April Concert Calendar: The 20 top shows to see this month
Don’t let Coachella overshadow all the major tours kicking off in April. This month, Radiohead return to the States for a limited run of dates, Tom Petty launches a 40th anniversary trek, and Prince’s longtime band The Revolution are honoring His Purpleness’ legacy with a tour. EW has rounded up all the must-see shows you need to see this month.
Radiohead
Dates: Present April 21
Details: The alt-rock luminaries played seven North American shows last summer to support their 2016 album, A Moon Shaped Pool, and they’re crossing the Atlantic once again this spring to play a handful of gigs surrounding their headlining sets at Coachella. Live rarities from 1997’s OK Computer could be in the mix, too: Radiohead played “Let Down” for the first time in a decade last July, and they revived “The Tourist” after a nine-year absence at their March 31 tour opener in Miami.
Tickets: Visit Radiohead’s site for more information and buy here.
John Mayer
Dates: Present April 22
Details: The pop-rocker embarked on his The Search For Everything Tour before releasing the entirety of the album from which it takes his name - he shared two-thirds of the songs off his upcoming seventh full-length in four track “waves” earlier this year. Like the show documented on his 2008 live album, Where The Light Is, Mayer has promised to pack his upcoming gigs with three sets: a full band session, a solo acoustic performance, and an outing with the blues-heavy John Mayer Trio.
Tickets: Visit Mayer’s site for more information and buy here.
Tim McGraw & Faith Hill
Dates: April 7 October 27
Details: Country’s first couple will revive their Soul2Soul Tour for the first time in a decade ahead of their forthcoming collaborative album. Be sure to check your local listings: A varied slate of buzzy acts including Jon Pardi, Brent Cobb, Brandy Clark, Brothers Osborne, and Margo Price have been tapped as openers.
Tickets: Visit the Soul2Soul The World Tour 2017 site for more information and buy here.
Neil Diamond
Dates: April 7 August 12
Details: The crooner will celebrate a half-century in music - he notched his first Hot 100 hit, “Solitary Man,” in 1966 - with a world tour. Diamond’s most recent release was last year’s Acoustic Christmas, but the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer should draw on material from across his 33 studio albums.
Tickets: Visit Diamond’s site for more information and buy here.
Idina Menzel
Dates: April 7 September 3
Details: No other Tony winner has also charted in the Hot 100’s top 10 - and Menzel will bring her Frozen hit “Let It Go” and tunes off her five studio albums, including last year’s idina., to venues across the country this spring and summer.
Tickets: Visit Menzel’s site for more information and buy here.
Sigur Rós
Dates: April 7 June 17
Details: What better way to stay cool as the days start getting warmer than with the chilly post-rock from Iceland? Four years have elapsed since 2013’s Kveikur, and when the band launched a casting call for L.A. fans willing to be filmed for a “short documentary,” speculation that Sigur Rós has new music in the works ramped up. Among their upcoming dates are a series of three gigs with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, which will feature string arrangements from artists including Dan Deacon, Owen Pallett, and Nico Muhly.
Tickets: Visit Sigur Rós’ site for more information and buy here.
Cage the Elephant
Dates: April 8 August 6
Details: Fresh off their Best Rock Album Grammys win for 2015’s Tell Me I’m Pretty, the rowdy Kentucky rockers will hit theaters and festivals including Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza in the coming months. The band will also deliver rare acoustic performances featuring a string quartet from April 10 to 30 as part of its Live & Unpeeled acoustic tour.
Tickets: Visit Cage the Elephant’s site for more information and buy here.
Def Leppard
Dates: April 8 June 25
Details: Spandex, Aquanet an Marshall stacks jacked to 11: the hair-metal icons will rekindle the spirit of ’80s hard rock with a 38-show itinerary focused on cities they missed during their 2016 tour. Poison are also tagging along for the ride.
Tickets: Visit Def Leppard’s site for more information and buy here.
Hinds & Twin Peaks
Dates: April 9 April 23
Details: The two groups hail from opposite sides of the Atlantic - Hinds from Madrid, Twin Peaks from Chicago - but they both turn out a thrilling brand of punk-tinged garage rock. They’ll hit Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and San Diego during a West Coast co-headlining tour organized around their Coachella appearances.
