Charlotte music lovers: Which of these Christmas concerts are on your wish list?
Since there’s no good way to get something like this going without inserting a Christmas cliche (or three), we won’t even try.
Instead, we’ll just say this: Yes, Virginia – ’tis the season for holiday-themed concerts, so we made a list of 10 different shows happening at 10 different venues in Charlotte over the next 20 days; you’re welcome to check twice.
1. WEND Not So Acoustic Xmas
Who: What better band to headline a show with “Xmas” in the title than alternative-rock band X Ambassadors? (The opening act is The Aces.)
What: Top-40 hits like “Renegades,” “Unsteady” and “Jungle,” along with a number of recently released songs that could well find their way onto a forthcoming X Ambassadors album. Don’t expect much Christmas music, but feel free to wear a Santa hat and see if the bartender has any spiked egg nog.
When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 28. (It’s a two-night “event” – Bleachers headlines the Not So Acoustic Xmas concert on Tuesday, Nov. 28, but that show is sold out.)
Where: The Fillmore Charlotte, 1000 NC Music Factory Blvd.
How much: $30 for general admission.
Details: Click here.
2. Magic of Christmas
Who: The Charlotte Symphony Orchestra (led by conductor Albert-George Schram), the Charlotte Symphony Chorus, the Charlotte Children’s Choir of Community School of the Arts, and Charlotte Symphony artist-in-residence Mark O’Connor and his Grammy Award-winning family bluegrass band.
What: Beloved holiday classic after beloved holiday classic, performed in a variety of ways – from solos to whole-crowd-singalongs. Santa is expected to spend some time both in the lobby (for photo ops) and on stage, and if you’re wondering what the dress code for the night is, consider this: Blumenthal Performing Arts will be hosting an ugliest holiday sweater contest.
When: 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 30, Friday, Dec. 1 and Saturday, Dec. 2; also 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 3.
Where: Belk Theater, 130 N. Tryon St.
How much: $19-$137. Tickets for the Thursday, Saturday and Sunday shows are nearly sold out.
Details: Click here.
3. Merry Christmas From the Fam-O-Lee
Who: Americana singer-songwriter Robert Earl Keen.
What: An entire show built around his 1994 holiday tune “Merry Christmas to the Family,” which has a title that sounds traditional but lyrics that sound bonkers (e.g. “Carve the turkey, turn the ballgame on/Make Bloody Marys ’cause we all want one/Send somebody to the Stop ’N Go/We need some celery and a can of fake snow”). Now in its sixth year, this go-around’s theme is the “Back to the Country Jamboree,” inspired by Neil Young.
When: 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 1.
Where: Knight Theater, 430 S. Tryon St.
How much: $25-$65.50.
Details: Click here.
4. The Joy of Christmas
Who: The Charlotte Chorale.
What: No frills, just a setlist full of Christmas songs, merrily and movingly sung by a choir made up of about 20 men and women from around the area, with a budget-minded admission price.
When: 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2.
Where: Booth Playhouse, 130 N. Tryon St.
How much: $20.
Details: Click here.
5. 95.1 Kissmas Concert
Who: Backstreet Boys, with support from Why Don’t We, MAX and Olivia Holt.
What: If you’re feeling a little nostalgic and want Christmas that way (tell me why-eee), then the boy band-turned-man band comes to you bearing gifts like “Quit Playing Games (with My Heart),” “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” and “All I Have to Give”). One recent development that might suck some of the fun out of this one, though: Nick Carter was recently accused of raping a young woman about 15 years ago. The jury’s out on how this will affect the lineup, so stay tuned...
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 5.
Where: Bojangles’ Coliseum, 2700 E. Independence Blvd.
How much: $35 and up.
Details: Click here.
6. The Ghosts of Christmas Eve / The Best of TSO and More
Who: Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
What: The world’s most popular progressive-rock band (and largest, at two dozen members) returns to town for its Christmas extravaganza, which features four mixing boards, dozens of full-color lasers, 100-plus speaker boxes, flame modules, pyrotechnic effects, approximately 1 zillion lighting fixtures, and sonic staples like “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24” and “Christmas Canon.”
When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 7.
Where: Spectrum Center, 333 E. Trade St.
How much: $47-$76.
Details: Click here.
7. Christmas After Midnight
Who: Charlotte’s own Fantasia (aka Fantasia Taylor, formerly Fantasia Barrino).
What: The former “American Idol” winner returns to her adopted hometown (she’s originally from High Point) to sing jazzy, soul-soaked cuts from her first holiday album, “Christmas After Midnight,” which includes her takes on classics like James Brown’s “Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto” and Frank Sinatra’s “In the Wee Small Hours.” In title, “Christmas After Midnight” is a nod to Fantasia’s three-month-long star turn in Broadway’s “After Midnight” in 2013-14.
When: 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 8.
Where: Ovens Auditorium, 2700 E. Independence Blvd.
How much: $59 and up.
Details: Click here.
8. A Drag Queen Christmas: The Naughty Tour
Who: Contestants from “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” with hosting duties performed by Season 9 finalist Trinity Taylor.
What: An over-the-top concert featuring drag queens singing Christmas pop songs by Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Christina Aguilera and others. Though you’d think the title might say it all, it may say too much: We’re told the show is surprisingly family-friendly.
When: 8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 12.
Where: McGlohon Theater, 345 N. College St.
How much: $35-$50, or $150 for VIP meet-and-greet tickets.
Details: Click here.
9. A Gospel According to Jazz Christmas
Who: Saxophonist Kirk Whalum and his band, along with guests including his brother Kevin Whalum, plus Jonathan Butler, Sheléa and John Stoddart.
What: Now in its sixth year, the gospel-heavy holiday concert is “a Christmas party that unabashedly celebrates the birth of Christ, so a lot of Christian folk like coming because they can invite people and have it be something that celebrates the Christ child, but at the same time it’s not some heavy-handed, evangelical type of thing,” Kirk Whalum, the show’s founder, told The Commerical Appeal of Memphis, Tenn.
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 15.
Where: CPCC’s Halton Theater, 1206 Elizabeth Ave.
How much: $35-$60.
Details: Click here.
10. Schadt-A-Claus
Who: Country pop duo Locash headlines, with support from Brandon Lay and Durham folk-rock band Delta Rae.
What: Faithful listeners of 96.9 The Kat know that the Schadt in the title is a nod to longtime morning host Paul Schadt, and this show doubles as a toy drive for Toys For Tots, so concertgoers are encouraged to come bearing gifts.
When: 8 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 17.
Where: Coyote Joe’s, 4621 Wilkinson Blvd.
How much: $12 for general admission; VIP tables (for six) are $198.
Details: Click here.
This story was originally published November 26, 2017 at 9:09 AM with the headline "Charlotte music lovers: Which of these Christmas concerts are on your wish list?."