Touring musicians are more like you than you might think. They know that when the holidays wrap, everyone needs a breather — and a break from spending — at the start of the new year. But as mid-January dawns, the concert schedule starts to come alive again.
While several artists will stage large-scale events at United Center — Justin Timberlake arrives for a rescheduled date on Valentine’s Day; Mary J. Blige breezes in with her “For My Fans” Tour on March 14; Deftones brings the heavy on March 31 — this is a great time of year to take in a show or three at smaller venues. You generally get better views and lighter tolls on your credit card.
Now, for the bad news: As of this writing, a few of the more alluring concerts are sold out or nearing capacity limits. So act fast. The good news: Several facilities, such as Thalia Hall, offer a limited number of tickets when doors open in advance of the show. Plus, there’s always the aftermarket. If you opt for the latter, be sure to try your luck on cashortrade.org, where fans sell tickets for face value or below.
See you out there!
Joy Oladokun: Since self-releasing her 2016 debut via Kickstarter, Oladokun has collaborated with luminaries such as Brandi Carlile, Chris Stapleton and Jason Isbell. Her recent “Observations from a Crowded Room” LP reflects their roots-based styles while adding gospel and pop accents to bolster her introspective lyrics. Musing on uncertainty, faith, James Baldwin and her experiences as a queer Black woman, Oladokun dives into painful struggles and messy contradictions with a candor that pegs her as a well-read old soul worth seeking out. 8 p.m. Jan. 17 at Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport St.; (sold out, ages 17+) at thaliahall.com
Elucid: Elucid’s voice is one of the most commanding instruments in hip hop: booming, husky, raw, the demonstrative kind that emanates from deep in the chest. The avant-garde MC, who comprises one-half of the respected duo Armand Hammer, navigates a volatile underground on “Revelator” rife with levels of industrial distortion that threaten to bruise your brain. However, amid all the throbbing din and jarring chaos, Elucid lands on a resilient hopefulness that persuades you to not only tolerate, but embrace, the fray. 8 p.m. Jan. 24 at Schubas, 3159 N. Southport Ave.; tickets (ages 18+) from $20 at lh-st.com
Porridge Radio: What does it feel like to try and eke out a life as an acclaimed albeit relatively unrecognized band in today’s fractured landscape? Spend a minute listening to Dana Margolin’s intense confessionals and you’ll soon know. Ragged, fatigued, angry and impossibly determined, the Porridge Radio vocalist-guitarist and her group shake their collective fists at the heavens and set fire to scorched-earth frustrations on the tremendous “Clouds in the Sky They Will Always Be There for Me” — as convincing proof as any that rock ain’t dead. 8 p.m. Jan. 30 at Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport St.; tickets from $25 (ages 17+) at thaliahall.com
Jason Isbell: Isbell regularly passes through town with his superb 400 Unit band in tow. After he left Drive-By Truckers in the spring of 2007, he even brought the now-trusty support group to his first area date at Beat Kitchen. Here, however, the revered singer-songwriter will finally go it alone — and probably in acoustic fashion. All the better to zero in on detailed character sketches and incisive plot lines that should be the envy of most fiction novelists. And, maybe, hear previews of a few new tunes and the back stories behind older favorites. 8 p.m. Feb. 15 at the Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive; tickets from $49.50 at auditoriumtheatre.org
Mdou Moctar: Last summer, Moctar transformed the inside of Thalia Hall into a hive of swaying bodies eager to follow the Nigerian band’s namesake leader wherever his guitar ventured. Mesmerizing and psychedelic, authoritative and audacious: Moctar illustrated the untapped potential of the instrument as he mapped territories where traditional Western sounds fused with African desert blues and worldbeat grooves. He and his mates plan to unplug at this doubleheader, yet their boundary-crossing alchemy doesn’t require electricity to dance. 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Feb. 15 at SPACE, 1245 Chicago Ave., Evanston; tickets from $32 at evanstonspacemusic.com
