Music - The Boston Globe

Roisin Waters, Sinead O'Connor's daughter, performs "Nothing Compares 2 U" at the Carnegie Hall tribute to her late mother and singer Shane MacGowan.

The songs of Sinead O’Connor and Shane MacGowan fill Carnegie Hall in a fiery salute

An all-star tribute brought their defiant music back to piercing, roaring life. Performers included Billy Bragg, David Gray, Imelda May, Amanda Palmer, Dropkick Murphys, and Bettye LaVette.

Introducing Sound Check, the Globe’s weekly go-to guide for music lovers
With new releases on the way, Buffalo Tom, Joyner Lucas, and Ballroom Thieves are among a bevy of local artists with some spring in their step.

With ‘1972,’ Chadwick Stokes sets a rock opera in the days before Roe
On Friday, Stokes will debut the work-in-progress in a sold-out performance at the Somerville Theatre. It’s a benefit for Calling All Crows, the activist organization he cofounded with his wife, Sybil Gallagher.

Taylor Swift-themed planetarium show opens at the Springfield Museums this weekend

Get ready for a field trip (Taylor’s Version).

Bruce Springsteen returns to the stage in Phoenix after health issues postponed his 2023 world tour
In September Springsteen, 74, announced his tour would be delayed until 2024, citing doctor's advice as he recovered from peptic ulcer disease.

CLASSICAL NOTES
BSO celebrates Wayne Shorter’s symphonic legacy
Before the jazz legend died at 89 last March, he curated a concert that will reach Boston audiences this weekend.

Spotify paid $9 billion in royalties in 2023. Here’s what fueled the growth.
Spotify's “Loud & Clear” report noted record accomplishments, including the highest annual payment from any retailer to the music industry.

Fenway organist Josh Kantor is limbering up for Opening Day
Kantor has a show at City Winery on Wednesday, with guests including Vance Gilbert, Kelly Hogan, and former Sox pitcher Lenny DiNardo.

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Latest Headlines in Music

MUSIC REVIEW

At the Orpheum Theatre, Jon Batiste dispatched heart-swelling optimism and dynamic excerpts from “We Are” and “World Music Radio.”

Jon Batiste transmits a joyful ‘World Music Radio’ at the Orpheum

In the context of Batiste’s radical joy, it’s no hyperbole to say his Boston show was indeed spiritual. 6:27 a.m.

MUSIC REVIEW

Singer Ken Casey performs with Dropkick Murphys at Citizens House of Blues Thursday night, the first of four nights of shows in Boston.

Dropkick Murphys get the St. Paddy’s party started

On the first of four consecutive nights of holiday shows, the band was as ferocious as ever. 1:23 p.m.

Musicians, including Boston Celtic Music Festival director Summer McCall, gather for an Irish music session at The Druid in Cambridge, March 12.

What is Boston’s Irish music scene without Brian O’Donovan?

Because of St. Patrick’s Day, March is an especially busy season for most performers of Celtic music, but for Brian, “every month was an important music month.” 3:33 p.m.

Gary Smith, who died in 2023, was a guiding light for many of Boston’s best bands.

A two-night Gary Smith tribute celebrates the Fort Apache studios community he built

For two decades, Smith was a guiding light for many of Boston’s best bands — Pixies, Buffalo Tom, Blake Babies — and a few visitors from across the pond, such as Billy Bragg. 3:51 p.m.

Carrie Brownstein (left) and Corin Tucker of Sleater-Kinney. The band, now beginning its fourth decade, plays the Paradise Sunday.

For Sleater-Kinney and Carrie Brownstein, it’s been 30 years and change

"This far along," Brownstein says, "there’s no reason to put out an album that sounds like another album of ours." Sleater-Kinney, which recently released "Little Rope," plays the Paradise Sunday. 12:36 p.m.

Richard Thompson headlines the final day of the Back Porch Festival in Northampton.

Back Porch fest headliner Richard Thompson made great use of all that free time

The singer-songwriter and guitar virtuoso comes to Northampton Sunday ahead of the May release of "Ship to Shore," his first album in six years, written when the pandemic forced him off the road. 4:50 p.m.

Beyonce performed at a Get Out the Vote concert in Cleveland, Ohio, Nov. 4, 2016. Beyonce shared details on her new album Tuesday.

Beyoncé's new album will be called ‘Act II: Cowboy Carter’

Beyoncé is full of surprises — and on Tuesday, dropped yet another one. 3:40 p.m.

Martha Wash (center) is joined by Linda Clifford (left) and Norma Jean Wright on the First Ladies of Disco tour that arrives at Arlington's Regent Theatre on Saturday.

‘Queen of Clubland’ Martha Wash insisted on being seen as well as heard

The singer memorably contributed to a pair of '90s dance hits, and when she was denied recognition, she fought and won. This weekend, Wash comes to town as part of the First Ladies of Disco tour. 2:10 p.m.