Travis Tritt comes to Durham, plus 5 more acts on Triangle stages this weekend
The first week of substantial shows for 2020 has arrived. There’s some country, bluegrass, hip-hop and even ukulele on tap.
Travis Tritt
The details: Jan. 17, 8 p.m. Carolina Theatre, 309 W. Morgan St., Durham. Tickets start at $55, 919-560-3030 or carolinatheatre.orfg
Tritt is one of the quietest success stories in country music. The singer-songwriter has sold millions of albums, won a pair of Grammys and four awards from the Country Music Association.
Jake Shimabukuro
The details: Jan. 23, 8 p.m. Carolina Theatre. Tickets start at $29.50.
Guitar heroes are ubiquitous. But ukulele hero? Huh? It all started for Shimabukuro as a child growing up in paradise. Hawaiian kids play the ukulele, like those on the mainland play guitar. Shimabukuro became the Eddie Van Halen of ukulele players.
Shimabukuro is an inventive, unpredictable and entertaining player.
“One day I was messing around with my ukulele and I started playing (Cream’s) ‘Sunshine of Your Love.’ I was like, ‘This is pretty cool, I’m playing a rock song on the ukulele,” Shimabukuro told The News & Observer in 2017 before he performed at Raleigh’s Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts. “I soon discovered that I could play other guitar parts, violin lines and piano on the ukulele. The options were limitless.”
The Dead South
The details: Jan. 17, 8 p.m. The Ritz, 2820 Industrial Drive, Raleigh. Tickets start at $22, 919-424-1400 or ritzraleigh.com
You can’t get much more North than Regina, Saskatchewan. But that’s where the Dead South hail from. The group, which has been dubbed “Mumford and Sons’ Evil Twins,” delivers folk and bluegrass.
Blackalicious
The details: Jan. 21, 8 p.m. Motorco Music Hall, 723 Rigsbee Ave., Durham. Rowdy will open. Tickets start at $17.50, 919-901-0875 or motorcomusic.com
It’s hard to believe that the upbeat San Francisco Bay-area hip-hop duo has been around for more than 25 years. No act writes quite like Blackalicious, which delivers witty and playful raps.
ON STAGE
Neil deGrasse Tyson
The details: Jan. 20, 7:30 p.m. Durham Performing Arts Center, 123 Vivian St., Durham. Sold out. dpacnc.com
Yes, Tyson is an astrophysicist but he’s very entertaining. He’s back at DPAC to talk about space and much more.
But Tyson doesn’t believe that aliens are among us since there is a lack of proof. “It’s funny, since testimony is held in the highest regard in the court of law,” Tyson told The News & Observer in 2017, before he came to DPAC for his third appearance. “But it’s the opposite in the world of science. It’s not enough for someone to bear witness to an event. We need some sort of tangible proof.”
Beth Stelling
The details: Jan. 18, 9 p.m. Motorco Music Hall. Tickets start at $12.
When Stelling chatted with The News & Observer just over a year ago, she was wondering where her career as a stand-up/writer would take her.
“I’m in awe of where comedy has taken me and I need to update my goals,” Stelling said. “I’m usually just so happy to be living my dream of making my living being funny. Things that come to mind: my next stand-up special, performing in London, more late-night sets, writing more television, more acting, writing a book, ... hmmm, Broadway.”
The former writer for the hilarious HBO program “Crashing” has yet to hit Broadway, but she is rising in the comedy ranks. Stelling has graduated from clubs to theaters and has a new set worth of material.
This story was originally published January 14, 2020 at 1:19 PM with the headline "Travis Tritt comes to Durham, plus 5 more acts on Triangle stages this weekend."