Biggest concerts, comedians coming to Sarasota-Bradenton, Tampa Bay from April to June
As the summer concert season approaches, some of the biggest names in music and comedy will soon make their way to the Tampa Bay area over the next three months.
Rock guitarist and singer-songwriter John Mayer and superstar singer Justin Bieber are among the artists set to visit here in April, both playing Amalie Arena, which also hosts pop and rock legends Elton John and The Who later in the month.
The summer concert season unofficially kicks off when country star Kenny Chesney plays Raymond James Stadium at the end of April. Then MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre opens its doors again in early May to big names in pop, rock, country and comedy, as Raymond James Stadium also hosts a three-day electronic music festival and British pop-rockers Coldplay.
To help narrow it down, we've highlighted around three dozen of the biggest concerts and comedians coming to Tampa Bay and Sarasota-Manatee now through the end of June. Shows are listed in chronological order, and subject to change.
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John Mayer
April 5, Amalie Arena, Tampa, amaliearena.com
John Mayer's recent Florida dates with Dead & Company, the group he plays in with former Grateful Dead members, may have been canceled. But fans still have the chance to see the singer-songwriter and guitarist live, as he tours around last year's solo album "Sob Rock," his tribute to '80s music.
Kenny G
April 5, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Sarasota, vanwezel.org; April 8, Capitol Theatre, Clearwater, rutheckerdhall.com
One of the best-selling instrumentalists of all time thanks to albums like 1992's diamond "Breathless," the saxophonist has in recent years appeared on songs by superstars The Weeknd and Kanye West and was the subject of the documentary "Listening to Kenny G," part of HBO's Music Box series.
Related: Sarasota Film Festival announces this year's movie lineup, celebrity guests
New Edition
Apr. 7, Amalie Arena, Tampa
The R&B group formed by and still featuring Bobby Brown is known for hits such as "Can You Stand the Rain" and was the subject of the 2017 BET biopic miniseries "The New Edition Story." Charlie Wilson ("There Goes My Baby") and Jodeci ("Freek'n You") also perform.
Justin Bieber
April 9, Amalie Arena, Tampa
The pop star tours around last year's "Justice," which is up for eight Grammys including Album of the Year and Song of the Year for its No. 1 hit "Peaches." Jaden, Will Smith's son and a musician who appeared on Bieber's track "I Can't Be Myself," also performs.
Demetri Martin
April 9, Tampa Theatre, Tampa, tampatheatre.org
The stand-up comic, former star of Comedy Central's "Important Things with Demetri Martin" and actor (you may have seen him star in Ang Lee's film "Taking Woodstock," or heard him as a voice on Cartoon Network's "We Bare Bears") performs on his I Feel Funny tour.
Bon Jovi
April 15, Amalie Arena, Tampa
The rockers, who rose to fame with their 1986 album "Slippery When Wet" and its hits "Livin' on a Prayer," "You Give Love a Bad Name" and "Wanted Dead or Alive," tour following the release of their 2020 album, aptly titled "2020."
Journey
April 20, Amalie Arena, Tampa
This night will offer a double-bill of '80s rock hits, as Journey ("Don't Stop Believin'," "Any Way You Want It") perform with Toto ("Africa," "Rosanna.") Keep in mind, though, that Journey's current lineup doesn't feature famed frontman Steve Perry.
Van Morrison
April 20-21, Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater, rutheckerdhall.com
The Irish singer-songwriter known for albums like "Astral Weeks" and songs such as "Brown Eyed Girl" (and who's up for an Oscar this year for the original song "Down to Joy" that he contributed to the film "Belfast") visits Ruth Eckerd Hall for two dates, rescheduled from February.
98ROCKFEST
April 22, Amalie Arena, Tampa
Tampa Bay radio station 98ROCK's annual music festival is set to feature acts such as Godsmack ("I Stand Alone") and Three Days Grace ("I Hate Everything About You.") A free show on the plaza will feature Lilith Czar, formerly known as Juliet Simms, and more.
