[Updated Nov 30] This has been an amazing year of music, especially for avid concert-goers. We’ve had the chance to catch a whole slew of music acts both big and small, such as Bon Iver, Madonna, Kylie Minogue, Morrissey, Tegan And Sara and others. We’re less than a month away from ushering in the new year and we’ve got our eyes set on the already-very-exciting lineup for 2017.
Passenger (Jan 13)
Once upon a time, Passenger was a five-person band before they broke up in 2009. Michael Rosenberg, who actually wrote majority of the songs, decided to keep the band’s moniker and released the hit single, “Let Her Go”. Performing for the first time in Singapore, he’ll also be playing other hits like “Somebody’s Love”, “The Wrong Direction” and “All the Little Lights”. Tickets are priced from $88 via Sistic. 8pm, The Star Theatre.
Diplo (Jan 13)
Revellers rejoice! Grammy-award winning, Diplo, who has worked with singing stars like M.I.A., Gwen Stefani, Madonna, Britney Spears and Beyonce (he helped co-produce her controversial album, Lemonade) will be spinning at Zouk’s new space at Clarke Quay. Though ticket prices are still in the works, we’re pretty excited since his last appearance in Singapore was six years ago. Zouk Singapore.
PJ Harvey (Jan 13)
Mercury Prize winning singer-songwriter PJ Harvey, will be making her very first appearance here in Singapore, as part of Esplande’s Mosaic Music Series. Promoting her latest album, The Hope Six Demolition Project, Singapore will be her only stop in Southeast Asia, where she’ll be bringing her full 10-piece band along for her 75-minute set. Following up on her last record which earned her the Mercury Prize, this album delves into disconcerting global issues (which is much needed with all the terrible things happening as of late); a reflection of sorts after returning from a trip to war-torn countries that led to her photography book on people from Kosovo, Afghanistan and Washington titled The Hollow of the Hand. Tickets are priced from $68 via Esplanade’s site. 8pm, Esplanade Theatre.
Two Door Cinema Club (Jan 16)
Irish indie rock band Two Door Cinema Club (TDCC) is back once again after their two sellout shows in Singapore in 2011 and 2013. Although they didn’t make it to the Laneway bill this year, they’re be playing at The Star Theater to promote the third, and by far the quirkiest record, Gameshow, just a couple of days after the annual festival. Tickets are priced from $68 via Sistic. 8pm, The Star Theatre.
Bryan Adams (Jan 20)
90s’ rock fans can rejoice as Bryan Adams is coming to Singapore and will be performing heart-melters like “Summer of 69”, “Here I am”, and “(Everything I do) I Do It For You”, which incidentally is the longest run number one song in British music history, along with songs from his thirteenth studio album Get Up–up-tempo tracks such as “Brand New Day” and the gentler “We Did It All”. Tickets are priced from $71 via Asia box office. 8pm, Suntec Convention Centre Hall.
Laneway Festival (Jan 21)
The time has come for indie music lovers to plan for this all-day music pilgrimage. Expect a good dose of music from the likes of English indie rock outfit Glass Animals, R&B singer-songwriter Nao, Norwegian pop musician Aurora, British electronic producer Tourist, American rapper Mick Jenkins and the renowned Chet Faker (now known as Nick Murphy). There’s also a host of local and regional acts this year, with Sam Rui’s sensual brand of R&B and experimental rock trio T-Rex—a band made up of members from Anechois, Sphaeras and Amateur Takes Control—making up the Singapore contingent. Indonesia will also be reppin’ this year at Laneway with performances by Stars and Rabbit and Bottlesmoker. Tickets are priced $185 via Sistic. 10am, The Meadow, Gardens by the Bay.
Metallica (Jan 22)
Legendary metal band Metallica is coming back to Singapore after four years. The last time they were here, they rocked out to a 40,000-strong crowd at the Changi Exhibition Center. Singapore is currently their only stop in South-east Asia, and they’ll be performing at the slightly smaller Singapore Indoor Stadium. This time round, they’ll be here as part of their WorldWired Tour to promote their upcoming album, Hardwired… To Self-Destruct, slated for release on Nov 18. Tickets are priced from $158 via Singapore Sports Hub. 8pm, Singapore Indoor Stadium
Bring Me The Horizon (Feb 2)
They were slated to perform at Fort Gate at Fort Canning Park on Sep 27 but later postponed (for the second time this year) because lead singer Oli Skye was diagnosed with acute laryngitis. But don’t fret, they have rescheduled to next year, and with five albums under their belt, we can bear witness to a night of killer riffs and towering vocals. Tickets are priced at $108 via Sistic. 8pm, Fort Gate at Fort Canning Park.
