As the long, slow march to the first day of spring begins, the dog days of January, February and early March should offer some respite from the rain and cold with several excellent options for live-music-loving folks in SLO County.
We’re blessed with so many stellar Central Coast venues, and as everything moves indoors for the winter, six stand out: SLO Rep, Performing Arts Center SLO, Clark Center, Fremont Theater, SLO Brew Rock, and The Siren.
SLO Rep has been very successful staging musicals like Once and artist retrospectives like Ring of Fire so it appears they’ll do it again with Million Dollar Quartet: a re-creation of the one-off, December 1956 Sun Records performance in Memphis by Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and of course the king, Elvis Presley. The show runs several weeks February 7 through March 9 and promises to be a popular fan favorite.
Tame your winter chill by getting out, supporting and enjoying our vibrant local entertainment scene.”
Speaking of tributes, Arroyo Grande’s Clark Center is making a name for itself by frequently presenting high-end tribute concerts of all genres. Girls Night: the Musical on January 16 appears to be one of those hybrid/original shows that plays on the tribute theme, with five women reminiscing about the past while looking to the future under a classic pop soundtrack.
Several other tribute acts include David Brighton’s Space Oddity, a David Bowie experience on February 7, Take It to the Limit tribute to the Eagles on February 10, R.E.S.P.E.C.T. (you guessed it—a celebration of Aretha Franklin) on February 17, and Evil Woman The American ELO on February 20. Two nights later it’s Led Zepagain, one of the best tribute bands around. Then on March 1 it’s The Graduates: The Sound of Simon & Garfunkel. That’s certainly a pop/rock Hall of Fame line-up in a three-week span.
The Siren also has perfected the tribute band phenomenon, mostly in the rock genre, but they also present kick-ass headliner concerts in an intimate nightclub environment. The new year offers a trifecta with The Meteors, a legendary UK band that helped create the psychobilly genre nearly 50 years ago, performing on January 12; hard-working blues aficionado Tommy Castro and the Painkillers on January 18; and OC punk icons Black Flag swarming the stage and riling up the mosh pit on January 23.
Probably the most diverse entertainment options in SLO County reside at the Performing Arts Center SLO.”
Not to be outdone, the Fremont Theater in SLO continues to offer a variety of concerts, films, and several comedy shows to ring in 2025. Some of the comedy headliners include the bombastic Lewis Black on January 23, Marc Maron on January 31, Whitney Cummings on February 6, and veteran funny man Adam Carolla on February 28.
The Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour makes its annual trek to the Central Coast with cool, unique films celebrating outdoor culture for two back-to-back nights on January 24-25. Local yacht rock faves Yächtley Crëw will set sail on February 2 so get your cruise pass early: this concert is likely to sell out.
SLO Brew Rock has quickly made a name for itself as a go-to concert destination since re-establishing its venue near SLO airport. And you got plenty of choices this winter with Bob Marley Day on February 1, all-female Led Zeppelin tribute band Zepparella playing on February 27, and early grunge pioneers Melvins on March 5. Then big headliner The Expendables, a popular Santa Cruz-based reggae jam band celebrating its 25th anniversary tour in 2025, hits the stage the following night March 6.
Probably the most diverse entertainment options in SLO County reside at the Performing Arts Center SLO: musical theater, comedy, tributes, lectures, dance, multi-cultural musicians. This large indoor venue, with Cal Poly Arts handling most of the bookings, literally has it all through June within its current season.
Well, that’s all for now folks. Tame your winter chill by getting out, supporting, and enjoying our vibrant local entertainment scene.
I guarantee it will be a win-win-win.