In this day and age, fear of missing out is one thing. Guaranteed missing out is another thing — a reality of online ticket sales and the predatory practices of secondhand sellers. Some weeks, the best shows are sold out or close to it, and StubHub might be one’s only hope. There’s a 2,000-word screed waiting to be written about the evil forces behind how this unfair paradigm came to be, but for the purposes of a short intro to a basic music-preview column, let’s just say: would it were not so.
This week’s top live music includes a mix of good-seats-still-available and you’re-gonna-have-to-pony-up. Pro tip for the sold-out shows: wait until two to three hours before the show to check secondhand listings, when sellers get desperate and prices drop dramatically.
Here are this week’s live music picks.
Thursday, Nov. 19: ACS Trio at SFJAZZ Center. At post time, the trio of Geri Allen, Esperanza Spalding and Terri Lyne Carrington has very nearly sold out their show Thursday night at SFJAZZ, and understandably so. Spalding is the well-known name here, but don’t expect the crossover style of her solo albums; she hands much of the reins to Allen, whose rich career includes time with Ornette Coleman and Charlie Haden, while Carrington provides an explosive base. I saw this group two years ago at the Hollywood Bowl, opening for Wayne Shorter, and they stole the show. Spalding plays three other nights with different groups in her run this week, but this is the one to see. Details here.
Friday, Nov. 20: MANSION record release at Life Changing Ministries. To the casual observer, Oakland might seem ground zero for an NPR-friendly, indie-rock-meets-world-music style. But the city’s loud, abrasive underground is very much alive, evidenced by Early Life, the new album by Oakland’s MANSION. A jagged, post-punk quartet with more emphasis on propulsive energy than artfulness, the band conjure the best parts of Gang of Four, LiLiPUT and the Slits and renders them as angular and raw as West Oakland itself. Tickets at the door. Details here.
Saturday, Nov. 21: Lucius at the Phoenix Theater. In 2014, Lucius visited Lagunitas Brewing Co. in Petaluma, at one point dragging a single microphone out into the crowd and covering the Kinks’ “Strangers,” thereby entering musical lore — people talked about the show for months afterward. This week, Lagunitas brings the band back to Petaluma as a benefit for youth programs at the Phoenix Theater, a local institution that, under the management of local hero Tom Gaffey, has literally saved many teenagers’ lives. Lucius have appeared both on Conan and on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts; their dual female vocals and buoyant backing are a winning combo for a good cause. Tickets still available. Details here.
