20 must-see concerts at Boston’s top venues for winter 2024-'25 (original) (raw)

Events

Local theaters and arenas are hosting a wild variety of acts this December-February. Here’s a batch of them.

Among the acts you can catch in Boston this winter are (clockwise from top) Boyz II Men, Soccer Mommy (at the Something in the Way Fest), Smokey Robinson, Suki Waterhouse, and Esperanza Spalding. Courtesy Photo; Evelyn Freja for The Washington Post; Craig Hunter Ross; Matt Licari/Invision/AP; Courtesy Photo

Name a musical genre, and it’ll likely be among those being featured at live concerts in the Boston market during the cold months that are ending this year and beginning next. Below, some prime choices from the area’s top venues.

(Sites include TD Garden, Roadrunner, MGM Music Hall at Fenway, House of Blues, The Wilbur, The Orpheum, Passim, Carey Hall, Berklee Performance Center, TCAN, Wang Theatre, and City Winery. Our small venues roundup is coming soon. All prices listed are face value; for some shows only verified resale tickets may be available.)

Best rock & blues concerts:

Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening at House of Blues

Jason Bonham. – Indulgent Life Photography

Rock concert lovers of a certain age and musical taste are well aware that John Bonham was a talented, wild, and crazy powerhouse when he drummed with Led Zeppelin. When he died in 1980, the band broke up. But his son, Jason, a drummer since he was 5, was a perfect choice to man the kit with the other three Zep members at a 1988 reunion show. Jason later drummed with other bands, formed a couple of his own, and returned to do another Zep reunion in 2007. These days he’s on the road playing all Led Zeppelin, all the time. Current bandmates are James Dylan (vocals and acoustic guitar), Jimmy Sakurai (lead guitar), and Dorian Heartsong (bass and mandolin). Recent set lists – which have been pleasing Zep aficionados – have included “Good Times Bad Times,” “Kashmir,” “Stairway to Heaven,” “Going to California,” “The Ocean,” “Ramble On,” and a “whole lotta” more. Sunday, Dec. 1, 8 p.m., House of Blues, 15 Lansdowne St., Boston. 57−57-57−60.

Allman Betts Family Revival at the Orpheum

Allman Betts Family Revival. – Getty Images

The Allman Brothers Band is long gone, but their music lives on via family bloodlines. Guitarist Devon Allman – son of Gregg – and guitarist Duane Betts – son of Dickey – are once again making an annual stop in town with their Allman Betts Family Revival, which Allman has called “a celebration of those who came before us” and “our tribute to the catalogue that these legends wrote and left for us.” With Allman switching between his SG electric guitars – a cherry red Robbie Krieger model and a white ’63 custom – and a white acoustic Gibson Hummingbird, and Betts sticking to electrics – a prototype Dickie Betts model Les Paul and a late’50s Stratocaster – and sharing vocals, they and their revolving back-up band (always featuring, per Allman Brothers tradition, two drummers) are jamming their way across the country. This tour is covering what they’re calling the 1970s era and the 1990s comeback era, but the band is keeping the titles on each set list a surprise until the night of the show. Thursday, Dec. 5, 8 p.m., Orpheum, 1 Hamilton Place, Boston. 24−24-24−495.

The Del Fuegos at City Winery

Depending on which band information page you look at, the Del Fuegos first got together in Boston in either 1980 or 1981. There’s no doubt, however, that fronted by the brothers Warren and Dan Zanes, they became an integral part of the local club scene and, when the road called, they found gigs up and down the East Coast. There were record deals and some songs on the radio and the charts – you might recall “Backseat Nothing” and “Don’t Run Wild” – and there were different lineups and a breakup and now, three-plus decades after their final album, “Smoking in the Fields,” a reunion featuring one of their earliest rosters: Dan Zanes (vocals and guitar), Warren Zames (guitar), Tom Lloyd (bass), and Woody Giessmann (drums), for what they’re billing as a holiday show, one that will hopefully maintain their rootsy garage sound. Saturday, Dec. 21, 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., City Winery, 80 Beverly St., Boston. 50−50-50−75.

