9/21: Buckethead at the Beachland

Theater is all about drama, emotion and entertainment. While directors insist there are no small roles, the audience secretly longs for a mesmerizing, impassioned actor to steal the show. That’s where Buckethead (a.k.a. Brian Patrick Carroll) comes in. The guy may not be the most sympathetic protagonist — he sports a KFC bucket as a hat and a plain white mask, and shreds a million notes per minute on vintage instruments — but his guitar playing is among the world’s most emotive and action-packed. With more than 27 solo albums, there’s not much Buckethead hasn’t done over the past two decades. Whether shredding with experimental-music legends John Zorn and Bill Laswell, moonlighting with Guns N’ Roses or collaborating with underground dissident Serj Tankian, he displays a propensity for good taste and savant musicianship. Buckethead rarely resorts to muscular posturing; each guitar line is first and foremost musical. Many times they rest neatly in the backdrop as a song gains steam, holding back until the entire piece is ready to burst. That’s when Buckethead unleashes riff after riff of musical fret-play. But he cleans up after he’s done, reins things in and allows the song to take control again. Wolff and Kandee kick things off at 8 p.m. at the Beachland Ballroom (15711 Waterloo Rd., 216.383.1124). Tickets: $25 advance, $30 day of show. — Nick DeMarino