Benjamin Booker: Those “Have You Seen Me?” ads on old milk cartons? They spring to mind when talking about Benjamin Booker. In 2014, the New Orleans-based artist broke out with a thrilling debut and run of electrifying shows, including a memorable appearance at Lollapalooza. A sophomore LP followed. Then the promising Booker went MIA. After a seven-year hiatus, he returns in a more experimental guise with the provocative “Lower,” which bids to stand as one of the new year’s bravest, grittiest and cerebral sets. 8 p.m. Feb. 18 at Subterranean, 2011 W. North Ave.; tickets from $23 (ages 21+) at seetickets.us
Regina Spektor: Spektor’s eclectic approaches and grab bag of vocal tics — falsetto outbursts, glottal stops, giddy squeaks — blocked an otherwise near-certain path to mainstream fame. No matter. The singer-songwriter, who released only one record since 2016, remains a charismatic presence and dynamic pianist. Spektor understands that the key to unforgettable pop resides with the melody. She also possesses a knack for converting arcane allusions, odd metaphors and casual observations into a-ha revelations that roll around in your head for days. 8 p.m. March 2-4 at Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport St.; 17+; tickets from $55 at thaliahall.com
Dream Theater: A guaranteed way to elicit wrinkled-nose reactions from an abundance of fervent music lovers? Simply mention the term “prog.” Dream Theater has fallen under that polarizing albeit vague classification since emerging in the ‘80s. Unconcerned with trends, the band never broke up or stopped exploring cerebral combinations of metal, classical and art rock. At what should’ve been a multi-night residency, the virtuosic ensemble celebrates its 40th anniversary, a new album (“Parasomnia”) and the long-awaited return of original drummer Mike Portnoy. 7:30 p.m. March 8 at Chicago Theatre, 175 N. State St.; (sold out) msg.com
Faye Webster: “I think I’ll figure it out,” Webster casually sings on her latest effort, “Underdressed at the Symphony.” She treats the line as a mantra and seemingly holds onto the belief that if she repeats the phrase enough, her desire will come true. The witty Atlanta singer-songwriter’s soft, sparse, dreamy blends of chamber pop and traditional-minded country function in similarly innocuous ways. Webster’s twangy fare tends to disappear into unseen voids or simply fade away, impressing not with irony or sleight of hand but campfire comfort and subdued surprise. 8 p.m. March 11-12 at Salt Shed, 1357 N. Elston Ave.; tickets from $45 (ages 17+) at saltshedchicago.com
Elvis Costello and Steve Nieve: Concertgoers of a certain age might remember when Costello and his longtime foil, keyboardist Nieve, performed as a duo at this very Lincoln Park venue nearly 30 years ago. They reprised the concept in 2004 at a downtown theater in support of Costello’s torch-song project, “North.” For all the merits of the singer’s full-band assemblies, his innate chemistry and near five-decade history with Nieve often lead to unexpected destinations and inspire him to dig deep into his massive catalog. In other words, don’t count on a greatest-hits setlist. 8 p.m. March 11, 12 and 14 at Park West, 322 W. Armitage Ave.; tickets from $129 at tour.elviscostello.com
Iggy Pop: Two years ago, Pop roared into Chicago for the first time since 2016 and held sway over a feisty ballet of resilience, resistance and rambunctiousness. Shirtless and sinewy, the punk legend belied the traditional physical limitations of his then-75-year-old age with a flurry of animated poses and improvised moves. Pop has spent his career defying odds and flaunting rules. Can the last living original Stooge maintain the positive trajectory and fountain-of-youth energy he’s displayed since that band reunited in 2003? Only one way to find out. 8 p.m. March 24 at Salt Shed, 1357 N. Elston Ave.; (sold out, ages 17+) at saltshedchicago.com
Kraftwerk: Countless groups can boast of achieving widespread commercial success, though few can claim to register a greater impact than Kraftwerk. In the ’70s, the German visionaries co-invented electronic music with an oeuvre that later fueled techno, hip-hop, synth-pop, ambient and related offshoots. Spurred by a recent concert series in Los Angeles, Kraftwerk will commemorate the 50th anniversary of its “Autobahn” LP at a multimedia spectacle certain to involve robotic visuals, man-versus-machine performance art and pulse-wave sonics. 8 p.m. March 29 at Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive; tickets from $59.50 at auditoriumtheatre.org
Bob Gendron is a freelance critic.
