1.
At the end of the year, it's always nice to let the nostalgia sink in and think back on some of the best live music experiences you've had. But with so much going on, it's easy to miss out. You don't want to look back on the year with a stomach full of regret, so take a few minutes to plan out the rest of your year. There are plenty of amazing acts on tour right now. Here are our recommendations for who you should see before the year ends, along with tour dates for planning purposes. From Kanye West to Fiona Apple, these are the shows you need to work in to your schedule.
2. Kanye West
If there's one show that you should see before the year ends, it's that of "the biggest rockstar in the world," Kanye West, on the Yeezus tour with Kendrick Lamar. Kanye's shows are always an incredible spectacle, full of passion and energy, and the addition of rap's newest star Kendrick just ensures that this is the concert that everyone will be talking about this fall and winter. Plus, two of the New York dates (11/20 and 11/24) will include A Tribe Called Quest's final two shows.
Tour dates:
10/19 Seattle, WA KeyArena (with Kendrick Lamar)
10/20 Vancouver, B.C. Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena (with Kendrick Lamar)
10/22 San Jose, CA SAP Center (with Kendrick Lamar)
10/23 Oakland, CA Oracle Arena (with Kendrick Lamar)
10/25 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden Arena (with Pusha T)
10/26 Los Angeles, CA STAPLES Center (with Kendrick Lamar)
10/28 Los Angeles, CA STAPLES Center (with Kendrick Lamar)
11/01 Anaheim, CA Honda Center (with Kendrick Lamar)
11/03 Denver, CO Pepsi Center (with Kendrick Lamar)
11/05 Minneapolis, MN Target Center (with Kendrick Lamar)
11/07 Chicago, IL United Center (with Kendrick Lamar)
11/08 Columbus, OH Nationwide Arena (with Kendrick Lamar)
11/09 Chicago, IL United Center (with Kendrick Lamar)
11/10 Detroit, MI Palace of Auburn Hills (with Kendrick Lamar)
11/12 Toronto, Ont. Air Canada Centre (with Kendrick Lamar)
11/13 Toronto, Ont. Air Canada Centre (with Kendrick Lamar)
11/14 Montreal, Que. Bell Centre (with Kendrick Lamar)
11/16 Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Center (with Kendrick Lamar)
11/17 Boston, MA TD Garden (with Kendrick Lamar)
11/19 Brooklyn, NY Barclays Center (with Kendrick Lamar)
11/20 Brooklyn, NY Barclays Center (with A Tribe Called Quest)
11/21 Washington, DC Verizon Center (with Kendrick Lamar)
11/23 New York, NY Madison Square Garden (with Kendrick Lamar)
11/24 New York, NY Madison Square Garden (with A Tribe Called Quest)
11/29 Miami, FL AmericanAirlines Arena (with Kendrick Lamar)
11/30 Tampa, FL Tampa Bay Times Forum (with Kendrick Lamar)
12/01 Atlanta, GA Philips Arena (with Kendrick Lamar)
12/05 New Orleans, LA New Orleans Arena (with Kendrick Lamar)
12/06 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center (with Kendrick Lamar)
12/07 Houston, TX Toyota Center (with Kendrick Lamar)
3. James Blake
James Blake's performance is as moving and powerful as the first time you heard "Retrograde" through your headphones, and the soft-spoken banter with the crowd is kept at a humble minimal; he really lets his music speak for itself. It's a great experience and a rare type of concert that really is more of a concert and less of a "show."
Tour dates:
10/22 Los Angeles, CA - Wiltern
10/23 Los Angeles, CA - The Hollywood Forever Cemetery
10/24 San Diego, CA - House of Blues
10/25 Phoenix, AZ - The Crescent Ballroom
10/27 Dallas, TX - House of Blues
10/28 Austin, TX - Emo's
10/29 Houston, TX - House of Blues
10/30 New Orleans, LA - Republic
10/31 Nashville, TN - Marathon Music Works
11/02 Washington, D.C. - 9:30 Club
11/03 Washington, D.C. - 9:30 Club
11/04 Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer
11/05 Boston, MA - House of Blues
11/06 New York, NY - Terminal 5
11/07 New York, NY - Terminal 5
11/09 Montreal, Quebec - Metropolis
11/11 Ann Arbor, MI - Michigan Theater
11/13 Chicago, IL - Riviera Theatre
11/14 Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall Ballroom
11/15 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
11/16 Iowa City, IA - The Englert Theatre
11/19 Vancouver, British Columbia - Vogue Theatre
11/20 Seattle, WA - Showbox Sodo
11/21 Portland, OR - Roseland Theater
4. Jessie Ware
Jessie Ware is funny. You'd never get that from just listening to Devotion, but not only can Ms. Ware sing, she can also get a crowd excited for what's to come. As a performer, she's spot on, capable of hitting every note, while in the live setting the dancier elements of her music come to the fore.
