The Five Best Concerts in Miami This Weekend

Trans-Siberian Orchestra. If there's a time to embrace extreme performances, it's Christmas, a holiday about extreme consumption and lights — lots of lights. You've likely been hearing some epic holiday tunes on the radio lately, such as Trans-Siberian Orchestra's over-the-top creation "Carol of the Bells." TSO was founded by the late composer Paul O'Neill, whose band gained worldwide fame with the 1999 album The Christmas Attic. The rocking new-age instrumentalists will bring their one-of-a-kind holiday cheer — with electric riffs, mad strings, tons of colorful laser lights, and, yes, bells — to BB&T Center this weekend. Get rock-opera'ed out in preparation of the holiday frenzy. 8 p.m. Friday, December 14, at BB&T Center, 1 Panther Pkwy., Sunrise, 954-835-8000; thebbtcenter.com. Tickets cost $35.50.

Macy Gray. When Macy Gray takes the stage with Miami's Nu Deco Ensemble at the Arsht Center this Saturday, it'll mark her first performance with an orchestra in a long time. But nearly 20 years into her career, she doesn't stress over moments like these. And, as she tells it, she's ridden out the ebbs and flows of her music career with that same ease. "I never really planned out my career like I see some of my friends do," she tells New Times. "Of course, I wanted to be around for 20 years, but I didn't plan it or organize it." Read Celia Almeida's full interview with Macy Gray here. With Nu Deco Ensemble, BJ the Chicago Kid, and the Miami Mass Choir. 8 p.m. Saturday, December 15, at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; 305-949-6722; arshtcenter.org. Tickets cost $25 to $80.

Seminole Hard Rock Winterfest Boat Parade With Huey Lewis. It’s time to dress up your boat in its holiday finest and get ready to party at the Seminole Hard Rock Winterfest Boat Parade. This year’s theme is '80s rock, and Grammy-winning musician Huey Lewis will take the helm as grand marshal. And, make no mistake, the heart of rock 'n' roll is still beating. “I thought it would be an opportunity to show people that I’m not dead,” Lewis says, laughing. Read Wendy Rhodes' full interview with the hilarious Lewis here. 6:30 p.m. Saturday, December 15, along the New River in downtown Fort Lauderdale. To enter a boat in the parade or to purchase tickets on the Grand Marshal Showboat with Huey Lewis or for any other Winterfest event, visit winterfestparade.com. Tickets cost $25 to $300.

Y100's Jingle Ball, With Shawn Mendes, Calvin Harris, Khalid, Marshmello, and Others. After a long 2018, the best time of year has finally come: Y100’s Jingle Ball. The annual holiday-themed pop concert provides seasonal cheer, promotes the year’s hottest artists, and allows your little sister and her teenage friends to wear reindeer antlers while running recklessly throughout the BB&T Center. If you're an adult, you might think the concert is obviously for those under the age of 15. But that’s no reason to turn down a Calvin Harris-headlined show. Y100’s Jingle Ball is for kids — but not just for kids. Although the concert can bring out your inner child with its winter-wonderland theme, free Santa hats, and teeny-bopper opening acts, the lyrical content of the headliners makes it worthwhile for adults. The holidays in summery South Florida can feel only so festive thanks to the lack of cold weather, but that shouldn’t stop you from turning up, Christmas-style, at Jingle Ball. Read Christina Jerome's full article here. 7:30 p.m. Sunday, December 16, at BB&T Center, 1 Panther Pkwy., Sunrise, 954-835-8000; thebbtcenter.com. Tickets cost $36 to $251 via y100.com.

The Ultimate Queen Celebration. When Marc Martel started a rock band with friends from Bible college in the desolate plains of Saskatchewan, Canada, he wasn’t looking for a record deal. But he got one. Martel took his degree in worship ministry and headed to Nashville, where his band Downhere enjoyed moderate success. Even so, he could not escape a comparison he heard again and again. “At every show we’d perform, they’d tell me that I sound like Freddie Mercury,” Martel says. And it isn’t just his voice. Martel has a way of performing that is stunningly similar to the late Mercury's style. “I always thought it was kind of a cool parlor trick — something to whip out at karaoke every now and then,” Martel says. It turned out to be one hell of a trick, and Martel will take it to the Arsht Center with his tribute band, the Ultimate Queen Celebration. Read Wendy Rhodes' full interview with Martel here. 7:20 p.m. Sunday, December 16, in the Knight Concert Hall, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; 305-949-6722; arshtcenter.org. Tickets cost $39 to $79.