Airborne Toxic Event | The Met | Oct. 5
Fun fact: The band’s name is an homage to Don DeLillo’s postmodernist novel, “White Noise.” Pretentious? Sure. But the literary reference fits with the band’s reputation for evocative lyrics, one of the features that garnered critical acclaim for their eponymous 2008 debut album. The anthemic track “Sometime Around Midnight,” which appears on that album, ranked as iTunes’ number one alternative song for that year. Though the band’s atmosphere generally hovers in the realm of the melancholy, its fusion of string instruments, syncopated guitar riffs and tight percussive hooks keeps it stylistically versatile.
Norah Jones | The Met | Oct. 16
She’s best remembered for “Come Away With Me,” the 2002 debut album that won her five Grammy Awards — a record for female artists matched only by Lauryn Hill and Alicia Keyes. But the music the singer-songwriter has put out since this triumph has evolved along an unexpected trajectory. The mellow, jazz-influenced downtempo of her earlier material has transitioned into more experimental territory as of her most recent releases. What remains constant is her rich vocal talent, expressed through a trademark grit-and-velvet croon.
Jimmy Eat World | Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel | Oct. 18
It’s hard to believe that the all-American boy band, who may have been one of the defining soundtracks of our middle school years, is now celebrating its 20th year of high-energy emo-pop. In the spirit of the band’s longevity, its concerts consistently deliver a blend of old favorites and new selections, allowing audiences to revisit youthful rites of passage from which they never really recovered. Recent reviews have praised their punked-out rendition of Taylor Swift’s “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.
Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra | The VETS | Oct. 18
This year’s eight-part “Classical Series” will bring in world-class guest artists in a celebration of the orchestra’s 70th season. This month’s performance features the widely acclaimed orchestral director Daniel Hege as its guest conductor. Hege, who has served as musical director of the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra and the Wichita Symphony Orchestra, is known for his exhilarating interpretations of classical selections. Among the works included in this month’s concert are Dmitri Shostakovich’s “Festive Overture,” Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Piano Concerto No. 2” and Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Scheherazade.”
The Glitch Mob | Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel | Oct. 28
The three-piece electronic band, which performed at Spring Weekend in 2012, brings its vigorous hooks, layered synthesizers and vacillating tempos back to Providence. Rising from the basslines of the Los Angeles electronic dance music scene, the Glitch Mob established a name for itself with its second album, “Love Death Immortality,” which was released this February and scored the number one spot on Billboard’s “Dance/Electronic Songs” chart.
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