<body><div>As 2023 has gotten underway, you likely have a whole calendar to fill with events and nights out and activities to make your year a memorable one. Fortunately, you live in the Lehigh Valley.The area is home to quite a few impressive music venues that are consistently filling up their schedules with can’t-miss acts from both the past and present. As the year gets underway, the calendars at spots like the <a href="https://windcreekeventcenter.com/">Wind Creek Event Center</a>, <a href="https://www.pennspeak.com/">Penn’s Peak</a>, <a href="https://pplcenter.com/">PPL Center</a>, <a href="https://statetheatre.org/">State Theatre</a>, <a href="https://steelstacks.org/">Musikfest Cafe</a> and more are about half-filled with enough music to last the whole year, much less through July.So, to help you plan out your next handful of months, we rounded up the most anticipated concerts to hit Lehigh Valley stages starting this coming weekend. And no, we didn’t include the already-announced headlining sets at <a href="https://lehighvalleylive.com/topic/musikfest">Musikfest</a> or the <a href="https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/topic/great%20allentown%20fair">Great Allentown Fair</a>. Those hardly need to be signal-boosted.While none of these shows immediately sold out yet, you’ll need to act fast if you want to build out the most robust concert schedule in the area. Will you try and make it to all 23?7:30 p.m., Jan. 14, State TheatreTickets starting at $55Perhaps he’s best known as Inigo Montoya from “The Princess Bride,” but Mandy Patinkin’s real forte is belting it out on Broadway. He’ll return to the State Theatre in Easton in mid-January for his one-man show, “Mandy Patinkin in Concert: Being Alive,” named for the gorgeous Stephen Sondheim song from the musical “Company.” Patinkin will spend the evening regaling audiences with songs from Broadway history and other American classics, buoyed by his effortless charm.8 p.m., Jan. 14, Wind Creek Event CenterTickets starting at $79.50Perhaps you know him better as the frontman for Matchbox Twenty (more on them later), but Rob Thomas has plenty of solo earworms as well, including 2000s hits like “Lonely No More” and “Her Diamonds.” This month, he’ll be stopping by Wind Creek in Bethlehem for an intimate performance benefitting Sidewalk Angels, his and his wife’s charity, which provides funds and support for no-kill animal shelters across the United States.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0A2BcG_0k7UEiDp00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0A2BcG_0k7UEiDp00" width="1280" height="852" ></figure>7 p.m., Jan. 15, Wind Creek Event CenterTickets starting at $37.50The genre-blending jam band is celebrating its 25th anniversary on its upcoming tour, bringing along a couple decades of favorites plus the newer material released in 2022 on their 14th studio album, “Asking For A Friend.” Catching January’s show is a must for any local fans of the jam band, because like a snowflake, no two Umphrey’s McGee shows are the same.7:30 p.m., Jan. 25, Musikfest CafeTickets starting at $45Since becoming an indie darling in the early 2000s, Neko Case has grown into indie rock royalty tinged with country through 10 albums, the most recent, “Wild Creatures,” coming in 2022. What’s most memorable about Case is her crystalline and often ethereal voice with the slightest twang, which makes her a can’t-miss act no matter what she sings.6:30 p.m., Feb. 4, Wind Creek Event CenterTickets starting at $49.50Delayed a year due to COVID-19, Anthrax is embarking on a 40th anniversary tour with a stop in the Lehigh Valley. Veteran metal-heads in the Lehigh Valley will be right at home with the metal icons, and younger metal-heads will get a dose of music education from the older generation. Anthrax is touring with Black Label Society, a group with two decades of their own under their belt.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4enJVS_0k7UEiDp00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4enJVS_0k7UEiDp00" width="1280" height="720" ></figure>7:30 p.m., Feb. 4, PPL CenterTickets starting at $46What can be said about Journey that hasn’t been already? The massively successful rock group has hits for days, including “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart),” “Open Arms” and “Lights,” and a swatch of fans that’s only continued to grow since the group burst onto the scene in the late 1970s. Joining them on their Freedom Tour stop in Allentown is Toto, who’s best known for their hit “Africa,” but with other hits like “Rosanna” and “Hold The Line,” are no slouches themselves.8 p.m., Feb. 17, Wind Creek Event CenterTickets starting at $39.50Ever