LL Cool J featuring Z-Trip, 8 p.m. Oct. 15, Wolf Den, free
Acting or rapping? Most of the contemporary world probably thinks of LL Cool J from his current gig, starring as Special Agent Sam Hanna on “NCIS Los Angeles.” Back in the day, though, he was taken seriously as a hip hop artist — as with Grammy-winning hits like “Mama Said Knock You Out” and “Hey Lover.”
An Evening with Lynyrd Skynyrd, 7:30 p.m. Oct. 16, Mohegan Sun Arena, $20
All in a name: It’s pretty well known that “Lynyrd Skynyrd” named themselves sarcastically after a sadistic coach the band members suffered through at Robert E. Lee High School in their native Jacksonville, Fla. If, however, the band were to form today and still be named after a Lee PE teacher, they would either be called Stephen Barnes or Ed Barrett — or misspellings thereof — since they’re the school’s current gym coaches.
Song to scream for: For Christ’s sake, don’t do it if you value your soul! Don’t be THAT cretin!
Dane Cook, 8 p.m. Oct. 21, Mohegan Sun Arena, $45-$60
You decide: Few comics are treated with more derision by his colleagues — and yet he’s one of the most successful standup artists of all times. He’s played STADIUMS and routinely fills 10,000 seat halls, sorta like, well, the Mohegan Sun Arena. So someone — a helluva LOT of someones — find him hilarious. SIA
Sam Hunt, 8 p.m. Oct. 22, Mohegan Sun Arena, $79-$99
Newest country: As embodied by diverse and creative of new sounds and production techniques, Hunt is a bright young star moving C&W into the future.
If not country music, then: Football? (Hunt was a quarterback at University of Alabama Birmingham and was invited to the Kansas City Chiefs training camp.) Existentialist? (Hunt was a philosophy major.) Investment banker? (Hunt ultimately got a business degree in economics.)
Song to scream for: “Break Up in a Small Town.”
Dennis DeYoung presents the Music of Styx, 8 p.m. Oct. 22, Wolf Den, free
Songs to scream for: Yes, DeYoung is no longer in Styx — possibly because no rock singer has EVER punished vowels and diphthongs to such an extreme as he. However, for those who love the music, he wrote and crooned big hits like “Lady” (“Aw-wool awwool aw-wooll your love!”), “Suite Madame Blue,” “Light Up,” “The Grand Illusion” and “Babe.”
Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire, 7:30 p.m. Oct. 23, Mohegan Sun Arena, $60-$80
You’ll probably hear some hits: Chicago has sold over 100 million albums; EW&F over 90 million.
Horn-y: Each band has an all-world brass section. In that spirit, you hope Chicago throws down the “Make Me Smile” suite and Earth, Wind & Fire plays “Shining Star” and “Got to Get You Into My Life.”
Jackie Greene, 8 p.m. Oct. 23, Wolf Den
Not to be confused with: “Jackie Blue,” which was a hit by the Ozark Mountain Daredevils (who coincidentally are the only musical act in the world not playing the Sun this month). Greene, by the way, is a singer-songwriter who was in the final Black Crowes lineup.
Sia with Miguel & Aluna George, 7 p.m. Oct. 26, Mohegan Sun Arena, $75-$95
Recurring motif: Not suggesting ice cream-poppers Air Supply focused on the romantic in their lyrics, but some of their songs are “Lost in Love,” “All Out of Love,” “Love and Other Bruises,” “The One That You Love,” “Making Love Out of Nothing at All,” “The Power of Love” and “Faith in Love.”
Prediction: They will not encore with Cannibal Corpse’s “Hammer-Smashed Face.”
Carrie Underwood, 7 p.m. Oct. 28, Mohegan Sun Arena, $51-$81
Superlatives: Is there a more beloved artist working in music today? Probably not. Not even you, Adele.
Running out of momentum: Ha! Just kidding. Her latest tune, the wonderful “Church Bells,” is firmly embedded on the Billboard charts.
Kiss, 8 p.m. Oct. 29, Mohegan Sun Arena, $75-$95
Revelation: It occurred to me, in a Newtonian burst of apple-fall awareness, that it’s entirely possible Gene Simmons’ hair is actually a helmet of painted and carved wood.