We’re drifting into college rock season when indie bands and quirky singer/songwriters rule.
There’s some evidence of that transition on Connecticut stages this week, with Mother Mother and Briston Maroney among others. Yet this week is dominated by loud classic-style rockers from Creed to Testament to Kings of Leon to the Doobie Brothers.
Country stars Travis Tritt and Trace Adkins are around, as are the sensitive Kentucky act The Cold Stares . Puerto Rican dance-pop star Luis Fonsi is at Foxwoods, and the pop superstar of the moment, Sabrina Carpenter, is at the XL Center.
If it’s just beginning to feel like fall for you, you can see some of these big old stadium acts and pretend it’s still summer.
Creed Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater, 500 Broad St., Bridgeport
The Floridian “With Arms Wide Open” rockers formed 30 years ago and have undergone some very long hiatuses. The bans is back on the road with Scott Stapp at the mic on Sept. 30 at 7 p.m. at Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater in Bridgeport with Tonic and Finger Eleven. $153-$828. hartfordhealthcareamp.com .
Mother Mother Toad’s Place, 300 York St., New Haven
The Canadian rock band Mother Mother has a new album out, “Grief Chapter.” They will rock the stage in New Haven on Sept. 30 at 8 p.m. $50.75-$171.50. toadsplace.com .
National Bunraku Theatre Quick Center for the Arts, 200 Barlow Road, Fairfield
Japan’s National Theatre is renowned for how it has maintained the centuries-old puppetry style of Bunraku. Oct. 1 at 7:30 p.m. $35. quickcenter.fairfield.edu .
Psychedelic Furs and The Jesus and Mary Chain College Street Music Hall, 238 College St., New Haven
It’s a tremendous double bill of Psychedelic Furs — a dark British post-punk band who became New Wave darlings with “Pretty in Pink” — and the unassuming feedback frenzied Scottish “Psycho Candy” purveyors The Jesus and Mary Chain. Loud swirling guitar sounds will rock all night long in New Haven. $53.96-$115.76. collegestreetmusichall.com .
CupcakKe Toad’s Place, 300 York St., New Haven
The adorably vulgar rapper has a new album out, “Dauntless Manifesto,” and a show on Oct. 1 at 9 p.m. at Toad’s Place in New Haven. $41.25. toadsplace.com .
Sabrina Carpenter XL Center, 1 Civic Center Plaza, Hartford
The overnight superstar hits Hartford on Oct. 2 at 7 p.m. The show is sold out. “Verified resale tickets” available on the XL Center website for between $325 and $1,500. xlcenter.com .
Briston Maroney College Street Music Hall, 238 College St., New Haven
Tennessee singer/songwriter Briston Maroney’s latest album is “Ultrapure,” and this leg of his tour is called “Ultrapure Part 2.” Oct. 2 at 8 p.m. $38.52-$49.32. collegestreetmusichall.com .
‘The Shark is Broken’ Playhouse on Park, 244 Park Road, West Hartford
Ian Shaw and Joseph Nixon’s comedy “The Shark is Broken” was written in 2019 and had an off-Broadway run last year. It’s about the actors Richard Dreyfuss, Roy Scheider and Robert Shaw stuck on a boat during the filming of the blockbuster “Jaws.” Oct. 2-20 at Playhouse on Park. Performances are Tuesdays at 2 p.m., Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2 and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. $42.50-$55, $25 for previews on Oct. 2 and 3. playhouseonpark.org .
The Cold Stares The Palace, 61 Atlantic St., Stamford
The Indiana rock outfit The Cold Stares are at the Stamford Palace on Oct. 3 at 8 p.m., touring behind their new album “The Southern.” $17.50. palacestamford.org .
Travis Tritt Foxwoods Resort Casino, 350 Trolley Line Blvd., Mashantucket
A major country star since 1989, Travis Tritt is now in his 60s. He’s returning to Foxwoods’ Premier Theater on Oct. 3 at 8 p.m., almost exactly a year after he last played there. His latest album is “Set in Stone” from 2021. $49-$156. foxwoods.com .
