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The year has just begun and the calendar is already loaded with cool concerts for 2020.
Here’s a look at some of the tours we’re most excited about seeing this year, ranging from farewell treks by classic rockers KISS and Ozzy Osbourne to outings from such rising talents as Billie Eilish and Lauren Daigle.
It’s important to note, however, that we only picked ones that have already listed dates. So, that explains why that highly anticipated Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band tour announcement for 2020 – which hopefully will be coming any minute – isn’t part of this round up.
Here are our picks, which are listed in chronological order. Enjoy the shows, but do so responsibly and save your hearing by wearing earplugs.
1. Gregory Porter and Ledisi
The two supremely talented vocalists are doing a short co-headlining trek and, thankfully, they’ve included the Bay Area in the mix. Porter and Ledisi — two artists with strong ties to Northern California — kick off the tour on Feb. 6 at the Fox Theater in Oakland.
Details: 7 p.m.; $49.50-$119.50; ticketmaster.com
2. TobyMac
The Grammy-winning Christian music star, who has sold more than 10 million albums during his career, brings his talent-rich Hits Deep Tour 2020 to the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Feb. 9. The bill also features Tauren Wells, We Are Messengers, Ryan Stevenson, Aaron Cole and Cochren & Co.
Details: 7 p.m.; $17-$70; ticketmaster.com
3. Miranda Lambert
It’s been a long time since this great Texas singer-songwriter headlined a Bay Area concert, but Lambert is finally coming back in support of her seventh studio album, “Wildcard,” and performs Feb. 28 at the SAP Center in San Jose. She also performs Feb. 29 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. Cody Johnson and LANCO are also on the bill.
Details: 7 p.m.; $35.75-$90.75; ticketmaster.com
4. Raphael Saadiq
The Oakland native, who rose to fame as part of Tony! Toni! Toné! in the late ’80s, brings his Jimmy Lee Tour to the Fox Theater in Oakland on Feb. 28. The concert also features Jamila Woods and DJ Duggz and is part of the annual Noise Pop festival, which runs Feb. 24-March 1. (P.S. Another Noise Pop show that we really want to see is Best Coast at the Regency Ballroom on Feb. 29.)
Details: 8 p.m.; $35-$49.50; noisepopfest.com
5. KISS
It’s hard to take Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley serious when they talk about retiring from the road. Just ask all those people who bought tickets to see the first KISS Farewell Tour in 2000-2001. But maybe the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame act actually means it this time and the End of the Road Tour — which includes a March 6 show at Oracle Arena in Oakland — will actually be its last. David Lee Roth (yes, that David Lee Roth) opens the show.
Details: 7:30 p.m.; $39.50-$250, ticketmaster.com
6. Patti Smith
She was magnificent during her last Fillmore run in early 2019. And we have no reason to suspect the outcome will be any different when Smith and her mighty band return to San Francisco’s most iconic rock venue March 8-9.
Details: 8 p.m.; $55; livenation.com
7. Billie Eilish
Eilish’s full-length debut — “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” — was both a critical and commercial smash, finding its way onto many year-end “best of” lists (including ours) and topping all comers to become the most streamed album of 2019. And she’s just as good in concert as she is on record, so catch Eilish when she performs April 7 at Chase Center in San Francisco and April 8 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
Details: 7:30 p.m.; $39.50-$149.50; ticketmaster.com
8. Eagles
The top-selling American rock band of all time performs its magnum opus — 1976’s “Hotel California” — in its entirety during its two shows, April 11-12, at Chase Center in San Francisco. The album only runs 43 minutes, however, so that will leave the group plenty of time to play other fan favorites as well.
Details: 8 p.m.; $99-$299; ticketmaster.com
9. Lauren Daigle
The supremely talented artist, who is blessed with one of the most beautiful singing voices in all of popular music, supports her Grammy-winning “Look Up Child” album on April 16 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento and April 22 at Oakland Arena.
Details: 7:30 p.m.; $25-$132; ticketmaster.com
10. Pearl Jam
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame act is finally heading back to town, with a two-night stand, April 18-19, set for Oakland Arena. The band’s last full-length concert in the Bay Area occurred way back in 2013 at the same venue. (Although the band also performed short sets at the Bridge School Benefit concerts at Shoreline Amphitheatre at Mountain View in 2014.) Pearl Jam is supporting its forthcoming album, “Gigaton,” which is due out March 27.
