Ariana Grande brings Sweetener tour to PNC Arena, plus 4 can’t-miss concerts
A ubiquitous pop star and a mysterious but beloved band will headline the PNC Arena. A pair of local heroes are in for a two-nighter at the Durham Performing Arts Center while an R&B icon and a bluegrass pioneer are also headed to the Triangle.
1. Ariana Grande
The details: Nov. 22, 8 p.m. PNC Arena, 1400 Edwards Mill Road, Raleigh. Tickets start at $45.50. 919-467-7825 or pncarena.com.
Grande is on her “Sweetener” tour but the diminutive dynamo doesn’t need to sweeten her vocals. Her friend and mentor Patti LaBelle gushed when speaking about Grande’s set of powerful pipes to Vogue.
“She’s surpassed her peers,” LaBelle said. “And she does everything herself, which is not always the way with young baby girls. She doesn’t need any machines.”
Grande has hits with three of her songs occupying the top 3 spots on the Billboard charts in February, which is something only recording artists such as the Beatles have accomplished. But it’s not just about the smashes. Grande, like Katy Perry, is adept at living in the moment between songs when she hits the stage.
2. Tool
The details: Nov. 24, 7:30 p.m., PNC Arena. See LiveNation.com for tickets. 919-467-7825 or pncarena.com.
There are a number of reasons why it took 13 years for Tool to record the follow-up to 2006’s “10,000 Days.” Each member has a side project, like frontman Maynard James Keenan’s vineyard. But there’s something else that held up the release of the long-awaited “Fear Inoculum.” It wasn’t easy for the members of Tool to be on the same page.
“You’ve got four very strong personalities and they all ... mostly disagree,” Keenan told Music Junkee. “It’s a fight in the room to get your piece in and compromise with the other guys, and it’s a process for me that is frankly exhausting.”
3. Aaron Neville
The details: Nov. 22, 8 p.m. The Carolina Theatre, 309 W. Morgan St., Durham. Tickets start at $45. 919-560-3030 or carolinatheatre.org
There are few voices on par with Aaron Neville, who is the sound of New Orleans. The iconic R&B vocalist has crossed over to pop, country and adult contemporary during an illustrious career. Expect the hits and some deep cuts as Neville entertains in his unique style.
4. Sylvan Esso
The details: Nov. 22 and 23, 8 p.m. Durham Performing Arts Center, 123 Vivian St., Durham. Sold out. dpacnc.com
Tickets are sold out for the Durham duo, who will perform their brand of pope with a 10-piece band made up of fellow musicians. Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn craft provocative and at times hypnotic tunes, which has connected with the indie rock world.
5. Sam Bush
The details: Nov. 23, 8 p.m. The Carolina Theatre, Durham. Tickets start at $35. 919-560-3030, carolinatheatre.org
Sam Bush isn’t just leading the progressive bluegrass movement. The singer-songwriter is a progressive person. His latest single, “Stop the Violence,” couldn’t be more timely with a rash of school shootings.
“Violence has become a disease, a bad gene in our DNA,” Bush’s co-writer Jeff Black told Jambase. “It’s not normal, but it’s being normalized, and it’s happening right in front of our kids. When Sam brought me the track and his vision for the song, I started thinking about all the folks who grow up in a violent environment, and that’s all they know.
“I think about the children in particular and how they are cast into it without a choice. I think the hope, because violence itself is taught and handed down through the generations, is that someday, by small acts, we can break the chain.”
This story was originally published November 20, 2019 at 10:15 AM with the headline "Ariana Grande brings Sweetener tour to PNC Arena, plus 4 can’t-miss concerts."