Knoxville almost certainly has more music venues in 2016 than it has had in decades. With the addition of the midsize Mill and Mine on the north end of downtown, the city now has everything from national-destination rock clubs to a major arena, with two historic and world-class theaters and a variety of small and medium venues in between. There’s at least one major show—a big theater concert, an arena spectacle, a rare intimate encounter in a small venue, or a can’t-miss club act—every week. This fall offers contemporary stars (Maroon 5, Leon Bridges, Kelsea Ballerini, Band of Horses), legendary performers (Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, Nick Lowe), reliable rockers (Drive-By Truckers, ZZ Top, Ray Wylie Hubbard), as well as a deep lineup of pop, country, indie and alternative rock, jazz, and much more. 

 

SEPTEMBER

Maroon 5
Thompson-Boling Arena • Wednesday, Sept. 14 • 7:30 p.m. • $30.50-$126
Adam Levine takes time off from The Voice for a world tour with his immensely popular pop-rock band, in anticipation of Maroon 5’s long-awaited, as-yet-unreleased sixth album. With Tove Lo, R. City, and PHASES.

Havana Cuba All Stars
Clayton Center for the Arts (502 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville) • Friday, Sept. 16 • 7:30 p.m. • $16.50-$29.50

Some of Cuba’s leading Latin jazz players team up for their first U.S. tour together.

 

Scott Miller and the Commonwealth 
Bijou Theatre (803 S. Gay St.) • Friday, Sept. 16 • 8 p.m. • $20
Ex-Knoxvillian and ex-V-Roy Scott Miller makes one of his trips back to the valley from his family farm in Virginia. With Aaron Lee Tasjan.

Neil Hagerty and the Howling Hex 
Pilot Light (106 E. Jackson Ave.) • Thursday, Sept. 22 • 9:30 p.m. • $8 • 18 and up 
Since the dissolution of underground garage/punk band Royal Trux, RTX cofounder Neil Hagerty has soldiered on with the Howling Hex. The new band pursues a similar sound—a grimy, urban take on rural roots music—with a slightly more melodic sensibility.

Needtobreathe
Knoxville Civic Coliseum (500 Howard Baker Jr. Ave.) • Sunday, Sept. 25 • 7 p.m. • $29.50
The South Carolina pop-rock band is joined by Mat Kearney, John Mark McMillan, and Welshly Arms for the Tour de Compadres.

Amos Lee
Tennessee Theatre (604 S. Gay St.) • Monday, Sept. 26 • 8 p.m. • $44-$59
Is Amos Lee a folksy soul singer or a soulful folk singer? Either way, he’s headlining at the Tennessee Theatre on a new tour to support his sixth album, Spirit, released in August.

KJO: Cuban Fire with Paquito D’Rivera
Bijou Theatre (803 S. Gay St.) • Tuesday, Sept. 27 • 8 p.m. • $35.50
The widely admired Cuban-American sax master Paquito D’Rivera and his swinging rhythm section join the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra for a big-band take on Latin jazz.

Railroad Earth
Bijou Theatre (803 S. Gay St.) • Wednesday, Sept. 28 • 7:30 p.m. • $21.50 
Old-fashioned classic rock. With the Scott Pemberton Trio.

Lake Street Dive
The Mill and Mine (227 W. Depot Ave.) • Wednesday, Sept. 28 • 8 p.m. • $30 • 18 and up

Contemporary folk-pop informed by ’60s rock, pop, and R&B. With Rubblebucket.

Shovels and Rope
Bijou Theatre (803 S. Gay St.) • Thursday, Sept. 29 • 8 p.m. • $25
The South Carolina Americana duo is scheduled to release its fourth album, Little Seeds, in October. With Matthew Logan Vasquez.

Cereus Bright 
Bijou Theatre (803 S. Gay St.) • Friday, Sept. 30 • 8 p.m. • $18.50
The local mass-appeal folk-pop band released its debut full-length, Excuses—loaded with handclaps, strummed guitars, high harmonies, and melodic hooks—in late July. With Swear and Shake.

Kid Congo Powers and the Pink Monkey Birds
Pilot Light (106 E. Jackson Ave.) • Friday, Sept. 30 • 10 p.m. • $10 • 18 and up 
The former Gun Club/Cramps/Bad Seeds guitarist has created his own band, the Pink Monkey Birds, as a vehicle for his iconoclastic take on American roots music and rock ’n’ roll. With Daddy Don’t.

 

OCTOBER

Junior Boys
Pilot Light (106 E. Jackson Ave.) • Saturday, Oct. 1 • 9:30 p.m. • $12 • 18 and up 

The Canadian disco-pop duo returned earlier this year after a five-year hiatus with Big Black Coat. With Egyptrixx and Borys.

Blitzen Trapper and Real Estate
Bijou Theatre (803 S. Gay St.) • Sunday, Oct. 2 • 7:30 p.m. • $22
Two indie-rock all stars—the folkified Blitzen Trapper and the laid-back beach-pop experts Real Estate—team up for a co-headlining tour. With Kacy and Clayton.

