Big concert weekend: Can I still get tickets to JLO, Shawn Mendes?
This is the weekend that music fans of all stripes have had circled on their summer calendar, a four-day extravaganza of live music by big stars and respected niche artists, from rap iconoclast Lil Wayne and Dave Matthews to Lionel Richie and Jennifer Lopez. Here’s a look at ticket availability for seven tours stopping in South Florida through Sunday.
Jennifer Lopez: The multiplatform singer, dancer and actor (her strip-club crime thriller “Hustlers” opens Sept. 13) is turning 50 on Wednesday, July 24, with a celebration running Thursday-Saturday at Americanairlines Arena in Miami, closing nights of her It’s My Party Tour. Beyond resale tickets, seats are scarce, though the arena did put on sale wedges of seats on either side of the stage. The cheapest tickets, starting at $45.95, can be found for Saturday’s show. Visit Ticketmaster.com.
Lil Wayne and Blink-182: An inspired pairing of the artist that Drake acknowledged as “the greatest rapper of all time” with the frenetic power trio celebrating the 20th anniversary of the album “Enema of the State,” performing 7:30 p.m. Thursday, July 25, at Coral Sky Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach. Tickets are still available at all price levels, starting at $37.50, via LiveNation.com.
Dave Matthews Band: DMB’s annual return to Coral Sky Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, July 26-27, is a rite of summer in these parts. There are lawn seats to be had both nights, starting at $45.50 on Friday and $49.50 on Saturday. There are a few scattered seats under the roof on Friday available as well. Visit LiveNation.com.
Donavon Frankenreiter: This month the beloved surfing troubadour released an album of stripped-down versions of favorite songs titled “Bass & Drum Tracks,” and on The Record Player Tour he and longtime sideman Matt Grundy play accompaniment to the music as the vinyl spins on a turntable set up onstage. Brilliant. Catch him 8 p.m. Friday, July 26, at the Culture Room in Fort Lauderdale, with Shauna Sweeney and Christina Holmes opening. Tickets cost $22.50 (general admission) and $60 (table and balcony seating). Visit CultureRoom.net.
Lionel Richie: If it seems like he just left, it was indeed a little more than four months ago that the R&B icon, with 23 Top 10 singles, was a headliner at Jazz in the Gardens at Hard Rock Stadium. If you thought that was enough to satisfy his South Florida fans, well, no. Tickets for Richie’s Hello Tour concert at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Hard Rock Event Center in Hollywood, started at more than $100 and were gone quickly. Resale tickets, of which there aren’t many, start at $397. Visit MyHRL.com.
Korn/Alice in Chains: For this coheadlining tour, Korn comes armed with new music from the album “The Nothing” (set for release Sept. 13), illustrated by the classic whisper-to-a-scream artistry of the single “You’ll Never Find Me.” Grunge veterans Alice in Chains are showing off music from 2018’s Grammynominated album “Rainier Fog,” as well as fan favorites “Rooster,” “Would” and “Down in a Hole.” Tickets are available for $26 on the lawn and $49.50 under the roof. Visit LiveNation.com.
Shawn Mendes: This is the Summer of Shawn Mendes. The pop heartthrob and Calvin Klein underwear model, who turns 21 on Aug. 8, has one of the season’s most popular tours and two new singles climbing their way up the chart with “If I Can’t Have You” and the duet “Señorita” with Miami pop star Camila Cabello. Mendes’ show at 7:30 p.m. Sunday in Miami’s Americanairlines Arena is essentially sold out, with a few pairs of obstructed-view tickets available for $85.50 each. Visit Ticketmaster.com.