Lotus Toad’s Place, 300 York St., New Haven
The electronic jam — or, as they call it, “jamtronica” – band Lotus, originally from Indiana, is at Toad’s Place on Oct. 3 at 9 p.m. on their “How to Dream in Colour” tour. Tim Palmieri, a Connecticut local band legend from The Breakfast, Kung Fu and his “Beatles A to Z” sets, has been a member of Lotus since 2021. $35.25. toadsplace.com .
‘Hadestown’ Palace Theater, 100 E. Main St., Waterbury
Anaïs Mitchell’s extraordinary modern song-cycle retelling of the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice in the underworld, vividly staged by Rachel Chavkin, continues to run on Broadway and has also had a nationally touring production since 2021. This is the third time “Hadestown” has visited Connecticut, for a four-day engagement at the Waterbury Palace. The show is known for letting new cast members reinterpret the main roles, so even if you saw “Hadestown” at The Bushnell or the Shubert Theatre, there may be fresh revelations with this company. Oct. 3 and 4 at 8 p.m. Oct. 5 at 2 and 8 p.m. and Oct. 6 at 1 p.m. $59-$101. palacetheaterct.org .
‘Alabama Story’ Ivoryton Playhouse, 103 Main St., Ivoryton
Kenneth Jones’ engrossing drama of a librarian standing up against those who want to ban books is based on the real story of Emily Wheelock Reed and the Southern segregations who wanted her to remove the children’s book “The Rabbit’s Wedding” from library shelves. The Ivoryton Playhouse production features the theater’s artistic director Jacqueline Hubbard in the lead role. Oct. 3-20. Performances are Wednesdays at 2 and 7:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m., with an opening 2 p.m. matinee on Oct. 3. $60, $55 seniors, $25 students. ivorytonplayhouse.org .
Wage War Oakdale Theatre, 95 S. Turnpike Road, Wallingford
The Florida metalcore band Wage War released its new album “Stigma” in June. They use one of the songs from that album, “The Show’s About to Start,” to start their live shows. Wage War plays the Oakdale dome area on Oct. 4 at 6:30 p.m. $35.25-$165. concerts.livenation.com .
Michael Carbonaro The Palace, 61 Atlantic St., Stamford
Illusionist Michael Carbonaro, known for his viral videos, his appearances on Jay Leno’s “Tonight Show” and his own series “The Carbonaro Effect” brings his live “Lies on Stage” tour to the Stamford Palace on Oct. 4 at 7:30 p.m. $48-$65. palacestamford.org .
Brian Regan Foxwoods Resort Casino, 350 Trolley Line Blvd., Mashantucket
Stand-up comedian Brian Regan does observational comedy from a truly absurd viewpoint. Like “Somebody told me TV adds 10 pounds. I didn’t believe it until I was watching this show about ants, and I was like ‘Wow! Those things look like they weigh 10.0001 pounds!'” Oct. 4 at 8 p.m. at Foxwoods’ Great Cedar Showroom. $56-$144. foxwoods.com .
Luis Fonsi Foxwoods Resort Casino, 350 Trolley Line Blvd., Mashantucket
Luis Fonsi’s dance pops include “Despacito” and the Demi Lovato duet “Échame la Culpa.” Fonsi, who released his latest album “El Viaje” this year, is at Foxwoods’ Premier Theater on Oct. 4 at 8 p.m. $92-$586. foxwoods.com .
Lupe Fiasco The Webster, 61 Webster St., Hartford
Chicago-rooted rapper/producer Lupe Fiasco released his ninth album this year. In recent years, he has also published a graphic novel and has exhibited his artwork. He also runs a production company and has a whole other band he leads, Japanese Cartoon. Lupe Fiasco is at The Webster on Oct. 4 at 8 p.m. $48.65, $609.15 VIP booth, $1209.15 VIP suite. thewebsterct.com .