The Johnny A Trio at The Center for Arts in Natick

In the early days of Johnny A’s career as an ace guitarist (after he had moved on from drums), he could be found flatpicking and fingerpicking in various bands at the Rat, the Channel, Bunratty’s, and other clubs in Boston and Cambridge. As he became better known, he went on the road as part of Peter Wolf and the Houseparty 5, and later was the touring guitarist for the Yardbirds. He was also lauded as a practitioner of instrumental music in his own bands, standing out by simultaneously playing lead and rhythm parts, and making sure that his lyrical solos had beginnings, middles, and ends. Because he’s concentrated on styles ranging from blues-rock to swing and shuffle, his upcoming trio show – with Dean Cassell (bass) and Marty Richards (drums) – could go in many directions. A longtime John Lennon fan, he’s also got a new single out – a cover of “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away” (apparently played in a Jeff Beck manner), so there’s no telling what he’ll have in store. Friday, Jan. 24, 8 p.m., The Center for Arts in Natick, 14 Summer St., Natick. $30.

Frank Black at House of Blues

It wasn’t long after singer-songwriter Frank Black broke up his poppy-rocky Boston band the Pixies in 1993 that he headed out on the road to a solo career. A well-received self-titled album was soon recorded, followed the next year by his double-disc opus “Teenager of the Year,” the title of which was taken from an award his high school gave him as he finished his senior year. The album consisted of a sprawling collection of keenly written melodic songs that broadened the musical horizons of what he was doing with the Pixies. This past May marked the 30th anniversary of that record (many more have followed), and Black is celebrating, out on the road with his current band, with stops around North America and in Paris and London, playing all 22 tracks of it, from start to end, on every stage they take. Friday, Jan. 31, 8 p.m., House of Blues, 15 Lansdowne St., Boston. 37.50−37.50-37.50−59.50.

Something in the Way Fest at Roadrunner

There are two two-decade celebrations going on right about now: the 20th anniversaries of the concert promoters The Bowery Presents, and of the Boston-based indie label Run for Cover Records. To commemorate these successes, the organizations are teaming up to put on the two-day Something in the Way Fest, featuring band after band after band at Roadrunner. The first day goes like this: Balance & Composure, Soccer Mommy, American Football, Sweet Pill, Anxious, Dazy, Enumclaw, Gouge Away, Great Grandpa, MS Paint, Ovlov, and Women In Peril. On the second, the performers are slowdive, Fiddlehead, Mannequin Pussy, Militarie Gun, Glare, Mini Trees, My Fictions, One Step Closer, Portrayal of Guilt, Sadurn, TAGABOW, and Wishy. Saturday, Feb. 1 and Sunday, Feb. 2, 1:45 p.m. each day, Roadrunner, 89 Guest St., Boston. 65−65-65−91; two-day pass, $167.24.

Also of note:

Best jazz concerts

Grace Kelley at The Center for Arts in Natick

How many musical hats can one person wear? Grace Kelley is a saxophonist, singer, songwriter, producer, arranger, and bandleader. But let’s look deeper into the part about instruments. She played clarinet before moving on to alto sax – she also plays soprano, tenor, and baritone saxes – she composes on piano, fools around with the blues on bass, and has studied drumming to help out with her timing on the other instruments. While she’s generally considered a jazz musician, her records and concerts have also featured sounds ranging from classical to electro-jazz-pop to Brazilian pop. Past accomplishments include soloing with the Boston Pops at age 14, performing at Barack Obama’s inauguration at 16, being named Rising Star Alto Saxophone as well as Rising Star Baritone Saxophone in Downbeat Magazine’s Critics Poll, and winning Song of the Year for “Feels Like Home” in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest. The Berklee College graduate’s newest album – which she’ll likely be featuring selections from on the current tour – is “At the Movies: Grace Kelley with Strings.” Friday and Saturday, Dec. 6 and 7, 8 p.m., The Center for Arts in Natick, 14 Summer St., Natick. 50−50-50−65.

