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This week’s best Tampa Bay concerts: Tim McGraw, Peter Frampton, Lizzo

The Alarm and the Midnight Hour perform around town as well.
 
Tim McGraw performs at this year's iHeartCountry Festival at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas. On Sunday, the singer will stop by Tampa's Raymond James Stadium.
Tim McGraw performs at this year's iHeartCountry Festival at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas. On Sunday, the singer will stop by Tampa's Raymond James Stadium. [ JACK PLUNKETT | Invision/AP ]
Published Sept. 4, 2019

PREGAME PRO: TIM MCGRAW

Tim McGraw’s got pigskin coursing through his veins. He’s a diehard Louisiana State University Tigers fan, starred in the film Friday Night Lights and once loaned his hit I Like It, I Love It for highlight reels on Monday Night Football. It’s about time he made it to an NFL field on game day. Before the Buccaneers’ season opener against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, McGraw will take the stage at Raymond James Stadium to play a full concert in the midday sun, from Truck Yeah to Shotgun Rider to Live Like You Were Dying. Considering McGraw has headlined stadiums in his own right, that’s quite a value for your ticket-buying buck. Game tickets start at $55. Fans can enter the stadium at 12:30 p.m.; the concert starts at 2, with the game at 4:25. buccaneers.com.

END OF THE ROAD: PETER FRAMPTON

We crack a lot about farewell tours these days, because c’mon, how many times can Cher or the Who say they’re calling it quits before it becomes a joke? Sadly, the truth’s much realer for Peter Frampton. The 69-year-old talk box maestro announced this spring that he’s suffering from a degenerative muscle disease called inclusion body myositis, which is stripping his fingers of the ability to play guitar. Is anyone really ready for a world in which the guy who made Frampton Comes Alive can no longer, y’know, come alive? This really does seem like it’ll be Frampton’s last spin through Florida, which means it’s your last chance to hear Baby, I Love Your Way, Show Me the Way and Do You Feel Like We Do. But then, your old copy of Frampton Comes Alive will last forever, won’t it? That’s a testament to Frampton right there. Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening opens. $29.50 and up. 7:30 p.m. Saturday. MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, 4802 U.S. 301 N, Tampa. (813) 740-2446. livenation.com.

Peter Frampton will perform at the MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre in Tampa on Saturday. [ AMY HARRIS | Invision/AP ]

GET IT STRAIGHT: THE MIDNIGHT, THE MIDNIGHT HOUR

We can sense the confusion on your face, so let’s clear a few things up. The Midnight is a trans-Atlantic synthwave duo that’s mastered the art of creating hazy, neon-lit soundtracks to a Hollywood night that never was. The Midnight Hour is a retro funk and soul duo comprised of composer Adrian Younge and A Tribe Called Quest’s Ali Shaheed Muhammad. Is it confusing that they both have shows in Tampa this week? Yes, yes it is, especially if you’re trying to Google tickets. The important thing to remember is that both shows should be pretty great, and you’ll look cool buying a ticket to either. So let’s recap: The Midnight perform at 8 p.m. Friday at the Orpheum, 1915 E Seventh Ave., Tampa. $22 and up. (813) 248-9500. theorpheum.com. Meanwhile, the Midnight Hour perform at 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Palladium, 253 Fifth Ave., N, St. Petersburg. $21 and up. (727) 822-3590. mypalladium.org.

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Ali Shaheed Muhammad, left, and Adrian Younge, known collectively as the Midnight Hour. [ Courtesy of Linear Labs ]

SOUND OFF: THE ALARM

If you went back in time to 1985 with tickets to see the Alarm, Modern English and Gene Loves Jezebel on the same bill, you could’ve sold them for quite a pretty pence. Times do change, which is why you can now see all three bands at a bar instead of a stadium. But that shouldn’t diminish from the bands’ reputations. The Alarm were once hailed as the next U2 thanks to singer Mike Peters’ passionate performances. Modern English still get airplay with I Melt With You. And while a rift between brothers tore the original Gene Loves Jezebel in twain, the version led by singer Jay Aston is still playing influential songs like Desire and The Motion of Love. So maybe it’s a cool thing that you can see them all together in a small venue in 2019. $19 and up. 5:30 p.m. Sunday. Ferg’s Sports Bar, 1320 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. (727) 822–4562. fergssportsbar.com.

On Sunday, the Alarm will play Ferg’s Sports Bar in St. Petersburg. [ Courtesy of Chart Room Media ]

100 PERCENT: LIZZO

On a night when Taylor Swift won the top prize and everyone honored Missy Elliott, Lizzo kind of stole the show. Yeah, she’s 100 percent that ... talented. At last week’s MTV Video Music Awards, the year’s breakthrough pop star shut down the house with her medley of Truth Hurts and Good as Hell, showing why people can’t stop bumping her new album Cuz I Love You. Lizzo’s wild lyrical wit, church-choir singing voice, self-empowering image and impressive flute skills (YouTube it) landed so hard this spring that her concert next week, originally scheduled for Jannus Live, was almost immediately moved to the Yuengling Center due to overwhelming demand for tickets. The good news is, now you actually have a shot at getting them. Ari Lennox opens. $41.25 and up. 8:30 p.m. Tuesday. Yuengling Center, 4202 E Fowler Ave., Tampa. (813) 974-3004. yuenglingcenter.com.

Lizzo performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif., earlier this year. The artist will visit Tampa's Yuengling Center next week. [ AMY HARRIS | Invision/AP ]