1. SUGARLAND
Sugarland in the 2000s was among the most popular country music acts, with five albums that all made the Top 3 and sold nearly 10 million copies, and a dozen Top 10 Country chart hits that sold a collective 8 million copies. Since that decade ended, and after a five-year hiatus, the duo of Kristian Bush and Jennifer Nettles has released just one album and had just one Top 10 hit – “Babe” with Taylor Swift eight years ago. Perhaps that’s why, with its first headline tour in eight years, it’s observing the 20th anniversary of its album “Enjoy the Ride,” which cemented its top status. Still a lot of great stuff to hear, even if it’s not recent.
7 p.m. Nov. 14, Santander Arena, Reading. Tickets: $71.55-$738.10, santander-arena.com.
2. STEWART COPELAND
As drummer for The Police, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees and inarguably among the greatest bands of all time, Stewart Copeland spent a career behind singer Sting, despite being heavily involved in composing its songs. Since that band ended, Copeland’s career has broadened to film scores including “Rumble Fish” and “Wall Street,” television show theme music, scores for video games and even ballet, opera and orchestra. But his current show isn’t music – it’s his first American spoken‑word tour, “Has He Said Too Much?,” described as “candid, funny and deeply human reflections.”
7:30 p.m. Nov. 17, Sellersville Theatre 1894. Tickets $55 to $102 ($200 VIP experience with meet and greet, photo and autograph opportunity), st94.com.
3. THE MAINE
By the time The Maine emerged from from the Tempe, Arizona, scene in 2007, emo music had been softened with pop-punk influence, and the group fit into the Warped Tour world (which it played for seven years), with songs such as “Into Your Arms” and “Everything I Ask For.” It was never the top band (in fact, its biggest hit didn’t come till 2022, with "Loved You a Little" (featuring Taking Back Sunday & Charlotte Sands). But it had five Top 40 albums and a half-dozen minor hit singles that has kept it going 20 years later.
6:30 p.m. Nov. 11, Archer Music Hall, Allentown, with In Color. Tickets $53 (general admission standing only), archermusichall.com.
4. BO BICE
More than 20 years after finishing second to Carrie Underwood on the fourth season of “American Idol,” Bo Bice has had an enviable career: A gold, Top 5 album with “The Real Thing,” a gold No. 2 hit song with “Inside Your Heaven” and, later, even a stint as the lead singer for Blood, Sweat and Tears. But after nearly a decade out of the spotlight, Bice is reintroducing himself as a much broader artist – and person. He’ll open for Six Gun Sally, a seven-piece Southern and classic rock tribute and original band from Pittsburgh that opened for Lynyrd Skynyrd at Bethlejem’s Musikfest.
8 p.m. Nov. 12, opening for Six Gun Sally at Sellersville Theatre 1894. Tickets: $29.50 to $56.50, st94.com.
5. THE RECORD COMPANY
When power-blues rock trio The Record Company recorded its debut album, “Give It Back to You,” it took a simple approach – just as it had a handful of earlier self-released EPs, by hanging up microphones and recording live in the California living room of bass player Alex Stiff. The methodology worked. “Give It Back to You,” was a surprise hit that peaked at No. 5 on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart and produced the No. 1 Adult Alternative hit “Off the Ground” and two more Top 12 hits on that chart: “Rita Mae Young” and “Baby I’m Broken.” It also got the band nominated for a 2017 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album.
Now, after three more discs (one of them a Top 10 on the Alternative chart) and more than a half-dozen Top 10 Adult Alternative hits, The Record Company is celebrating the 10th anniversary of that debut disc.
7 p.m. Nov. 11, with Glass Kinsman, Musikfest Cafe at ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks, Bethlehem. Tickets: $34.25–$59, www.artsquest.org.
HONORABLE MENTION: THE THE BAND BAND
It was 50 years ago that the original lineup of Americana music godfathers The Band called it quits with a Thanksgiving Day farewell concert called The Last Waltz. And since then, tributes to that iconic concert have been held yearly around the holiday. The last original member of The Band, Garth Hudson, died in January, but the music – and memories – continue on. The Band Band: Tribute to the Band was founded in 2007 by keyboardist Jack Kraft and bassist Gary Solomon. And there’s no better time to catch them than the anniversary of The Last Waltz.
8 p.m. Nov. 14, Mauch Chunk Opera House, Jim Thorpe. Tickets: $45.30, www.mcohjt.com.
.jpg)
