Livewire: 16 of the Best Concerts to Catch in Cleveland Through April 7

THU 03/28

Benefit for the Family of Lachlan MacKinnon
Local acts Mourning [A] BLKstar, Wrong Places, Whatever, OONGOW!!! and Hello! 3D will perform at this benefit concert for the family of Lachlan MacKinnon, the local rocker who played in the local act Chargers Street Gang and once worked at the Beachland. MacKinnon tragically passed away earlier this year. The concert begins at 8 p.m. Admission is a $20 suggested donation.
15711 Waterloo Rd., 216-383-1124, beachlandballroom.com.

Celtic Woman 20th Anniversary Tour
Originally, this Irish act formed for a one-time event that was held in Dublin. After the concert aired repeatedly on PBS, the group became a sensation and has continued to tour and record ever since. The group brings its 20th anniversary tour to the State Theatre tonight at 7.
1519 Euclid Avenue, 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.

A Flock of Seagulls
As the story goes, A Flock of Seagulls band leader Mike Score was a hairdresser when he formed this British synth-pop group in 1979. Thanks to some heavy exposure via MTV, the tune "I Ran (So Far Away)" became a big hit, and the group has milked that success ever since. It comes to House of Blues tonight at 7. Strangelove: The Depeche Mode Experience opens the show.
308 Euclid Ave., 216-523-2583, houseofblues.com.

FRI 03/29

Blackberry Smoke
Southern rock act Blackberry Smoke put out its debut in 2003 and since that debut, the band has independently released several full-length records and has toured relentlessly, building a strong and loyal community of fans. The group performs tonight at 8 at TempleLIve at the Cleveland Masonic.
3615 Euclid Ave., 216-881-6350, masoniccleveland.com.

JJ Grey & Mofro
The 11 songs on Olustee, the latest offering from blues-rock act JJ Grey & Mofro songs range from the raucous Wonderland” to "Sitting on Top of the World," a song driven by woozy horns. It's an ambitious effort, and the uptempo songs should translate well to the stage. The blues-rock act comes to the Agora tonight at 6:30. Judith Hill opens.
5000 Euclid Ave., 216-881-2221, agoracleveland.com.

Colin Hay
The Aussie singer-songwriter best known as the frontman of '80s act Men at Work returns to the Kent Stage tonight at 6:30. He's touring behind a new solo album, Now and the Evermore, a collection of mid-tempo rock/pop tunes that he recorded in his adopted L.A. hometown.
175 E. Main St., Kent, 330-677-5005, kentstage.org.

SAT 03/30

Adam Ant
Adam & the Ants' 1979 debut "channeled the sexy swagger of glam through the provocations of punk, creating a dark, sexy, and vital sound," as a press release state. The sound would later influence the likes of Nine Inch Nails, who covered the Adam & the Ants song "You're So Physical." Still relevant after all these years, Ant brings his ANTMUSIC Tour to the Goodyear Theater in Akron tonight at 8.
1201 East Market St., Akron, goodyeartheater.com.

SUN 03/31

Too Many Zooz
Too Many Zooz describes itself as Brass House on account of the way it draws from hip-hop, funk and jazz. The guys all come from diverse backgrounds. Matt "Doe" Muirhead grew up playing piano and singing in church and then got into jazz and got into hip-hop. Saxophonist Leo [Pelegrino] grew up playing with his dad, who’s an accordion player. As a result, he got into polkas before diving into jazz and hip-hop. Drummer Dave "King of Sludge" Parks has studied African drumming from Senegal and South Africa. The influences all come together nicely on the band's albums. The group performs tonight at 8 at the Beachland Ballroom.
15711 Waterloo Rd., 216-383-1124, beachlandballroom.com.

MON 04/01

Beach Fossils
The indie group act out of New York comes to town tonight in support of last year's Bunny. Catchy lo-fi songs such as the album opener, "Sleeping on My Own," feature Strokes-like guitars and lackadaisical vocals. Nation of Language opens. The show begins tonight at 7 at House of Blues.
308 Euclid Ave., 216-523-2583, houseofblues.com.

WED 04/03

Kate Clover
After a busy 2023 touring schedule that included a North American tour supporting the Hives, select dates with Fucked Up as well as her debut European tour. punk singer-songwriter Kate Clover comes to the Grog Shop in Cleveland Heights tonight at 8. The tour supports her new album, The Apocalypse Dream. Autopolitan and Slag Genie open.
2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., Cleveland Heights, 216-321-5588, grogshop.gs.

