Chuck Redd, quite literally, is vibes—and he’s bringing them to Tampa Bay first thing next year.

The 67-year-old jazz vibraphonist is no stranger to the Tampa Bay area, and just played the Suncoast Jazz Festival, but is all the rage (and outrage) lately these days after he canceled a Christmas Eve show at Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center to protest President Trump adding his name to the building. 

Roma Daravi, current Kennedy Center spokesperson and Trump acolyte since at least 2016, says the center will sue Redd for $1 million, but in the meantime, the jazz composer who’s toured with Dizzy Gillespie and played both drums and guitar for Charlie Byrd is still gigging.

Tampa Jazz Club welcomes Redd to New Tampa Jazz Nights next month, where he’ll be backed once again by Best of the Bay-winning trio La Lucha.

Tampa Jazz Club: Chuck Redd

Time Sat., Jan. 17, 8 p.m.

Location New Tampa Performing Arts Center, 8550 Hunters Village Road, Tampa

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Redd isn’t the first artist to protest Trump, obviously, and joined the like of “Hamilton” and Rhiannon Giddens who’ve canceled or moved Kennedy Center shows over the president’s overhaul of the storied venue, which has included an overhaul of the board and a crackdown on so-called “woke” programming.

Tickets to see Chuck Redd play New Tampa Performing Arts Center on Saturday, January 17 are still available for $10-$35.

See Josh Bradley’s latest list of newly announced Tampa Bay concerts below.

Inhuman Condition w/Wretched/Trash Panda Friday, Jan. 9. 7 p.m. $17.67. Crowbar, Ybor City

Leftover Crack w/La Pobreska/Bad Future Thursday, Jan. 15. 6 p.m. $26.33. Brass Mug, Tampa

Zeta w/Discord Theory/Pet Lizard Friday, Jan. 16. 8 p.m. $17.67. Crowbar, Ybor City

Bolo Saturday, Jan. 24. 10 p.m. $25.96 & up. The Ritz, Ybor City

Rick Monroe and The Hitmen Sunday, Jan. 25. 7 p.m. $18.30. Brass Mug, Tampa

James McMurtry & Betty Soo Saturday, Jan. 31. 8 p.m. $30.30. Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa

Brooke Lee (opening for NeedToBreathe) Thursday, Feb. 5. 7:30 p.m. $127 & up. Hard Rock Event Center at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Tampa

Teenage Bottlerocket w/Authority Zero/Billy Liar/Right On Time Thursday, Feb. 12. 7 p.m. $20. Brass Mug, Tampa

Markus Schulz Saturday, Feb. 28. 10 p.m. $20.77 & up. The Ritz, Ybor City

Ventana w/Aeternum Thursday, March 12. 7 p.m. $18.30. Brass Mug, Tampa

Cult Member w/TBA Saturday, March 14. 7 p.m. $29.67. Crowbar, Ybor City

Ship Wrek Saturday, March 14. 10 p.m. $20.77 & up. The Ritz, Ybor City

FlyingFish w/Love Letter Sunday, March 22. 6 p.m. $24.06. Crowbar, Ybor City

Saturdays At Your Place w/Retirement Party/Kerosene Heights Sunday, March 29. 7:30 p.m. Crowbar, Ybor City

Billy Strings Wednesday, April 8. 7:30 p.m. $69.55 & up. Benchmark International Arena, Tampa

The Academy Is Saturday, April 18. 6 p.m. $51.25. The Ritz, Ybor City

Ottmar Liebert & Luna Negra Friday, April 24. 8 p.m. $44.50 & up. Bilheimer Capitol Theatre, Clearwater

Troy Doherty Saturday, May 2. 7 p.m. $31.97 & up. Crowbar, Ybor City

Evanescence w/Spiritbox/Nova Twins Friday, June 12. 7 p.m. $49 & up. MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa

Chicago w/Styx Wednesday, July 15. 7 p.m. $42 & up. MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa

Megan Moroney Friday, July 17. 7 p.m. Prices TBA. Benchmark International Arena, Tampa

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The post Chuck Redd, who just canceled a Kennedy Center concert over Trump, is coming to Tampa in January appeared first on Creative Loafing Tampa.

It’s curtains for Crowbar. After owner Tom DeGeorge announced the venue’s lease was ending in 2026, the last year became a series of goodbye shows.