Tour dates:
10/17 Dallas, TX - South Side Music Hall
10/18 Austin, TX - Emo's
10/19 Houston, TX - Fitzgerald's
10/21 New Orleans, LA - House of Blues
10/22 Atlanta, GA - Center Stage
10/23 Tampa, FL - The Ritz
10/25 Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Revolution
10/26 Orlando, FL - House of Blues
10/27 Asheville, NC - Mountain Oasis
10/29 Nashville, TN - Cannery Ballroom
11/01 Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of the Living Arts
11/02 New York, NY - Roseland Ballroom
11/06 Toronto, Ontario - Sound Academy
11/08 Detroit, MI - St Andrews Hall
11/09 Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall Ballroom
11/10 Minneapolis, MN - Varsity Theater
11/12 Englewood, CO - Gothic Theatre
11/13 Salt Lake City, UT - In the Venue
11/15 Seattle, WA - The Neptune Theatre
11/16 Portland, OR - Roseland Theatre
11/21 Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern
11/22 Las Vegas, NV - House of Blues
5. Earl Sweatshirt
If you've been to an Odd Future show, you'll know that they're a riot, both literally and figuratively—OF fans are wild. Despite all the aggressive moshing and teens foaming at the mouth from drugs, Earl Sweatshirt manages to maintain a sense of intimacy through his steady flow, whether he's painting a picture of his childhood, getting introspective like in "Chum," or if he's bragging about his "T-rex cock" like one might to a friend in "Epar." Either way, you're almost guaranteed to enjoy yourself.
Tour dates:
10/22 Fox Theatre Boulder, CO
10/24 Club Red Phoenix, AZ
10/26 Life is Beautiful Festival Las Vegas, NV
10/27 Catalyst Santa Cruz, CA
10/29 Wow Hall Eugene, OR
10/30 Neptune Seattle, WA
10/31 Vogue Vancouver, Canada
11/09 Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival Los Angeles, CA
6. Danny Brown & A-Trak
This is going to be one hell of a party, so if you're over on the West Coast, don't miss Fools Gold boss A-Trak and Detroit rapper Danny Brown's Double Trouble tour.
Tour dates:
11/8 Pomona, CA – The Fox Theater – Tickets
11/9 Ventura, CA – Ventura Theater – Tickets
11/10 Los Angeles, CA – Fool’s Gold Day Off
11/11 Tempe, AZ – Club Red – Tickets
11/12 TBA
7. London Grammar
London Grammar has the kind of mass appeal potential to be huge. They're on their way to blowing up, so if you want to see them in a slightly more intimate setting, see them now, while you can. For the rest of the year they'll be in Europe. Sorry, Americans.
Tour dates:
10/18 London Electric Brixton
10/19 Oxford Gathering
10/20 Bristol Anson Rooms
10/22 Nottingham Rescue Rooms
10/23 Birmingham Academy 2
10/24 Leeds Cockpit
10/26 Manchester Sound Control
10/27 Glasgow Oran Mor
10/28 Newcastle Northumbria University
11/02 Amsterdam, Holland London Calling
11/03 Brussels, Belgium Botanique
11/05 Berlin, Germany Gruner Salon
11/06 Munich, Germany Atomic Café
11/08 Zurich, Switzerland Rote Fabrik (Clubraum)
11/09 Paris, France La Cigale
11/10 Nantes, France Stereolux
11/12 Nancy, France L’Autre Canal Club
11/13 Lille, France Aeronef
11/15 Lyon, France Le Sucre
11/16 Strasbourg, France La Laiterie
11/18 Toulouse, France La Dynamo
11/20 Bordeaux, France Iboat
11/22 Luxembourg Sonic Visions Showcase Festival
11/23 London St. Johns
11/28 London Brixton Electric
11/30 Norwich Open
12/02 Belfast Limelight
12/03 Dublin Academy
12/05 Rennes Transmusicales
12/28 Lorne, Australia The Falls Music & Arts Festival
12/29 Marion Bay, Australia The Falls Music & Arts Festival
12/31 Byron Bay, Australia The Falls Music & Arts Festival
8. Drake
Regardless of whether or not Future joins in to support, the main draw for most people is clearly the headliner, Drake, who puts on a professional, energetic, and streamlined show full of pop hits, rap songs, and often a special guest or two.