Leon Bridges
Tennessee Theatre (604 S. Gay St.) • Tuesday, Oct. 4 • 8 p.m. • $35-$49

The 26-year-old Texas native channeled the deep soul, gospel, and R&B of the 1950s and ’60s on his 2015 debut album, Coming Home. Two hit singles from the disc—the title track and “Smooth Sailin’”—a blistering performance on Saturday Night Live, and a Grammy nomination helped Bridges find a widespread audience.

Coheed and Cambria 
The Mill and Mine (227 W. Depot Ave.) • Tuesday, Oct. 4 • 7 p.m. • $28 
Geeky prog-metal. With Saves the Day and Polyphia.

KJO Jazz Lunch: A Tribute to Dexter Gordon
The Square Room (4 Market Square) • Wednesday, Oct. 5 • noon • $15 
With Jamel Mitchell.

Destroyer
Pilot Light (106 E. Jackson Ave.) • Thursday, Oct. 6 • 9 p.m. • $12 • 18 and up 

Dan Bejar’s intimate but elliptical songwriting defines this long-running band, which has evolved from lo-fi bedroom pop to slick, jazzy, cinematic classicism. With Zachary Cale.

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Clayton Center for the Arts (502 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville) • Friday, Oct. 7 • 7:30 p.m. • $32-$52
The L.A. country-rock superstars, best known for their recording of “Mr. Bojangles” and the Nashville all-star tribute/collaboration album Will the Circle Be Unbroken, are celebrating their 50th anniversary.

Black Jacket Symphony
Bijou Theatre (803 S. Gay St.) • Friday, Oct. 7 • 8 p.m. • $28
The rock ’n’ roll orchestra performs the Beatles’ Revolver.

Celtic Thunder: Legacy
Tennessee Theatre (604 S. Gay St.) • Monday, Oct. 10 • 8 p.m. • $35-$95 
The latest iteration of the touring Irish-music production brings romantic ballads, drinking songs, and crowd-pleasing anthems to the Tennessee Theatre.

M83
The Mill and Mine (227 W. Depot Ave.) • Tuesday, Oct. 11 • 8 p.m. • $40 • 18 and up 
Space-age future pop from France. With Shura.

Ben Rector
Tennessee Theatre (604 S. Gay St.) • Sunday, Oct. 16 • 8 p.m. • $29.50-$39.50 
Nashville pop-rock singer/songwriter.

Alabama 
Knoxville Civic Coliseum  (500 Howard Baker Jr. Ave.) • Friday, Oct. 21 • 7:30 p.m. $53-$105 
The champs of ’80s country radio are joined by the Charlie Daniels Band.

Ray Wylie Hubbard and Elizabeth Cook
The Standard (416 W. Jackson Ave.) • Friday, Oct. 21 • 7:30 p.m. • $30-$100 

Texas singer/songwriter Ray Wylie Hubbard and country comeback singer Elizabeth Cook headline WDVX’s annual WDVX-Travaganza fundraising concert.

Band of Horses
The Mill and Mine (227 W. Depot Ave.) • Friday, Oct. 21 • 8 p.m. • $35 • 18 and up

The South Carolina quintet updates classic rock for the 21st century. With the Shelters.

Nick Lowe
Bijou Theatre (803 S. Gay St.) • Saturday, Oct. 22 • 8 p.m. • $35

The Jesus of Cool, a pioneer of pub rock, new wave, and power pop, has thrived in middle age. Like his contemporary Elvis Costello, he’s flirted with country, jazz, and classic vocal pop, without ever giving up the salty unsentimentality of his youth. With Josh Rouse.

Richard Buckner
Pilot Light (106 E. Jackson Ave.) • Sunday, Oct. 23 • 9 p.m. • $10
Buckner’s taken many approaches on his solo albums since his debut in 1994—avant-garde arrangements, indie-rock crossover, sparse acoustic folk. But all of them reveal him as a literate, insightful songwriter.

Bonnie Raitt
Tennessee Theatre (604 S. Gay St.) • Tuesday, Oct. 25 • 7:30 p.m. • $69.50-$99.50
Bonnie Raitt’s earned just about every accolade available for songwriters and guitarists—multiple Grammy Awards, two number-one albums, membership in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame—but she’s still at it, at the age of 66. Her most recent album, Dig in Deep, was released in February.

Willie Watson and Aoife O’Donovan
Bijou Theatre (803 S. Gay St.) • Tuesday, Oct. 25 • 8 p.m. • $21
Watson was a cofounder of Old Crow Medicine Show; O’Donovan has performed with Jerry Douglas, Chris Thile, Yo-Yo Ma, and Jim Lauderdale.

Loreena McKennitt
Tennessee Theatre • Wednesday, Oct. 26 • 8 p.m. • $39.50-$69.50 
Canada’s premier practitioner of traditional Celtic music. 

Ethan Bortnick
Bijou Theatre (803 S. Gay St.) • Thursday, Oct. 27 • 7 p.m. • $22-$102
Fifteen-year-old piano prodigy Ethan Bortnick—recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the youngest solo musician to headline his own tour—performs to raise money for East Tennessee PBS and the Joy of Music School.