Though there will still be a few gigs in the new year, the last 2025 show featured the unveiling of an honorary “Legacy” beer from Coppertail Brewing Company along with music from Emo Night DJs, Four Star Riot and the Soft Rock Renegades.

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Like a massive amount of fellow New Yorkers, Zydeco outfit Donna The Buffalo have a thing for spending New Year’s in Florida. The band has rung in the new year at Tampa’s Skipper’s Smokehouse for the last few years, but takes a different, slightly more intimate approach on Wednesday.

There’s currently no telling whether Jim Lauderdale will show up for a guest spot, but expect an accordion-drenched career retrospective to kiss 2025’s ass goodbye next week.

Ahead of the band’s first downtown Clearwater show in a decade, co-founder Tara Nevins told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay about the best gig she ever saw. Read her full quote below.

I have seen many incredible concerts so it’s difficult to answer, but one of the most influential concerts was the first time seeing Preston Frank and his family band play Zydeco in Soileau, Louisiana. I came home and immediately bought an accordion, and that started a very important chapter in both mine and Donna The Buffalo’s musical evolution. -Tara Nevins, Donna The Buffalo

Tickets to see Donna The Buffalo play Clearwater’s Bilheimer Capitol Theatre are still available and start at $44.

Donna The Buffalo

Time Wed., Dec. 31, 8 p.m.

Location The Nancy and David Bilheimer Capitol Theatre, 405 Cleveland Street, Clearwater

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The post Before NYE gig in Clearwater, Donna The Buffalo’s Tara Nevins recalls the best gig she ever saw appeared first on Creative Loafing Tampa.

20 years after releasing its debut album All’s Well That Ends Well, Craig Owens revived his old band with a new lineup for an anniversary tour this fall, which dropped into the historic Ritz Ybor. Hawthorne Heights, Emmure, and Big Ass Truck were also on site, making the gig feel like a true Warped Tour throwback. See Caitlin Carter’s photos below.

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The post Photos: Chiodos, Hawthorne Heights, more tear up The Ritz Ybor appeared first on Creative Loafing Tampa.

Tampa emo rockers Discord Theory have been touring in support of the band’s new double A-side single “Letters from Atlas” since it was released in March.

The lineup its last hometown show of the year in Ybor City featured Gloomchild, Big Sad, Luciidea, and Face the Fence.

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The post Everyone we saw when Discord Theory played Crowbar last weekend [Photos] appeared first on Creative Loafing Tampa.

Attend the tale, because Josh Groban and Jennifer Hudson are joining forces for an arena tour this summer, which stops in Tampa this June.

The 44-year-old multi-faceted tenor took to Hudson’s talk show on Tuesday morning to co-announce the 16-date run of shows. “I am so honored to be able to hit the road with you this summer. To be able to travel the country, to be able to blend our voices. The duet possibilities!” he told the EGOT-winner during the announcement.

The news comes following a few years off the road—which was preceded by an incredible, Tony Award-nominated Broadway run as the titular character in “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”—and in the midst of Groban promoting Hidden Gems, a new collection of ultra-deep cuts. Many of the songs on the record have never been widely available before, so while it technically isn’t a new studio album, non-ride-or-dies may as well consider it as one.

Tickets to see Josh Groban and Jennifer Hudson play Tampa’s Benchmark International Arena on Friday, June 19 go on sale tomorrow at 10 a.m., and start at $82.

Josh Groban with special guest Jennifer Hudson

Time Fri., June 19, 8 p.m.

Location Benchmark International Arena, 401 E Channelside Dr., Tampa

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The Beatsnchill crew has always been a taste making one, and the trend continues with this booking that pairs some of Tampa’s finest emcees with rising talent from across the U.S.

Marco Plus leads the charge this time around. After a short stint in Pensacola, now-Atlanta-based rapper Marco Plus arrives supporting a new LP, Marco Plus Vs. Tha Underworld, where the kingmaking hip-hop blog Passion of the Weiss says he’s making the best music of his decade-long career.

“His flow helixes from the same DNA as Andre 3000, sticky and staccato, and occasionally revving up into double and triple time rhyme schemes,” critic Will Schube adds.

Lo-fi-leaning Missouri rapper Sunset Tim is also on the bill.

Tickets for Sermons Fest happening Friday, Dec. 19 at Crowbar in Ybor City are still available for $22.85.