Tour dates:
10/18 Pittsburgh, PA Consol Energy Center
10/19 Philadelphia, PAWells Fargo Center
10/21 Montreal, QC Bell Centre
10/22 Ottawa, ON Canadian Tire Centre
10/24 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre
10/26 Hartford, CT XL Center
10/27 Newark, NJ Prudential Center
10/28 Brooklyn, NY Barclays Center
10/30 Boston, MA TD Garden
10/31 Washington, DC Verizon Center
11/2 Charlotte, NC Time Warner Cable Arena
11/3 Raleigh, NC PNC Arena
11/5 Miami, FL American Airlines Arena
11/6 Tampa, FL Tampa Bay Times Forum
11/7 Atlanta, GA Philips Arena
11/9 New Orleans, LA New Orleans Arena
11/10 Dallas. TX American Airlines Center
11/12 San Antonio, TX AT&T Center
11/13 Houston, TX Toyota Center
11/16 Phoenix, AZ US Airways Center
11/18 Sacramento, CA Sleep Train Arena
11/19 Oakland, CA Oracle Arena
11/21 Anaheim, CA Honda Center
11/22 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Hotel
11/24 San Diego, CA Viejas Arena
11/25 Los Angeles, CA STAPLES Center
11/28 Vancouver, BC Rogers Arena (Rescheduled date)
11/30 Calgary, AB Scotiabank Saddledome (Rescheduled date)
12/1 Edmonton, AB Rexall Place (Rescheduled date)
12/3 Portland, OR Rose Garden Arena (Rescheduled date)
12/4 Tacoma, WATacoma Dome (Rescheduled date)
12/7 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center (Rescheduled date)
12/8 Minneapolis, MN Target Center (Rescheduled date)
12/9 Indianapolis, IN Bankers Life Fieldhouse (Rescheduled date)
12/11 Saint Louis, MO Scottrade Center (Rescheduled date)
12/12 Chicago United Center (Rescheduled date)
12/13 Columbus, OH Nationwide Arena (Rescheduled date)
12/15 Buffalo, NY First Niagara Center (Rescheduled date)
12/16 Auburn Hills, MI The Palace of Auburn Hills (Rescheduled date)
9. Janelle Monae
If you want to dance, go to a Janelle Monáe concert. The Electric Lady's live gigs are like an otherworldly well-dressed performance art piece, much like her music videos. And the best part of her shows is that sprinkled in between her three album's worth of songs are often impeccable Prince, Michael Jackson, and The Jackson 5 covers. She also tours with a talented backup band who somehow manage to keep up with her insanely fast-paced energy. You'll probably sweat off a few pounds just from watching.
Dates:
10/16 House of Blues Boston Boston, MA
10/18 Apollo Theater New York, NY
10/22 Skyway Theatre Minneapolis, MN
10/29 Roseland Theater Portland, OR
10/30 Showbox SODO Seattle, WA
11/01 The Warfield San Francisco, CA
11/02 Club Nokia Los Angeles, CA
11/05 House of Blues Anaheim Anaheim, CA
11/06 House of Blues San Diego San Diego, CA
11/07 Crescent Ballroom Phoenix, AZ
11/09 House of Blues Dallas Dallas, TX
11/13 House of Blues Houston Houston, TX
11/15 Uptown Theater Kansas City, MO
11/17 Ryman Auditorium Nashville, TN
11/19 The Ritz Raleigh, NC
11/20 The Filmore Charlotte Charlotte, NC
11/22 Hard Rock Live Orlando Orlando, FL
11/23 The Fillmore Miami Beach Miami Beach, FL
11/26 The Tabernacle Atlanta, GA
10. Chance the Rapper
Though he's already shared a stage overseas with Eminem and Kendrick Lamar, some of Chance The Rapper's next few dates remain humble. He'll be taking his "Social Experiment Tour" with DJ Rashad and Spinn to the AEPi Chapter House at the University of Illinois and Syracuse University before playing several more high-profile venues. The most exciting show may just be his last stop, where he'll perform at the Basel Castle Festival in downtown Miami along with SBTRKT and Travi$ Scott.
