2009 Halloween Concert Round-Up

Like New Year’s Eve, Halloween is another holiday that a lot of bands choose to celebrate in style. There’s just something about mixing the live concert experience with all the fun and choas of Halloween that really brings out the freaks. While most bands typically play into the Halloween vibe in some way, touring bands often approach Halloween as an opportunity to really create a unique live music event. Just as we did with our New Year’s Eve concert round-up, we’ve compiled a list of Halloween concerts that will be going on this weekend (see below for the long list).

We have also noticed a few bands that are taking a similar approach to Halloween as Phish by doing some sort of “musical costume” and either covering another band’s music or playing a full show of thematic covers. Here are a few of the more interesting “musical costumes” we’ve seen announced this year:

1) Phish Festival 8 @ Empire Polo Club, Indio, CA: Festival 8 Musical Costume TBD
Although we’ve been covering this since it was announced, we still had to include it here. As Phish has done for past Halloween shows, they will cover a classic album in its entirety at their upcoming three-day Halloween extravaganza out in Indio, CA. However, this time around they’ve been giving fans a preview of all the possible cover selections over at Phish.com. At the time of this posting, the current contenders include: 1) David Bowie – Hunky Dory 2) David Bowie – Ziggy Stardust 3) Frank Zappa – Apostrophe 4) Genesis – The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway 5) Jimi Hendrix – Electric Ladyland 6) King Crimson – Larks’ Tongues In Aspic 7) Led Zeppelin – Zeppelin I 8) MGMT – Oracular Spectacular 9) Michael Jackson – Thriller 10) Pink Floyd – The Wall 11) Prince – Purple Rain 12) Radiohead – Kid A 13) Rolling Stones – Exile on Main Street 14) Van Morrison – Astral Weeks)

For an up-to-date list of the possible cover albums, head on over to Jamtopia where they’re keeping track of the daily changes.

2) Lotus w/ Big In Japan & The Egg @ Sonar Main Stage, Baltimore, MD: “Protein Pills in the Labyrinth”
Lotus is doing Halloween at Sonar and has billed the event as “Protein Pills in the Labyrinth.” Although the band originally meant to keep the actual theme of the show a secret, Billboard recently did a feature on them and accidentally let the news slip…the event will feature the music of David Bowie (and we can only assume it will be all-instrumental, per the band’s standard approach)

3) Deer Tick w/ special guest TBA @ Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn, NY: The Music of the Sex Pistols
Deer Tick will be taking on the music of the Sex Pistols at their Halloween show at Brooklyn Bowl. The show will also include a special guest (still TBA) covering the music of Sonic Youth. Admission will be $5 or free with a Halloween costume!
(via Hidden Track)

4) Leroy Justice featuring Scott Metzger @ The Bitter End, New York, NY: The Music of Steve Miller Band
Scott Metzger will sit in with Leroy Justice at Manhattan’s Bitter End for two sets of music that will include a cover of Steve Miller Band’s Greatest Hits and some originals.
(via Jambands.com)

Read on for our full list of 2009 Halloween concerts….

ALABAMA
Zac Brown Band @ Talladega Superspeedway, Talledega, AL
Galactic w/ Corey Henry, and Mike Dillon’s Go-Go Jungle @ Soul Kitchen, Mobile, AL

ARKANSAS
Future Rock w/ DJ Thibault, Montu, Jason Sterling @ The Armory, Fayetteville, AR

CALIFORNIA
Dirty Projectors @ Jensen RecCenter Studio, Echo Park, CA
Las Tortugas Dance of the Dead @ Evergreen Lodge, Groveland, CA
w/ Umphrey’s McGee, The Mother Hips, Tea Leaf Green, Papa Mali, New Monsoon, Hot Buttered Rum and many more
Phish Festival 8 @ Empire Polo Club, Indio, CA
Ozomatli w/ Lateef the Truthspeaker @ Mateel Community Center, Redway, CA
Built to Spill @ The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA
Marco Benevento Trio @ Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA), San Francisco, CA

COLORADO
Bassnectar w/ RJD2, Heavyweight Dub Champion, & Jillian Ann @ The Fillmore Auditorium, Denver, CO
Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit @ The Larimer Lounge, Denver, CO
Devotchka w/ QuiXotiC @ Boulder Theater Boulder, CO
Ghostface Killah w/ Fashawn @ Fox Theatre Boulder, CO
The Motet @ Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom Denver, CO

