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This week's Tampa Bay concert picks: Bryan Adams, Fiesta Maxima, Interpol, Tash Sultana

 
Bryan Adams performs at the Juno Awards in Calgary, Alberta, in 2016. On Tuesday, he plays Al Lang Stadium in downtown St. Petersburg. [Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press/AP]
Bryan Adams performs at the Juno Awards in Calgary, Alberta, in 2016. On Tuesday, he plays Al Lang Stadium in downtown St. Petersburg. [Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press/AP]
Published May 1, 2019

CAN'T STOP: Bryan Adams

Bryan Adams may never get the respect he deserves. Oh, sure, he has won a Grammy, been nominated for three Academy Awards, received medals from Queen Elizabeth and so forth. But the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Forget it; not so much as a sniff. That's a shame, because you can probably hum a dozen Bryan Adams songs right this second: Summer of '69, Cuts Like a Knife, Run to You, Heaven, (Everything I Do) I Do It for You and more. And he's still cranking them out! His new album Shine a Light has some classic-sounding heartland jams, including All or Nothing and Part Friday Night, Part Sunday Morning. If you go to his concert, you'll be surprised at how many songs you sang along to. That's Hall of Fame-worthy, right? $29.50 and up. 8 p.m. Tuesday. Al Lang Stadium, 230 First Ave. S, St. Petersburg. (727) 892-5767. themahaffey.com.

LADY GENIUS: Lucy Dacus

Lucy Dacus wants to write a hit. She just wants someone else to sing it. "It's so easy to write when I know that it doesn't have to reflect the innermost core of who I am," the Richmond, Va. singer-songwriter said by phone recently. During a recent session in Nashville, "one song came out that I'm really proud of — it's a pop song that I'd love some pop person to cut." Some pop person should be so lucky. Dacus, who turns 24 Thursday, has received wide acclaim for her penetrating solo work and her indie super-trio Boygenius with Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker. In 2018, her sophomore album Historian and Boygenius' debut EP both ranked on numerous year-end best-of lists. She'll play her first local headlining show at Crowbar. Mothers open. $12 and up. 7 p.m. Tuesday. 1812 N 17th St., Ybor City. (813) 241-8600.

ONE OF A KIND: Tash Sultana

Rock, jazz, jam, funk, soul, fusion — call Tash Sultana whatever you like. The only thing you can definitively call the 23-year-old Australian phenomenon is an artist in extremely high demand. Self-taught on an array of instruments, Sultana is an absorbing live presence, delivering see-it-to-believe-it performances that sell out major venues and earn top-of-the-poster billing at festivals all over the world. It's no surprise, then, that Sultana's Tampa Bay debut sold out well in advance, and probably could have done so at a venue larger than Jannus Live. The Pierce Brothers open. 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. 200 First Ave. N, St. Petersburg. (727) 565-0550. jannuslive.com.

BACK IN BLACK: Interpol

Let me tell you about the dumbest concert purchase I ever made. It was 2004, and Interpol was playing a festival in Tampa in support of their stellar debut album Turn On the Bright Lights. They were selling all-black T-shirts with one word, "Interpol," printed in a different, barely perceptible shade of black. They cost $40. I bought one, because ... well, okay, I have no good reason, other than back in 2004, Interpol seemed about as stylish and cool as any rock band that has ever existed. A black-on-black Interpol T-shirt? In Florida in July? For only $40? SIGN ME UP. I don't know where that T-shirt is today, but maybe I'll dig it up for their show. All these years later, Turn On the Bright Lights still sounds like the epitome of post-Y2K cool. And Paul Banks still looks pretty good in all black. Speedy Ortiz opens. Tickets start at $29.50 — less than a T-shirt! 8 p.m. Wednesday. Mahaffey Theater, 400 First St. S, St. Petersburg.

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SALUD! Fiesta Maxima

Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican holiday, but they'll be waving Puerto Rican flags at this year's Fiesta Maxima, thanks to headliner Don Omar. The 41-year-old reggaeton superstar (Danza Kuduro, Dutty Love) and actor (The Fate of the Furious) announced in 2017 that he was planning to retire, but it doesn't seem to have stuck. Still, fans should spend Cinco de Mayo celebrating with Omar like there's no tomorrow, because you never know, maybe there won't be. $25 and up. 8 p.m. Sunday. Yuengling Center, 4202 E Fowler Ave., Tampa. (813) 974-3004. yuenglingcenter.com.

NO JOKERS: Chicano Batman

The name is awesome. The music is even better. L.A.'s Chicano Batman has won over famous fans like Jack White and Miguel with their infectious, vintage-sounding psychedelic soul. Their songs are occasionally bilingual, occasionally political, and laced with hints of '60s Tropicalia and R&B. But it's really just a grand excuse to unbutton your leisure suit and shake your hips for a bit. Nicky Egan opens. $20 and up. 8 p.m. Friday. Crowbar.

IMAGINE THAT: MercyMe

Pop quiz: What was the second-highest-grossing music biopic of 2018, behind Bohemian Rhapsody? Kudos if you guessed I Can Only Imagine, the faith-based film about MercyMe frontman Bart Millard and his hit song of the same name. MercyMe have been Christian superstars for going on 25 years, but the film seemed to secure their place in praise-music history — especially considering they've followed it with an arena tour. Crowder and Micah Taylor open. $25 and up. 7 p.m. Sunday. Amalie Arena, 401 Channelside Drive, Tampa. (813) 301-2500. amaliearena.com.

POTENTIAL COMEBACK SONG: Aly and AJ

Twelve years ago, Aly and AJ were headlining Tampa's biggest amphitheater. Now they're playing a club in Ybor City. But this isn't some crushing fall from grace. It's more about two sisters trying to find themselves. Power-pop hits like Potential Breakup Song thrust Disney stars Alyson and Amanda Michalka into a bright spotlight at an early age, and for years, they looked for ways out of it, changing their name to 78violet, writing with Rivers Cuomo and going a decade between albums. That drought ended with last year's synthy, indie-poppy Ten Years, and continues with new single Church and what they hope will be a career-rebooting club tour. $25 and up. 7 p.m. Wednesday. Orpheum, 1915 E Seventh Ave., Ybor City. (813) 248-9500. theorpheum.com.

DOES A BODY GOOD: Milk Carton Kids

The name "Milk Carton Kids" evokes images of lost souls, and if you listen long enough to their dusty, western-tinted Americana songs, you might start to feel that way, too. The California folk duo has become an NPR fave thanks to a series of critically acclaimed albums and tours with the Lumineers, Old Crow Medicine Show and Punch Brothers. Darrin Bradbury opens. $29.50 and up. 8 p.m. Friday. Capitol Theatre, 405 Cleveland St., Clearwater. (727) 791-7400. atthecap.com.