Mandolin Orange 
The Concourse (940 Blackstock Ave.) • Thursday, Oct. 27 • 8 p.m. • $15 

North Carolina folk built around the chemistry and harmony of Andrew Marlin and Emily Frantz.

Robin Spielberg
Clayton Center for the Arts (502 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville) • Friday, Oct. 28 • 7:30 p.m. • $12.50-$25 
Composer/pianist Robin Spielberg presents classic American songbook performances and new compositions.

Phantogram
The Mill and Mine (227 W. Depot Ave.) • Sunday, Oct. 30 • 9 p.m. • $26 • 18 and up 
The New York trio swirls dance music, rock, psychedelic pop, and hip-hop together. A new album is expected in October. With the Range.

 

NOVEMBER

KJO: In Search of Garaj Mahal with Fareed Haque
The Square Room (4 Market Square) • Tuesday, Nov. 1 • 8 p.m.
Fareed Haque, a jazz guitarist of Pakistani and Chilean descent who leads the progressive world music band Garaj Mahal, reinterprets his music for a large jazz orchestra.

KJO Jazz Lunch: A Tribute to Aretha Franklin
The Square Room (4 Market Square) • Wednesday, Nov. 2 • noon • $15 
With Robinella.

Jackie Greene and Jill Andrews
Bijou Theatre (803 S. Gay St.) • Wednesday, Nov. 2 • 8 p.m. • $18.50
Americana singer/songwriter Jackie Greene and ex-everybodyfields frontwoman Jill Andrews co-headline the Bijou.

Purity Ring
The Mill and Mine (227 W. Depot Ave.) • Wednesday, Nov. 2 • 9 p.m. • $22 • 18 and up
Canadian dance rock. With HEALTH.

Straight No Chaser
Tennessee Theatre (604 S. Gay St.) • Thursday, Nov. 3 • 7:30 p.m. • $29.50-$52.50
The illustrious a cappella group celebrates its unlikely 20th anniversary.

Drive-By Truckers
The Mill and Mine (227 W. Depot Ave.) • Thursday, Nov. 3 • 8 p.m. • $25 • 18 and up

The veteran Athens, Ga., Southern rock band has been one of America’s best rock groups for more than 20 years. With Kyle Craft.

STS9
Tennessee Theatre (604 S. Gay St.) • Friday, Nov. 4 • 8 p.m. • $35
Spaced-out electronic jams.

SoMo
The Mill and Mine (227 W. Depot Ave.) • Friday. Nov. 4 • 8 p.m. • $25 • 16 and up
The YouTube sensation, who earned Internet fame with covers of songs by Drake, Chris Brown, and the Weekend, has turned into a legitimate mainstream pop star.

Paul Thorn
Bijou Theatre (803 S. Gay St.) • Friday, Nov. 4 • 8 p.m. • $25
The former boxer and son of a preacher has made a career out of reliable blue-collar country/folk/rock.

Johnnyswim
Bijou Theatre (803 S. Gay St.) • Tuesday, Nov. 8 • 8 p.m. • $27
Folky contemporary pop. With Johnny P.

Bob Dylan
Tennessee Theatre (604 S. Gay St.) • Wednesday, Nov. 9 • 8 p.m. • $59.50-$129.50
Dylan continues his mischievous game of masks into his eighth decade. After a remarkable streak of late-career consistency, starting with 1997’s Time Out of Mind, Dylan has turned to midcentury vocal jazz and classic pop for inspiration; his last two albums, Shadows in the Night (2015) and Fallen Angels (2016), have featured selections from the American songbook made famous by Frank Sinatra.

ZZ Top
Tennessee Theatre (604 S. Gay St.) • Thursday, Nov. 10 • 8 p.m. • $79.50-$99.50 
That Little Ol’ Band From Texas can’t be stopped.

Kelsea Ballerini 
Tennessee Theatre (604 S. Gay St.) • Friday, Nov. 11 • 8 p.m. • $25-$49
Twenty-two-year-old pop-country star Kelsea Ballerini—born in Mascot and raised in Knoxville before moving to Nashville as a teenager—already has two number-one singles from her debut abum, The First Time.

Dillinger Escape Plan
The Concourse (940 Blackstock Ave.) • Sunday, Nov. 13 • 7 p.m. • 18 and up • $18

The elder statesmen of American metalcore are on what might be their last tour—they’ve announced an indefinite hiatus at the end of their run supporting the upcoming album Dissociation. With O’Brother, Car Bomb, and Cult Leader.

Erick Baker
Bijou Theatre (803 S. Gay St.) • Thursday, Nov. 17 • 8 p.m. • $32-$72
Local singer/songwriter Erick Baker kicks off the Salvation Army’s holiday fundraising campaigns.

Darrell Scott
Bijou Theatre (803 S. Gay St.) • Friday, Nov. 18 • 8 p.m. • $25

Scott’s a Nashville utility player—a session musician, in-demand songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and solo performer. None of his skills have suffered from his diverse ambitions, though; Scott remains among the best at everything he does.

Goo Goo Dolls
Tennessee Theatre (604 S. Gay St.) • Wednesday, Nov. 30 • 8 p.m. • $44.50-$59.50
The ’90s MTV pop-rockers return.