Esperanza Spalding at Cary Hall

Bassist and vocalist Esperanza Spalding has always been very clear about what got her interested in playing music: It was when she was watching an episode of “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood,” and saw cellist Yo-Yo Ma perform. Soon after, she had her mind set on studying violin. She was 5. She mastered that instrument and, by her mid-teens, became concertmaster violinist for the Chamber Music Society of Oregon but, the legend goes, she switched to acoustic double bass after her high school music teacher saw her fooling around with one. In short order, she graduated from Berklee School of Music, was hired as an instructor there, and released her first jazz album “Junjo.” Her 2010 release, “Chamber Music Society,” earned her a Grammy for Best New Artist. Before long, more Grammys came her way, as did the decision to branch out into R&B, Afro-Latin, and experimental pop in albums including “D+Evolution,” “Twelve Little Spells,” and “Songwrights Apothecary Lab.” Her most recent release, last summer’s “Milton + Esperanza” (with Brazilian singer Milton Nascimento) enters bossa nova territory. Saturday, Jan. 25, 8 p.m., Cary Hall, 1605 Massachusetts Ave., Lexington. 69−69-69−129.

Best pop concerts

Mariah Carey at TD Garden

Mariah Carey. – Brent N. Clarke/Invision/AP, File

No one’s ever going to pigeonhole Mariah Carey into any one style of music. While “pop-R&B” fits her well, her reputation is also built around ballads and dance-pop and hip-hop, and around this time of year, she shifts it into a holiday mood. You could say it started three decades ago with the release of her album “Merry Christmas,” which featured what’s become a holiday classic – “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” written by Carey and Walter Afanasieff. Part catchy melody, part fun-filled lyrics, part “Wall of Sound” recording technique, it’s one of her most popular songs, and she usually builds up to it for her show’s climax. Yet, a lot of folks don’t realize that between “Merry Christmas” and her second holiday record, “Merry Christmas II You,” she created quite a few more original songs, including “Oh Santa,” “Miss You Most (at Christmas Time),” and “When Christmas Comes.” Traditionalists attending the annual concert need not worry. Among the songs on her set list are “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” “Silent Night,” “Sleigh Ride,” and “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.” Thursday, Dec. 5, 7:30 p.m., TD Garden, 100 Legends Way., Boston. 99−99-99−499.

Suki Waterhouse at Roadrunner

What a couple of years British model-actress-songstress Suki Waterhouse has had! There was the release of her album “I Can’t Let Go,” followed by her EP “The Milk Teeth,” a co-starring role on the TV series “Daisy Jones & the Six,” a major concert tour of South America and, a couple of months back, the release of her double album “Memoir of a Sparklemuffin.” Any arachnologists out there will know that the title refers to a tiny, fuzzy, colorful spider that likes to break out into dance. Waterhouse has revealed that she’d been writing, recording, and self-releasing her own music throughout the years, but success at modeling and acting put all of that on the backburner. Until these past couple of years. She’s out on the road, backed by a full band, zigzagging across the U.S. and Canada, and managing to find time to talk to people about spiders. Friday, Dec. 13, 8 p.m., Roadrunner, 89 Guest St., Boston. 75−75-75−100.

Lake Street Dive at MGM Music Hall

Lake Street Dive. – Concord Records

The eighth album from the 20-year-old, five-piece Boston band Lake Street Dive – “Good Together” – has all sorts of things going for it. Its songs jump in and out of genres, ranging from a poppy rocker to a laid-back ballad to a funky dance tune and a touch of reggae. Listen close, and you’ll also pick up strains of folk, jazz, and some unclassifiable sounds. Unlike most of their earlier work, this album’s selections were group compositions, not work by solo writers. The inner workings of the songs – such as tempos and chords – were selected by rolls of dice (actually just one die), then band members would each take those outcomes, work on them, and meet back up again to workshop the results into finished songs. Another new twist is that the group was accompanied in the studio by the horn section from the band Huntertones on a few tracks. One other thing: Just in case your listening experience takes on any special visual components, the album is available on pink vinyl. Friday and Saturday, Dec. 13 and 14, 8 p.m., MGM Music Hall, 2 Lansdowne St., Boston.

Finneas at MGM Music Hall

His full name is Finneas Baird O’Connell, and his younger sister is Billie Eilish. There, got all of that out of the way. In other areas of his life, 27-year-old Finneas has been in the game – writing and recording his own music – since he was 12. At 18, he landed the part of Alistair on the TV show “Glee.” He was in the short-lived power-pop band The Slightlys. A solo album – “The Optimist” – came out in 2021, and was followed, earlier this year, by “For Cryin’ Out Loud!” on which he’s accompanied by a full band, playing behind him on pop songs and ballads. A guitarist and pianist in his own right, and at his own concerts, he also tours as a bass player with Eilish’s stage band, and has co-written and co-produced songs on her albums. Saturday, Feb. 21, 8 p.m., MGM Music Hall, 2 Lansdowne St., Boston. 35.50−35.50-35.50−70.50.

