Music notes: William Beckett leads Reggie's Holiday Acoustic Show

Go acoustic

Northwest suburban native and resident William Beckett, former leader of the pop-rock band The Academy Is ..., will headline the 4th annual Holiday Acoustic Show this weekend at Reggie's Rock Club. Since his old (and successful) group disbanded, Beckett has composed, recorded and released on his own a slew of personal pop songs set to acoustic guitars and electronic beats. Nick Santino & the Northern Wind, Mark Rose, Mighty Fox and Valaska will also perform.

6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 28, at Reggie's Rock Club, 2105 S. State St., Chicago. $15. Go to reggieslive.com.

Holiday prog

The Trans-Siberian Orchestra, a progressive-rock group known for elaborate holiday-themed rock operas, will bring its spectacle-laden live show to the suburbs this week. The group combines intense hard-rock music with lush orchestration and symphonic song structures. Its song “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo” has become a staple of holiday-season music playlists.

8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 28, at the Allstate Arena, 6920 N. Mannheim Road, Rosemont. Tickets start at $40. Go to ticketmaster.com.

40 years

It seems hard to believe that the great band Los Lobos has been together for four decades, but it's true. The group formed in the early 1970s in Los Angeles but didn't find commercial success until the 1980s, with albums like “How Will the Wolf Survive” and “By the Light of the Moon.” In 1992, Los Lobos released “Kiko,” considered by many to be the band's masterwork and one of the finest albums of that decade. The band's last studio release was 2010's acclaimed “Tin Can Trust.” Los Lobos, which combines rock and soul with traditional Mexican music, has always delivered the goods onstage, and the band has two shows scheduled in Chicago on New Year's Eve.

7:30 and 11 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 31, at City Winery Chicago, 1200 W. Randolph St., Chicago. Tickets for each show start at $85. Go to citywinery.com/chicago.