Kenny Chesney
April 23, Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, raymondjamesstadium.com
The country superstar kicks off his "Here and Now" tour, named after his latest No. 1 album released in 2020, at Raymond James Stadium. Get there early to see opening acts Dan + Shay, Old Dominion and Carly Pearce, all big names in country themselves.
Elton John
April 24, Amalie Arena, Tampa
The iconic singer and pianist continues his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, supposedly his last ever. Expect to hear hits such as "Tiny Dancer," "Rocket Man," "Bennie and the Jets" and the title track from his landmark 1973 album "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" that gives the tour its name.
Nate Bargatze
April 24, Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa; strazcenter.org
The stand-up comic has become a rising star thanks to his Netflix specials, including last year's Grammy-nominated "The Greatest Average American," where he showcases his deadpan style and avoids swearing without coming off as "clean comedy."
The Who
April 27, Amalie Arena, Tampa
The iconic rock group that still features founding frontman Roger Daltrey and guitarist Pete Townshend will likely perform classic hits such as "Baba O'Riley" and "Pinball Wizard," as well as songs from their most recent album, 2019's "Who."
Boz Scaggs
May 2, Capitol Theatre, Clearwater; May 4, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Sarasota
The singer-songwriter and guitarist, who rose to fame with 1976's "Silk Degrees" and its hit singles "Lido Shuffle" and "Lowdown," most recently released the 2018 album "Out of the Blues," featuring covers of songs by artists including Neil Young and Jimmy Reed.
AJR
May 4, MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa, livenation.com
After playing music fest 97X Next Big Thing at MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre in December, alt-pop trio AJR return to headline the venue while touring around last year's album "OK Orchestra," featuring the double-platinum Top 10 hit "Bang!"
Tim McGraw
May 6, MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa
The country singer-songwriter and guitarist, who you may have also recently seen on the Paramount+ series "1883" acting alongside his wife and fellow country star Faith Hill, performs along with openers Russell Dickerson, Brandon Davis and Alexandra Kay.
Maxwell
May 7, Amalie Arena, Tampa
The R&B singer and neo-soul pioneer, who's set to soon release the final installment of his album trilogy "blacksummers'NIGHT," will perform along with fellow R&B favorites Anthony Hamilton ("Charlene") and Joe ("I Wanna Know.")
Miranda Lambert and Little Big Town
May 13, MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa
Country stars Miranda Lambert, who recently announced her upcoming album "Palomino," and Little Big Town ("Girl Crush," "Wine, Beer, Whiskey") co-headline this tour that also features the trio The Cadillac Three.
Wanda Sykes
May 13, Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg; themahaffey.com
The Emmy-winning stand-up comedian and actress, whose recent credits include starring in and co-creating last year's Netflix sitcom "The Upshaws," visits Florida after co-hosting this year's Oscars along with fellow comic Amy Schumer and actress Regina Hall.
John Mulaney
May 15, MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa
The former "Saturday Night Live" writer (who recently returned for his fifth time hosting the show) turned stand-up comedy star, thanks to specials such as 2018's "Kid Gorgeous" and 2012's "New in Town," performs new material on his From Scratch tour.
Halsey
May 19, MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa
The singer, who most recently released last year's Grammy-nominated No. 2 album "If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power" produced by Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, performs with rising stars Beabadoobee and PinkPantheress opening.
Bill Burr
May 20, MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa
One of the biggest names in stand-up comedy today thanks to specials such as 2019's Grammy-nominated "Paper Tiger," Burr may also be recognizable to audiences for his appearances in films like "The King of Staten Island" and shows such as "The Mandalorian."
Kane Brown
May 21, Amalie Arena, Tampa
The country star has proven a crossover success, topping the Billboard 200 with his most recent album "Experiment" and collaborating with rapper Swae Lee and R&B singer Khalid on single "Be Like That" and DJ Marshmello on track "One Thing Right."