Also of note:

Best Americana/country/folk concerts:

Gillian Welch and David Rawlings at The Wilbur

Gillian Welch & David Rawlings. – Larry McCormack

The term “Americana” was still fairly new to the lexicon when Gillian Welch and David Rawlings released their first album, “Revival,” in 1996. That was four years after they met in Boston (but soon moved to Nashville), 15 years before “Americana” made it to the pages of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, and 22 years before they decided to get married. It turns out that their voices and their guitar-playing were also married to each other, resulting in a fine blend of country, bluegrass, and folk music featuring harmonious vocals and string work (he’s the picker, she plays rhythm). They’d been dueting since the Nashville days, but over the years, they’d gone back and forth between having one or the other’s name on their album covers. Until both names appeared on their Grammy-winning 2020 covers album “All the Good Times (Are Past and Gone),” and again on their new one, “Woodland.” The songs on it may be sad, lyrically, but they’re soothing, sonically. Sunday, Dec. 1, 7:30 p.m., The Wilbur, 270 Tremont St., Boston. 175−175-175−415.

Hot Tuna at The Wilbur

When they were teenage pals, growing up in Washington, D.C., Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady started playing acoustic guitars together in small clubs. While Jorma stuck with guitar, Jack switched to bass. When Jorma later got a call about a band forming in San Francisco (it would come to be known as Jefferson Airplane), he invited Jack to be the bassist. They rocked out and got all psychedelic with the Airplane, but occasionally hit the stage – sometimes mid-concert – as that previous bluesy duo (they would come to be known as Hot Tuna). The Airplane broke up in 1972; Hot Tuna has never done so, and the duo – sometimes with electric accompaniment, most often just the two of them in an acoustic (guitar) and electric (bass) setting – is still at it. Wednesday, Dec. 11, 8 p.m., The Wilbur, 270 Tremont St., Boston. 60−60-60−80.

Martin Sexton at City Winery

Martin Sexton is a Beatles fan. That may not be earthshaking news, because there are a few other people in that category. But Sexton, the singer-songwriter with the slightly dusky tenor voice that can hit the high notes, and plenty of guitar prowess, who started his career as a street singer in Cambridge, is taking his fanaticism to the extreme. On his current tour of the States, rather than perform songs from his vast stack of originals, he’s presenting himself as a covers artist. And what he’s covering in these shows – just a man and his acoustic guitar (mostly a Godin A6 Ultra, with a tune or two on a Taylor) – is “Abbey Road,” in its entirety. Of course, that final Beatles album clocks in at only 47:03, so there could be some time for Sexton to do selections from his newest album “2020 Vision.” There’s also a chance that he could conjure up a ukulele, the instrument he learned to play during some pandemic downtime. Friday and Saturday, Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, 7:30 p.m., City Winery, 80 Beverly St., Boston. 45−45-45−75.

Also of note:

Best R&B/soul/hip-hop concerts:

Smokey Robinson at the Wang Theatre

Here’s just a sampling of the hits Smokey Robinson wrote and recorded, either with the Miracles or on his own: “The Tracks of My Tears,” “I Second That Emotion,” “The Tears of a Clown,” “Shop Around.” He also wrote and produced “My Girl” for the Temptations, and “My Guy” for Mary Wells. That was back in the ’60s, and Robinson – a member of both the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame – is still at it, hitting the road when it calls to him, and visiting the recording studio as recently as 2023 for the album “Gasms,” featuring all original songs. OK, at the age of 84, his stage moves aren’t quite as fluid as in his Miracles days, but he’s definitely still got ’em. And his voice – well, it remains silky smooth and he consistently brings it way up to the stratosphere. Saturday, Dec. 7, 8 p.m., Wang Theatre, 270 Tremont St., Boston. 59−59-59−299.

