Country music performer Cole Swindell, whose mondo colosso hits include “She Had Me at Heads Carolina,” “Never Say Never” (with Lainey Wilson), “You Should Be Here” and “Break Up in the End” (among others), headlines at the BayCare Sound Saturday. Support acts are Priscilla Block and Greylan James. Swindell’s latest album, Spanish Moss, was released in June. Tickets are here.
That musical mischief-maker Randy Rainbow is back for his semi-regular visit to the Mahaffey Theater Friday. Skewering Washington politics to musical theater melodies is of course, Rainbow’s specialty. His current cross-country jaunt is called the National Freakin’ Treasure tour, and tickets for the Mahaffey show are available at this link.
Randy Rainbow: Friday at the Mahaffey Theater. Publicity photo.
Tonight (7 p.m.) at the Mahaffey Theater: A performance of Cinderella from the World Ballet Company (a cast of 40 international dancers). Find tickets at this link.
A Flock of Seagulls plays (play?) the big stage out back at Ferg’s Sports Bar tonight, followed by Puddle of Mudd Friday. Both bands, as we told you in this recap from earlier this week, contain one original member. Tickets are at this link.
Colombian crooner Jorge Celedón performs tonight at the Seminole Hard Rock Event Center. Find tickets here.
Singer and guitarist Orinathi takes charge tonight at the Capitol Theatre. Here’s our interview with the Australian Ms. O from Wednesday.
Platinum-selling rapper/singer Doechii – she’s a Tampa native – is onstage Saturday at Yuengling Center, on the University of South Florida main campus. Find tickets here.
Saturday’s scheduled Capitol Theatre concert from singer Macy Gray, who’s on the road celebrating the 25th anniversary of her breakthrough album, On How Life Is, has apparently been canceled. It no longer appears on the venue’s website.
Lil’ Ed and the Blues Imperials: Friday in Safety Harbor. Publicity photo.
Chicago’s Lil’ Ed and the Blues Imperials take the stage Friday at the Safety Harbor Art & Music Center. There’s electric blues at the venue Saturday as well, with Tampa guitar ace Selwyn Birchwood and his band. All tickets are here.
Friday brings Latin bandleader and percussionist Tito Puente Jr. to the Warehouse Arts District’s outdoor ArtsXchange stage. Tickets for the 6-9 p.m. salsa music and dance show are available here, with additional information.
Saturday brings Tampa-based British jazz pianist Simon Lasky to the Palladium Theater’s Side Door Cabaret. In the band are vocalist Allison Nash, with James Suggs, trumpet; Mark Feinman, drums; Alejandro Arenas, upright and electric bass; and saxophonist Jack Wilkins. 8 p.m. showtime, with tickets at this link.
Hip hop artist Mastisyahu is back at Jannus Live Sunday. We spoke with the rapper, singer, songwriter and producer in 2024 (The Catalyst interview: Matisyahu). Tickets for the Sunday concert are here.
Friday at the Palladium Theater’s Side Door Café, a group of notable local musicians calling itself the St. Pete Collective interprets the music of James Taylor. With Chad Stivers on lead vocals and acoustic guitar, the band includes Patrick Bettison – keyboards, percussion, harmonica, backing vocals; LaRue Nickelson – electric guitars; Vinnie Seplesky – bass; Gale Trippsmith – backing vocals, percussion; Joey Interrante – drums. Tickets for the 8 p.m. performance are here.
Better Than Ezra, onstage Saturday at Jannus Live, is the New Orleans rock band best remembered for the platinum 1993 LP Deluxe, and the hits “Good” and “King of New Orleans.” Founding singer/guitarist Kevin Griffin and bass player Tom Drummond are still with the band. First of the Day opens; find tickets at this link.
At the Yuengling Center Monday (Oct. 27): Singer and actress Reneé Rapp, who starred in Mean Girls on Broadway, and in HBO Max’s The Sex Lives of College Girls. Her second album, Bite Me, was released in August. Tickets are here.
The Florida Orchestra
Daniel Black conducts the free TFO Pops in the Park concert Saturday (7 p.m.) in Vinoy Park; it’s a program of show tunes and movie music (“You bring the blanket and a picnic and we’ll provide the perfect soundtrack of free music under the stars”). Sunday (2 p.m.) at the Mahaffey Theater, Black is back to lead TFO through the annual Haunted Halls Halloween season family concert, everything from Mike Jackson’s “Thriller” to Grieg’s “In the Hall of the Mountain King.” Tickets are here.
Jobsite’s “Ghost Brothers of Darkland County.” Photo: James Zambon.
On theater stages
Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, written by Stephen King and John Mellencamp, continues at Tampa’s Jobsite Theater. Find showtimes and tickets here.
Ira Levin’s murder mystery Deathtrap is in its inaugural weekend at St. Pete’s freeFall Theatre. Find showtimes and tickets here. This show’s Natalie Symons guests on our Arts Alive! podcast Friday.
Likewise, Evil Dead the Musical has just begun its run at Stageworks Theatre, Tampa. Find showtimes and tickets here.
American Stage (St. Pete) opens the musical Hundred Days this weekend. Find showtimes and tickets here.
Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors is heading into its final weekend at the Jaeb Theatre, in Tampa’s Straz Center. Find showtimes and tickets here.
A touring production of Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus – a blend of theater and standup comedy – visits Largo’s Central Park Performing Arts Center Saturday. More info and tickets are here.
The long-running Radio Theatre Project begins its fall season Monday at The Studio@620 in St. Petersburg. More info and tickets are here.
Your Weekend Spotlight appears every Thursday in the Catalyst’s CREATE section.
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