Biggest concerts, comedians coming to Tampa Bay, Sarasota from April to June
We're still in tourist and snowbird season here on Florida's Gulf Coast, with the summer concert tour season starting soon after. That means several big-name performers will visit our area over the next three months — including one performer so big, they literally crashed Ticketmaster's website.
Taylor Swift's three-night run at Raymond James Stadium will be by far the biggest show coming to town over the next three months, with the same stadium also hosting fellow pop superstar Ed Sheeran and a massive electronic music festival. Tampa's other arenas and amphitheaters will feature a bevy of big-name rock, rap, R&B, country and comedy acts, as will our area's performing arts centers, including Sarasota's own Van Wezel.
To help narrow it down, here are our choices for the biggest concerts and comedians visiting the greater Tampa Bay area from April to June. Event details are subject to change.
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Taylor Swift
April 13-15; Raymond James Stadium, Tampa; raymondjamesstadium.com
The pop superstar plays three nights at Raymond James Stadium on The Eras Tour, which she describes as "a journey through the musical eras of my career (past and present)", and which crashed Ticketmaster's website due to "extraordinarily high demand." She'll be joined by rising stars beabadoobee, Gracie Abrams and recent Song of the Year Grammy nominee Gayle ("ABCDEFU.")
Billy Strings
April 18; Yuengling Center, Tampa; yuenglingcenter.com
The bluegrass guitarist has become a star of the genre, winning a Best Bluegrass Album Grammy for his record "Home" and numerous International Bluegrass Music Association Awards, including back-to-back Entertainer of the Year honors in 2021 and 2022. Need further proof of his popularity? As of press time, his Tampa show is sold out.
Indigo Girls
April 18; Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater; rutheckerdhall.com
The folk duo of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers, known for releases such as their 1989 Grammy-winning, double-platinum self-titled album, are also the subject of the new documentary "It's Only Life After All" that premiered at Sundance Film Festival. The movie will also screen at Sarasota Film Festival, which Ray and Saliers are set to attend.
More:Sarasota Film Festival announces celebrity guests for this year's event
George Benson
April 19; Ruth Eckerd Hall
The 10-time Grammy-winning jazz guitarist and singer is known for his hit "Give Me the Night" and his rendition of the instrumental "Breezin,'" which appeared on albums of the same name in 1980 and 1976, respectively. More recently, Benson released the 2019 album "Walking to New Orleans" and appeared on the Gorillaz song "Humility."
Wilco
April 20; Ruth Eckerd Hall
The alternative/Americana rock group behind critically acclaimed albums such as "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" and the Best Alternative Music Album Grammy-winning "A Ghost is Born" visit following the release of last year's double album "Cruel Country." The A's, featuring Sylvan Esso's Amelia Meath, open.
98ROCKFEST
April 21; Amalie Arena, Tampa; amaliearena.com
Tampa Bay radio station 98ROCK throws its annual bash headlined this year by "The Diary of Jane" rockers Breaking Benjamin, performing along with Falling in Reverse, The Pretty Reckless, Beartooth, Bad Wolves and Dorothy. There will also be a free show on the plaza featuring Fame on Fire from Palm Beach, New Years Day and more.
Billy Idol
April 21; Ruth Eckerd Hall
After fronting the British punk band Generation X, Billy Idol became a star as a solo musician, with hits such as "Rebel Yell," "White Wedding" and "Dancing with Myself." More recently, Idol received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame this year, and poked fun at himself along with other rock stars in Workday's Super Bowl ad.
Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo
April 24; Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Sarasota; vanwezel.org; April 27, Ruth Eckerd Hall
Pat Benatar and her husband/lead guitarist Neil Giraldo visit Sarasota and Clearwater after last year being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Expect to hear them play some of the same hits they performed at their induction ceremony, including "Love is a Battlefield" and "Heartbreaker."
Natalie Merchant
April 26; Ruth Eckerd Hall
Fronting 10,000 Maniacs for some of its biggest hits, including "These are Days," "Trouble Me" and their cover of Patti Smith's "Because the Night" for "MTV Unplugged," Natalie Merchant left the group to start a solo career with her five-times-platinum 1995 album "Tigerlily," featuring the Top 10 hit "Carnival." This year, Merchant will release "Keep Your Courage," her first studio album in nearly a decade.
Tampa Throwback Jam
April 28; Yuengling Center
It may be hard to believe that Ice Cube, once one of the most controversial figures in music thanks to his time in N.W.A. and solo releases including "AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted" and "Death Certificate," would someday headline a throwback concert, but here we are. He'll be joined by Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Lisa Lisa, Color Me Badd, JJ Fad and another one-time controversy magnet, Miami's 2 Live Crew.
Steve Martin and Martin Short
April 28; Ruth Eckerd Hall
Already comedic legends in their individual careers, Steve Martin and Martin Short have become a dynamo comedy duo in recent years as well, including co-starring in the hit Emmy-winning Hulu series "Only Murders in the Building." The pair visit Clearwater as the show has been renewed for a third season that'll feature Meryl Streep.