Dates:
10/25 Champaign, IL Alpha Epsilon Pi Chapter House
10/26 Pittsburgh, PA Altar Bar
10/27 Silver Spring, MD The Fillmore Silver Spring
10/29 New York, NY SOB's
10/30 New York, NY SOB's (2 shows)
11/03 Montreal, QC Club Soda
11/04 Toronto, ON The Danforth Music Hall
11/06 Syracuse, NY Syracuse University
11/07 Buffalo, NY The Waiting Room
11/08 Oxford, OH Brick Street Bar
11/10 Lawrence, KS Liberty Hall
11/12 Boulder, CO Fox Theatre & Cafe
11/14 Tucson, AZ Rialto Theatre
11/17 Los Angeles, CA The El Rey
11/18 Santa Ana, CA The Observatory
11/19 Tempe, AZ Club Red
11/20 Albuquerque, NM Sunshine Theater
11/22 Dallas, TX Trees
11/23 Houston, TX Warehouse Live
11/25 Atlanta, GA The Loft at Center Stage
11/26 Nashville, TN Cannery Ballroom
11/27 Chicago, IL Riviera Theatre
11/29 Chicago, IL Riviera Theatre
11/30 Milwaukee, WI The Rave
12/03 Oberlin, OH Dionysus Disco (The Oberlin 'Sco)
12/04 Indianapolis, IN Deluxe at Old National Centre
12/05 Columbia, MO Jesse Auditorium
12/07 Miami, FL Grand Central Park at Bastle Castle Festival
11. Haim
In support of their excellent debut Days Are Gone, sisters Haim are closing out what's been a breakout year for them on the road. First stop: North America, which sees the band hit the festival circuit with stops at the New Noise Block Party in Santa Barbara, the Treasure Island Music Festival in San Francisco, and the Life Is Beautiful Festival in Las Vegas. The grind picks up again in Europe where they'll be supporting Phoenix throughout France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium. And it culminates with dates in the UK and Ireland before continuing again overseas next year. Haim is quickly gaining a reputation for being a great live band, and if you haven't seen the bass face, you're missing out.
Tour dates:
10/18 Pomona, CA The Glasshouse
10/19 Santa Barbara, CA New Noise Block Party
10/20 San Francisco, CA Treasure Island Music Festival
10/22 Portland, OR Mississippi Studios
10/23 Seattle, WA Neumos
10/24 Vancouver, CN The Commodore Ballroom
10/26 Las Vegas, NV Life Is Beautiful Festival
10/27 Las Vegas, NV Life Is Beautiful Festival
11/14 Lyon, FR Halle Tony Garnier
11/15 Nantes, FR Zentih
11/16 Toulouse, FR Zenith
11/18 Frankfurt, DE Jahrhunderthalle
11/19 Munich, DE Zenith
11/21 Berlin, DE Columbiahalle
11/22 Dusseldorf, DE Mitsubishi Electric Halle
11/23 Lille, FR Zenith Live
11/25 Hambrug, DE Gruenspan
11/26 Cologne, DE Buergerhaus Stollwerck
11/27 Amsterdam, NL Melkweg
11/30 Paris, FR La Gaité Lyrique
12/01 Nijmegen, NL Doornroosje
12/02 Antwerp, BE Trix
12/04 Norwich, UK UEA
12/05 Birmingham, UK Birmingham HMV Institute
12/06 Leeds, UK Leeds Metropolitan University
12/08 Manchester, UK Manchester Ritz
12/09 London, UK HMV London Forum
12/10 London, UK HMV London Forum
12/12 Glasgow, UK Glasgow ABC
12/13 Dublin, IE The Academy
10 GIFS THAT WILL MAKE YOU WANT TO GO TO A HAIM CONCERT
12. MGMT
When they're not releasing high-concept music videos starring Michael K. Williams and Dennis Hopper's son as The Plant Man and Tree, respectively, MGMT take some time to tour. Performing songs off their new self-titled album (as well as older albums, hopefully), the duo are headed to a town near you—if your town is in the UK, the U.S., Canada, or Australia, that is. Some highlights along the way include the upcoming Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin, TX where they share the bill with Snoop Lion, Lupe Fiasco, M.I.A., Action Bronson, and Big K.R.I.T. as well as dozens others. They'll also end the year and begin 2014 in Australia for the Falls Music & Arts Festival alongside Vampire Weekend, Solange, The Roots, and London Grammar. The Victoria and New South Wales dates are currently sold out, but the Marion Bay one isn't.
