BY MELISSA RUGGIERI
FRIDAY
Straight No Chaser
The Indiana-born a cappella group broke through in the mid-2000s after a 1998 video of their performance of “The 12 Days of Christmas” became an early viral hit on YouTube. Since then, the group has released five albums, including October’s “The New Old-Fashioned,” which finds the 10-piece outfit tackling Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love” and a mashup of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons’ “Beggin’” and OneRepublic’s “Counting Stars.” SNC launched this tour — their biggest headlining run so far — in October and will stay on the road nearly every night through the top of 2016.
8 p.m. Nov. 13. $32.50-$49.50. Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta. 1-855-285-8499, foxtheatre.org.
Judy Collins
Now 76, the folk-pop chanteuse returns to the Variety Playhouse — where she also performed last year — for a show sure to feature her well-regarded versions of Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides, Now” and Stephen Sondheim’s “Send in the Clowns.” Collins is a Sondheim fan and frequently includes his “No One Is Alone” and “Being Alive” in her set lists, as well as covers of The Beatles and Joan Baez.
8 p.m. Nov. 13. $40. Variety Playhouse, 1099 Euclid Ave. N.E., Atlanta. 1-800-745-3000, ticketmaster.com.
SUNDAY
The English Beat
Admittedly, it’s difficult keeping track of this band, formed in the late ’70s in Birmingham, England. Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger originally shared vocals and spotlight status. But, after a few U.S. hits (and many more in the U.K.), including “Mirror in the Bathroom” and “Save it for Later,” the ska band splintered in 1983. Wakeling and Roger formed General Public (“Tenderness”), while Beat members Andy Cox and David Steel recruited singer Roland Gift for Fine Young Cannibals (“She Drives Me Crazy”). The version of the English Beat currently on tour features Wakeling fronting a four-piece band.
With Southern Ska Syndicate. 8 p.m. Nov. 15. $25-$28 (18 and older only). Terminal West, 887 W. Marietta St. N.W., Atlanta. 404-876-5566, terminalwestatl.com.
TUESDAY
Dead & Company
Yes, the Grateful Dead said goodbye this summer with massive farewell concerts in Chicago and Santa Clara, Calif. But, apparently, the Dead isn’t dead. John Mayer, an enthusiastic fan of the band’s music, and Oteil Burbridge have been recruited for this outing, featuring former Dead members Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann and Jeff Chimenti. Since the tour launched Oct. 29, shows have featured a pair of sets spanning the Dead’s history, with “Truckin’,” “Bertha,” “Fire on the Mountain,” “Loose Lucy” and “Casey Jones” making appearances.
7 p.m. Nov. 17. $50-$99. Philips Arena, 1 Philips Drive, Atlanta. 1-800-745-3000, ticketmaster.com.
WEDNESDAY
Mavis Staples and Joan Osborne
The potent duo is heading into the final dates of their Solid Soul tour, which finds them performing solo sets and then teaming for an encore of the Staple Singers classic, “I’ll Take You There.” Staples, 76, also has been revisiting her family band’s “Respect Yourself,” while the always underrated Osborne hasn’t neglected her biggest hit (“One of Us”) while throwing in some covers by such artists as Bonnie Raitt and the Grateful Dead.
8 p.m. Nov. 18. $36-$46. Ferst Center for the Arts, 349 Ferst Drive, Atlanta. 404-894-9600, arts.gatech.edu/ferstcenter.
Ashley Monroe
As a member of Pistol Annies, Monroe is in sturdy company with Miranda Lambert and Angaleena Presley. As a solo artist, Monroe went tragically underappreciated for years until her 2013 album “Like a Rose” garnered deserved acclaim. The Tennessee firecracker shared the mic with Blake Shelton for last year’s hit “Lonely Tonight,” and in July Monroe released “The Blade” (co-produced by Vince Gill). This is probably the last time she’ll play a venue as intimate as Eddie’s Attic for a long, long time.
With Ryan Beaver. 7 p.m. Nov. 18-19. Sold out. Eddie's Attic, 515-B N. McDonough St., Decatur. 1-877-725-8849, ticketalternative.com.
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