Tickets: Visit Hinds and Twin Peaks sites for more information and buy here.
Travis Scott
Dates: April 12 June 11
Details: The rising rapper made waves with his 2016 sophomore album Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight, which featured André 3000, Kendrick Lamar, The Weeknd, Kid Cudi, Young Thug, Quavo, and many more. Emerging Texan singer Khalid - who guested on Lamar’s recent “The Heart Part 4” - will open Scott’s spring tour.
Tickets: Visit Scott’s site for more information and buy here.
Bob Weir
Dates: April 13 April 22
Details: Despite trekking the continent last summer with Dead & Company, the former Grateful Dead singer-guitarist only played a handful of gigs in October after releasing his first solo album in decades, Blue Mountain, earlier in the fall. Weir will traverse Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida for another short string of shows with his Campfire Band; expect two sets that mix Mountains pastoral cowboy tunes with Dead classics like “Cassidy” and “The Other One.”
Tickets: Visit Weir’s site for more information and buy here.
The Chainsmokers
Dates: April 13 June 24
Details: Get a little closer to the chart-topping EDM duo on their spring tour, which will feature support from Kiiara and Emily Warren. They’re set to release their full-length debut, Memories...Do Not Open, this Friday.
Tickets: Visit The Chainsmokers’ site for more information and buy here.
The xx
Dates: April 14 June 9
Details: The trio’s Jamie xx has been a festival circuit fixture the past two summers, but his primary band hasn’t performed stateside since 2014. Following the release of their excellent third album, I See You, earlier this year, they’ll right that wrong this spring, with assistance from electro-soul phenom Sampha.
Tickets: Visit The xx’s site for more information and buy here.
The 1975
Dates: April 15 June 3
Details: The Brits continue to ride the wave of success earned from last year’s I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware of It as they headline arenas including Madison Square Garden on their epic spring trek.
Tickets: Visit The 1975’s site for more information and buy here.
The Revolution
Dates: April 20 July 15
Details: Prince’s stellar Purple Rain-era backing band - comprised of Wendy Melvoin, Brownmark, Matt Fink, Lisa Coleman, and Bobby Z - will honor the late legend’s legacy at Celebration 2017, a festival slated to take place from April 20 to 23 at Paisley Park to commemorate the one-year anniversary of his passing. And non-Minnesotans are in luck: The Revolution will also hit major cities from coast to coast.
Tickets: Buy here.
Jimmy Eat World
Dates: April 21 May 20
Details: For their spring tour, the beloved pop-punk outfit will bring along one of the genre’s rising acts, Philly’s Beach Slang.
Tickets: Visit Jimmy Eat World’s site for more information and buy here.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Dates: April 20 August 19
Details: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers will honor four decades in the game - they released their self-titled debut in 1978 - with a continent-spanning tour with support from Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh. In the summer, Chris Stapleton and The Lumineers will join Petty for select dates.
Tickets: Visit Petty’s site for more information and buy here.
Spoon
Dates: April 27 September 16
Details: The Austin indie-rockers are one of the genre’s most consistently great bands, both in and out of the studio. They’ll trot out cuts from their excellent ninth album, Hot Thoughts, along with highlights from their expansive back catalog as they hit theaters and festivals in the coming months.
Tickets: Visit Spoon’s site for more information and buy tickets here.
Kings of Leon
Dates: April 28 August 26
Details: After scoring their first No. 1 on Billboard’s albums chart with last October’s WALLS, Kings of Leon will bring their sweaty Southern rock to outdoor venues this summer - and prepare for plenty of it, as they’ve routinely played 25 songs or more at recent concerts.
Tickets: Visit Kings of Leon’s site for more information and buy tickets here.
Kiefer Sutherland
Dates: April 30 May 27
Details: The actor will continue his foray into country music with his Not Enough Whiskey 2017 Tour, where he’ll perform tunes from his 2016 debut Down In a Hole.
Tickets: Visit Sutherland’s site for more information and buy here.
