BY MELISSA RUGGIERI/AJC Music Scene
FRIDAY
Zac Brown Band
In addition to their major tour, the Atlanta country heroes are currently wrapping their album called "Welcome Home." Calling it a "return to their roots," the band will unveil the new release Friday. Every online ticket order will include a choice of a physical or digital copy of "Welcome Home." ZBB fans who plan to visit Nashville can also check out the band's exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame through June.
With Darrell Scott. 7 p.m. May 12-13. $39-$91. Verizon Amphitheatre at Encore Park, 2200 Encore Parkway, Alpharetta. 1-800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com.
Shaky Knees Music Festival
For its fifth anniversary, the Shaky Knees Music Festival will become more intimate with a three-stage setup highlighted by headliners the xx, LCD Soundsystem, Phoenix and Ryan Adams. Joining them on the docket for the May 12-14 indie rock-pop gathering at Centennial Olympic Park are Cage the Elephant, the Pixies, Portugal the Man, Nick Murphy, X Ambassadors, Moon Taxi, Bleachers, the Shins, Saint Motel and more than 50 additional acts.
This year, Shaky Knees reflects its indie leanings with a slightly less mainstream lineup, but a few throwbacks (Third Eye Blind!) and a daily kickoff performance, as has been standard practice, from the Songs for Kids organization. Shaky Knees has also scheduled a run of late-night shows, including X Ambassadors (Center Stage), Matt Shultz of Cage the Elephant (the Loft) and Anderson East (the Earl) on May 12 and Portugal the Man (Terminal West), Car Seat Headrest (Hell at the Masquerade) and Temples (the Earl) on May 13. All late-night shows are 18 and older, except those at the Earl, which are 21 and older.
Gates open at 11:30 a.m. each day. Festival ends at 11 p.m. May 12-13 and 10 p.m. May 14. $99 (general admission daily pass); $185 (general admission three-day pass); $275 (VIP daily pass; VIP three-day passes are sold out). Centennial Olympic Park, 265 Park Ave. W. NW, Atlanta. www.shakykneesfestival.com.
SATURDAY
The Weeknd
The first-ever world tour for the Canadian R&B-pop singer launched in February in Sweden, and the “Can’t Feel My Face” star is treating European fans to a 26-song set that incorporates the best of his three albums.
With Rae Sremmurd, Belly and 6lack. 7:30 p.m. May 13. $90-$445. Philips Arena, 1 Philips Drive, Atlanta. 1-800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com.
Chubby Checker
Can the name of the 75-year-old R&B-rocker ever be uttered without being followed by funky dance move “The Twist,” an obvious hallmark of its influence on pop culture? Let’s hope not, especially since in 2008, the song was named by biggest chart hit of all time by Billboard (between the years 1958 and 2008). And if you’re tired of “The Twist,” well, there’s always “Limbo Rock.”
With Butch and the Buckheads. 7:30 p.m. May 13. $49-$53. Mill Town Music Hall, 1031 Alabama Ave., Bremen. 1-877-725-8849, www.ticketalternative.com.
TUESDAY
X
After 40 years, the seminal Los Angeles punk rockers are still a unit. The original foursome of singer Exene Cervenka, singer-bassist John Doe, guitarist Billy Zoom and drummer D. J. Bonebrake will traverse the country through the end of the year thundering out favorites such as "Motel Room in My Bed," "White Girl" and "Blue Spark." In a recent interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution , Cervenka summed up the X bond: "It's just second nature. It's like being married for a long time; you might not talk at dinner, but you're gonna make up the next morning. We get along really well still, and we're still alive — that's the key."
7:30 p.m. May 16. $28.50. Hell at The Masquerade, 75 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive S.W., Atlanta. 1-800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com.
WEDNESDAY
Kip Winger
You might know him best as the handsome, scruffy-faced leader of ’80s-’90s hair rockers Winger. But in recent years, Kip Winger has dabbled in classical music and soldiered down a solo path. You’ll still hear plenty of familiar material in his live shows — “Seventeen,” “Headed for a Heartbreak,” “Easy Come Easy Go” and other classics of the era. But these days, the emphasis is on the songs rather than the spandex.
8 p.m. May 17. $20. Eddie’s Attic, 515-B N. McDonough St., Decatur. 1-877-725-8849, www.eddiesattic.com.
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