11 concerts to see this week, including Say She She, Chestnut Grove, The Hold Steady and more

One-of-a-kind collabs, solo shows, and jubilant pop are on offer in and around Philly this week.

By John Vettese

January 29, 2023

11 concerts to see this week, including Say She She, Chestnut Grove, The Hold Steady and more

The Hold Steady | photo by Shervin Lainez

Here are 11 concerts to see in the next seven days, all around Philly. For more information, head to WXPN’s Concerts and Events page.

Sunday 1/29: Lizdelise at Johnny Brenda’s

Experimental Philly trio Lizdelise is gearing up for a big year, and it begins tonight at Johnny Brenda’s. As our Paige Walter said in a 2022 wrap-up, the band only released one single last year, “and damn if it’s not a powerful one.” The pensive “WMN” touches on themes of gender identity and society’s perceptions, and we’ll be able to hear the band play it — as well as tease music from their upcoming new album — on an all-Philly bill with Queen Rat and Samryebread. // 8 p.m., $12, 21+

Lizdelise - WMN

Sunday 1/29: Esperanza Spalding and Fred Hersch at New Jersey Performing Arts Center

This special collaboration between two jazz-adjacent luminaries — pianist Fred Hersch and vocalist and composer Esperanza Spalding — is a solid reason to venture up I-95 or, for our New York readers, across the Holland Tunnel. Spalding and Hersch’s two shows today are an extension of their collaborative live album Alive at the Village Vanguard and promises a deeply varied evening showcasing selections from the Great American Songbook, Brazilian classics, and beyond. // 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., $69, AA

Esperanza Spalding and Fred Hersch - But Not For Me

Monday 1/30: Say She She at The Lounge at World Cafe Live

One of the best albums that you maybe didn’t hear last year, Say She She’s Prism released in October and is a dreamy survey of R&B styles. You’ll pick up hints of Supremes-esque Motown to TLC-styled hip-hop bops, divine disco to stylish soul, with some songs throwing it all in the same pot to make something beautiful. They’re on the rise so see them this Monday while they’re still at small spaces like The Lounge at World Cafe Live. // 8 p.m., $15, AA

Say She She - Prism

Tuesday 1/31: Ben Thornewill at The Lounge at World Cafe Live

It’s a good week to visit our neighbors / roommates at World Cafe Live; their Lounge stage in particular is busting with noteable gigs this week, continuing on Tuesday night when Jukebox The Ghost lead singer and pianist Ben Thornewill pays a visit. While the indie pop darlings of the Northeast corridor released their sixth album Cheers last year, Thornewill uses his solo tours as an anything-goes space: playing faves from his main gig, sharing his own solo tunes from records like 2021’s Quiet At The End Of The Day, or embarking on meditative instrumentals like we heard on 2017’s gorgeous First Improvisations. // 8 p.m., $18, AA

Ben Thornewill - Songbirds

Wednesday 2/1: Meet The Bug at The Lounge At World Cafe Live

One more night at The Lounge? Arrive early for this Wednesday gig, when Meet The Bug — the reflective DIY pop project of Philly’s Cariahbel Azemar — opens for Cosette Gobat, who we caught a few weeks back at Abyssinia. It’ll be a night of contrasts, with Meet The Bug’s warm synth-and-guitar reflections of childhood memory and life lessons sitting alongside Gobat’s explosive guitar-cello-and-drums catharsis, but by closing time it will make you feel. // 8 p.m., $10, 21+

Meet The Bug - Cart Barn Sessions

Thursday 2/2: Jon Spencer & the HITmakers at Johnny Brenda’s

Indie royalty Jon Spencer brings his new band The HITmakers to Philly Thursday night for a headlining show at Johnny Brenda’s. After almost a quarter century making raucous rock with his legendary trio Blues Explosion — and going back even further with his bands Boss Hog and Pussy Galore — he disbanded that group last year, and announced that his next chapter features accompaniment by Sam Coomes of Quasi, which should be enough to quicken the pulse of music heads of a certain age. // 9 p.m., $25, 21+

Jon Spencer and the HITMakers - Death Ray

Friday 2/3: So Percussion & Caroline Shaw at Zellerbach Theatre

Expressionist quartet Sō Percussion and Pulitzer-Prize winning composer and vocalist Caroline Shaw have an out-of-this-world show prepared for their date on Penn’s campus this Friday. It’ll be a sonic lesson in music theory and an odyssey of feeling for aficionados and appreciators alive. Get there early for a talk with Shaw and Penn’s Professor of Music Anna Weesner. // 8 p.m., $48 and up, AA

Friday 2/3: Chestnut Grove at The Music Hall at World Cafe Live

Is it Chestnut Grove or Chestnut Grooooove? Jokes aside, the Philadelphia-area five-piece know how to ride a beat. We last saw Chestnut Grove in this very room in August for their Free at Noon debut in advance of their performance at XPoNential Festival last year. They’re sure to bring the same fun-loving vibe again to their set on Friday night. // 8 p.m., $15 and up, AA

Chestnut Grove - Ain't Got Nobody (Official Video)

Friday 2/3: Caring Less at The Fire

Newcomers Caring Less have been making the rounds at local watering holes as of late in promotion of their 2022 self-titled EP. If you haven’t caught them yet, give their Fire show a chance; their straight-ahead pop-rock is lit up by singer Sara Johnson’s Stefani-esque voice. // 7:30 p.m., $15, 21+

Caring Less - Rind

Saturday 2/4: Patty Griffin at Scottish Rite Auditorium

A master in folk song storytelling, Patty Griffin belongs to the great American troubadour tradition. Her latest, Tape, is a charming collection of home recordings and rarities that show the purity of her craft. Hear songs from Tape and more (with an expected full band) at New Jersey’s Scottish Rite Auditorium for a lovely Saturday night out. // 8 p.m., $69 and up, AA

Patty Griffin: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

Saturday 2/4: The Hold Steady at Brooklyn Bowl Philly

We love this gig for the sake of The Hold Steady, who picked back up where they left off writing 80s stadium rock after a brief hiatus in 2019 — their new album The Price of Progress is out in March and they recently released a new ripper called “Sideways Skull” — but also for the sake of local openers Friendship. The latter had a transformative year in 2022 with their steadying LP Love the Stranger which helped the band get picked up by Merge Records. // 8 p.m., $35 and up, 21+

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