Tour dates:
10/19 Dublin, IE Olympia Theatre
11/10 Austin, TX Fun Fun Fun Fest
11/12 St. Louis, MO Pea Body Opera House
11/13 Madison, WI Orpheum Theatre
11/14 Columbus, OH LC Pavilion Outdoor Amphitheater
11/15 Indianapolis, IN Egyptian Room at Old National Centre
11/17 Des Moines, IA 7 Flags Event Center
11/18 St. Paul, MN Roy Wilkins Auditorium
11/19 Chicago, IL Aragon Ballroom
11/20 Detroit, MI The Fillmore
11/22 Louisville, NY Palace Theatre
11/23 Memphis, TN Orpheum Theatre
11/24 Atlanta, GA Tabernacle
11/26 Washington, DC Constituion Hall
11/27 Charlotte, NC Grady Cole Center
11/29 Durham, NC Durham Performing Arts Center
12/02 Philadelphia, PA Stage AE
12/03 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory
12/05 Boston, MA Orpheum Theatre
12/07 Toronto, ON Sound Academy
12/09 Montreal, QC Metropolis
12/13 Brooklyn, NY Barclays Center
12/28 Lorne, AU Falls Music and Arts Festival
12/29 Marion Bay, Tasmania, AU The Falls Music & Arts Festival
12/31 Byron Bay, AU The Falls Music & Arts Festival
13. Neutral Milk Hotel
NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL IS ON TOUR. If the all caps aren't enough to emphasize that this is a big deal, consider too that no one's been able to write that sentence in nearly two decades—15 years to be exact—up until very recently. So recently, in fact, it was only last week that the band's original In the Aeroplane Over the Sea lineup joined forces for the first time at Baltimore's 2650 Space to begin a reunion tour. And while there are several dates scheduled for the new year at the moment, you never know what could happen between now and then. It was a year-long tour in 1998 that ripped the band at the seams, after all. So, heed my warning and catch the fall leg of the tour while you still can. Especially check out the Mountain Oasis Electronic Music Summit if you'll be in Asheville, NC that weekend. Not only is Neutral Milk Hotel high on the bill, so are Nine Inch Nails, Disclosure, Animal Collective, Jessie Ware, and even Deltron 3030.
Tour dates:
10/18 Memphis, TN Minglewood Hall *
10/19 Chattanooga, TN Track 29 *
10/20 Birmingham, AL Iron City *
10/22 Athens, GA 40 Watt Club *
10/23 Athens, GA 40 Watt Club #
10/24 Athens, GA 40 Watt Club ^
10/25 Asheville, NC Mountain Oasis Electronic Music Summit # &
10/26 Atlanta, GA The Tabernacle #
10/27 Atlanta, GA Tabernalce *$
11/12 Brisbane, AU The Tivoli !@
11/14 Sydney, AU Enmore Theatre !@
11/15 Melbourne, AU The Forum !@
11/20 Dunedin, NZ Sammy’s
11/22 Wellington, NZ James Cabaret
11/23 Auckland, NZ The Kings Arms Tavern
11/24 Auckland, NZ The Kings Arms Tavern
11/28 Taipei, TW Hostess Club Festival
11/30 Tokyo, JP Hostess Club Festival
* = w/ Elf Power
# = w/ Half Japanese
^ = w/ Circulatory System
& = w/ Daniel Johnston
$ = w/ Robert Scneider
! = w/ Superchunk
@ = w/ M. Ward
14. Fiona Apple
A Fiona Apple show is a special experience. The intimate, emotional energy that she pours into every single song is awesome to behold in the live setting. Apple is touring with Blake Mills, who was part of her support band on the Idler Wheel... tour, but for this run of dates both artists will be playing from their own catalogues, as well as performing new material.
10/17 Toronto, Ontario - Queen Elizabeth Theatre
10/19 Philadelphia, PA - Merriam Theater *
10/22 New York, NY - Beacon Theatre *
10/23 Boston, MA - Emerson Colonial Theatre *
10/25-26 Washington, DC - Lincoln Theatre *
* as duo with Blake Mills
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