THU 04/04

Hot Club of Cowtown
This Western swing band first formed in the late '90s, and its combination of jazz, country and swing has received critical acclaim. The group performs tonight at 7:30 at Treelawn Music Hall.
15335 Waterloo Rd, 216-677-8733, thetreelawn.com.

Kitchen Dwellers
For its latest album, Seven Devils, this folk-rock group took inspiration from a literary classic. The songs allude to Dante's epic voyage through the Nine Circles of Hell. Of course, with twangy guitars and banjos, the tunes get a bluegrass/alt-country makeover. The band performs tonight at 8 at the Beachland Ballroom. Cris Jacobs opens. He's touring support of the forthcoming One of These Days, his first album in five years.
15711 Waterloo Rd., 216-383-1124, beachlandballroom.com.

James McMurtry
Veteran singer-songwriter James McMurtry started playing cover tunes at a college hangout in Tucson. Produced by John Mellencamp, his 1989 debut, Too Long in the Wasteland, announced that McMurtry, the son of writer Larry McMurtry, had a good knack for words. Tonight at 7:30, he plays Music Box Supper Club.
1148 Main Ave., 216-242-1250, musicboxcle.com.

Jeff Rosenstock
Known for his other indie/punk bands Bomb the Music Industry! and the Arrogant Sons of Bitches, this indie rocker comes to the Roxy at Mahall's 20 Lanes in Lakewood tonight as part of a tour supporting his new album, Hellmode. It finds him balancing his noisier impulses with some catchy harmonies, as album opener "Will U Still U," demonstrates. The show starts at 7. Sidney Gish and Gladie open the show.
13200 Madison Ave., Lakewood, 216-521-3280, mahalls20lanes.com.

FRI 04/05

Steve Forbert
Singer-songwriter Steve Forbert comes to the Beachland Tavern tonight in support of his acclaimed album, Moving Through America. A cancer survivor, he's been on major labels and indies and had his songs covered by people like Rosanne Cash and Keith Urban. He survived being labeled the “new Dylan” and once famously passed on being on the cover of Rolling Stone. Filled with character portraits and quirky insights, the album "unfolds like a mosaic of modern-day American life delivered by someone who's been crisscrossing the country for nearly half a century," as it's put in a press release. The show starts at 7 p.m.
15711 Waterloo Rd., 216-383-1124, beachlandballroom.com.

Sean Jones: Dizzy Spellz
Native Clevelander Sean Jones returns to Northeast Ohio with this project that combines tap dancing and vocals with the music of Dizzy Gillespie. Teaming up with choreographer Brinae Ali, Jones will fuse elements of jazz, tap, hip-hop and bebop to "articulate the social vernacular language of the African American experience," as it's put in a press release. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Tri-C Metropolitan Campus Auditorium.
2900 Community College Ave. tri-c.edu.

SAT 04/06

Darkside of the Moon – Solar Eclipse Concert
With the solar eclipse right around the corner, the Pink Floyd tribute act Dark Side of the Moon performs tonight at 6:30 at the Kent Stage.
175 E. Main St., Kent, 330-677-5005, kentstage.org.

Adam Paddock
Drawing inspiration from singer-songwriters such as of Jeremy Zucker and Ben Platt, Adam Paddock brings his Sweet Ohio Light tour to the Beachland Tavern tonight. The show starts at 8:30. The Meatball Mob, Flavor Wave and Emma Bieniewicz open.
15711 Waterloo Rd., 216-383-1124, beachlandballroom.com.

Third Annual Ben Caskey '22 Memorial Scholarship Benefit Concert
Tim Caskey's son Ben Caskey passed away unexpectedly in 2022 from a congenital heart defect. He was a senior at Baldwin Wallace University, and his family started a scholarship in his name. For the third year in a row, Tim Caskey's band, Serious Nature, will play a special fundraising concert tonight at 8 at the Winchester Music Tavern to raise funds for the scholarship. The group has just released a remastered version of the single "Bombs Away," a track that received airplay on local stations when it first came out in 1989.
12112 Madison Ave., Lakewood, 216-600-5338, facebook.com/TheWinchesterMusicTavern.

SUN 04/07

The Brad “Scarface” Jordan: Behind the Desk Experience
Inspired by an appearance on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts in December of last year, the Houston-bred rapper brings his Behind the Desk Experience to town tonight. Expect to hear songs from both his solo catalog and his time with the Geto Boys. The show begins at 7 at the Agora.
5000 Euclid Ave., 216-881-2221, agoracleveland.com.

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