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 Sept. 10:
Dead Cross – Sept. 10 at Union Transfer
The hardcore punk supergroup Dead Cross formed by ex-Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo and fronted by Faith No More singer Mike Patton have been having quite a bit of trouble getting their first tour of North America done without incident. First there was a bizarre arrest in Texas last month of all the members which they declined to comment on in public. Then more recently, a show was canceled in Los Angeles after it was informing the audience at the last minute Patton had suffered some sort of injury, later revealed to be from skateboarding. Let’s hope all the bad luck is behind them now and Philly goes off without a hitch.
The Stray Birds – Sept. 10 at Sellersville Theater 1894
Featuring all of its members originally from Lancaster, The Stray Birds started as a duo of acoustic buskers in early 2010 when Maya de Vitry and Oliver Craven met with their instruments, their voices, and their songs. It didn’t take much convincing to get bassist Charlie Muench on board, and with the addition of a third unique and powerful voice, the group began to define its captivating sound. Seven years, three original records, and some six hundred performances later, the band is best known today for its songwriting, its tight and forthcoming vocal harmony blend and its commitment to an impassioned delivery of original material.
Prophets of Rage – Sept. 10 at The Theatre of Living Arts
Take the nucleus of Rage Against the Machine and two of the most explosive rappers in Chuck D from Public Enemy and B Real from Cypress Hill, then mix it with the politically charged atmosphere in the country right now and you’ve got Prophets of Rage. The group combines all the best elements of their respective, classic bands, but put a new and fresh twist on it that’s got people talking, and got them involved. There honestly couldn’t be a better time for them to be on the scene.
Lady Gaga – Sept. 10 and 11 at Wells Fargo Center
There are very few legitimate superstars left out there who can headline arenas and ballparks on a regular basis, but came out with their first album in the past decade. Lady Gaga is one of them. She just became the first female artist to headline Chicago’s Wrigley Field and now brings her Joanne Tour to the Wells Fargo Center for a two-night stand. The tour is named after her latest album, which came out just under a year ago, and showed a decidedly more stripped down style for the pop singer, showing off her true vocal prowess.
The Afghan Whigs – Sept. 12 at Union Transfer
Since reuniting in 2012, the iconic and influential alternative rock and soul outfit who hit in the 90s, the Afghan Whigs had been delivering solid live performances and two intense studio efforts, including their latest, this year’s excellent In Spades. Led by the ever charismatic Greg Dulli, the band is making the most of their second act, regaling fans who missed out on them the first time and only heard references from artists influenced by them like The Gaslight Anthem, The National and Interpol.
Scorpions + Megadeth – Sept. 14 at Santander Arena
A hard rock band has to be pretty legendary to get thrash icons Megadeth to open up for them in a rare supporting slot, and that’s exactly how revered Germany’s Scorpions are. The group has been around for decades, known for a string of fist-pumpers like “Big City Nights,” “No One Like You,” “Wind of Change,” and, of course, the classic “Rock You Like a Hurricane.” What will make this show extra special is that it’s the kick-off gig for what is being dubbed the “Crazy World 2017 Tour.”
John Splithoff – Sept. 16 at The Foundry
New York City pop artist by way of Chicago, John Splithoff has taken the urban soul of the Big Apple to heart, letting it teach him to treat the swarms of people buzzing around him as an audience ripe for his evolving sound. As he’s has grown and moved across various gritty concrete landscapes, so too has his music, which incorporates myriad elements from his surroundings and packages them into one unmistakable pop-soul-dance-urban experience.
