THENEWYORKER, MARCH 9, 2020 11
ILLUSTRATION BY ALVA SKOG
Spring soon arrives, ushered in by pop
music’s blossoming superstar Billie Eilish,
whose often sullen stylings, though not
exactly seasonal in mood, are sure to be
one of the year’s biggest draws. She plays
a pair of shows, one at Madison Square
Garden (March 15) and the other at
the Barclays Center (March 20), as she
comes off her sweep of the Grammys’
biggest awards. In those arenas, she’s
in the company of giants, with such
legacy acts as Pearl Jam (March 30,
Madison Square Garden), Elton
John, on his long-term farewell tour
(April 6-7, Madison Square Garden
and April 10-11, the Barclays Center),
and Billy Joel, in his ongoing monthly
residency (March 19 and April 10, Mad-
ison Square Garden)—but it’s largely the
more intimate venues that play host to
the most intriguing performers.
The polymathic British producer and
singer Blood Orange takes to Radio City
Music Hall (March 20) on the heels of
his latest mixtape, “Angel’s Pulse,” an ele-
gant collection of outtakes that functions
as an epilogue of sorts to his acclaimed
2018 album, “Negro Swan.” His compa-
triot Thom Yorke, of the beloved band
Radiohead, plays a show of his solo work
on the same stage (March 30). Down-
town, Shabaka Hutchings, a British-Bar-
badian saxophonist and clarinettist
whose jazz fusion and experimentalism
consistently prove breathtaking, brings
his outfit Shabaka and the Ancestors
to Bowery Ballroom (March 30); just a
few days later, the American-born British
singer Celeste arrives with her strikingly
soulful vocals (April 2).
Elsewhere, at Terminal 5, Davido
presents the sunny Nigerian pop of his
aptly named album, “A Good Time”
(March 27), and, at National Sawdust,
the versatile singer-songwriter Kimbra
teams up with Little Kruta, a twenty-
five-piece orchestra that appears here
in an all-female lineup to reimagine
Kimbra’s songs (March 21). Later,
the ensemble provides backing to the
stunning a-cappella vocalist Madison
McFerrin (May 8).
Also in Brooklyn, Holly Herndon
makes her BAM début (March 27) with
a performance of her absorbing album
“PROTO,” from last year, on which
she melds the human voice with elec-
tronic music and artificial intelligence
in an effort to investigate our relation-
ship—both present and future—with
technology and its possibilities. Baby’s
All Right hosts the rising singers UMI
(March 24) and Arlo Parks (April 14),
and, at Brooklyn Steel, the silky-voiced
crooner Brent Faiyaz offers a worthy
conclusion to cuffing season with the
jaded tunes of his latest album, “Fuck
the World” (April 24).
Deeper in the borough, at Kings
Theatre, King Krule takes the stage
in honor of his anguished new album,
“Man Alive!” (April 24), before crossing
the river to Webster Hall (April 25).
The month prior, in an unlikely pair-
ing at Webster, the always captivating,
always funky bassist Thundercat gets
opening support from the rapper Te e -
jayx6, whose comic antics and lyrics
about scamming have earned him a
faithful following in recent months
(March 24-25). And, at another end of
the musical spectrum, the unpredictable
pop singer Rina Sawayama celebrates
her forthcoming début album (May 7).
—Briana Younger
SPRING PREVIEW
Experimental Jazz, Funky Bass, Sullen Pop
NIGHT LIFE
