From the Roots Picnic to Beyoncé, it's an epic weekend for live music in Philly
The summer music season in Philadelphia starts this weekend with the Roots Picnic. But that's just the beginning. We've rounded up the best of what to see this weekend. Besides those and other shows highlighted below, there are many other worthy dates as well:
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The summer music season in Philadelphia starts this weekend with the Roots Picnic. But that's just the beginning. We've rounded up the best of what to see this weekend. Besides those and other shows highlighted below, there are many other worthy dates as well:
Chris Malcarney's Tom Waits tribute Saturday at Ruba Club features an all-star local band with a horn and string section.
PhilaMOCA hosts start-up local DIY punk bands Friday and Saturday for the First Time's the Charm benefit.
A Radio 104.5 Summer Block Party takes over the Festival Pier on Sunday with the Head and the Heart headlining.
Looking beyond the weekend, Tom Petty reunites with his swampy roots band, Mudcrutch, Tuesday at the Fillmore Philadelphia.
The Roots Picnic
Noon Saturday, Festival Pier, Spring Garden Street & Delaware Avenue, sold out, 800-745-3000.
There are a fair share of big-name attractions at the ninth annual fest. Atlanta trap-music superstar Future is the man of the moment. Leon Bridges is the retro-soul artist who, in a little over a year, has gone from Fort Worth, Texas, obscurity to Apple Music commercials and Saturday Night Live. And Usher, the leading smooth R&B star of the '00s, is the lucky artist being backed up by the Roots, the local hip-hop heroes who will play their own set as well. What will really distinguish this year's Picnic will be the quality undercard, from my top pick - punctuation-particular California rapper-singer-drummer Anderson .Paak - to French-Cuban twin-sister duo Ibeyi to Missouri beatmaker-to-the-stars Metro Boomin' to Atlanta rap trio Migos to Dev Hyne's indie electronic band Blood Orange to 1990s rap tough-guy DMX. Repping Philly will be street rapper Lil Uzi Vert and joke rapper Lil Dicky. - Dan DeLuca
Read more: Roots Picnic announced set times
Connor Barwin's third annual MTWB Benefit Concert
8:15 p.m. Friday, Union Transfer, 1026 Spring Garden St., $20, VIP packages $200-$300, 215-232-2100.
Eagles defensive end Connor Barwin has become a Philly favorite, not just because of his gridiron work, but also because he has truly integrated himself into our "gnarly town," as he describes it. For the third year, Barwin hosts a benefit to help rehab city playgrounds via his Make the World Better Foundation. Beloved locals Hop Along and Waxahatchee headline, with another secret special guest. (Hint: He's a local with a folk-soul sound - and national cred.) MTWB will match all the money made at the concert. - Molly Eichel
Jennifer Nettles / Brandy Clark
8 p.m. Friday, Tower Theater, 69th and Ludlow Sts., Upper Darby, $35-$65. 610-352-2887.
This country twofer features powerful singer and former Sugarland star Jennifer Nettles, just out with the bombastic Playing With Fire. The real treat, however, is Clark, the sharp-eyed songwriter whom Nettles wisely employed to cowrite seven songs on Playing. Clark's highly anticipated Big Day in a Small Town is due next Friday. - D.D.
Anthony Hamilton and Fantasia Barrino
8 p.m. Friday, Mann Center for the Performing Arts, 5201 Parkside Ave., $34.50-$125. 215-546-7900.
Two powerhouse voices that share an undeniably raspy quality team up for a soulful evening. Anthony Hamilton is touring behind What I'm Feelin', an album of timeless R&B jams, including the lovely throwback title track and the rousing hit "Amen." American Idol alum Fantasia Barrino has proved throughout her five-album career - including her most recent, The Definition Of ... - that she was one of the few correct choices the former reality-show juggernaut made. - M.E.
Grimes
7 p.m. Friday, Electric Factory, 427 N. Seventh St., $40-$125. 215-627-1332.
One-woman-band Claire Boucher, performing as Grimes, does a makeup date from a canceled, sold-out Union Transfer show in November. The more capacious Electric Factory should suit her outsize ambitions, largely realized on Art Angels, the mix of edgy electronic experimentalism and unabashedly sugary pop songcraft that made for one of 2015's strongest releases. - D.D.
Eagles of Death Metal
8 p.m. Friday, Trocadero Theater, 1003 Arch St., $28.50-$30, 215-922-6888.
Most of the world probably first heard of the Eagles of Death Metal as the headlining band at Paris' Le Bataclan during the November terrorist attacks. The concert was a target, and 89 people died. The Eagles of Death Metal, all of whom were unharmed, have continued to tour. They bring their raucous and fun live show here for the first time since the attacks. - M.E.
Béla Fleck and the Flecktones
8 p.m. Friday, Keswick Theatre, 291 N. Keswick Ave., Glenside. $29.50-$55, 215-572-7650.
Banjo-master Béla Fleck is a serial collaborator, but he occasionally returns to homebase with the Flecktones, the fusion band he formed in 1988. This brief tour is their first since 2012 and features the original lineup of bassist Victor Wooten, percussionist Roy "Future Man" Wooten, and harmonica-player Howard Levy. Rooted in bluegrass, the Flecktones thrive on eclectic experimentalism, detouring into post-bop jazz, African rhythms, and rural blues. - Steve Klinge
Wilco / Richard Thompson
7:30 p.m. Saturday, Mann Center for the Performing Arts, 52nd and Parkside, $29.50-$69.50. 800-745-3000.
A dream bill for the 'XPN crowd: guitar stalwart Richard Thompson opens for alt-rock icons Wilco, whose leader, Jeff Tweedy, produced (and plays on) Thompson's latest, much-lauded Still. Wilco continues to challenge fans with its diverse, potent meld of experimental rock, alt-country, and pop. - Nicole Pensiero
Beyoncé
7:30 p.m. Sunday, Lincoln Financial Field, One Lincoln Financial Way, sold out, 215-463-5500.
A Beyoncé show isn't just a concert, but a full-on spectacle, as the hardest-working woman in show business demonstrates why people call her the queen. If that weren't enough, the outfits are fantastic. And we're not even talking about Beyoncé's. The Bey Hive put on their freakum dresses and do their lady proud. Musically, expect the Formation World Tour to offer a career-ranging set with a focus on Lemonade, Beyoncé's critically acclaimed opus. Don't have tickets for Sunday's show (or don't have cash for StubHub)? Don't worry, Beyoncé's back Sept. 29 at Linc. - M.E.