WED 05/24
Future Islands
Hipster media outlets such as Pitchfork and NME gave this indie rock band a boost when they praised its 2014 album, Singles. With their shimmering synths and earnest vocals, songs such as “Seasons (Waiting on You)” have a ’70s singer-songwriter vibe to them without sacrificing any indie cred. The current tour that brings the band to the Agora supports the 2020 album As Long as You Are. Doors open tonight at 7. Deeper opens the show.
5000 Euclid Ave., 216-881-2221, agoracleveland.com.
THU 05/25
John Mellencamp
The veteran rocker comes to Connor Palace tonight at 8 for the first of two shows (Mellencamp also performs at the venue at 8 tomorrow night). Expect to hear songs such as “Paper in Fire,” “Small Town,” “Pink Houses” and “Jack & Diane” in what will essentially be a greatest-hits set. If you’re thinking of attending both shows, you might want to look at setlists from previous shows. It appears Mellencamp simply plays the same set each night.
1615 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.
Ugly Kid Joe
This hard rock band formed in 1987 and experienced a degree of commercial success as the group benefited from an early ‘90s tour with Ozzy Osbourne. Like many heavy metal bands of the era, the group would break up in 1997 when album sales saw diminishing returns. It subsequently reunited in 2010 and just released Rad Wings of Destiny last year. The retro-sounding album draws from the hard rock of the ’80s (think Judas Priest or Motley Crue) and includes a rousing cover of the Kinks’ classic “Lola.” Doors open at 7 tonight for the band’s concert at the Agora.
5000 Euclid Ave., 216-881-2221, agoracleveland.com.
FRI 05/26
Welcome Home 017 Featuring Jimpster & Smooth Talk
Jimpster has become one the most revered deep house artists operating on the scene today. His labels Freerange and Delusions of Grandeur continue to help break new music and impressive acts such as Detroit Swindle, Tornado Wallace and Session Victim. From his UK base, Jimpster has become a standard-bearer and custodian of the authentic house sound. He performs tonight at 9 at Crobar. Cleveland’s Smooth Talk opens the show.
3244 St. Clair, 216-771-4727, crobar1921.com.
SUN 05/28
Steve Morse Band
Reunited and performing together for the first time in more than 10 years, the Steve Morse Band is led by its namesake, guitar hero Morse (the Dixie Dregs, Deep Purple). As far as guitar heroes go, Morse probably hasn’t entirely gotten his due, but his technical style of playing certainly puts him near the top of the heap. Expect to hear tracks from throughout the hard rock group’s 30-year history at tonight’s show. It begins at 7:30 at Music Box Supper Club.
1148 Main Ave., 216-242-1250, musicboxcle.com.
Puscifer
Led by Ravenna native Maynard James Keenan and British singer Carina Round, this art-rock group comes to MGM Northfield Park — Center Stage tonight at 8. The group takes a theatrical approach to its live shows and you can expect to see anything from dancing aliens to artsy video treatments. This tour supports the recently released Existential Reckoning (Re-Wired), a collection of remixes that finds acts such as Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross and Phantogram reimagining tunes from 2020’s Existential Reckoning and adding sonic density to tunes that were already sonically dense.
10705 Northfield Rd., Northfield, 330-908-7793, mgmnorthfieldpark.mgmresorts.com/en.html.
Subscribe to Cleveland Scene newsletters.
Follow us: Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
This article appears in May 17-30, 2023.
