plus the most recent, “You Walked Up Shaking in Your Boots but You Stood Tall and Left a Raging Bull.” And the cover songs! Umphrey’s takes on all comers, anything from Snoop Dogg’s “Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang” to Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” to Pink Floyd’s “Shine on You Crazy Diamond” to Toto’s “Africa” (yes, they beat Weezer to it). Umphrey’s rings in the new year at the Fillmore for a three-night residency – don’t miss it.
▪ Dec. 30-31 and Jan. 1 at the Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater.
PINK MARTINI
Genre-busting “little orchestra” from Portland, Ore., Pink Martini featuring China Forbes, will delight the senses with its lively blend of jazz, pop, lounge, tango, samba, classical and folk music. Dynamic lead singer Forbes sings in 15 different languages, and founder and pianist Thomas Lauderdale says of the group: “If the United Nations had a house band in 1962, we aspire to be that band.”
▪ Jan. 16 at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach. May 6 at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami. Tickets at kravis.org and arshtcenter.org.
IMAGINE DRAGONS
This Grammy-winning Las Vegas alt-rock band’s lively music has seemingly become ubiquitous since exploding onto the scene in 2012 with its chart-topping singles “Radioactive” and “Demons.” The group — led by powerful singer Dan Reynolds — takes the stage in support of its fifth studio album, “Mercury – Act 1,” featuring the singles “Follow You” and “Cutthroat.” You’re also sure to hear the hits “Believer,” “Thunder,” “Whatever it Takes” and “Natural.”
▪ Feb. 6 at the FTX Arena in Miami.
THE WEEKND
In 2015, the artist born Abel Makkonen Tesfaye — now known as The Weeknd — became the first performer in history to seize the top 3 spots on the Billboard Hot R&B songs chart, with the megahits “Earned It” (which was featured prominently in the sultry film “Fifty Shades of Grey”), “The Hills” and “Can’t Feel My Face,” Since then, he’s absolutely lived up to the hype, with his chart-topping collab with Daft Punk, “Starboy,” plus the No. 1 hits “Heartless,” “Save Your Tears” and the endlessly catchy retro-‘80s track “Blinding Lights.”
▪ March 29 and 30 at the FTX Arena in Miami.