Adrienne Warren Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 East Ridge, Ridgefield
Broadway diva Adrienne Warren, who starred in the musicals “Tina,” “Bring It On” and “ Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed,” does her concert act on Oct. 4 at 8 p.m. at the Ridgefield Playhouse. $45-$65. ridgefieldplayhouse.org .
‘Describe the Night’ Enfield Square Mall, 90 Elm St., Enfield
Rajiv Joseph’s “Describe the Night” takes two stories based on real Russian historical events — the writer Isaac Babel’s adventures as a soldier in 1920, and the 2010 plane crash that killed most of the leaders of the Polish government — and combines them into an epic modern drama. This is the community-based Dionysus Theatre Company’s first production in its new space at the Enfield Square Mall, Oct. 4-20. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. $22. dionysustheatrecompany.org .
Kings of Leon Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater, 500 Broad St., Bridgeport
The wildly popular Tennessee rockers Kings of Leon only play Connecticut every three or four years. This tour has a new album behind it, “Can We Please Have Fun,” released in May. The New York psychedelic pop duo Phantogram is the opening act. Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. $123-$211.20. hartfordhealthcareamp.com .
Ryan Hamilton The Bushnell, 166 Capitol Ave., Hartford
The clean-cut happy-faced comedian Ryan Hamilton brings his humorous outlook to The Bushnell on Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. $25-$45. bushnell.org .
Doobie Brothers Mohegan Sun Arena, 1 Mohegan Sun Blvd., Uncasville
According to the band’s website, the current touring lineup includes guitarists/vocalist Pat Simmons and Tom Johnston, guitarist/fiddler John McFee, keyboardist Michael McDonald, saxophonist Marc Russo, drummer Ed Toth, bassist John Cowan and percussionist Marc Quiñones. Oct. 5 at 7:30 p.m. $69-$460. mohegansun.com .
‘Wheel of Fortune Live!’ Oakdale Theatre, 95 S. Turnpike Road, Wallingford
Hot on the heels of “The Price is Right Live!,” which toured through Connecticut last month, it’s “Wheel of Fortune Live!” with host Bob Goen, audience co-host Kerry Ipema and announcer Cody Dove. Oct. 5 at 7:30 p.m. $27-$168.15. concerts.livenation.com .
Testament and Kreator College Street Music Hall, 238 College St., New Haven
Testament is, um, a testament to the staying power of classic headbanging American heavy metal. The band formed nearly 40 years ago in California and still features its founding guitarists Alex Skolnick and Eric Peterson and longtime vocalist Chuck Billy. Testament is on tour with an important German band of similar vintage, Kreator. Oct. 5 at 8 p.m. $53.96-$80.22. collegestreetmusichall.com .
Celtic Magic: An Evening of Irish Illusion with Daniel GreenWolf and Bella Seven Angels Theatre, 1 Plank Rd., Waterbury
Daniel GreenWolf and Bella are familiar from the Renaissance Faire performing circuit, mixing Celtic traditions with timeless illusions and lots of humor. See them indoors for two shows on Oct. 5 at 8 p.m. and Oct. 6 at 2 p.m. $25. sevenangelstheatre.org .
Dirty Honey Foxwoods Resort Casino, 350 Trolley Line Blvd., Mashantucket
Dirty Honey is one of those bands that has only been around a few years but sounds like they were frozen in time in 1978. The hard-rocking L.A. quartet is playing the kind of big theater venues that suit the band, with a Foxwoods Great Cedar Showroom show on Oct. 5 at 8 p.m. $49-$121. foxwoods.com .
Trace Adkins Foxwoods Resort Casino, 350 Trolley Line Blvd., Mashantucket
This Trace Adkins appearance at Foxwoods’ Premier Theater was originally announced as a double bill with Billy Ray Cyrus, but Cyrus had a scheduling conflict. Adkins has over a quarter century of country hits to his name, from “This Ain’t No Thinkin’ Thing” to “Hillbilly Bone” (with Blake Shelton). Six of his nearly 20 albums are greatest hits collections, and he’s got a steady career in TV and movies as well. Oct. 5 at 8 p.m. $49-$215.05. foxwoods.com .
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