What winter slump? Lexington’s upcoming hot music scene includes Drake, Broadway stars
You know the mood that sets in once January hits. It’s cold. It’s gray. It’s dark. It’s a collective funk, the empty afterburn once the cheer of the holiday fades and you realize spring is over two months out of reach.
There is no reason to go into hibernation, though. Every major concert venue in Lexington has performances booked between now and the Equinox to warm the spirits.
Return of a local hero? Check. Vintage R&B and pop-soul? Got that covered, too. Groove-centric jazz? Why not? There is all that plus metal music to wake up the neighbors, ’40s style makeovers of modern pop hits and, of course, every shade and style of country music imaginable. It’s all heading our way over the next 10 weeks to keep Old Man Winter, well, on ice.
Here are details on the music calendar, list of performances and how to get tickets.
Concerts, shows, performances in Lexington
Jan. 6: Concert with the Stars featuring Colton Ryan. Lexington Opera House (8 p.m., $32-$67.) lexingtonoperahouse.com/events.
Concert with the Stars is an annual winter rite presented by the Lexington Theatre Company. This year, though, the celebrity talent is homegrown. Headlining will be Colton Ryan, graduate of Lexington’s School for the Creative and Performing Arts (SCAPA) who earned a Tony Award nomination in 2023 for “New York, New York.”
Jan. 13: Chico Fellini Pays Tribute to David Bowie. The Burl, 375 Thompson Rd. (9 p.m., $20.) theburlky.com.
Local glam rock favorite Chico Fellini has played only sporadically in recent years. In fact, the few times it has surfaced has been Burl events honoring the ’70s and ’80s music of David Bowie as opposed to its own work. It’s still a great fit, though. The Chico crew’s last Bowie tribute show was a sellout. Expect this return outing to be one, too.
Jan. 15: Peabo Bryson. Lexington Opera House (8 p.m., $43-$203.)
One of the more celebrated pop-soul vocalists of the past four decades, Bryson had earned two Grammy Awards and cut a string of duet singles with a who’s who of star female singers. Among them: Natalie Cole, Minnie Riperton, Roberta Flack, Melissa Manchester, Celine Dion and, most notably, Regina Belle.
Jan. 25: Jeff Parker and the New Breed. Singletary Center for the Arts, 405 Rose St. (7:30 p.m., $10 students-$25 public.) finearts.uky.edu/singletary-center/events
A longtime member of a fruitful improvisational music scene in Chicago, guitarist Parker is perhaps best known for his work with the multi-genre troupe Tortoise. Now based in Los Angeles, Parker journeys to Lexington with his New Breed band and a bag full of instrumental tunes built around beats, samples, grooves and soul-informed jazz.
Feb. 2: Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives. Lyric Theatre and Cultural Arts Center (7:30 p.m., $69.50.) tix.com.
A five-time Grammy winner, Stuart is a living monument to country music tradition and, more importantly, an innovator in finding ways to mix vintage inspirations with enough surf and twang references to make such a heritage sound fresh to new generational ears. His Lyric returns prefaces a summer tour with Kentucky superhero Chris Stapleton.
Feb. 7: Pantera/Lamb of God. Rupp Arena, 430 W. Vine (7 p.m., $29.50-$479.50.) rupparena.com/events.
In 2003, metal mainstay Pantera dissolved into fractured camps immovably at odds with each other. Nearly two decades later, co-founding members Phil Anselmo and Rex Brown set the band back in motion with two new celebrity members — Black Label Society/Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde and Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante.
Feb. 28: The Return of Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Lexington Opera House (7:30 p.m., $45-$80.)
The title implies a tribute to the immensely popular ’70s prog band. The twist is this show will be helmed by drummer Carl Palmer, the only surviving member of the trio. Aside from a full band of his own, he will play tunes alongside video footage of keyboardist Keith Emerson and bassist/vocalist Greg Lake, both of whom died in 2016.
March 2: Tyler Booth. Manchester Music Hall, 899 Manchester St. (8 p.m., $25-$100.) manchestermusichall.com/events.
Raised in Wolfe County on a diet of metal and outlaw country, Booth wound his way through a scholarship at Morehead State University. By the end of the 2010s, he was rubbing shoulders and sharing stages with the likes of Brooks & Dunn, Dwight Yoakam and Brantley Gilbert. Booth’s newest EP disc is “Keep It Real.”
March 8: Riley Green with Tracy Lawrence and Ella Langley. Rupp Arena (7:30 p.m., $40.50-$253.50.)
The Academy of Country Music’s New Male Artist of the Year in 2019, Alabama native Green made in-roads with country radio last May thanks to a duet single with Luke Combs titled “Different ’Round Here.” While Green is a relatively new artist, show opener Tracy Lawrence has been riding the tour circuit since the early ’90s.
March 8: Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox. Lexington Opera House (8 p.m., $43-$178.)
Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass” done as a slow blues reverie? Aerosmith’s “Dream On” as a chamber-style torch song? Radiohead’s “Creep” as a jazz lullaby? That’s the M.O. for P.J. — Postmodern Jukebox, which will be presenting vintage makeovers of contemporary hits at its third Lexington show since October 2019.
March 8: Geoff Tate/Adrian Vandenberg. Manchester Music Hall (8 p.m., $45-$100.) Dossiers, gentleman? Tate: lead singer for prog-metal band Queensr?che in its late ’80s and ’90s heyday, including the hit 1991 ballad “Silent Lucidity.” Vandenberg: Dutch guitarist for pop-metal band Whitesnake during a nearly concurrent period of mass popularity. This double bill will showcase music from both bands as well as works done on their own.
March 10: Drake with J. Cole. Rupp Arena (8 p.m., $149.50-$453.50.)
Given Drake’s long-running friendship/fanship with John Calipari and University of Kentucky basketball, it’s astonishing this is will be the first Rupp Arena outing by the multi-platinum selling rapper in over 12 years. His 2012 performance, by the way, sported a then little-known hip hop stylist as opening act by the name of Kendrick Lamar.
