The Five Best Concerts in Miami This Weekend

The Heavy Pets Holiday Ball. With Roosevelt Collier. In less than a year, the Fort Lauderdale-born musical act Heavy Pets will turn 15. Cofounder Jeff Lloyd says, “We've watched our biggest fans go from being right out of college to getting married and having kids. It’s wonderful that we can experience all that together.” As the headliners of this year’s Rhythm Foundation Holiday Ball, they’re asking fans to bring an unwrapped toy or canned goods as a donation to Miami’s Lotus House Women’s Shelter. For its part, the Rhythm Foundation will donate the show’s proceeds to Miami Beach Youth Music Festival. To complement the Heavy Pets’ multifaceted jam, soul-shaking “Sacred Steel” master Roosevelt Collier will be opening the show with a concoction of blues, gospel, and rock he calls “dirty funk, swampy grime.” Don't miss this chance for awesome jams and for giving back. Read Julienne Gage's full article, "The Heavy Pets Organize a Holiday Ball for a Good Cause." 7 p.m. Saturday, December 21, at North Beach Bandshell, 7275 Collins Ave., Miami Beach; 305-672-5202; northbeachbandshell.com. Tickets cost $20 via rhythmfoundation.com and $30 on day of show. Concertgoers are encouraged to bring an unwrapped toy for the band's Lotus House Toy Drive.
305 Fest 2019: Wet Nurse, Murmurs, SAAVIK, and others. Though 305 Fest actually kicked off on Wednesday, it's still an event worth enjoying throughout this pre-holiday weekend. As the flyers say, "Abuelita wants you to go!" And you're not going to let your abuela down, right? The party that's all about "being late, coladas and eating shit" is totally Miami, and highlights some of the most enjoyable local and regional acts for 15-minutes at a time at Churchill's. Check out Orlando's Wet Nurse, Phaxas, Hijas De La Muerte, Human Fluid Rot, and many more. On the Green Room stage, Cheap Miami + Rick Guerre are presenting the 305 Fest Green Room Variety Show, which will feature karaoke all night long as well as an all gender and orientation-inclusive dating game show hosted by legendary drag queen Shelley Novak. Come for the music, stay for the show. 9 p.m., Friday, December 20 and Saturday, December 21, at Churchill's Pub, 5501 NE Second Ave., Miami, 305-757-1807, churchillspub.com. Tickets cost $5.
DJ Holographic. Unless you’re a big-label boss or a local, your chances of playing a DJ set in Miami twice in one month are pretty slim. The amount of talent — both local and international — that flows through our electronic paradise is simply too vast. Yet Ariel Corley, AKA DJ Holographic, is gearing up for her third Miami show in just as many weeks — this Saturday, December 21, at Floyd. The Detroit-born DJ, who'll be appearing as the latest guest of honor for Klangbox.FM's recurring Extra Credit party, refuses to be pigeonholed into any one genre and devotes herself instead to three pillars of dance music: house, techno, and disco. The quick-to-change sound of her sets has distinguished her from her peers and leaves crowds wanting more. Read Grant Albert's interview with the artist, "DJ Holographic Delivers an Array of Sounds and Styles to Miami." 11 p.m. Saturday, December 21, at Floyd Miami, 40 NE 11th St., Miami; 305-608-2824; floydmiami.com. Tickets cost $11.25 to $30.
Watain. With Morbid Angel and Incantation.  The grim aesthetics of Swedish black metal band Watain don't begin and end with their insane live shows: unlike many acts of their ilk, their lifestyle fully reflects the intensity of their music. They rehearse in a decommissioned bunker underneath a subway station in Stockholm, which they rent from the government; it's dark, it's prone to flooding, and two of the guys live in there. The band professes to follow a militant form of Satanism and treat their live shows as a ritual designed to sunder the bonds that tether us to reality. It's all about anger, isolationism, and the sinister forces of the worlds beyond with Watain. Feel the full-on dark vibes at Revolution Live this weekend and read a preview of the show by Paul Friswold, "Watain Imports Brutal Swedish Death Metal to Revolution Live." 7 p.m. Saturday, December 21, at Revolution Live, 100 SW Third Ave., Fort Lauderdale; 954-449-1025. jointherevolution.net. Tickets cost $23.
Y100's Jingle Ball. With the Jonas Brothers, Niall Horan, Ozuna, and others. As the decade comes to a close, it might sound silly to say the best way to spend a December night is with Niall Horan, Ozuna, and the Jonas Brothers. But what else are you doing this holiday season? That's why this year’s Y100 Jingle Ball has Miami written all over it. Headlined by the Jonas Brothers, the shows sees the return of the singing siblings, who played not one, but two South Florida shows as part of their comeback Happiness Begins tour. That includes their wild opening date at the AmericanAirlines Arena that proved the brothers are strong as ever. The Jonases had a great pop year with their hit singles "Sucker," "Only Human," and summer crossover hit "Runaway," which featured Daddy Yankee, Sebastián Yatra, and Natti Natasha. Read more about the bros and the other acts coming to town this Sunday in Patricia Cardenas' "Y100’s Jingle Ball Will Wrap Up a Fine Decade of Pop in Miami." 7 p.m. Sunday, December 22, at the BB&T Center, 1 Panther Pkwy., Sunrise, 954-835-8000; thebbtcenter.com. Tickets cost $36 to $501.