Season Preview 2022-23: The season in pop

“Pop” is an all-encompassing term used to describe music that basically isn’t jazz, classical or opera. Therefore, it describes the sampling of James Brown, Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, Jimi Hendrix, Alison Krauss, Lucius, Nirvana, Public Enemy, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Hank Williams. Which mostly constitutes a cross-reference of what’s become, in the tribute act era, a form of nostalgic, non-European classics. Only sweet-singing band Lucius originated in this century.
 
Yet pop has also described Pat Boone, Bread, Bobby Brown, Anita Bryant, Billy Ray Cyrus, Miley Cyrus, Hootie & the Blowfish, Limp Bizkit, Vanilla Ice, and Hank Williams Jr. Thankfully, few tributes to their ilk could be found. Here. Yet. But when “influencers” dictate pop culture as much as anyone, the lowest common denominators often await.
 
Modern pop, across all spectrums, has shifted the emphasis from live performance to too many composers, producers, and auto-tuned vocals, and too much programming and sequencing. Live albums, more honest, have always sold more poorly than studio albums, so we were forewarned. And live shows have become pricey enough that only those “influenced,” which usually equates to less musical taste, can afford to go.
   
With a few 21st=century artists thrown in for 2022-2023, the takeaways for South Florida’s pop season are: 1. Hard Rock Live is going for the one, booking classic alt-rock, modern country, young neo-classic rock stars plus a familial tribute to their forefathers, and an older classic rock star with exorbitant ticket prices (Bruce, please), and 2. Wells Hall likes guitar players, with shows from metal to blues to progressive rock.

One of the most theatrical, eclectic, and original rock guitarists ever, Long Island-born Steve Vai first rose to prominence as the “stunt guitarist” in Frank Zappa’s bands in Los Angeles from 1980-1983, after initially impressing the bandleader as a teenaged transcriptionist. Vai then started a solo career, adding his vocals on the 1984 debut Flex-Able, one of the most original and least-predictable albums, in any genre, of all time. Solo highlights since include Passion and Warfare (1990), Fire Garden (1996), Flex-Able Leftovers (1998), and this year’s Inviolate. The guitarist was also a member of Van Halen vocalist David Lee Roth’s band for his first two solo recordings in the 1980s (with an incredible lineup including bassist Billy Sheehan and drummer Gregg Bissonette), and Vai upstaged headliner Joe Satriani during the 1990s on Satch’s G3 Tours with another banner lineup featuring guitarist/keyboardist/percussionist/vocalist Mike Keneally, bassist Philip Bynoe, and drummer Mike Mangini. Bynoe remains in Vai’s current touring lineup, which also features guitarist/keyboardist Dave Weiner and drummer Jeremy Colson. 8 p.m. Oct. 19 at Wells Hall, 707 NE 8th St., Fort Lauderdale (954-462-0222, $61-$299).

Like fellow singer and acoustic guitarist Dave Matthews, Amos Lee went from being a bartender to a performer, including even opening shows for the Dave Matthews Band. The 45-year-old Philadelphia native, born Ryan Anthony Massaro, has also worked as an elementary school teacher — the impetus behind his current, noble “Tickets for Teachers” drive, in which fans can nominate an educator for free concert tickets and classroom supplies on his website. Lee’s rootsy, soulful style of singing and songwriting attracted attention even at Pennsylvania open mics in the early 2000s, and his star list of opening slots has swelled over the years to include Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, Mose Allison, B.B. King, Paul Simon, Van Morrison, the Zac Brown Band, Norah Jones, Adele, Jack Johnson, the Avett Brothers, and John Prine. Lee’s recording career is bookended by Amos Lee (2005) and Dreamland (2022), and the bandleader is likely to perform tracks from the latter with guitarist/vocalist Ryan Hommell, multi-instrumentalist and singer Zach Djanikian, keyboardist/trumpeter David Streim, keyboardist Jaron Olevsky, bassist/vocalist Jay White, and drummer James Williams. 7:30 p.m. Oct. 22 at Wells Hall (58-$299).

