From Missy to ‘Les Mis,’ a guide to the coolest entertainment (not) under the sun

In those rhapsodic locales to our north whence so many of us have hailed, summertime is the giddy season that redeems the restive hibernation of winter. Then, for the sunny span of 93.6 days, it is imperative for everybody to get outdoors and soak in every frolicking one of the 8 million-plus seconds of feetingly beautiful weather. That’s the prevailing notion, anyway.

But it’s one that doesn’t really hold in South Florida, does it? For many of us here, the reality is more: “Summer? Meh.”

If you take away the vacations and throw in the H-word, the season just ain’t that special. How could it be when, thanks to our famous year-round clime, we get an all-season pass to get out of the house? Alas, climate change has necessitated a bit of rethinking. Increasingly, summer is becoming for us what winter is for our Northern brethren —meaning, the place to be is the great indoors (for us, in the sovereign A.C.).

Like the weather, South Florida’s arts calendar stays hot now year-round as well. But with highs persistently in the ’90s and the sun often better braved than basked in, the price of any civilized summer ticket best come with air-conditioning, wouldn’t you agree? So here, with apologies to our lovely outdoor stages, we offer a guide to some of the coolest shows of the season — at only those venues where you can, literally, chill.

Candlelight: A Tribute to Taylor Swift June 14, The Sanctuary Church, Fort Lauderdale, $36-$71, feverup.com.

Tortured Swifties who just can’t wait until “The Eras Tour” arrives in October can get a provisional fix in this trendy, atmospheric setting — which, rest assured, will share as much in common with the impending Hard Rock Stadium scene as, say, Taylor’s and Travis’s professions. Conceived as a classical music series, Candlelight Concerts now embrace a variety of genres and are presented in more than 150 cities worldwide. In this one, performed by the Listeso String Quartet, the ear-wormy melodies of Shake It Off, Love Story, AntiHero, etc., will be swathed in churchy resonance and the flickering ambience of thousands of LED candles — and, one presumes, a chorus of whispered lyrics from the audience.

Justin Timberlake June 15, Kaseya Center, Miami, $81-$5,000 (verified resale), kaseyacenter.com.

The R&B/pop singer’s new album, Everything I Thought It Was, has received lackluster reviews. And his bro-bro image has taken recent hits from former flame Britney Spears’ memoir and revisited “Nipplegate” fallout. Yet you couldn’t tell from the ticket sales. A string of sellouts for his “Forget Tomorrow World Tour” has spawned second dates in certain cities as well as the announcement of a second leg in the fall. Maybe the T in JT stands for Teflon?

Les Misérables June 18-23, Arsht Center, Miami, $45-$155, arshtcenter.org.

There are musicals … and then there are phenomena such as Les Mis, one of Broadway’s and, indeed, the world’s longest-running musicals. Next year will mark the 40th since its first English-language production premiered in London’s West End, but the Tony-winner’s distinctions aren’t limited to longevity, of course. “One of the greatest musicals ever created” (Chicago Tribune) and “a Les Mis for the 21st century” (Huffington Post) are among accolades for this staging. As the sung-through score soars over the backdrops of Revolutionary-era France, the impassioned adaptation of Victor Hugo’s classic evokes the spectrum of human emotions in celebrating the survival of the human spirit.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers June 23, Hard Rock Live, $265-$505, casino.hardrock.com/hollywood.

Despite a somewhat punky posture and — let’s call it — “free-spirited” presence (re: Flea), the LA quartet has generated rather mainstream respectability, selling over 80 million records, earning six Grammys and most recently notching two No. 1 albums — Unlimited Love and Return of the Dream Canteen. Fronted by Anthony Kiedis, buttressed by bassist Flea and re-energized by the second-time around return of guitarist John Frusciante, the Californicators have matured into a stylistically ecumenical force to be reckoned with. “The Unlimited Love Tour” breezes down from amphitheater stops in West Palm and Tampa earlier in the week, but this climate-controlled appearance will be the coolest way to see the Red Hots. Flea may even need to keep his clothes on.

Mamma Mia! June 25-30, Kravis Center, West Palm Beach, $40-$120, kravis.org.

