The music gods are certainly smiling on Hartford this weekend, as Pearl Jam, Drake and Phish roll their huge, shiny buses up to the XL Center’s load-in doors.
Both Pearl Jam and Phish have been going strong for more than two decades, and each band has its own following of obsessed fans. Drake is the relative youngster; his second album, “Nothing Was The Same,” was released only a month ago, but it’s been burning up the airwaves, YouTube channels and every other possible outlet for music sharing these days.
We suggest you load up on Red Bull (or whatever) and try to get to all three shows. You’ve got Monday, the rest of next week and possibly all winter to recover.
Pearl Jam
The grunge-era superstar band plays 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25.
Starting with their mid-October tour opener in Pittsburgh, singer Eddie Vedder and company have torn up stages across the Northeast. No two PJ shows are the same; a recent two-night stand at Worcester’s DCU Center rewarded fans with nearly a dozen tour debuts (including one song, “Gone,” that hadn’t been played since 2009) and some spectacular covers: the Who’s “Baba O’Riley,” the Dead Boys’ “Sonic Reducer” and Wayne Cochran’s “Last Kiss” (an honorary PJ song ever since their 1999 recording became a surprise Top 10 hit).
“Lightning Bolt,” meanwhile, the band’s first album in four years, mixes Vedder’s trademark rock-croon way out front, where it should be. Check out the rock ballad “Sirens,” which already sounds like a PJ classic.
All tickets are $69.
Drake
The rapper’s “Would You Like A Tour?” tour shows up Saturday, Oct. 26, at 7 p.m.
The Grammy-award winner has taken the rap scene by storm since his first studio album, “Thank Me Later,” sold more than 400,000 copies in its first week. “Take Care,” his second album, earned the artist a Grammy for “Best Rap Album” in 2011.
Also featured will be Miguel, an R&B; artist who has recently entered the musical spotlight after his performance on “Saturday Night Live.”
Tickets range from $46.75 to $96.75.
Phish
And wrapping it up is Phish on Sunday, Oct. 27, which will be the fifth stop on the legendary jam-band’s seven-city fall tour.
Love ’em or hate ’em, in 2013 the Vermont-based members of the quartet — guitarist Trey Anastasio, keyboardist Page McConnell, bassist Mike Gordon and drummer Jon Fishman — are turning in some of the best live performances of their 30-year run. And Hartford, it seems, has inspired its share of memorable moments. (Who could forget the November 1997 show-length “Tweezer” opener? Or summer 2010 at the Comcast Theater, with the Two-prise ending?)
If that all sounds like gibberish, don’t be dismayed: True, there’s a secret code of sorts (or several) spoken between the band and longtime fans. But the vibe at shows is overwhelmingly positive, and Phans are more than happy to translate what’s going on. (Just ask them.)
Tickets are $65.
Information and tickets for all three concerts: 860-249-6333 and www.xlcenter.com.