New Edition
April 30; Amalie Arena
The group known for No. 1 R&B hits such as "Can You Stand the Rain," "Candy Girl" and "Cool It Now," tours after kicking off the new year performing on "New Year's Rockin' Eve" from Times Square with Ryan Seacrest. Fellow R&B favorites Keith Sweat, Guy and Tank join them.
Marlon Wayans
May 4; Seminole Hard Rock Tampa Event Center, Tampa; seminolehardrocktampa.com
Rising to fame in the '90s and '00s with films such as "Scary Movie" and TV shows such as "The Wayans Bros." — both co-starring his real-life brother Shawn — Marlon Wayans has kept busy, with recent roles in Sofia Coppola's "On the Rocks," Aretha Franklin biopic "Respect" and Ben Affleck's upcoming "Air." He also recently released the HBO Max standup special "God Loves Me," discussing Will Smith's infamous slap of Chris Rock at the Oscars.
Morgan Wallen
May 6; MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa; livenation.com
Despite a series of controversies including a video of him using a racial slur, Morgan Wallen's career has continued to flourish, with his latest No. 1 album, this year's "One Thing at a Time," earning the biggest week for a country album by sales units since 2021. Ernest and Bailey Zimmerman open the show, which was sold out as of press time.
Melissa Etheridge
May 10; Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall; May 14; Ruth Eckerd Hall
Along with numerous multi-platinum albums such as 1993's six-times-platinum "Yes I Am," the singer-songwriter's accolades include two Grammys and an Oscar for her song "I Need to Wake Up" from "An Inconvenient Truth." She visits Sarasota and Clearwater following the release of her latest album, 2021's "One Way Out."
Wonderball with Steve Aoki
May 12; Sailor Circus Arena, Sarasota; circusartswonderball.com
DJ Steve Aoki headlines this new fundraising event for Sarasota's Circus Arts Conservatory, which will also feature aerialists, stilt walkers and other circus performers. Aoki is known for his remixes of other artists and his original material, including the Best Dance/Electronica Album Grammy-nominated "Wonderland."
Leslie Jones
May 12; Tampa Theatre, Tampa; tampatheatre.org
The stand-up comedian rose to fame as a former "Saturday Night Live" cast member and writer, earning three Emmy nominations during her time there. Since leaving the show in 2019, she hosted an ABC revival of "Supermarket Sweep," guest-hosted "The Daily Show" and released the Netflix special "Time Machine."
Brian Regan
May 12; The Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg; themahaffey.com
The South Florida native's stand-up style, profanity-free without feeling like "clean comedy," has made him a favorite of audiences and comedians alike. His most recent Netflix special was 2021's "On the Rocks," recorded at an outdoor amphitheater in Utah, and also had his first major acting role recently on the series "Loudermilk."
Tom Jones
May 13; Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
The Welsh singer rose to fame in the late '60s and early '70s with songs such as "It's Not Unusual," "What's New Pussycat?" "Delilah" and "She's a Lady" that were major hits both in the U.S. and the U.K. Jones released his latest album "Surrounded by Time" in 2021 and has also in recent years appeared as a coach on "The Voice UK."
The Psychedelic Furs
May 18; Capitol Theatre, Clearwater; rutheckerdhall.com
The new wave band known for songs including "The Ghost in You," "Pretty in Pink" (inspiring the John Hughes movie of the same name) and "Love My Way" (which received renewed popularity after its prominent appearance in the 2017 film "Call Me By Your Name") performs after recently releasing their first album in nearly 30 years, 2020's "Made of Rain." The Lemonheads frontman Evan Dando opens.
Hank Williams Jr.
May 19; MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre
Son of country legend Hank Williams, Hank Williams Jr. has had a long, successful career in the same genre, being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2020. Grammy-winning string band Old Crow Medicine Show, best known for their track "Wagon Wheel" built off a Bob Dylan demo, open.
Ed Sheeran
May 20; Raymond James Stadium
The English singer-songwriter behind the inescapable "Shape of You" visits Raymond James Stadium shortly after releasing his latest album "-," produced by The National's Aaron Dessner, who also produced Taylor Swift's "Folklore" and "Evermore." Khalid ("Young Dumb & Broke," "Better") and rising star Dylan also perform.
Straight Jokes! No Chaser Comedy Tour
May 21; Amalie Arena
Stand-up comedian and actor Mike Epps, recently seen on Netflix's "The Upshaws" and "You People," performs with Cedric the Entertainer and D.L. Hughley — half of The Original Kings of Comedy from the 2000 Spike Lee film of the same name — and Earthquake, whose Dave Chappelle-produced special also premiered on Netflix last year.
