Miami's 2018 concert calendar — including scheduled tour stops from Taylor Swift, Fleet Foxes, the Killers, and Lana Del Rey — is already shaping up to give 2017 a run for its money. You'll want to save your Christmas cash for these top ten concerts coming to South Florida in the new year.
The Killers. These days, a rock band that packs an arena has become a rarity. Sell-out stadium shows are almost exclusively relegated to the rock royalty of yesteryear, because watching four or five people play instruments onstage is nearly passé to the younger generation. But alongside the U2s, Guns N' Roses, and Blondies of the world are the Killers, the last men standing from the early '00s "the" bands phenomenon. It helped their case that they always made fairly danceable pop fare, and songs such as "The Man," off their latest album, Wonderful Wonderful, follow suit. They have five albums of material to mine, but don't worry — they'll still take it back to 2004 and play your middle-school dance favorite, "Mr. Brightside." 8 p.m. Tuesday, January 23, at American Airlines Arena, 601 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; 786-777-1000; aaarena.com. Tickets cost $31 to $360 via ticketmaster.com.
Lana Del Rey
Beatriz Alvani via Flickr
Tyler the Creator and Vince Staples. To quote Michael Caine in The Dark Knight: "Some men just want to watch the world burn." Examples of those kinds of men were a dime a dozen in 2017; a couple of them even occupied the White House. But if you're still into that kind of thing, Tyler the Creator is your guy. He calls himself a creator, but he has more of an appetite for destruction. His lyrics and short films have been called every name in the book, from "disgusting" to "dangerous," but the jury is still not out on whether it's all a nihilistic exercise to watch people squirm or a subversive means of illuminating society's hypocrisies. Either way, there's no guarantee he won't ask fans to rush the stage when he plays the James L. Knight Center. He can be seen smiling in his mug shot after he was arrested for doing just that at South by Southwest in 2014. 7:30 p.m. Monday, February 12, at James L. Knight Center, 400 SE Second Ave., Miami; 305-372-4634; jlkc.com. Tickets cost $37 to $67 via ticketmaster.com.
Mary J. Blige. We'll skip the references to getting "crunk... up on up in this dancery." It suffices to say you'll be out of your seat for the entirety of a Mary J. Blige show, whether you're dropping it low to "Real Love" or "Family Affair" or testifying to the tune of "Be Without You" or "No More Drama." The queen of hip-hop soul played the Fillmore just last August, but she hasn't had her fill of South Florida yet. She'll bring the 411 to the 954 in February when she plays Hard Rock Live. 8 p.m. Monday, February 19, at Hard Rock Live, 1 Seminole Way, Hollywood; 954-797-5531; seminolehardrockhollywood.com. Tickets cost $45 to $120 via ticketmaster.com.
Tycho. When electronic-music producer and visual artist Tycho last made a concert stop in Miami, he played the now-defunct Grand Central, and New Times called his set "well worth the wait." He'll upgrade to the Fillmore when he and his band return to town in March in support of his latest release, Epoch. He'll stick around that weekend to play the Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival, but catch him in the intimate setting in which his music is meant to be enjoyed before he hits the festival stage. 8:30 p.m. Thursday, March 1, at the Fillmore, 1700 Washington Ave., Miami Beach; 305-673-7300; fillmoremb.com. Tickets cost $35 to $82 via livenation.com.
Fleet Foxes. In 2015, New Times included Fleet Foxes alongside Björk and Lorde in a roundup of artists who had yet to make their Miami debut. Björk finally performed in Miami late this year during Art Basel, and Lorde will follow suit in 2018. Fleet Foxes will also scratch Miami off their bucket list when they play the Fillmore in March. The expansive but intimate space is the ideal setting to listen to the sublime harmonies for which the Seattle outfit is best known. They'll dive deep into their latest album, Crack-Up, their first in six years, but expect them to return from a three-year hiatus refreshed and ready to revisit tracks from their indie choral masterpieces Fleet Foxes and Helplessness Blues.8 p.m. Sunday, March 4, at the Fillmore, 1700 Washington Ave., Miami Beach; 305-673-7300; fillmoremb.com. Tickets cost $40 to $110 via livenation.com.
Spoon. More than two decades since the release of their debut album, the bandmates who created some of the last classic early-'00s indie-rock albums such as Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga and Gimme Fiction are back on tour in support of their latest album, Hot Thoughts. Spoon has been considered a topnotch touring band for the better part of its existence. Don't miss an opportunity to catch one of the last great guitar-rock bands when it plays Revolution Live in March. 7:30 p.m. Sunday, March 11, at Revolution Live, 100 SW Third Ave., Fort Lauderdale; 954-449-1025; jointherevolution.net. Tickets cost $28.50 via ticketmaster.com.
Lorde with Run the Jewels and Mitski. Dark-pop priestess and officially anointed David Bowie disciple Lorde recently acquiesced to an open letter from fans asking her to cancel a controversial tour stop in Tel Aviv, but all systems are go for an April performance in Miami at the American Airlines Arena. The Aussie wunderkind will bring her Melodrama World Tour, along with hits from her debut album, Pure Heroine, to downtown. Consider her weird exorcism dancing as a bonus. 7 p.m. Thursday, April 12, at American Airlines Arena, 601 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; 786-777-1000; aaarena.com. Tickets cost $55 to $118 via ticketmaster.com.. Shakira. Originally scheduled for a mid-January South Florida jaunt, Shakira will now take time to recover from a vocal chord hemorrhage before she returns to Miami for not one, not two, but three rescheduled tour dates in August. The Colombian, hip-shaking singer is beloved by Miami's diverse audiences. Latin music fans first got to know in the mid-'90s, and mainstream American audiences have continued to follow her since she crossed over into the American market in the early '00s. As she proved last year by playing a surprise, free show at the Wynwood Yard, she loves Miami back, and she'll continue to show the love for three consecutive nights in mid-August. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, August 15, 2018, at BB&T Center, 1 Panther Pkwy., Sunrise; 954-835-7000; thebbtcenter.com. Tickets cost $39.50 to $186.50 via ticketmaster.com. 7:30 p.m. Friday, August 17, and Saturday, August 18, at American Airlines Arena, 601 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; 786-777-1000; aaarena.com. Tickets cost $46.50 to $186.50 via ticketmaster.com.
Taylor Swift. The old Taylor Swift used to play arenas, but she's dead now, so when Tay Tay returns to Miami for her Reputation World Tour, she'll play Hard Rock Stadium. The public's fascination with Swift's lyrics, high-profile relationships, and bad blood with celeb frenemies has catapulted her to a level of pop-culture ubiquity few artists can attain. It's a feat made all the more impressive when you consider she's still two years away from turning 30. Call her calculated, but that's part of what's made her the entertainment juggernaut she is today. She's the pop princess people love to hate, but the woman can write a damn catchy hook. Even Katy Perry probably gets "...Ready for It?" stuck in her head. 7 p.m. Saturday, August 18, at Hard Rock Stadium, 347 Don Shula Dr., Miami Gardens; 305-943-8000; hardrockstadium.com. Tickets cost $49.50 to $499.50 via ticketmaster.com.