Ghostface Killah, GZA, Raekwon at House of Blues

Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, and RZA. – Bryan Steffy/Getty Images for Haute Living

It’s difficult to differentiate a Wu-Tang Clan concert from a show headlining three separate names: Ghostface Killah, GZA, and Raekwon. All three rappers are founding members of the Staten Island hip-hop group that released their first album – “Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)” – in 1993. In the three decades and many albums that followed that original groundbreaking disc, a typical live Wu-Tang Clan show would feature one performer stepping out front to do one of his own set pieces, then moving out of the spotlight to let another rapper do his thing. There would also, as the show went on, be ensemble presentations mixed in. So, it won’t be a big surprise if the three guys on this tour – each of them also a solo performer with a solo career – take on the same format. Of the three, only Ghostface Killah has a recent release: last spring’s “Set the Tone (Guns & Roses).” Saturday, Dec. 7, 8 p.m., House of Blues, 15 Lansdowne St., Boston. 76−76-76−133.

Boyz II Men at MGM Music Hall

They were a quintet when they formed in 1988, but were down to a quartet a couple of years later when personality conflicts got in the way, and were reduced to a trio in 2003 when there were some health issues. But those harmonies that shine on those soulful ballads still keep Boyz II Men – Wanya Morris, Shawn Stockman, and Nathan Morris – up there among the most popular R&B groups of all time. They hit it big right out of the gate – shortly after being taken under the wing by Boston native Michael Bivens (New Edition) – with their 1991 debut album “Cooleyhighharmony” on Motown, which resulted in three Grammys for them. Touring became constant, follow-up records were more successful than previous ones, collaborations with other artists came about, most notably “One Sweet Day” with Mariah Carey. Though their most recent album, “Under the Streetlight,” was released back in 2017, there have since been the singles “Daily Harvest” and “Love Struck” in 2020, and the touring continues. Friday, Jan. 17, 8 p.m., MGM Music Hall, 2 Lansdowne St., Boston. 61−61-61−113.

Also of note:

Best classical concerts:

The Kingdom Choir at Berklee Performance Center

There are very few experiences as transcendent as listening to a large gathering of voices sing out in unison, especially if they’ve been together for a while and have the chops to do it perfectly. Such is the case with London’s Kingdom Choir, which started in 1994 as an informal group singing religious songs. Under the guidance of founding member – and now director – Karen Gibson, the number of singers blossomed up to 20 as their venues grew from church halls to gospel music festivals. Depending on where they were performing, the size of the choir could be as few as 12 and as many as 40. The group was having a good time, and small-to-medium audiences were wowed. Then, in 2018, they received an invite to perform at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. The song was “Stand by Me.” It was broadcast around the world. The “wows” got a lot louder, and record labels came calling, followed by “overnight success” after 20-plus years, and shows that include contemporary gospel, such as “Oh Happy Day,” gospel versions of pop songs such as Coldplay’s “Fix You,” and of course, “Stand by Me.” Sunday, Dec. 15, 5 p.m., Berklee Performance Center, 136 Massachusetts Ave., Boston. 39−39-39−125.

Also of note:

Best miscellaneous concert:

Straight No Chaser at MGM Music Hall

Straight No Chaser. – Jimmy Fontaine

Here’s another example – albeit in a different musical vein – of vocals getting all of the attention. The nine-member group of harmonizing male voices called Straight No Chaser – who borrowed their name from the title of the 1967 album by Thelonious Monk – recently marked their 25th anniversary of a cappella performances. As their fans – who call themselves “Chasers” – know, the concerts aren’t just made up of songs, as there’s plenty of banter to go around between them. When the group – Walter Chase, Jerome Collins, Seggie Isho, Michael Luginbill, Steve Morgan, Jasper Smith, Luke Bob Robinson, Tyler Trepp and Freedom Young – tours at this time of year, they offer up plenty of seasonal music, from “We Three Kings of Orient Are” to “Little Saint Nick.” But if it’s pop music you’re listening for, there’s a good chance they’ll sing out with anything from “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” to “Tainted Love.” Sunday, Dec. 8, 7 p.m., MGM Music Hall, 2 Lansdowne St., Boston. 66−66-66−135.

Need weekend plans?

The best events in the city, delivered to your inbox

Image

Winter Concerts, 2024-'25

DATE:

Dec. 1-Feb. 28

MORE INFO:

See individual entries for specific date and ticket information.