There’s no questioning the influence of Led Zeppelin on Greta Van Fleet, the Michigan band that formed 10 years ago and has catapulted to stardom over the past five. For their fans, that influence is a plus. For their detractors, it provides claims of a  lack of originality. But the same claims were made against Washington band Heart, which actually started out as a Zeppelin cover band during the 1970s. Like Heart, Greta Van Fleet features siblings: twin brothers Josh Kiszka (vocals) and Jake Kiszka (guitar, vocals), younger brother Sam Kiszka (bass, vocals), and drummer/vocalist Danny Wagner. and seems particularly influenced by Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page, as was Heart guitarist Nancy Wilson. But unlike her sister Ann Wilson, Josh Kiszka’s alto vocals seem as steeped in those of Rush’s Geddy Lee, Humble Pie’s Steve Marriott, and Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell as Robert Plant. The quartet will perform tracks from its 2017 debut EP Black Smoke Rising and full-length albums Anthem of the Peaceful Army (2018) and The Battle at Garden’s Gate (2021). And if one thinks that being influenced by the most influential band of the 1970s is a problem, what would they prefer? Air Supply? 7 p.m. Oct. 25 at Hard Rock Live ($24-$596).

There are two schools of thought pertaining to 74-year-old singer Stevie Nicks. One is that she helped change Fleetwood Mac from a blues-rock to a star pop act when she joined the band in 1975. True. The other is the hilarious South Park episode in which she’s portrayed as a sheep because of her warbling vocal vibrato (also true, albeit arguably). Fleetwood Mac started more roots-oriented between 1967 and 1970, with guitarist Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood, bassist John McVie, and vocalist/keyboardist Christine Perfect, who later married McVie. When Green left, the group turned toward pop with vocalist Dave Walker and singing guitarist Bob Welch through the mid-1970s before singing guitarist Lindsey Buckingham replaced them on the/ condition that his girlfriend Nicks also join the band. With Fleetwood Mac (1975) and Rumours (1977), the group topped the charts, spawning a Nicks solo career that started with Bella Donna in 1981 (and its hit single “Edge of Seventeen,” with perhaps the most annoying guitar melody ever). Nicks, and Fleetwood Mac, for that matter, have essentially been recording and touring nostalgia acts ever since. 8 p.m. Oct. 28 at iTHINK Financial Ampitheatre ($65-$9,077).

Sixty-six-year-old guitarist Joe Satriani‘s 1986 debut album, Not of This Earth, offered a fresh and creative take on instrumental rock during a decade otherwise dominated by pop music videos. But it was his sophomore 1987 recording, Surfing With the Alien, that put him on the map. The molten effort featured Satriani playing all instruments except drums (performed by Jeff Campitelli) on cuts like the title track, “Ice 9,” and “Satch Boogie,” which remain in the Long Island native’s concert repertoire. In 1995, Satriani released another career high-water mark with his self-titled recording, a less metallic, more funky effort with fellow guitarist Andy Fairweather Low, bassist Nathan East, and drummer Manu Katche. That was also the year Satch founded his most lasting legacy, the G3 Tour. Beginning in 1996 with guest six-stringers Steve Vai and Eric Johnson, the tour has continued during most years since, along the way featuring guitarists like Robert Fripp, Steve Morse, Michael Schenker, and Steve Lukather. The best-selling instrumental rock guitarist of all-time, Satriani’s “Earth Tour” will also feature keyboardist Rai Thistlethwayte, bassist Bryan Beller, and drummer Kenny Aronoff. 8 p.m. Nov. 11 at Wells Hall ($39.50-$516.50).

Only die-hard fans are likely to know that the popular flamenco and salsa group the Gipsy Kings has been in existence for 44 years; still has two original members, and that those two are of French nationality rather than Spanish. But the group’s roots are a family affair. Singing acoustic guitarists Nicolas Reyes and Tonino Baliardo are cousins, and actually started out as a larger family affair with Reyes’ brother Andre and Baliardo’s brothers Jacque and Maurice, guitarists all, also in the mix. After its initial two releases remained largely unnoticed, the Gipsy Kings became a worldwide sensation with their self-titled 1987 major label debut on Elektra Records. Released in the United States in 1989, Gipsy Kings accomplished something that’s now commonplace but was unheard of at that time — spending 40 weeks on the charts as a Spanish-language recording. Other members have come and gone since the intricate, percussive guitar act’s inception, but Reyes’ vocals and Bailiardo’s searing solos have remained, combining with keyboards, bass, drums, percussion, and rhythmic handclaps to continue a true world music sensation. 8 p.m. Nov. 12 at Au-Rene Theater, 201 SW 5th Ave., Fort Lauderdale (954-462-0222, $80-$334).