Sting
May 21, Seminole Hard Rock, Tampa, seminolehardrocktampa.com
A wildly successful musician both as the former frontman of The Police and as a solo artist, Sting plays the (relatively intimate, for him) Hard Rock Event Center in Tampa after releasing his latest album "The Bridge" late last year.
Dave Matthews Band
May 25, MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa
The jam-rock group, which rose to fame in the '90s with songs such as "Crash Into Me" and "Ants Marching" and has topped the Billboard 200 with all their studio albums since 1998's "Before These Crowded Streets," returns to Tampa for a semi-annual summer show.
Sunset Music Festival
May 27-29, Raymond James Stadium, Tampa
The three-day music festival returns with some of the biggest names in electronic music performing, including DJ/producer (and frontman of Tampa-formed screamo act From First to Last) Skrillex, as well as his Jack Ü bandmate and former Floridian Diplo.
The Doobie Brothers
June 3, MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa
The rock group known for hits such as "Listen to the Music" and "What a Fool Believes" continues its 50th-anniversary tour joined by Michael McDonald, a longtime member of the band before embarking on a successful solo career. The Dirty Dozen Brass Band will also perform.
Tears for Fears
June 10, MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa
The new wave group of "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" and "Shout" fame tours following the release of "The Tipping Point," their first studio album in nearly two decades. Alt-rock act Garbage ("Stupid Girl," "Only Happy When It Rains") also performs.
Kid Rock
June 11, MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa
The hybrid Southern rocker and rapper tours following the release of his latest album "Bad Reputation," with Homer Simpson's favorite band Grand Funk Railroad ("We're an American Band") joining him as a special guest.
Coldplay
June 14, Raymond James Stadium, Tampa
The British pop-rock group tours after the release of last year's album "Music of the Spheres," featuring the No. 1 hit "My Universe" with K-pop group BTS. Don't miss opener H.E.R., who won both the Original Song Oscar and Song of the Year Grammy last year for "Fight for You" and "I Can't Breathe," respectively, and is up for eight more Grammys this year.
Keith Urban
June 17, MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa
The country star (and Nicole Kidman's beau) tours following the release of his latest album "The Speed of Now Part 1," featuring guests like pop singer Pink and Chic co-founder Nile Rodgers. Recent Best New Artist Grammy nominee Ingrid Andress opens.
REO Speedwagon and Styx
June 18, MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa
The two rock bands team up for a night that should be full of late '70s and early '80s hits such as "Can't Fight This Feeling," "Renegade," "Keep on Loving You" and "Come Sail Away," with "Working for the Weekend" group Loverboy also performing.
Backstreet Boys
June 21, MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa
Originating in Orlando and dominating pop charts in the late '90s and early '00s with hits such as "I Want It That Way" and "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)," Backstreet Boys still features its original five members and performs in support of its 2019 album "DNA."
Train
June 25, MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa
The pop-rock band known for its hits "Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)" and "Hey, Soul Sister" tours as it releases its latest album "AM Gold" this summer. They'll be joined by "Who Will Save Your Soul" singer-songwriter Jewel and "Run-Around" rockers Blues Traveler.
Ringo Starr
June 26, Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater
The former Beatles drummer (who proved a charming presence in the recent Disney+ docuseries "The Beatles: Get Back") and solo star ("It Don't Come Easy," "Photograph") performs with His All-Starr Band that includes Men at Work frontman/singer-songwriter Colin Hay, with Edgar Winter Band opening.
Chicago and Brian Wilson
June 28, MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa
Chicago, the rock group known for hits such as "If You Leave Me Now" and "25 or 6 to 4," will perform along with pop mastermind Brian Wilson, who will be joined by Beach Boys bandmates Al Jardine and Blondie Chaplin.
Email entertainment reporter Jimmy Geurts at jimmy.geurts@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Biggest concerts, comedians playing Tampa, Sarasota from April to June
