Top-level comedians take the stage this week in CT arts from Jerry Seinfeld to John Mulaney
If music is your thing, take your pick from metal legends Pantera, rapper L'il Wayne and country star Luke Bryan at the Xfinity Theatre in Hartford or 1990s rockers Goo Goo Dolls and Dashboard Confessional at the Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater and The Flaming Lips and Modest Mouse at Westville Music Bowl.
The famed metal band Pantera, who has been rocking since 1981, is at Xfinity Theatre on Aug. 3 at 7 p.m. $54.50-$792.40. livenation.com.
The name of country star Lyle Lovett's backing group, 'HIs Large Band,' is more than an amusing play on 'big band.' It really is a powerful, wide-ranging ensemble that suits Lovett's grand Americana exuberance. Aug. 5 at 8 p.m. $69.92-$122.42. collegestreetmusichall.com.
Rapper L'il Wayne of 'Annihilate' and 'Lollipop' fame brings his 'Tha Carter VI Tour: 20+ Years of Carter Classics' to the Xfinity Theatre on Aug. 5 at 8 p.m. His first 'Tha Carter' album came out in 2004, it was followed by 'Tha Carter II' in 2005 and 'Tha Carter VI,' was released this year. $40.56-$617.30. livenation.com.
SteveSongs, the children's entertainer seen on PBS Kids, plays a live show that also features Connecticut singer/songwriter Chris Listorti. Aug. 6 at 1 p.m. $12-$17. thekate.org.
The 'Parks and Recreation' and 'Master of None' comic actor has always been a stand-up star. His show on Aug. 6 at 7 p.m. at Ridgefield Playhouse quickly sold out so a second show has been added at 9:30 p.m. $86-$186. ridgefieldplayhouse.org.
It's a smorgasbord of contemporary comedy stylists. John Mulaney has been mining his own life for material lately. Fred Armisen performs comedy for drummers and is known from his past successes on 'Saturday Night Live,' 'Portlandia' and 'Late Night with Seth Meyers.' Mike Birbiglia does long-form comedy storytelling on a variety of topics, and Nick Kroll does funny voices among other things. Aug. 7 at 7 p.m. $68-$766. axs.com.
Mexican-American alt-rock/metal singer/songwriter Violent Vira, whose songs include 'Trantula Girl' and 'I'll Save Myself This Time,' is in the grand tradition of fast-rising acts that play Toad's Place before they wind up in bigger venues. Aug. 7 at 8 p.m. $35.25-$48; added VIP package available. toadsplace.com.
The latest experimental theater piece(s) at the Yale Summer Cabaret, an innovative summer theater run by students at the Geffen School of Drama at Yale, are the interconnected one-acts 'It's not you, it's the end of the world,' with a first act written by Andrew Rincón and a second act by Max Sheldon. Performances are Aug. 7 and 8 at 8 p.m. and Aug. 9 at 3 and 8 p.m. $10; $20 with post-show event; $30 with pre- and post-show events. summercabaret.org.
Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's 'penny dreadful' musical is about a barber who slays his clients and has his baker friend turn the victims into meat pies. It's kind of a love story. The Legacy Theatre in Branford is one of several productions of this classic coming up in the next year or so. Aug. 7-24. Performances are Thursdays and Fridays at 7 p.m.. Saturdays at 2 and 7 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. $40.50-$56.50. legacytheatrect.org.
Though The Flaming Lips and Modest Mouse have both been around for ages, they maintain an experimental edge that keeps their music current. Opening act Friko, a hot indie duo from Chicago, adds some contemporaneity to the concert. Aug. 8 at 6:30 p.m. $35-$278. westvillemusicbowl.com.
The Connecticut wavecore band is releasing an album, 'The Lost Years,' at this Webster Underground show on Aug. 8 at 7 p.m., with three other local bands on the bill: Night Rider, No Eye Has Seen and Shapethrower. $28.35. thewebsterct.com.
Yet another double bill of bands who made big waves in the 1990s. This time it's Goo Goo Dolls, whose biggest hit was 'Iris,' plus Dashboard Confessional, the act that almost singlehandedly brought emo rock into the mainstream. Aug. 8 at 7:30 p.m. $106.25-$444.15. hartfordhealthcareamp.com.
The Mountain Goats, whose key member is and always has been John Darnielle, is deep and moody and very prolific, having released 22 albums between 1994 and now. The most recent album is 2023's 'Jenny from Athens,' so this is actually a fairly sizable lull in recording for Darnielle. Happily, The Mountain Goats are on tour, stopping at an ideal venue for this intimate, internalized indie folk/pop outfit, Aug. 8 at 8 p.m. at Infinity Music Hall Hartford. $57.73-$73.19. infinityhall.com.
'Saturday Night Live' veteran Ana Gasteyer, known for her deadpan impression of an NPR radio host, brings her solo act to Westport Playhouse on Aug. 8 at 8 p.m. $95-$125. westportplayhouse.org.
Connecticut's largest comics convention is back for a 10th year at Mohegan Sun with vendors, cosplay, panels and other events, plus guest appearances by dozens of artists, writers and action movie stars. TV and movie celebrities on hand include Karen Allen, Carl Lumbly, Hayley Atwel, Titus Welliver, Henry Thomas and the bionic couple of Lee Majors and Lindsay Wagner. Comics fans will be awed by the likes of Chris Claremont, Skottie Young, Kevin Eastman and John Romita Jr. Aug. 8 from 1-8 p.m., Aug. 9 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Aug. 10 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $47 on Saturday, $42 on Friday or Sunday, $20 per day for children. A three-day pass is $120, $55 for children. mohegansun.com.
The assumption is that the Best Music Festival will provide the best music, but the title mainly means that the festival was put together by Best Video, the landmark video store and cultural center in Hamden. Best Video has its own small stage and several live shows per week but is holding this event at Space Ballroom, a larger venue in the same town. The daylong show begins at 1:30 p.m. on Aug. 9 and the many bands playing are Trophy Wife, Rick, Bruiser & Bicycle, Pulsr, Wally, Jeff Mueller, the Hartford pop band Carey, Dead Doe, Death Valley Sun Troopers, All the Pretty Horses, Nehway and The Knife Kickers. $32.34. spaceballroom.com.
Max Creek and Booyah, the kind of bands you most want to get when holding an outdoor celebration, will entertain at a five-hour celebration of the first 20 years of the Simsbury Meadows Performing Arts Center. Besides live music., there are food trucks, drinks from the Moonlight Pub and a ceremony honoring the venue's many volunteers over the years. Aug. 9 from 4 to 9:45 p.m. $26-$535.38. simsburymeadows.org.
The controversial star of 'Louie,' 'Horace and Pete' and other shows has returned to live performance in a big way. He's has two shows on Aug. 9 at 5 and 9 p.m. at Foxwoods' Premier Theatre. $71.35-$114.50. foxwoods.com.
Country superstar Luke Bryan has named this year's tour after his big hit from last year, 'Country Song Came On.' Aug. 9 at 7 p.m. $67.45-$474.30. livenation.com.
Sitcom legend and precision joke crafter Jerry Seinfeld remains a revered standup comedian. On Aug. 9 at 8 p.m., he's at the Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater. $225.25-$678.10. hartfordhealthcareamp.com.
The Florida metal band Nonpoint has been around since the late 1990s, released its last album of new material in 2018 and is on its 'Painful Statements' tour. The opening acts are Upon a Burning Body and Autumn Kings. Aug. 9 at 8 p.m. $34.54. thewebsterct.com.
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