Journey (Feb 10)
One of the greatest American rock bands of all time, Journey, will be making an appearance in Singapore after four years where they came for an one-night performance as part of their 2013 world tour. The five-piece outfit known for crowd favorites like “Faithfully”, “Open Arms” and history’s biggest-selling digital catalog song, “Don’t Stop Believin’, be prepared to be swept away with the iconic, sweeping voice of lead vocalist Arnel Pineda. Tickets are priced from $108 via Sistic. 8pm, The Star Theatre.
Yellowcard (Feb 12)
This will be Yellowcard’s swansong after being in the scene for almost two decades. While they will be promoting their last self-titled album, you can expect a night filled with nostalgia and teen angst as they (hopefully) perform classic hits like “Ocean Avenue” and “Only One’. Tickets are priced from $98 via Sistic. 7pm, The Coliseum, Hard Rock Hotel, Singapore Resorts World
Joe Satriani (Feb 21)
Joe Satriani, who’ll be returning to Singapore for the second time since 2014, is considered as one of the most successful commercial solo guitarists. He’ll be performing at the Kallang Theatre as part of his Asian “Surfing to Shockwave” 2017 tour. It’s going to be a huge blast from the past for any Satriani fan: besides his new releases from the new solo album, Shockwave Supernova, he’s also added a couple of gems from his 30-year career to his repertoire for the night, which includes songs like “Big Bad Moon”, “Not of this Earth” and more. He’ll be bringing his touring band, which consists of Marco Minnemann (drums), Bryan Beller (bass) and Mike Keneally (keyboard/guitar).Tickets are priced from $128 via Sistic. 8pm, Kallang Theatre
Guns N’ Roses (Feb 25)
It’s the first time that the legendary rock band from Los Angeles will be coming together to rock the stage in Singapore, which will be their only stop in Southeast Asia as part of their Not In This Lifetime Tour. Though we already know what to expect from Slash after witnessing his sizzling guitar performance during Singfest in 2010, we are stoked to have them perform at Changi Exhibition Center, the same place Metallica held their unforgettable concert back in 2013. Tickets are priced from $199 via Sistic. 8pm, Changi Exhibition Centre
Explosions In The Sky (Mar 3)
Explosions In The Sky (EITS) made their first appearance in Singapore at the one-off indie music festival, Camp Symmetry in 2013. After four years, they’re be back in Singapore to promote their latest album, The Wilderness. But before they hit the stage, psychedelic rock band, Unknown Mortal Orchestra (their last performance was at Laneway 2014) will be opening the show. We can’t think of any other way to start the concert before EITS stirs up your emotions and pulls at your heartstrings with their post-rock tunes. One thing’s for sure, it is going to be heady performance. Tickets are priced from $98 via Peatix. 7:30pm, The Coliseum, Hard Rock Hotel Singapore, Resorts World Sentosa.
Coldplay (Mar 31-Apr 1)
Coldplay definitely caused a kerfuffle on the internet, once tickets went on sale. Due to an overwhelming response and with scalpers selling the tickets at exorbitant prices, fans were pleased when Coldplay announced another a second date, a day before their initial concert. And as expected, the tickets were sold out lightning fast; all 100,000 of em. If you still want to sing along to their iconic hits like “Yellow”, “Fix You” and “Lost” at the gig, you can try your luck on Carousell. 8pm, National Stadium.
Armin van Buuren (Apr 1)
Your nightlife patron saint Armin van Buuren is returning to Singapore in a huge way. He’ll be bringing his Armin Only Embrace World Tour to The Meadow, Gardens By The Bay for a one-night-only performance, alongside internationally renowned peeps such as Mr. Probz, Kensington, Eric Vloeimans & Cimo Frankel, Angel Taylor and others. They’ll be contributing to a mix of electronic and live sounds, as well as pop, hip-hop, jazz, house and rock music. Tickets are priced from $128 via Ticketbis. 5pm, The Meadow, Gardens by the Bay.
