Concerts

From pop to soul, there’s something for everyone at Greater Boston’s more intimate settings this spring.

The smaller the better: Here are 13 concerts worth seeing at Greater Boston’s less-large venues this March-May, organized by genre. (Sites include Agganis Arena, Brighton Music Hall, Paradise Rock Club, Royale, Big Night Live, The Sinclair in Cambridge, Crystal Ballroom in Somerville, and The Cabot in Beverly; check out our guide to larger venues here.) Please note, prices noted are face value; some of these shows may only have verified resale tickets available.

Rock/Alternative/Indie

Vundabar at Paradise Rock Club

Since debuting in 2013 with their debut LP “Antics,” the Boston trio Vundabar has been nominated for 11 Boston Music Awards. While these have most frequently appeared in the Alt/Indie, Rock Artist, and Song of the Year categories, they have also been contenders for Album/EP, Unsigned, New Artist of the Year recognition. Among their nominations are last year’s jittery, at times danceable “I Got Cracked,” the first extraction from the forthcoming sixth LP, “Surgery and Pleasure.” Other singles include the Talking Heads-inspired workout “Life is a Movie,” the dynamic “Spades,” and the gentler “I Need You.” Vundabar will celebrate the March 7 unveiling of “Surgery and Pleasure” at the Paradise Rock Club. With fantasy of a broken heart and Pet Fox. Friday, March 7, doors at 7/show at 8, Paradise Rock Club, 967 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, $25

Heart with Lucinda Williams at Agganis Arena

Ann and Nancy Wilson have been the core of Heart over the course of its 50-year recording career. The band spent the late ’70s as platinum-selling hard rockers (“Magic Man,” “Crazy on You,” “Barracuda,” “Straight On”) before transitioning – as did many of their contemporaries – to softer pop in the ’80s. If  Ann Wilson’s (click for my boston.com interview) 2022 show in Beverly is any indication, the Rock and Roll of Fame inductees are keen to leave their Reagan-era output behind and celebrate the material that made them stars to begin with. Lucinda Williams will serve as the first act of a night that will, for all intents and purposes, be a co-headlining bill. Sunday, April 13, doors at 7/show at 8, Agganis Arena, 925 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, $123.80 – $176.15 (standard tickets)

Michael Shannon & Jason Narnucy and friends performing R.E.M. at Royale

Last February, two-time Oscar nominee Michael Shannon and go-to indie rock bassist/guitarist Jason Narnucy (Bob Mould, Superchunk, Sunny Day Real Estate, his own band, Verboten, etc.) blew the roof off The Sinclair by presenting R.E.M.’s “Murmur” in its entirety. And they did not stop there. They also performed the whole of R.E.M.’s EP “Chronic Town,” more than half of “Reckoning,” and an assortment of other favorites. Given how spectacularly it went over, there was no possibility that they two would not hit the road together again. Sure enough, they will kick off a tour on March 1 that will give “Fables of the Reconstruction” the whole-album treatment. Will the real thing make an appearance, like they did Feb. 27 in Athens, Georgia? Probably not. With Dave Hill. Friday, March 7, doors at 7/show at 8, Royale, 279 Tremont St., Boston, $35

The Linda Lindas at Paradise Rock Club

The Linda Lindas is an LA quartet that is currently comprised of members who age between 14 and 20. The band’s second EP served as the soundtrack to the 2021 Netflix movie “MOXiE!,” which Newton-born, Burlington-raised Amy Poehler directed. In addition to their 2020 debut EP, The Linda Lindas have recorded two LPs, both of which showcase the band’s thoughtful, hard-rocking, beat-driven sound. 2024’s “No Obligation” – which features “Weird Al” Yankovic on one track – with be the focus of their upcoming show at Paradise Rock Club. With Pinkshift. Weds, April 23, doors at 7/show at 8, Paradise Rock Club, 967 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, $78.71 (verified resale ticket)

Annie DiRusso with Squirrel Flower 

Annie DiRusso made quite an impression – certainly on me – with 2023’s five-track “God, I Hate This Place.” Prior to its release, the NYC-born, Nashville-based musician had put out 12 stand-alone singles, among which was a cover of “I Think We’re Alone Now.” The (approaching) March 7 appearance of “Super Pedestrian” is sure to continue in the EP’s vein of self-aware and humorous lyrics on songs like “Wearing Pants Again,” “Good Ass Movie,” and one that she should probably avoid at the Paradise on May 29, “Derek Jeter.” Highly praised and Arlington-raised singer/songwriter Squirrel Flower – née Ella O’Connor Williams – will open this show. Thurs., May 29, doors at 7/show at 8, Paradise Rock Club, 967 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, $25

Also of note:

Dance/Electronic

Magic Sword at Brighton Music Hall

Magic Sword is a mysterious trio who – in the tradition of Daft Punk, The Residents, et al. – appear onstage in cloaks and masks to conceal their identity. Further adding to the spookiness is the members’ use of the monikers The Keeper (of the Magic Sword), The Weaver (of Hearts and Minds), and The Seer (of All Things), whose face coverings are lit in red, blue, and yellow, respectively. All of these are characters in The Story, a sci-fi/fantasy tale of sorts that is spelled out on the group’s website. And of course, there is the mesmerizing music, which serves as the basis of Magic Sword’s entrancing eeriness. With Starbender & Mega Ran. Sunday, April 27, doors at 7/show at 8, Brighton Music Hall, 158 Brighton Ave, Allston, $27.50