With her signature vocal delivery, 72-year-old Bonnie Raitt is like the Billie Holiday of popular music, except that she survived her youthful excesses to become one of the most respected artists of the 20th century and beyond. Not to mention one of the most tasteful slide guitarists of all-time. The Burbank, Calif., native made a string of substantial blues and roots music albums through the 1970s, starting with her self-titled 1971 debut, that included contributions from vocalists Emmylou Harris and Jackson Browne, harmonica players Junior Wells and Paul Butterfield, guitarist Lowell George and other members of Little Feat, and drummer Steve Gadd. But against all odds, she made an indelible mark during the 1980s, a decade not exactly known for its musical substance. Raitt’s 1989 release Nick of Time won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. With 10 total Grammys, and an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000, Raitt is likely to perform material from that album, subsequent chart-toppers Luck of the Draw (1991) and Longing in Their Hearts (1994), and more recent efforts from Silver Lining (2002) to Just Like That (2022). 7:30 p.m. Nov. 16 at Au-Rene Theater (44.50-$249).

Death and taxes may be life’s unfortunate constants, but South Florida appearances by Tab Benoit are almost as dependable and more enjoyable. The 54-year-old singer, guitarist and songwriter hails from the southern Louisiana town of Houma, meaning he’s already used to the tropical air here, and that his trips to our Southern cylindrical state are less out-of-the-way. Benoit has stayed true to his roots — honing his craft performing in clubs around New Orleans and Baton Rouge; forming the organization “Voice of the Wetlands” to help preserve Louisiana’s coastal wetlands in 2003, and founding his own hometown recording label, Whiskey Bayou Records. On one of its releases, South Florida singing guitarist JP Soars’ Let Go of the Reins (2019), Benoit is not only the producer but the drummer as well. But it’s his soulful vocals and stinging guitar that have propelled him to stardom during a 30-year solo recording career, during which he has also stayed true to his roots. While other supposed blues guitarists employ pedal boards that look like science projects, Benoit’s equipment involves only his 1972 Fender Telecaster Thinline guitar, his amplifier, and the cord that connects the two. 8 p.m. Dec. 2 at Wells Hall ($48-$267).

The country formerly known as Yugoslavia isn’t exactly known for producing a surplus of blues artists, but that’s only one way that singing guitarist Ana Popovic stands out. The Belgrade-born 46-year-old started out playing R&B as a teenager, touring through Serbia, Greece and Hungary with her band Hush, before relocating to the Netherlands to study jazz in her early 20s. Her 2001 debut CD as a leader, Hush!, paid homage to her former band and put her on the map as a blues artist, having been recorded in Memphis, Tenn., with noted blues producer Jim Gaines. And though Popovic’s studies of different genres have resulted in her unique blues voice, literally and instrumentally, she gave up both those studies and a promising career in graphic design after becoming a victim of her own success. Since relocating from the Netherlands to the United States, she’s recorded the critically acclaimed albums Still Making History (2007), Unconditional (2011), Trilogy (2016), and her latest studio release, the Keb’ Mo’-produced Like It On Top (2018). Popovic’s latest overall release is the 2020 live CD/DVD Live for Live. 7 p.m. Dec. 6 at the Funky Biscuit, 303 SE Mizner Blvd., Boca Raton (561-395-2929, $35-$45).

Forty-seven-year-old blues/rock guitarist Eric Gales hails from one of the great music towns in America in Memphis, home to one of the great musical thoroughfares in America, Beale Street. Starting out at age 4, the right-handed Gales was taught by his older brothers, guitarists Eugene and Manuel, to play the instrument left-handed and strung upside-down, a trait that had worked out pretty well for fellow guitarist Jimi Hendrix. Gales may not have had the same impact as one of his primary influences, but has had a much longer career in spite of his own struggles. Also influenced by Albert King and B.B. King, he started his recording career with the 1991 debut The Eric Gales Band, and has a new recording, Crown, on which he chronicles his personal history with racism, substance abuse, and subsequent sobriety. The album debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s blues album chart earlier this year. In-between, Gales performed with Carlos Santana at Woodstock ’94, appeared on the 2013 album Pinnick Gales Pridgen with King’s X vocalist/bassist Doug Pinnick and Mars Volta drummer Thomas Pridgen, and recorded and toured in multiple Hendrix tribute settings. 8 p.m. Dec. 6 at Wells Hall ($53-$267).

