3 DON’T-MISS SHOWS THIS WEEK Wu-Tang Clan
Style: A victory lap for one of the most influential hip-hop groups that ever was, and ever will be.
Why you should go: The New York hip-hop crew has been in a reflective mood as of late, the subject of an acclaimed Showtime docuseries “WuTang Clan: Of Mics and Men” this summer, and celebrating the 25th anniversary of their seminal breakthrough album “Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)” on the road. Nostalgia may be on the menu, but with charismatic performers like RZA, GZA, Ghostface Killah, Method Man, Raekwon and others on the stage together, expect the Clan to make a strong case for their relevance in 2019.
Openers: Local DJs Jordan “Madhatter” Lee and Tyrone “DJ Bizzon” Miller will get the party started.
Time and place: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Riverside Theater, 116 W. Wisconsin Ave.
Price: $79.50 to $125 at the box office, the Pabst Theater box office (144 E. Wells St.), (414) 3427283 and pabsttheater.org. — Piet Levy, plevy@journalsentinel.com
John Mayer
Style: Rock, blues, folk and more with a sensitive vocal side and a meaty, muscular guitar side.
Why you should go: Berklee College of Music dropout John Mayer sounded not unlike a Tiger Beat Dave Matthews on his 2002 debut LP “Room for Squares” and hits like “No Such Thing.” Since then, Mayer has spent much time and energy developing a kind of artistic maturity, whether digging into bluesy rock with the John Mayer Trio and 2005’s “Try!” or testing his abilities against Grateful Dead musicians in Dead & Company, with whom he recently finished another tour. Now back out on his own, Mayer likely will lean on 2017’s reasonably groovy “The Search for Everything,” newer singles like 2018’s “New Light,” guitar demi-godhood and boyish charm.
Time and place: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Fiserv Forum, 1111 N. Phillips Ave.
Price: $35.50 to $289 at the box office, (800) 745-3000 and ticketmaster.com. — Jon M. Gilbertson, Special to the Journal Sentinel
Bruce Hornsby & the Noisemakers
Style: Adult-contemporary musings, expanded by a skilled pianist into Americana territory.
Why you should go: After kicking around the United States during the late 1970s and early 1980s, in 1984 Virginia native Bruce Hornsby formed the Range and very lightly mixed jazz and country into softrock pleasantness. Popular tracks like “The Way It Is” and “The Valley Road” are some creative distance from his sideman work (for the Grateful Dead and Bonnie Raitt, among others) and his newest album, this year’s “Absolute Zero,” on which he dives into darker tuneful geography with Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, NYC chamber ensemble yMusic and other indie explorers. With his usual crew, the Noisemakers, he’ll continue the exploration and also lounge in more familiar places.
Opener: S. (Sean) Carey, a Wisconsin singer-songwriter and Bon Iver member whose reflective, arty music has become increasingly intricate and approachable.
Time and place: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Pabst Theater.
Price: $39.50 to $65.50. — Jon M. Gilbertson