Also of note:

Rap/Hip-Hop

Rich Amiri at Paradise Rock Club

Twenty-one-year-old Rich Amiri sure hasn’t wasted any time getting his rap career rolling. The Randolph native who was born Amiri Chase has delivered two EPs and four LPs, including last year’s “War Ready” and 2023’s “Ghetto Fabulous,” which featured the RIAA platinum-certified worldwide hit “One Call,” and “AIN’T NOTHING,” of which he said in a 2023 Boston Globe profile, “[It’s] gotta be the top song I’ve ever made in my life. It’s just fire. The beat’s fire. My delivery’s fire.” Surely, however, there is at least one among last December’s 18-entry “War Ready” that he will one day say the same about. With Swapa. Tues., March 25, doors at 7/show at 8, Paradise Rock Club, 967 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, $26.50-$30

Black Sherif at The Sinclair

Black Sherif, 23, has won more than a dozen awards in multiple categories in his Native Ghana since 2022, when he was voted Best New Artiste and Artiste of the Year. (He has been nominated in the latter in some capacity at several ceremonies a total of seven times, and won four.) In 2023, he came out atop the Best International Flow category at the BET Hip Hop Awards. Stateside, he has reached #5 on the Billboard Afrobeats Song Chart with “Kwaku the Traveller” and #12 on the Billboard World Albums Chart with his 2022 debut LP The Villain I Never Was. Join him and several hundred of his American fans when he plays the second date of his US tour at The Sinclair. Sat., April 5, doors at 8/show at 9, The Sinclair, 52 Church St., Cambridge, The Sinclair, $25

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R&B/Soul

Bia Ferreira at Crystal Ballroom 

Brazilian singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Bia Ferreira identifies her music as “MMP — Música de Mulher Preta,” which translates to English as “Black Woman Music.” She expresses feminism, anti-racism, and a steadfast pro-LGBTQIA+ stance through her “artivism.” Although I am including her upcoming show in the R&B/soul portion, it should be noted that elements of funk, reggae, and gospel are also prevalent in her compositions. Sunday, April 6, doors at 6:30/show at 7:30, Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square, Somerville, $28–40, presented by Global Arts Live

Also of not

Folk/Americana

The Weather Station at The Sinclair

The Weather Station is a Toronto-based octet whose last several records have appeared on the year-end best of lists of numerous publications. This trend is sure to continue with “Humanhood,” which saw the light of day on Jan. 17. Fronted by singer and main songwriter Tamara Lindeman, whose vocals unmistakably evoke those of Joni Mitchell, The Weather Station’s latest effort is in turns traditional and experimental and all the while hypnotic and engaging. The U.S. leg of their 2025 tour kicks off at The Sinclair in Harvard Square. Fri., March 28, doors at 7/show at 8, The Sinclair, 52 Church St., Cambridge, $22

Allison Russell at Royale

Over the past 20-plus years, Allison Russell has built an impressive résumé with the many albums that she recorded with Po’ Girl, Birds of Chicago, and others. However, it has been her work as a solo artist in the 2020s that has finally gained her the recognition of which she has long been worthy. The content of 2021’s “Outside Child” and “The Returner” has one of her two Americana Music Honors & Awards, three Canadian Folk Music awards, two Folk Alliance awards, six UK American Music awards, and a Grammy (Best American Roots Performance for “Eve Was Black”). Her total number of nominations from these and two other ceremonies total 35. 2023’s “The Returner was a star-studded affair to which Brandi Carlisle, Brandy Clark, Hozier, and Lisa Coleman and Wendy Melvoin of Prince and the Revolution contributed. Royale will have the honor of presenting the third night of this unique artist’s 2025 tour. With Kara Jackson. Sun., May 4, doors at 6/show at 7, Royale, 279 Tremont St., Boston, $30

Pop

Alison Moyet at Big Night Live

Alison Moyet’s last U.S. tour brought her to Royale in 2017. Now, she is back with a new album and her first tour here in eight years. Although her stateside success is limited to her highly influential work with Yazoo (Yaz in the U.S.), her fellow Brits eager snapped up her 1984 and 1987 solo albums, sending them to No. 1 and No. 2, respectively. Her new album, “Key,” proved that she can still reach the UK top 10, even though her releases a​re fewer and farther between. Since her U.S. dates are also less frequent, her American fans are sure to fill the 2,000-capacity Big Night Live. Sat., May 3, doors at 6/show at 7, Big Night Live, 110 Causeway St., Boston, $63

Jon Muq at City Winery

“I left my home I was 23 years old,” 31-year-old Jon Muq sings in “Flying Away from My Home.” That home was Uganda, where his cousin’s copy of “We Are the World” served as his “first exposure to modern western music.” Inspired, he taught himself to play guitar and sing in English. With his musical dreams solidified, he crossed the Atlantic and now calls the musician mecca Austin, Texas home. Muq can now boast of touring with several giants of popular music and having his May 2024 debut, “Flying Away,” produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys. Enjoy an intimate evening with this propitious singer-songwriter at City Winery in May. Fri., May 9, doors at 5:30/show at 7:30, City Winery, 80 Beverly St., Boston, $22-$35

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