Details: 7:30 p.m.; $108.15, ticketmaster.com
11. Sturgill Simpson
The Kentucky native had a pretty great decade, releasing four albums that steadily propelled him into the ranks of the top singer-songwriters in country/Americana. Simpson supports his fourth studio album, “Sound and Fury,” with a two-night stand, May 5-6, at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco. Tyler Childers opens the show.
Details: 7:30 p.m.; $69.50-$99.50; ticketmaster.com
12. NF
A lot of people took note when NF’s “The Search” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 this summer — especially given that the album came out the same week as Chance the Rapper’s highly anticipated “The Big Day” (which came in at No. 2 on the charts). Chalk it up as further proof that NF — who performs May 16 at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco — is one of the hottest rappers in the game today.
Details: 8 p.m.; $49.50; ticketmaster.com
13. Justin Bieber
Biebs is back and ready to launch a major tour in the spring, which checks into the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on May 19 and Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara on May 22. He’ll likely be showcasing his new album, which is due to drop sometime in 2020.
Details: Ticket info is TBA; justinbiebermusic.com
14. Madness
The British ska-punk-pop legends, who released the classic debut album “One Step Beyond …” in 1979, are finally heading back across the pond to perform their first U.S. shows in some eight years. As of now, there are only four such gigs on the books; fortunately, one of them is on May 27 at the Fox Theater in Oakland. The equally awesome English Beat is also on the bill, making this one of the true can’t-miss doubleheaders of 2020.
Details: 8 p.m.; $55-$75; ticketmaster.com
15. Tanya Tucker
Having performed at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival in October, the country music legend returns to San Francisco on June 4 for a date at the Fillmore. She’s supporting the quadruple-Grammy-nominated “While I’m Livin’” — Tucker’s first collection of original material since 2002’s “Tanya.” Yet, here’s hoping that she also includes such country classics as “Would You Lay with Me,” “Some Kind of Trouble” and, of course, “Delta Dawn” in the mix.
Details: 8 p.m.; $35; livenation.com
16. Alanis Morissette
The singer is celebrating the 25th anniversary of “Jagged Little Pill” — arguably one of the top 10 most iconic albums of the ’90s — with a major tour that touches down at the Concord Pavilion on June 5. The blockbuster album has sold more than 30 million copies to date and even inspired a Broadway musical of the same name. Garbage and Liz Phair are also on the bill, making for the year’s most enticing triple-header.
Details: 7 p.m.; $26-$126, livenation.com
17. Ozzy Osbourne
Yes, we know Ozzy is another artist who can’t really be taken at his word when he says he’s retiring from the road. But we’re willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, in large part because he’s got so many great songs and there’s no way we want to miss hearing them live — especially the Black Sabbath stuff — at least one more time. Osbourne performs July 17 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento and July 25 at Shoreline Amphitheatre at Mountain View. Marilyn Manson opens.
Details: 7:30 p.m.; $35-$250; ticketmaster.com (Golden 1 Center); 7:30 p.m.; $29.50-$250; livenation.com (Shoreline)
18. Motley Crue, Def Leppard, Poison, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
Speaking of not taking rockers seriously when they talk about retiring from the road, we present to you Motley Crue, the popular hard-rock act that has reunited five years after what was supposed to be its final tour. But the return of the Crue is just one of the selling points of the descriptively titled Stadium Tour Summer 2020, which also features three other platinum-plus-selling rock acts and includes a stop on July 19 at Oracle Park in San Francisco.
Details: 7 p.m.; $49.50-$179.50; ticketmaster.com
19. Harry Styles
The One Direction star brings his second solo trek — dubbed Love On Tour — to the SAP Center at San Jose on Aug. 25 and the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Aug. 27. He’s supporting his sophomore solo outing, “Fine Line,” which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in December. The great Jenny Lewis opens the show.
Details: 8 p.m.; $39.50-$169.50; ticketmaster.com
20. Doobie Brothers
San Jose’s greatest rock band celebrates 50 years in the game with a tour that includes two big shows in Northern California — Sept. 10 at Toyota Amphitheatre at Wheatland and Sept. 12 at Shoreline Amphitheatre at Mountain View. And this time around, Michael McDonald is back in the fold, joining forces with Tom Johnston, Michael McDonald and Pat Simmons for what should be two magical nights of classic rock. Dirty Dozen Brass Band is also on the bill.
Details: 7:30 p.m.; $29.50-$149.50; livenation.com