since she released her debut single “Paper Roses” as a teenager, Marie Osmond has been a constant in show business; music, books, movies — you name it, she’s done it. And she doesn’t show any signs of slowing down, either, releasing a 2021 album, “Unexpected,” that features her take on classics like “What a Wonderful World,” “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and “Climb Every Mountain.”8 p.m., Feb. 19, Wind Creek Event CenterTickets starting at $95Two veterans of the Latin American music scene will share the stage come February, as Mexican-American singer Marisela and El Salvadorian singer and songwriter Álvaro Torres come to Bethlehem’s Southside. Both stars have decades of music to their name — Marisela released her first album at age 18 in 1984, and a 22-year-old Torres debuted his first solo album in 1976.8 p.m., Feb. 23, Wind Creek Event CenterTickets starting at $59.50Costello, a Londoner with 50 years of performing to his name, is one of the most prolific rock songwriters in history, penning hits for Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, Linda Ronstadt and dozens more, but he’s also a can’t miss act himself. Whether he’s pulling from his own expansive catalog or covering a track by one of his many famous friends, it’ll be clear why his career has lasted this long and hasn’t shown signs of slowing down.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1hJqY0_0k7UEiDp00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1hJqY0_0k7UEiDp00" width="1280" height="924" ></figure>8 p.m., Feb. 24, Wind Creek Event CenterTickets starting at $49.50An Englishman and an Australian walk into a rehearsal for “Jesus Christ Superstar.” That’s not the set-up for a joke, it’s the Air Supply origin story. Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock got started playing night clubs and pizza parlors nightly after their performance of the musical, and that started a decades-long musical partnership. They broke out in the U.S. in the 1980s with hits like “Lost In Love,” “Making Love Out of Nothing At All” and plenty other smash singles.7:30 p.m., March 3, State TheatreTickets starting at $99If you’re anywhere in the Downtown Easton area on March 3, you may think you hear the faint voices of angels, but it’s actually just Il Divo, the multinational quartet, belting out the classics onstage at the State Theatre. Embarking on their “A New Day” tour following the 2021 death of member Carlos Marín, the quartet’s show promises to be a powerful, emotional experience with some of the strongest operatic voices in the world.7:30 p.m., March 24, Musikfest CafeTickets starting at $20The Feelies, while perhaps not commercially successful in their era, are probably one of the favorite bands of your favorite band. Cited as an influence of R.E.M., the group from Haledon, New Jersey, were heralded as “the New York area’s best-loved underground rockers since the late 1970s” by The New York Times in 1986, with tons of praise heaped on their 1980 debut album, “Crazy Rhythms.” The Feelies spent much of their heyday touring with R.E.M., Lou Reed, The Patti Smith Group and Bob Dylan. Clearly, a band for the truest of music-lovers.7:30 p.m., April 1, Musikfest CafeTickets starting at $25It’ll be quite the night for guitarists on April 1, because one of the Lehigh Valley’s best, Craig Thatcher, is teaming up with veteran guitar icon Lenny Kaye. The New York native has plenty of credits to his name, the most impressive of which is his time spent in the Patti Smith Group and the Jim Carroll Band. And Thatcher, of course, needs no introduction in the Lehigh Valley as one of the region’s most beloved regular performers.8 p.m., April 1, Wind Creek Event CenterTickets starting at $35It’s not an April Fools’ Day joke, Wind Creek is opening April by playing host to one of the best living blues-rock guitarists. The Louisiana-born Shepherd is touring to commemorate the 25th anniversary of his sophomore album, “Trouble Is,” which contains some of his most popular hits like “Blue on Black” and “True Lies.”