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The Tampa Bay area’s live music scene will soon get a much needed mid-size venue that can host 3,500 fans. This afternoon, Strategic Property Partners (SPP), primary owners of Water Street Tampa announced plans to build a massive complex across the street from the recently-renamed Benchmark International Arena.

The still-unnamed venue will be privately-financed, according to a press release, which added that the development will also include a 250-room hotel, 1,000 parking spaces , plus 100,000 square feet of retail, dining and entertainment.

SPP, which will partner with Vinik Sports Group (VSG) to manage the venue, expects to break ground on the project in 2027.

The project—proposed for a vacant lot between Morgan and Jefferson Streets and the Selmon Expressway—fills a void in the Bay area music scene, which does not have a venue this size.

VSG already owns or operates two arenas—Yuengling Center and Benchmark (capacities of approximately 10,000 and 20,000 respectively)—and there are several venues that can host around a couple thousand (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Jannus Live). Carol Morsani Hall at the David A. Straz Center for the Performing Arts holds about 2,600 seats.

The press release added that, “the venue is expected to attract more performers to downtown Tampa and give fans more opportunities to experience live music, immersive experiences, and intimate shows designed for this scale.”

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor. “It strengthens tourism and creates new experiences for residents and visitors, all within steps of the Riverwalk and Convention Center.”

A rep for the proposed venue told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that Live Nation is not a partner in the financing or ownership of the venue, adding that diverse programming will be led by VSG.

Last summer, the global concert giant—which is at the center of an antitrust probe by the Department of Justice—shared plans to spend $1 billion opening or breaking ground on 18 venues across the country including a 3,500-seat concert and events venue in downtown Orlando’s Westcourt development.

Last month, the promoter, which works with Benchmark and Yuengling Center to help book shows, posted $8.5 billion in Q3 revenue—all while a report from the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) detailed how a majority of smaller mom-and-pop venues are on the verge of extinction despite collectively generating $153 billion in economic output collectively. 

In 2023, CL detailed how the Bay area music scene was alive and well, but faced significant challenges.

Tom DeGeorge, Southeast Director for NIVA told CL that he hopes new venue operators will lean into independent to help program the room, but assumes that Live Nation will run the show.

The rep for Tampa’s proposed new venue told CL that, “While the full programming strategy is still being finalized, there is an intention to work with a range of partners and promoters to ensure the venue attracts a broad mix of acts and experiences.”

NIVA’s report, DeGeorge noted, said while Florida ranked in the top three in nine of 10 categories related to independent concert venues’ effect on the local economy, including employment and tourism—”monopolization, corporate development and predatory ticketing practices” have rendered 65% of indie venues unsustainable.

“I would hope that our city leadership as well the developers in this case looks towards local, but unfortunately, based on everything I’ve seen in the way we operate, I’m not quite sure that’s something that we should count on or if there’s enough people that believe it’s worth fighting for anymore,” he added.

Once open, Tampa’s new 3,500-seat venue would join similarly-rooms in Los Angeles (Dolby Theatre), Philadelphia (Metropolitan Opera House), Boston (Roadrunner), and Chicago (Salt Shed).

UPDATED 12/18/25 9:30 a.m. Updated with comment saying Live Nation is not a financer or owner of the venue.

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The post Water Street Tampa owners want to build a 3,500-capacity venue across from Benchmark International Arena appeared first on Creative Loafing Tampa.

After being forced to take a break in 2025, Tampa’s long-running Gasparilla Music Festival (GMF) returns this spring at a new venue on the north end of downtown Tampa’s Water Street neighborhood. 

GMF Executive Director David Cox told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that the festival will happen over three days—Friday-Sunday, April 10-12—at and around the Meridian Fields site near Channelside and most recognizable by the old silos left standing after the demolition of Tampa’s Ardent flour mills.

Tickets for Gasparilla Music Festival 2026 go on sale today, Wednesday, Dec. 17 at 11 a.m. EST and start at $85 for a three-day general admission pass. A three-day VIP pass is $210. Cox told CL that a band lineup and information on single day passes will be available in the coming weeks.

Gasparilla Music Festival 2026

Time Fri., April 10, 3-11 p.m., Sat., April 11, 3-11 p.m. and Sun., April 12, 3-11 p.m.

