Do you have your Taylor Swift tickets? No? You can pay $1,112 for a single seat at the way, way back of Gillette Stadium. Or – and hear me out – you can spend that $1,112 on quality seats to half a dozen different shows.
Swift and her Swifties kick off the summer concert season with an astounding three Gillette shows May 19, 20, and 21. But whatever side of Tay Tay you dig – country, pop, rock, that indie folk thing she tried on “Evermore” – there is something you will love just as much (or almost as much, but for way less) on our Not A Cruel Summer Concert Preview
The Boston Pops kicked off an impressive season May 12 – jazz giants, Disney princesses, “Return of the Jedi” in concert. But if you really wanted to dig into the “Boston” part of the Boston Pops, go see Tufts-born rockers Guster play with America’s orchestra. The idea of the band’s signature song “Satellite” with strings is simply delightful.
I like to say that if the Rolling Stones had grown up in a band of Saharan nomads, they’d sound this cool. But maybe even the Stones couldn’t get as deep in a groove as Tinariwen.
This is country music. Or rather, this was country music. It can be hard to tell these days. Anyway, Stapleton and tourmates Charley Crockett and the War and Treaty will combine for something akin to a ’60s show starring Willie Nelson, Duane Eddy and Ray Charles doing “Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music.”
Missing the Meters or Neville Brothers or Dr. John? Go see this. The future of New Orleans music is in good hands with Trombone Shorty.
Not even going to describe the Frequencies of Real Creative Energy acts. Just going to wow you with the lineup: LL Cool J, The Roots, DJ Jazzy Jeff and a rotating cast of guests popping up in different cities including Salt-N-Pepa, Queen Latifah, Rakim, Common, MC Lyte, Method Man & Redman, Big Boi, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Ice T, Juvenile, Doug E. Fresh, Slick Rick, De La Soul, Goodie Mob, Jadakiss, and Rick Ross.
The Atlanta tribute to ’70s AM Gold and ’80s Top 40 is an absolute sensation. But the band takes it further than any cover band: In 2020, Yacht Rock Revue released an album of originals somewhere between Ambrosia’s “One Eighty,” the Flaming Lips’ “The Soft Bulletin” and Cut Copy’s “In Ghost Colours.” The title of the LP: “Hot Dads in Tight Jeans.”
Greatest living songwriter? Jenny Lewis has got as good a shot at the title as anyone. All of her albums evoke the best bits of “Tapestry,” “Blue,” “Harvest,” “Blood on the Tracks” and Neko Case’s catalog.
Pink seems to exist outside the world of pop. Yes, she has two dozen Top 40 hits. But her punk sass and fearlessness continually set her apart. And they make her one of the modern age’s greatest large stage entertainers. Bonus points: Pat Benatar opens up!
Best rock band ever. Fine, tied with Led Zeppelin. The hometown heroes return for one more reunion show.
Well, my friends, the time has come to raise the roof and have some fun. If you want to party, karamu, fiesta, forever, this is the show for you. If you want to move yourself and glide like a 747, lose yourself in the sky among the clouds in the heavens, this is also the show for you.