The hit ABBA musical may be set on a Greek isle, but the audience will be chill with the shivery harmonies that evoke the Swedish supergroup’s nippy native Stockholm (average June high: 69). The show’s book revolves around Sophie, a fiancée who wants her father to walk her down the aisle — but isn’t sure which of three possibilities he actually is. This is the fourth touring incarnation of the jukebox smash that enjoyed a prodigious Broadway residency of nearly 14 years. It’s at once high-powered and heart-warming, with vocal performances as buoyant as its choreography — such as the show-stopping chorus line high-kicking in wetsuits and flippers! Dancing queens, indeed.

Cirque Du Soleil: Corteo July 11-14 and 18-21, Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise, $64-$139, amerantbankarena.com.

On the heels of Echo, an extended Gulfstream Park engagement that closed in April, the company that made the circus cool returns to the other end of the county to reprise an old favorite. First produced in 2005, Cortero has been seen by over 8 million throughout the world. Reformatted from the Big Top to the arena, it features added surprises as it blends the passion of the actor with the power of the acrobat. In this stylistically baroque production, a clown imagines the carnival atmosphere of his own funeral procession. And chilled in this ice-hockey palace, you’ll be able to imagine you’re not in sweltering South Florida.

Zach Bryan July 22, Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise, $95-$634, amerantbankarena.com.

Three years ago I got this text from a tuned-in Nashville buddy named Terry: “This guy is killing me. Still in the Navy. Put him in rotation now. #ZachBryan.” It came with an 18-second clip of a sweaty young man singing and strumming an acoustic guitar with the passion of a young Springsteen. I listened to Bryan’s album, DeAnn, and was most impressed with the songwriting chops and outright earnestness. Yet, I wondered, how could a bare-bones artist with such blatant lack of artifice hope to make it in Taylor Swift’s world? Well, apparently talent this fluid seeks its own level. And now with a fervent following, a chart-topping album and single, and a country-rock band behind those acoustic strums, Bryan is selling out arenas with his “Quittin Time Tour” — and Terry’s earned himself some told-you-so swagger.

Missy Elliott July 25, Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise, $75-$1,250, amerantbankarena.com.

Missy is having a moment — and seizing it with the first headlining arena tour of her three-decade career and her first extensive road work in 20 years. Long overdue, “Out of This World — The Missy Elliott Experience” comes on the heels of recent props for the multifaceted artist: first female rapper inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, in 2019; star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2021; and, last year, first female hip-hop artist inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Featuring Busta Rhymes, Ciara and producer Timbaland, it won’t be a nostalgia tour, Elliott promises. “It’s an experience. I want people to travel to those moments, those (music) videos. I want you to relive it on stage.”

Blake Shelton
July 27, Hard Rock Live, $105-$335, casino.hardrock.com/hollywood.

The Grand Ole Opry member who conquered country then transcended it with TV star power is cultivating quite a barroom persona. He partnered up with the Ole Red honky-tonk chain and quit his 12-year gig as The Voice coach to create and star in the bar-themed game show, Barmageddon. And now comes his “Back to the Honky Tonk” tour. Backed by neon signage, Shelton sidles up to the audience with the stage presence of a boozy good old boy at the bar, cracking one-liners and breaking into jukebox singalongs — among them, nearly 20 country chart-toppers and a live duet with a video of wife Gwen Stefani.

The Marias
July 27-28, The Fillmore, $60.50-$137.45, casino.hardrock.com/hollywood.

The LA indie-pop group takes its name from its Puerto Rican vocalist, and well it should. María Zardoya’s whispery voice is like a tongue tickling your ear. It sophisticates the band’s stylistically and lingually eclectic sonics, which range from Latin pop to dreamy lounge to psychedelic rock and from Spanish to English to the occasional French. Despite having only two albums to their name — 2021’s Cinema and the just-dropped sophomore, Submarine — the Marias’ rizz quotient still merits the uncommon two-night Fillmore stand.

Chelsea Handler July 28, Hard Rock Live, $68-$118, casino.hardrock.com/hollywood.