<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4DUKif_0k7UEiDp00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4DUKif_0k7UEiDp00" width="1280" height="784" ></figure>7:30 p.m., April 14, State TheatreTickets starting at $36The wickedly talented and impeccably dressed Stuart hardly needs an introduction. Returning to the Lehigh Valley (he last played in the area at Musikfest in 2019) with his Fabulous Superlatives in tow, Stuart brings a rich history of hits in the country music scene, including hits like “Burn Me Down” and his duet with Travis Tritt, “The Whiskey Ain’t Workin’.”8 p.m., April 16, Penn’s PeakTickets starting at $35Mickey Dolenz will make his way to the Poconos for an evening of celebrating the music of The Monkees, the beloved but short-lived ‘60s pop group that started as a television show. The last surviving member of the group, Dolenz will take the stage at Penn’s Peak with the hits of The Monkees coming with him, including “I’m a Believer,” “Last Train to Clarkesville” and “Daydream Believer.”8 p.m., April 19, Wind Creek Event CenterTickets starting at $59You might be more familiar with Lewis’ voice from his work as frontman of the metal band Staind, but his roots lie in country music. He’s been releasing solo work in the genre since 2011, including his most recent album, “Frayed At Both Ends,” in 2022. The music is a far cry from his metal days, but it’s a change of pace that suits his voice well and offers a much more intimate, raw sound.7:30 p.m., May 6, Miller Symphony HallTickets starting at $25While the nonagenarian composer won’t be conducting himself, the Allentown Symphony Orchestra will spend an evening performing classic tracks from Williams’ iconic film scores, which include franchises like “Star Wars,” “Harry Potter” and “Indiana Jones,” and iconic themes for “Jaws” and “Jurassic Park.” Any self-proclaimed fan of cinematic music cannot miss this performance.8 p.m., May 13, Wind Creek Event CenterTickets starting at $39.50While most original members of both groups have passed on, Otis Williams of The Temptations and Duke Fakir of the Four Tops have continued to bring the spirit and tradition of two of Motown’s biggest and brightest acts more than 60 years after they got their respective starts in 1960 and 1953. With newer members building out the groups, these aren’t exactly your parents’ Motown stars, but they both still bring the hits, including “My Girl” and “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg” from The Temps and “Reach Out I’ll Be There” and “Ain’t No Woman” from the Four Tops.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2329nR_0k7UEiDp00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2329nR_0k7UEiDp00" width="1280" height="720" ></figure>8 p.m., May 18, PPL CenterTickets starting at $49.95On her “Together Again” tour, the illustrious Janet Jackson will be reuniting with her fans to celebrate milestones for two of her classic albums — the 25th anniversary of “The Velvet Rope” and the 30th anniversary of “janet.” She’ll be joined by beloved 2000s rapper (not to mention star of the “Fast &amp; Furious franchise) Ludacris.8 p.m., June 16, Penn’s PeakTickets starting at $44America may not be one of the upper echelon of enduring 1970s rock bands, but if you take a look at their catalog, it’s clear that maybe they should be. The classic soft-rockers have a pile of hits that include “A Horse With No Name,” “You Can Do Magic,” “Ventura Highway” and “Sister Golden Hair.” The group, which ironically was made up of sons of U.S. Air Force service members living in London at the time, has stood the test of time thanks to charter members Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell, who are well-worth the trip north for a trip back to the ‘70s.7:30 p.m., July 15, Miller Symphony HallTickets starting at $12.50If there’s one set of movie music that can rival John Williams’ expansive catalog, it’s the music of Disney. Not only will the Allentown Symphony Orchestra be performing, it’ll be joined by a bevy of Broadway singers to add some vocals to songs from tons of favorites, including “The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin,” “The Lion King,” “Frozen,” “Moana” and more. It’s a perfect family outing that doubles as affordable and accessible exposure for children to the Allentown gem that is the symphony.7:30 p.m., July 19, Wind Creek Event CenterTickets starting at $76Debuting in the late 1990s, Matchbox Twenty became one of the biggest bands of the aughts with hits like “3AM,” “Unwell,” “How Far We’ve Come” and “If You’re Gone.” They’ll bring those hits that ignited their radio wave dominance to the Wind Creek Center just six months after frontman Rob Thomas’ solo show.Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to <a href="http://lehighvalleylive.com/">lehighvalleylive.com</a>.Connor Lagore may be reached at <a href="mailto:clagore@njadvancemedia.com">clagore@njadvancemedia.com</a>.</div></body>

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The 23 most anticipated Lehigh Valley concerts to start 2023

As 2023 has gotten underway, you likely have a whole calendar to fill with events and nights out and activities to make your year a memorable one. Fortunately, you live in the Lehigh Valley. The area is home to quite a few impressive music venues that are consistently filling up...