Local Live: Top 5 concerts to see on LI this week
Rick Nielsen, Daxx Nielsen, Robin Zander and Tom Petersson of Cheap Trick performing at Hollywood Palladium on Jan. 4, 2020 in Los Angeles. Credit: Getty Images for The Art of Elysium/Rich Polk
This week’s Local Live is all over the map — retro pop from Sweden, classic rock from Long Island and Illinois, new wave from Scotland and southern rock from Florida. Pull out the GPS and find your way to a show.
ARRIVAL
ABBA music makes people move and that’s exactly the plan when Arrival brings its tribute show to Long Island.
“Everyone loves ABBA! There is a song for every kind of person,” says lead singer Vicky Norback-Zetterberg. “We perform all the big hits, but also lesser-known songs so the audience gets to know their greatness.”
WHEN/WHERE 8 p.m., Friday, Feb. 7, LIU Post’s Tilles Center, 720 Northern Blvd., Brookville
INFO $35-$55, 516-288-3100, tillescenter.org
BLUE ÖYSTER CULT
Returning to their LI roots, BOC are not just going to do a generic run through of their hits.
“There’s a lot of jammin’ at our shows,” says vocalist/guitarist Eric Bloom. “We’ll break out ‘Then Came the Last Days of May’ from our first album, where Buck (Dharma, vocalist/guitarist) and Richie (Castellano, guitarist/keyboardist) really go off in the middle.”
Since “Saturday Night Live” ran its famous “More Cowbell!” skit in 2000, fans tend to yell out the phrase during “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper.”
“It certainly gave us more visibility,” says Bloom. “I was just shocked that ‘SNL’ was doing something on us.”
WHEN/WHERE 8 p.m., Friday, Feb. 7, Suffolk Theater, 118 East Main Street, Riverhead
INFO $65-$79, 631-727-4343, suffolktheater.com
MIDGE URE
Remember Ultravox from the ‘80s? The man who led the band is currently flying solo on his new acoustic Q&A tour.
“The audience will ask questions, which will lead me toward a specific track, album or era,” says Ure. “I literally have no idea what’s coming.”
Ure has a real fondness for Long Island because of the spins Ultravox got from WLIR (92.7 FM) back in the day.
“WLIR was the only station outside of a campus to play our stuff,” he says. “They were championing the new wave of electronic music.”
WHEN/WHERE 8 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 8, My Father’s Place at the Roslyn Hotel, 1221 Old Northern Blvd., Roslyn
INFO $35 (plus $25 food/beverage minimum), 616-413-3535, myfathersplace.com
CHEAP TRICK
These Rock & Roll Hall of Famers have so many solid songs that making a set list can be daunting.
“Longtime fans don’t want to hear any hits. Others get mad if you don’t do the songs they want to hear,” says bassist Tom Petersson. “You can’t win so you have to just go for it.”
Expect the big three (“I Want You to Want Me,” “Dream Police,” “Surrender”). Beyond that the rest is up for grabs.
“Our set changes at a moment’s notice,” says Petersson. “We like to play whatever strikes us.”
WHEN/WHERE 8 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 11, NYCB Theatre at Westbury, 960 Brush Hollow Road. Westbury
INFO $39.50-$144.50, 516-247-5200, thetheatreatwestbury.com
38 SPECIAL
The current country scene has more in common with southern rock bands like 38 Special than Hank Williams these days.
“We didn’t come from the twang side of things. There’s more of an in-your-face type of attitude,” says singer/guitarist Don Barnes. “We call our music ‘melody and muscle.’ We have muscular guitars with great melody on top.”
Whether it’s “Hold On Loosely” or “Caught Up in You,” 38 Special delivers relatable themes at high volume.
“We make songs from stories in our lives,” says Barnes. “If a song has truth, it can’t be denied.”
WHEN/WHERE 8 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 13, The Paramount, 370 New York Avenue, Huntington
INFO $29.50-$150, 631-673-7300, paramountny.com
David J. Criblez is a reporter for Newsday's exploreLI, covering entertainment-related events from local music to stand-up comedy to festivals.
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