Winter Concerts 2016

Dec. 4, 2015

New Year, New Music!

Whether you prefer your music 100 percent homegrown or enjoy the excuse to take a road trip downstate, 2016 has a great head start on must-see concerts! You’ll find everything from vintage classics to country crooners to cutting edge tunes for the first three months of the year. Just take a look at these highlights.

ELECTRONICA TO ROCK

– Kicking off the new year with some seriously cool Brit rock is Muse, with opening act X Ambassadors, rocking Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena Jan. 14.

– Feb. 2 will see the arrival of Scott Stapp at Ground Zero in Traverse City, as the former Creed frontman tours with his own solo material.

– Legendary rockers The Who have been around since the early ‘60s, and they’ll be next on deck at the Joe Louis Feb. 27.

– A long lineup of guitar experts will take the stage for the Experience Hendrix show at the Fox Theater in Detroit on Mar. 3, with everyone from Jonny Lang, Eric Johnson, Buddy Guy and Ana Popovic to Mato Nanji and Billy Cox paying tribute to Jimi’s skills – You heavy rock fans will want to make sure you’re back from downstate in time for the Blue Oyster Cult show at Manistee’s Little River Casino Mar. 5.

POP GOES THE MUSIC

– This year’s Winter Jam is moving to two venues — Jan. 1 at Grand Rapids’ Van Andel Arena and Jan. 31 at the Palace of Auburn Hills near Detroit — with pop-rock headliners including For King and Country, Matthew West, Lauren Daigle and Sidewalk Prophets.

– Chic Gamine’s unique, minimalistic girlgroup sound arrives at the City Opera House in Traverse City for a concert on Jan. 22.

– Find Miss Jackson if you’re ready to dance; Janet Jackson will bring her rhythmbased brand of R&B pop to the Palace of Auburn Hills on Feb. 2.

– Pop/hip-hop sensation Aaron Carter is prepping for his upcoming Aaron–Pearceproduced 2016 album with some live shows, including one at the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor Feb. 24.

– Post-grunge pop-rock singer David Cook will be at the Magic Bag in fashionable Ferndale on Mar. 13.

FOLKTASTIC FINDS

– Singer-songwriter Willy Porter will fi nally be returning to the Gopherwood Concert Series in Cadillac on Jan. 24.

– Buzz artist Vance Joy brings his brand of folk-pop to The Colosseum at Caesars Windsor on Jan. 25, with opening act Reuben and the Dark in tow.

– One of the biggest folk festivals in the state takes place in January. The Ann Arbor Folk Festival at The Ark, which will welcome City and Colour, Richard Thompson, Yo La Tengo, The Oh Hellos, The Ben Daniels Band, Traverse City’s The Voice contestant Joshua Davis, Darlingside and Alan Doyle on Jan. 29.

– The Milliken Auditorium at the Dennos Museum Center is presenting the unique, genre-mixing sounds of Palestinian- American multi-instrumentalist Ronnie Malley and Indian-American vocalist Zeshan Bagewadi on Feb. 6.

– Song of the Lakes kicks off its 2016 tour at the City Opera House in Traverse City with a big show on Feb. 27.

– If it’s the luck of the Irish you’re listening for, don’t miss Dervish’s brand of traditional Celtic music at The Milliken Auditorium at the Dennos Museum Center in Traverse City on Mar. 5.

– It’s off to the Dennos once again on Mar. 18 with sophisticated outfit Matuto, blending Brazilian music with the bluegrass sounds of the American south.

– Urban folk singer-songwriter Patty Larkin is set to perform at the Freshwater Studio as part of Boyne City’s concert series on Mar. 26.

BACK TO THE COUNTRY

– Two singing show winners, Nashville Star’s champ Chris Young and 2012 The Voice winner Cassadee Pope, will be turning the Royal Oak Music Theater into a country venue on Feb. 5.

– Pope’s former Voice coach, Blake Shelton, will be kickin’ up his boots, with opening act Chris Janson at the Palace of Auburn Hills on Feb. 20.

– The “rebel queen” of Nashville, Kacey Musgraves, will be performing at the Kalamazoo State Theater on Feb. 25.

– Cassadee Pope will be returning along with five-piece country band Old Dominion and fellow country acts Jana Kramer and Canaan Smith at The Fillmore in Detroit on Mar. 10 – All-American girl Carrie Underwood is bringing her showy brand of country-pop to the Palace of Auburn Hills on Mar. 22, along with opening acts Easton Corbin and The Voice standouts The Swon Brothers.