Music notes: Arcada welcomes Nazareth, Kenny Loggins
Two big shows
Classic rock and pop will be alive in St. Charles this weekend, as two big names make stops at the Arcada Theatre. First up is the Scottish heavy-metal band Nazareth, probably still best known for its 1975 album, “Hair of the Dog,” a hard-rock classic. Though it emerged way back in the late 1960s, Nazareth continues to spur fans to raise their lighters (or is it cellphones these days?) at concerts. A couple of days later, the Arcada will welcome Kenny Loggins. As part of the soft-rock group Loggins & Messina and then as a solo artist, Loggins scored a slew of huge pop hits in the 1970s and 1980s, including such movie-soundtrack ditties as “I'm Alright,” “Footloose” and “Danger Zone.” Loggins will surely get the Arcada audience dancing.
Nazareth plays at 8p.m. Friday, June 7, and Kenny Loggins plays at 7 p.m. Sunday, June 9. Both shows take place at the Arcada Theatre, 105 E. Main St., St. Charles. Tickets start at $29 for Nazareth, $59 for Loggins. Go to oshows.com.
Pop stars
The dance beats promise to be loud and powerful during the concert featuring rapper-producer Pitbull and bad-girl popster Ke$ha. Both deliver a glittery, polished and flamboyant brand of music, with Pitbull often adopting the persona of a suave but socially conscious ladies' man while Ke$ha swaggers through lyrics about her partying lifestyle. The pair arrives in the suburbs this weekend.
7:30 p.m. Sunday, June 9, at the First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre, 19100 S. Ridgeland Ave., Tinley Park. $32 to $138.50. Go to livenation.com.
From up north
Rock duo Japandroids is part of a veritable flood of indie bands from Canada to make a splash in the U.S. in recent years. Consisting of singer/guitarist Brian King and drummer David Prowse, the band delivers loud, soaring, anthemic blasts of guitar-based rock 'n' roll that recalls the wit of the Replacements, the roar of the Smashing Pumpkins and even the fist-in-the-air theatrics of the best hair-metal bands. Japandroids' second record, “Celebration Rock,” came out last year, and it found a home on many critics' “Best of 2012” lists. The group will play next week at Chicago's venerable rock club Metro.
9 p.m. Tuesday, June 11, at Metro, 3730 N. Clark St., Chicago. $20. Go to metrochicago.com.