Weekend forecast: Hagar and pals; Wallen and Jelly Roll
What we have here is an actual, by-God rock supergroup.
For his summer 2024 tour, which lands at Mid-Florida Credit Union Amphitheater Sunday, singer Sammy Hagar – the voice of Van Halen for 11 years – has assembled a blistering backup trio.
Check out guitar shredder Joe Satriani, drummer Jason Bonham (his dad was Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham) and Michael Anthony, Van Halen’s founding bassist and one of the best harmony singers in the genre.
Do the math: With Hagar and Anthony, it’s like Van Halen without the Van Halen brothers. Hagar calls the cross-country trek The Best of All Worlds.
“The music we created is going to outlive us all,” Hagar said. “They deserve to be heard so it’s time we go out and serve the fans that music, while we still can.”
The opening slot is taken by ‘80s band Loverboy (“Workin’ For the Weekend”).
Tickets for Sunday’s 7 p.m. concert are here.
Two of country music’s biggest names for 2024 are at Raymond James Stadium tonight and Saturday. The controversial Morgan Wallen (“Last Night,” “Sand in My Boots,” “I Had Some Help” with Post Malone, “Wasted on You”) headlines, with Jelly Roll (“Son of a Sinner,” “Halfway to Hell”), Nate Smith and Bryan Martin. Tickets for both nights are at this link.
The Mid-Florida Credit Union Amphitheater welcomes the Doobie Brothers tonight (Thursday, July 11). This incarnation, with original members Pat Simmons and Tom Johnston, with later (and welcomed) additions Michael McDonald and John McPhee, has been on the road (it’s the “50th Anniversary Tour”) for a few years now; this is their second (or third?) appearance in the bay area in recent memory. Tickets.
At the Mid-Florida Credit Union Amphitheater Saturday: 1990s rhythm ‘n’ blues vocal groups Xscape & SWV. Tickets.
Of course it’s not exactly a weekend concert, but here’s a reminder that Janet Jackson performs at Mid-Florida Tuesday (July 16), with Nelly. Find tickets here.
Saturday night on the Palladium Theater’s Hough Hall stage, it’s the 2024 edition of the annual Boogie Woogie Blues Piano Stomp, during which four – count ‘em – four grand pianos are employed. The players are Henri Herbert (UK, France, Texas), Craig Brenner (Indiana), Barry Cuda (Florida) and Liz Pennock (Florida, with Dr. Blues on guitar). Find tickets here.
On theater stages
It’s opening weekend for three new plays – whimsical, weird and plain old funny plays, although not necessarily in that order.
LAB Laughs bows tonight at LAB Theater project in Tampa, and runs through July 23. This is the annual anthology of short comedy plays – seven in all – none of them previously produced, which is just the way the LAB folks like ‘em. Tickets.
The Rocky Horror Show is Jobsite Theater’s summer sweepstakes entry. It is, of course, the time-warping mashup of cheesy ‘50s sci-fi movies and ‘70s sexual expansions, set to a rock ‘n’ roll beat. It’s in the Jaeb Theatre, the big room. Time warp time. Read about it, and find tickets, here.
The Figs is a contemporary fairy tale by Doug Robinson – American Stage, where it’s world premiering, calls it a story of kindness and what we’ll sacrifice for love. Sometimes stories exist just for the sake of telling stories.” Read about it, and find tickets, here.
Your weekend arts forecast appears every Thursday in the Catalyst.
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