If by some ostrich-like proclivity you are not familiar with the queen of candor, the naming of her outing as the “Little Big Bitch” tour should tell you all you need to know. With a no-topics-barred, speakfirst-think-later approach to comedy, her 20-year run as an acclaimed stand-up, talk show host, author and activist has made her a pop-culture powerhouse. This tour ranges from deep-dives into her childhood to personal anecdotes about sexual predators, including canceled celebrities with whom she’s had run-ins. “I’ve got a really funny Bill Cosby story — not a lot of people can say that,” she says. As for the naming of the tour, she says the reasons are obvious. “I was this way when I was born.”

Lindsey Stirling Aug. 1, Hard Rock Live, $46-96, casino.hardrock.com/hollywood.

What you get at a Lindsey Stirling concert — you’re just not gonna get that anywhere else: a gifted violinist playing anything from classical to rock to even a little hiphop while simultaneously performing modern and balletic choreography accompanied by a troupe of dancers. And it’s all backed by stunning sets and topped off with acrobatics, costume changes, stage banter and even a few laughs. Almost worth the price of the ticket is the opening act, Walk Off the Earth, an indie-pop outfit known for their spot-on smoosh-up of 20 Beatles songs in four minutes.

The Moody Blues’ John Lodge Aug. 3, Broward Center, Fort Lauderdale, $44.50-$208.50, browardcenter.org.

Mention Days of Future Passed to a boomer of a certain temperament and taste, and you might see the eyes glass over and the attention span succumbed to dreamy, mellotronic reverie. Plenty of that will be on display when one of the responsible parties — vocalist, bassist and songwriter Lodge — revives the landmark 1967 Moody Blues album in concert. Sequencing a day in the life of Everyman, it was one of rock’s first concept albums and, thanks to the breakout single, Nights in White Satin, it segued the Moodies from middling R&B Brits to orchestral art-rock immortals.

International Ballet Festival Of Miami Aug. 4, Broward Center, Fort Lauderdale, $35-$45, browardcenter.org.

The only one of four contemporary programs performed in Broward, this eclectic fusion of dance styles and music features modern and contemporary companies from Switzerland, France and Colombia as well as the United States. Hosted annually by Miami Hispanic Ballet, the festival brings to South Florida performances by over 100 principal
dancers representing more than 20 ballet companies, as well as a range ofcomplementary events.

Maren Morris Aug. 18, Hard Rock Live, $56-$106, casino.hardrock.com/hollywood.

As an artistic choice, the singersongwriter’s new cover of the Billy Idol hit Dancing With Myself sounds like quite the double entendre. Signifying the general schizo state of country, Morris recently disowned the genre over political differences. But “culture wars” are nothing new for the Nashville malcontent with a rock ’n’ roll heart. A couple of years ago, Tucker Carlson branded her a “lunatic country music person.” Her response was to raise more than $100,000 for transgender youths by selling T-shirts bearing the epithet. As a Highwomen’s distinctive take on outlaw country, Morris’s “RSVP Redux Tour” promises to be a feisty affair.

Die, Mommie, Die! Aug. 29-Sept. 22, Island City Stage, Wilton Manors, islandcitystage.org.

And now for something completely different … a piece of theater featuring murder by poisoned suppository and confession via LSD. The 1999 black comedy by female impersonator Charles Busch was adapted into a 2003 film in which he starred. Equal parts updated Greek tragedy and campy Hollywood satire, the satirical plot centers on a fallen pop diva with a younger lover who murders her film producer husband (re: suppository). Conspiring to avenge their father’s death, her two children induce her confession (re: acid trip). And then the bombshells really start to pop.

Herbie Hancock Sept. 13, Broward Center, Fort Lauderdale, $55-275, browardcenter.org.

It’s a rare and rarified occasion when a jazz giant of such sway makes a Broward County appearance. A recent Chicago Tribune review nailed it: “If jazz’s boundaries seem especially porous today, Hancock punched many of those holes himself.” Making his bones with straight-ahead Miles in the ’60s, Hancock ventured off into Headhunters funk, Future Shock electro and explorations beyond. His North American tour covers all the bases, taking off with an ingenious, career-spanning Overture before stretching out into longform improvisational excursions with a different crew at every stop. The kick of the night, however, may be witnessing the 84-year-old luminary rise up from the keyboards, take center stage with his signature keytar and shred like a rock star.

Editor’s note: Because of weather and scheduling issues, please confirm events prior to attending.