Welcome to “Seven in Seven,” where each Friday we take a look at shows coming to the region over the next week. Whether your musical tastes are rock and roll, jazz, heavy metal, singer-songwriter or indie, there’ll always be something to check out in the coming days. Here are seven of the best for the week beginning July 30:
Queen + Adam Lambert – July 30 at Wells Fargo Center
One of the most innovative and legendary bands in rock music history, Queen, was dealt a career-ending blow with the death of frontman Freddie Mercury in 1991. But after a few one-off performances and tribute concerts with various singers, the band lucked out by hooking up with Free and Bad Company frontman Paul Rodgers for five years, ending in 2009. While it seemed unlikely the group would have lightning strike a third time, it did, this time with onetime American Idol Adam Lambert fitting into the role even better than Rodgers, with his flamboyance and singing style massively influenced by Mercury.
Marty Friedman – August 2 at The Foundry
Marty Friedman began his career as a solo recording artist and later recruited a then-17-year-old Jason Becker to form the dual guitar unit Cacophony, who still have a strong influence on today’s top guitarists. He caught the attention of Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine and joined the thrash legends for 10 years, including their career highlight “Rust in Peace.” Then, he just up and quit the band, moved to Tokyo, Japan, and began a new life, once again as a solo artist. He rarely comes to these shores on tour, so it will be a special show at the Foundry catching him live.
Garbage and Blondie – August 2 at the Mann Center for Performing Arts
Rage and Rapture is the name of this tour, which features two of the strongest female frontwomen in Shirley Manson for Garbage and Debbie Harry for Blondie. The two bands are from distinctly different generations; the latter making their mark in the mid-70s to the very early 80s, and the former exploding onto the scene in the early 90s and remaining important ever since. Despite that fact that they do come from different time periods, their respective musical catalogs span generations and are just as relevant today as ever.
Joshua Radin + Rachael Yamagata – August 4 at The Theatre of Living Arts
Fans of singer/songwriters will be in heaven with this lineup of Joshua Radin and Rachael Yamagata. Radin has been doing tender ballads since landing on the charts with his 2006 debut “We Were Here,” which featured the hits “Star Mile” and “Only You.” Yamagata came up a couple years before, with her confessional brand of songs from her debut “Happenstance” unavoidable on CW shows like “One Tree Hill” and “Smallville.” To see them both on the same bill is quite the treat for those who like their music with more than a hint of emotion.
Nickelback – August 4 at BB&T Pavilion
Depending on whom you ask, Nickelback are either the most despised rock band in history, or they are misunderstood by their detractors and musical peers. It really shouldn’t matter to the band members themselves as they have been riding on a wave of unstoppable success since their 2001 breakthrough “Silver Side Up,” which yielded the megahit “How You Remind Me.” At that point, they became universally loathed and loved, an interesting position for any band to be in.
Social Distortion – August 4 at Festival Pier
SoCal punk outfit Social Distortion has outlasted their peers, often by decades, yet they remain as vital as ever. Their catalog, which includes seven studio albums to date, is a perfect evolution from punk to blues to a sound that melds the two which only Social D. can do. Frontman Mike Ness is one of the most enigmatic frontmen of the genre, and has always been a tough guy with no problem wearing his heart on his sleeve. The band tours quite a bit, but if you haven’t seen them live, it’s one of those groups that need to be seen by any fan of rock and roll.
The Rocket Summer – August 5 at The Foundry
Sometimes, to see how far you’ve come, you have to look back at your beginnings. For multi-instrumentalist Bryce Avary, his evolution into the powerpop/indie rock powerhouse The Rocket Summer has origins in his dynamic and explosive entrance into the mainstream 10 years ago with his breakthrough, critically lauded album “Do You Feel.” Before releasing a new album, which he’s been in the studio working out, he’s decided to head out on the road, performing that album for the first time ever in its entirety.