Location Meridian Fields, 101 S Meridian Ave., Tampa

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Founded in 2012, the nonprofit music festival serves the Gasparilla Music Foundation, which utilizes its Recycled Tunes program to refurbish musical instruments and places them in schools across Hillsborough County.

Powered by a board of locals, the festival didn’t even miss a year during the pandemic, opting instead to give fans two festivals in one calendar year to make up for lost time. GMF started to run into bad luck in 2023 when rain forced the cancellation of a headlining set by Run The Jewels, and bumped into more wet weather when it staged a solid, albeit soggy, debut at Tampa’s Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park. 

GMF’s resurgence, Cox said, speaks to the will of the people involved, who have always seen the festival as a long-range project.

“Sometimes that forces you to make some tough decisions,” Cox noted, adding that GMF has not been immune to rising and volatile prices, along with venue challenges.  “It’s a lot for us to just keep kind of pushing down the same path. We needed to pause, regroup, and look at what the next 10 years could look like.”

Ultimately, Cox said, they reminded themselves that the foundation serves the community year-round and stages a festival to showcase Tampa’s local music and arts scene.

“Even when we said we were going to take this year off, longtime supporters understood. They said, “we’ll be there for you when you’re coming back.,” he added. “So it’s really a good feeling to see how much not just our attendees, but just other other groups and companies and people that have supported the festival for years, want to continue to support it forever.”

Water Street Tampa is among those supporters and has signed on as the 2026 title sponsor.

“The Gasparilla Music Festival needed a place to land, and we had space that was open and ready,” Josh Taube, CEO of Strategic Property Partners (SPP), which operates Water Street Tampa, wrote in a press release. “It felt like the perfect fit for right now, and a great way to give this festival the stage it deserves.”

Water Street Tampa is where GMF has spent three years putting on the popular Beats on the Street festival, and partners with GMF for over 200 local music performances a year.

Cox would not tell CL if GMF had a multi-year agreement with Water Street and SPP, but said that he does see a future at the site.

Meridian Fields proper is owned by the Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority, but GMF will utilize space around the fields as well.

A tentative Gasparilla Music Festival 2026 site plan shared with CL shows the main gate situated near the intersection of S Meridian and E Cumberland avenues. The mainstage sits north, with a second stage closer to the old flour mills still standing after the relocation and demolition of Tampa’s Ardent Mills which opened there in 1938.

Cox anticipates 10,000 daily attendees, and notes that the site—11.5 acres according to a press release— itself can hold up to 20,000 people. That capacity is much larger than GMF’s beloved original home of Curtis Hixon Waterfront and Kiley Gardens, and is about the same as its last venue Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park, but organizers won’t try to pack the venue.

Cox told CL there will be smaller stages throughout the site, but noted that GMF will also stage free-to-attend performances within Water Street and Sparkman Wharf before and during the festival.

“We’re not trying to max out,” Cox said. “Our focus at GMF is the attendee, and band hospitality—we want to make sure the food lines are moving, there are plenty of restrooms, all that stuff.”

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At the tail end of what we thought would be the first year since 2017 where AJR didn’t stop in Tampa Bay (with the exception of 2020), the band announced a last-minute show in downtown Tampa, set for tomorrow evening.

Adam, Jack, and Ryan Met—who headline Feel Good Fest at Ford Thunder Alley outside the recently-renamed Benchmark International Arena—are on the heels of releasing a new, ultra-personal EP called “What No One’s Thinking.”

The five-tracker, which came about during a bout of writer’s block following the end of last year’s The Maybe Man tour and era, encapsulates the deeper emotions going through the brothers’ heads, such as a fear of commitment and confronting someone who cuts everyone off after a psychotic break.

Feel Good Fest, which currently only promises food and said live entertainment, is open to the public for no cover. And, if you’ve ever caught one of Jack Met’s trademark bomber hats, don’t feel like you have to leave it at home, because the high in Tampa tomorrow is only 74 degrees. You may sweat, but probably not profusely.

There’s no cover to see AJR play Ford Thunder Alley at Benchmark International Arena on Wednesday, Dec. 17.

Update 12/17/25 1:33 p.m.: This story has been updated to correct information about needing tickets to the show. 1iota tickets were released as a promotion, but no tickets are necessary for the event.

GEICO and iHeartRadio present Feel Good Fest: AJR

Time Wed., Dec. 17, 5 p.m. 2025

Location Benchmark International Arena, 401 E Channelside Dr., Tampa

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