If you’re tired of the relentless classic rock pairings and festivals in South Florida and want to hear something more fresh and new, the three-day, jam band North Beach Music Festival could literally be your ticket. Its Friday headliner is Moe, the veteran University of Buffalo-launched quintet of singing guitarists Chuck Garvey and Al Schnier, who also plays keyboards, singing bassist Rob Derhak, drummer Vinnie Amico, and percussionist Jim Loughlin. Saturday’s headliner is Lotus, the Indiana-formed instrumental quintet of guitarist Tim Palmieri, guitarist/keyboardist Luke Miller, bassist/keyboardist Jesse Miller, drummer Mike Greenfield, and percussionist Chuck Morris. On Sunday, it’s Lettuce, the Boston funk/jazz sextet of singing keyboardist Nigel Hall, guitarist Adam Smirnoff, saxophonist Ryan Zoidis, trumpeter Eric Bloom, bassist Erick Coomes, and drummer Adam Deitch. But it’s the support acts, like the inimitable Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Berklee College of Music-trained Boston group Dopapod, Allman Brothers Band legacy act Trouble No More, and West Palm Beach’s own Guavatron, who could steal the shows. 5 p.m. Dec. 9-11 at Miami Beach Bandshell, 7275 Collins Ave., Miami (786-453-2897, $160-$500).

Most tribute acts are bull. People know that, yet many attend their performances because they can’t afford the real thing if it’s an option. But in the case of Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience, the namesake drummer is the son of Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham, the ever-creative and muscular drummer and Zeppelin’s engine — and whose 1980 death rightly signaled its coda — unlike The Who and Rolling Stones, who carry on after a death in their musical family as if nothing happened. The 56-year-old Bonham has lived to be significantly older than his father (who died at age 32), and has played with the surviving Zeppelin members infrequently. Bonham’s performance with vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones during the 2007 Zeppelin reunion concert in London was so strong that it became a 2012 feature film and soundtrack, Celebration Day. One of the few who can replicate the late Bonham’s signature feel, the drummer is certain to perform “Good Times Bad Times,” “Kashmir,” and “Moby Dick” with singer James Dylan, guitarist Jimmy Sakurai, bassist Dorian Heartsong, and keyboardist/guitarist Alex Howland. 7 p.m. Dec. 11 at Hard Rock Live ($50-$819.75).

There have been signature male falsetto voices throughout popular music history, including Curtis Mayfield, John Lennon, Eddie Kendricks, Mick Jagger, and Prince. But the lineage of that vocal style can perhaps be traced to Smokey Robinson. Now 82 years old, the Detroit native became practically synonymous with his hometown’s Motown Records after meeting the recording label’s founder, Berry Gordy, in 1957. Through the 1960s with his group the Miracles, Robinson sang on hits including “Shop Around,” “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me,” “I Second That Emotion,” “The Tears of a Clown,” “Mickey’s Monkey,” “Going To a Go-Go,” and “The Tracks of My Tears.” His influence as a vocalist and songwriter during that historic stretch even caused the group’s name to be changed to Smokey Robinson & the Miracles. Robinson, who would also become Motown’s vice president in 1972, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. He’s toured and recorded as a solo artist since his 1973 debut album Smokey, and his additional career honors include Grammy Awards, induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and an individual star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame. 7 p.m. Dec. 18 at Au-Rene Theater ($170-$1,253).

