BY MELISSA RUGGIERI
FRIDAY
Steve Winwood
Winwood’s eclectic band of musicians — whom he has known for years — has a strong Latin component, starting with guitarist Jose Neto and percussionist Edson Aparecido da Silva (known as “Café”) from Sao Paolo. Teamed with Trinidadian drummer Richard Bailey, the rhythm section will bring a pan-Caribbean, Afro-Brazilian flavor to Winwood’s sound. Winwood’s fellow Brit, Paul Booth, handles flute, sax, keyboards, harmony vocals and penny whistle. “He’s a great keyboard player and a great jazz musician and has a career in his own right,” Winwood said in a recent interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I needed somebody who does what Chris Wood used to do in Traffic.”
8 p.m. May 1. $32-$97. Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta. 1-855-285-8499, foxtheatre.org.
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
SATURDAY
Celtic Woman
This year, the lovely Irish lasses are celebrating the 10th anniversary of their debut with an 80-city tour that runs through the end of June. Though some members have changed (one original, Lisa Kelly, now lives in Peachtree City, where she still performs and runs her self-named vocal academy), their popularity hasn't waned. Celtic Woman's eight PBS specials have ranked among the network's most-watched music programs and the group has brought its ethereal sounds to six continents and 23 countries.
7:30 p.m. May 2. $39-$72. Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta. 1-855-285-8499, foxtheatre.org.
The Whispers with Stephanie Mills and Angela Winbush
It’s a dream bill for fans of classic R&B. The Whispers recently released the gospel album “Thankful,” but surely will break out hits, including “And the Beat Goes On” and “Rock Steady,” while Mills, the voice behind “Never Knew Love Like This Before” and “(“You’re Puttin’) a Rush on Me,” has her own heady catalog from which to draw.
7 p.m. May 2. $35-$90. Wolf Creek Amphitheatre, 3024 Merk Road S.W., Atlanta. 1-877-725-8849, ticketalternative.com.
Catch a CAB (Caroline Aiken Band)
Atlanta native Caroline Aiken is renowned for her acoustic shows. But sometimes she hits the stage with her full band, Catch a CAB (Adam Poulin, violin; Doug Peters, guitar; Eddie Gilkin, percussion; Ron Crescenti, bass; and Mark Cooper Smith, drums). At the release party for her ninth album, “Broken Wings Heal,” Aiken also will be joined by longtime friend Emily Saliers of the Indigo Girls, who appears on the new album as well, along with Athens musical legend John Keane (of Strawberry Flats and producer for R.E.M., Widespread Panic, Indigo Girls and many more) and Motown’s Ike Stubblefield.
9:30 p.m. May 2. $18 (advance), $22 (at the door) and $90 (reserved table for four). Eddie's Attic, 515-B N. McDonough St., Decatur. 1-877-725-8849, ticketalternative.com.
SUNDAY
The Midtown Men
Members of the original cast of Broadway’s “Jersey Boys” — Tony winners Christian Hoff, Michael Longoria and Daniel Reichard, and Tony nominee J. Robert Spencer — formed the Midtown Men in 2010 as a way to share their favorite 1960s hits with fans. They will, of course, do songs from Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, but the quartet also delves into familiar fare from Smokey Robinson, the Turtles and the Temptations. This is their fifth North American tour.
7 p.m. May 3. $32-$62. Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway, Atlanta. 1-800-745-3000, ticketmaster.com.
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