The Doobie Brothers
May 26; The Mahaffey Theater
The rock group known for hits such as "Listen to the Music," "Long Time Runnin'" and "What a Fool Believes" continues its 50th anniversary tour joined by Michael McDonald, a longtime member of the band before he embarked on a successful solo career. The group, including McDonald, was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2020.
Sunset Music Festival
May 27-28; Raymond James Stadium; smftampa.com
The annual electronic dance music festival returns Memorial Day weekend to Raymond James Stadium. The two-day festival's lineup features some of the biggest names in EDM from A to Z, with Adventure Club and Zomboy among this year's performers.
George Lopez
June 1; Seminole Hard Rock Tampa Event Center
The comedian and actor is known for his stand-up, including three Grammy-nominated specials, and his roles on sitcoms such as "George Lopez," "Saint George" and "Lopez." He recently made his return to the television sitcom world with the NBC show "Lopez vs. Lopez," starring him and his real-life daughter, Mayan Lopez.
Bad Friends with Andrew Santino and Bobby Lee
June 1; The Mahaffey Theater
The popular podcast co-hosted by comedians Andrew Santino and Bobby Lee hits the road with a live show. Santino recently released the Netflix special "Cheeseburger" and appeared on TV shows such as "Dave" and films including "House Party," while former "MADtv" star Lee has recently acted on the acclaimed FX series "Reservation Dogs," "Sex and the City" revival "And Just Like That..." and in the upcoming "Borderlands" movie.
Kevin Hart
June 2; Seminole Hard Rock Tampa Event Center
One of the biggest names in stand-up comedy and film today, Kevin Hart will play the relatively intimate (for him, anyway) Seminole Hard Rock Tampa Event Center on his Reality Check tour. Besides his stand-up, Hart's upcoming slate includes the Netflix heist action-comedy "Lift," along with also co-starring in "Borderlands."
Nikki Glaser
June 9; Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
The affably raunchy stand-up comedian has released numerous specials, including last year's "Good Clean Filth" on HBO, and "Bangin'" on Netflix. She has also hosted the reality dating series "FBOY Island," and came in third place on season eight of "The Masked Singer" last year.
Gordon Lightfoot
June 15; Capitol Theatre; June 20; Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
The Canadian singer-songwriter known for tracks such as the No. 1 hit "Sundown," "If You Could Read My Mind" and "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" visits Clearwater and Sarasota for shows. His fans include Bob Dylan, who once said of him, "I can't think of any Gordon Lightfoot song I don't like."
Duran Duran
June 17; Amalie Arena
The new wave band behind hits such as "Hungry Like the Wolf" and "Ordinary World" tour after being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last year. They're joined by fellow Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Nile Rodgers (who also recently won Grammys for Lifetime Achievement and his work on Beyoncé's "Cuff It") & Chic, and Bastille.
R&B Music Experience
June 18; Amalie Arena
He might be better known these days as an actor, thanks to roles including Roman Pearce in the "Fast & Furious" franchise, but Tyrese Gibson is also a R&B singer with numerous Grammy nominations and a No. 1 album (2015's "Black Rose") to his name. He headlines this concert along with Monica, El DeBarge, Ginuwine, 112, Silk and Tweet.
Tori Amos
June 18; Ruth Eckerd Hall
The singer-songwriter rose to fame in the '90s with albums including 1992's "Little Earthquakes," named one of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time by Rolling Stone, and self-penned tracks such as "Cornflake" and "God" (as well as her cover of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit.") She tours in support of her latest album, 2021's "Ocean to Ocean."
Bryan Adams
June 21; Amalie Arena
The singer-songwriter known for such hits as "Summer of '69," "Heaven" and the Oscar-nominated "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" tours supporting last year's album "So Happy It Hurts." Be sure to get there in time to see rock icon Joan Jett of the Runaways and "Bad Reputation" fame with her band the Blackhearts, who open.
Garbage and Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
June 22; MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre
Two of the biggest names in '90s rock — Garbage, fronted by Scottish singer Shirley Manson, and Noel Gallagher of the Britpop group Oasis, performing with his new band the High Flying Birds — co-headline this concert. As a bonus, Canadian indie rockers Metric open the show.
The Cure
June 29; Amalie Arena
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame-inducted goth and new wave pioneers, known for classic albums such as 1989's "Disintegration" and songs including "Boys Don't Cry" and "Just Like Heaven," visit Amalie Arena on their first North American tour in seven years. The Twilight Sad open.
Lady A
June 29; The Mahaffey Theater
With their name change now cemented — releasing their first album "What a Song Can Do" with the new moniker and reaching a settlement last year with an artist already performing under the same stage name — Lady A head back out on the road. The country group is known for hits such as 2009's "Need You Now," which went nine times platinum and won a Song of the Year Grammy.
Email entertainment reporter Jimmy Geurts at [email protected]. Support local journalism by subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Biggest Tampa Bay Sarasota concerts comedy shows April May June 2023