Are they true talents or a novelty act?  Or both? The Blue Man Group is like the KISS version of percussion, since it’s the makeup that distinguishes them from just another collection of performers. The troupe’s origins go back 35 years to New York City, and its original trio gained the attention of MTV when Chris Wink, Phil Stanton and Matt Goldman held a processional “Funeral for the ’80s” through Central Park in 1988. The media attention catapulted the bald, blue face-painted percussionists to national prominence, and they landed a slot in 1991 at the Astor Place Theatre in Manhattan, where they’ve performed ever since. The Blue Man Group ensemble, which now includes seven to nine performers in multiple locations, has since expanded into regular appearances in Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, and Berlin, plus the current Bluevolution world tour. Purchased by Canadian company Cirque du Soleil in 2017, the trios prove that the whole world’s a percussion instrument, with songs on their latest recording, Three (2016), introducing new instruments like “Snorkelbone,” “Tone Spokes,” and “Pipeulum.” 8 p.m. Jan. 28, 1 p.m. & 6:30 p.m. Jan. 29 at Dreyfoos Hall, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach (561-832-7469, $139-$210).

One of the preeminent vocal groups ever, Boyz II Men formed in Philadelphia in 1988. And indeed, tenor vocalists Shawn Stockman (now 50 years old) and Wayna Morris (49), and baritone Nathan Morris (51), have become well-established men since their boyhood beginnings at the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts (where a section of Broad Street was renamed Boyz II Men Boulevard in 2017). The a capella group was initially a revolving door of talent, as Marc Nelson, George Baldi, Jon Shoats, and Marguerite Walker exited due to circumstances ranging from graduation to pursuing solo careers. Nathan Morris remained, joined by Wayna Morris in 1987, and Stockman and bass vocalist Michael McCary in 1988. When McCary left in 2003 because of complications with multiple sclerosis, the current trio was formed. But not before a string of hit albums that included Cooleyhighharmony (1991), Evolution (1997), and Full Circle (2002). Four-time Grammy Award winners, the trio’s crossover appeal includes their mix of R&B harmonies with hip-hop rhythms. On their latest release, Under the Streetlight (2017), they interpret 1950s doo-wop hits. 8 p.m. Feb. 4 at Dreyfoos Hall ($153-$294).

Who’s the Boss? Gordon Gekko, the corporate raider portrayed by Michael Douglas in the 1987 film Wall Street? At age 73, New Jersey’s favorite everyman musical product, Bruce Springsteen, seems focused on Gekko’s “greed is good” slogan and cashing in before retirement. And with his massive popularity, and high-end tickets likely to eclipse $10,000, Springsteen can do the E Street Shuffle all the way to the bank. Perhaps he’s earned it. The Long Branch, N.J., native has been known for playing live shows that double the standard 90-minute time limit, or more, for decades. And he’s defined anthemic American rock and roots music through a series of recordings from Born To Run (1975), Darkness On the Edge of Town (1978), and Nebraska (1982) to The Ghost of Tom Joad (1995), Wrecking Ball (2012), and Letter To You (2020). Springsteen is touring with his E Street Band — with guitarist/vocalists Steven Van Zandt and Nils Lofgren, keyboardist Roy Bittan, and drummer Max Weinberg — for the first time since 2017. Perhaps it’s worth the price to see a stadium act play in such a comparatively-intimate venue, perhaps for the last time. 7:30 p.m. Feb. 7 at Hard Rock Live ($1,466-$9,459).

Many great guitarists have emerged from Texas, most well-versed in blues and rock, like Freddie King, Albert Collins, Johnny Winter, Billy Gibbons, and Jimmie and Stevie Ray Vaughan. But Eric Johnson broke the mold when he was born in Austin in 1954. The 68-year-old singing guitarist’s influences included rock and blues icons like Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton, but also country stars Jerry Reed and Chet Atkins and instrumental jazz giants Django Reinhardt and Wes Montgomery. As a result, Johnson’s style on a Fender Stratocaster guitar, the same axe used by Hendrix and Clapton, consistently sounds cleaner and more violin-like. It was those aspects of his playing that inspired the title of his 1986 album Tones, which featured the track “Zap,” nominated for a 1987 Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. But it was his 1990 follow-up, Ah Via Musicom, and its Best Rock Instrumental Performance winner and crossover hit single “Cliffs of Dover,” that propelled Johnson to deserved stardom. With a vocal delivery as crisp as his playing, Johnson gained more fans on Joe Satriani’s first G3 Tour in 1996, and via the releases Souvenir (2003) and Eclectic (2014). 8 p.m. March 15 at Wells Hall ($55-$267).