CONNECTICUT
The Derek Trucks Band @The Palace Theater Stamford, CT

FLORIDA
The Lee Boys @ Will’s Pub, Orlando, FL

GEORGIA
Islands, Why?, Au, Jemina Pearl @ Lenny’s, Atlanta, GA

HAWAII
Blitzen Trapper @ Hallowbaloo, Honolulu, HI

ILLINOIS
Backyard Tire Fire @ Coconut Louie’s, Bloomington, IL
Bob Dylan @ Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, IL
The Disco Biscuits, w/ The Glitch Mob, Holy Fuck & Orchard Lounge @ Auditorium Theatre, Chicago, IL

KANSAS
EOTO w/ E.Z. Brothers @ Granada Theater Lawrence, KS
Yonder Mountain String Band w/ Danny Barnes @ Liberty Hall Lawrence, KS

KENTUCKY
Monsters of Folk, feat. Conor Oberst, M. Ward, Jim James, & Mike Mogis @ The Louisville Palace, Louisville, KY

LOUISIANA
Rebirth Brass Band @ Chelsea’s, Baton Rouge, LA
Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk w/ Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes @ Howlin’ Wolf, New Orleans, LA
The Dirty Dozen Brass Band @ Tipitina’s French Quarter, New Orleans, LA
Voodoo Music Festival @ City Park, New Orleans, LA
w/ KISS, Gogol Bordello, Wolfmother, Drive-By Truckers, Robert Randolph & The Family Band MuteMath, George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, The Black Lips, Jane’s Addiction, Q-Tip & many more

MASSACHUSSETTS
Guster @ Orpheum Theatre, Boston, MA
Max Creek @ Pearl Street Nightclub, Northampton, MA
State Radio @ Calvin Theater, Northampton, MA

MARYLAND
Lotus w/ Big In Japan & The Egg @ Sonar Main Stage, Baltimore, MD

MINNESOTA
The Radiators @ Fine Line Music Cafe, Minneapolis, MN

MISSOURI
Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey @ Jardine’s, Kansas City, MO

MISSISSIPPI
Doobie Brothers @ IP Casino Resort and Spa, Biloxi, MS

NORTHA CAROLINA
Toubab Krewe w/ Floating Action @ Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro, NC
Soulive w/ Bubonik Funk @ Neighborhood Theatre, Charlotte, NC

NEW JERSEY
Snoop Dogg w/ Method Man @ House of Blues, Atlantic City, NJ
Stevie Wonder @ The Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa, Atlantic City, NJ

NEW YORK
moe. @ The Washington Avenue Armory, Albany, NY
Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe @ Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY
Mike Doughty @ Le Poisson Rouge, New York, NY
Thievery Corporation w/ Ocote Soul Sounds @ Terminal 5, New York, NY
Weezer w/ Matt & Kim @ Hammerstein Ballroom, New York, NY
Leroy Justice featuring Scott Metzger @ The Bitter End, New York, NY
Deer Tick w/ special guest TBA @ Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn, NY
Elvis Perkins in Dearland @ Midnight Ramble – Levon Helm Studios, Woodstock, NY

OREGON
Steve Kimock Crazy Engine @ Aladdin Theater, Portland, OR

PENNSEYLVANIA
Simian Mobile Disco @ Starlight Ballroom, Philadelphia, PA
Pearl Jam w/ Bad Religion @ Wachovia Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
Gov’t Mule w/ Jackie Greene @ Tower Theater, Upper Darby, PA

SOUTH CAROLINA
The Roots @ The Handlebar, Greenville, SC

TENNESSEE
The Avett Brothers @ Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN
Sound Tribe Sector 9 w/ Maserati @ War Memorial Auditorium Nashville, TN

TEXAS
Widespread Panic @ Austin Music Hall, Austin, TX
White Denim & Neon Indian @ Granada Theater, Dallas, TX
They Might Be Giants @ House Of Blues, Dallas, TX
Robert Randolph & The Family Band @ House Of Blues, Dallas, TX
Ghostland Observatory @ Palladium Ballroom/Loft, Dallas, TX

VIRGINIA
Perpetual Groove @ The National, Richmond, VA
Brian Wilson @ Sandler Center, Virginia Beach, VA

WISCONSIN
Leo Kottke @ Schauer Center, Hartford, WI
Los Lobos w/ The Duhks @ Northern Lights Theater, Milwaukee, WI
Matisyahu w/ Trevor Hall @ Pabst Theater, Milwaukee, WI

CANADA
Metric @ Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, Edmonton, AB
Metallica w/ Lamb of God @Colisee Pepsi Arena, Quebec City, QC
Jay-Z w/ N.E.R.D., Wale, & J. Cole @ Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON

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