This week in Connecticut arts features a tribute to Jimmy Buffett, a tribute to ABBA. A tribute to Genesis, a tribute to Led Zeppelin, a tribute to The Beatles, a tribute to Taylor Swift and a dual tribute to Prince and David Bowie. All high-end, highly entertaining live approximations of some of the most popular rock or pop acts ever to roam the Earth.
Musicians being themselves and playing their own music include a quartet of folk singer/songwriters with their “On a Winter’s Night” revue and some cool local punk and noise bands at Cafe Nine.
Changes in Latitudes
Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, 300 Main St., Old Saybrook
Changes in Latitudes bringing a touch of Florida sunshine to Connecticut this month, The band has been around for over 20 years and prides itself not only on adherence to the Buffett style but a replication of his old tropical themed stage scenery. Changes in Latitudes will also be playing Infinity Music Hall Hartford a few weeks, following this 7:30 p.m. show on Jan. 9 at The Kate in Old Saybrook. $45. thekate.org.
Norwalk Film Festival
District Music Hall, 71 Wall St., Norwalk
The fifth annual Norwalk Film Festival runs all weekend at District Music Hall. The main events are the Connecticut premieres of two documentaries. “I Hope This Helps!,” about the threat of artificial intelligence, screens on Friday. “Ratified,” about decades of efforts to pass the Equal Rights Amendment and address gender equality, can be seen Saturday. Numerous other features and shorts are also on view. The opening night party is Jan. 10 at 6 p.m. Jan. 11 screenings start at 10:30 a.m. and Jan. 12 screenings start at 2:15 p.m. A two-day pass is $37.00, $26.99 for students. A one-day pass is $26.99, $21.54 for students. A ticket for just the featured screening of “Ratified” is $16.14. districtmusichall.com.
On a Winter’s Night
Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, 300 Main St., Old Saybrook
A singer/songwriter collective of folk heavyweights John Gorka, Patty Larkin, Cliff Eberhardt and Lucy Kaplansky present a special winter-themed evening. All of them were part of the “new folk” movement of the 1990s and involved with an “On a Winter’s Night” album in 1994. This show is part of a reunion tour for those artists who have toured and played together many other times. Jan. 10 at 8 p.m. $58. thekate.org.
Prince/Bowie
Infinity Music Hall, 32 Front St., Hartford
The tribute band honors two of the most magnetic personalities, and flashiest dressers, in rock: Prince (aka The Artist Formerly Known as Prince) and David Bowie (aka Ziggy Stardust, The Thin White Duke, etc. etc.). There’s a lot of material to dig into here. Jan. 10 at 8 p.m. $37.11. infinityhall.com.
Miracle Blood, Videodome, Fafa and Wow, OK, Cool
Cafe Nine, 250 State St., New Haven
Four local noise-punk, noise-rock, fem surf punk and/or post-punk acts Miracle Blood, Videodome, Fafa and Wow, OK, Cool converge on Cafe Nine on Jan. 10 at 8 p.m. $10. cafenine.com.
Fearless: Taylor Swift Experience
Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, 300 Main St., Old Saybrook
Rikki Lee Wilson is the frontwoman for this timely Taylor Swift tribute act. With Swift herself officially off the road with the end of her “Eras” tour, this is your best opportunity to hear some of her songs played live. Jan. 11 at 3 and 8 p.m. $46. thekate.org.
Free Fallin: The Tom Petty Concert Experience
Oakdale Theatre, 95 S. Turnpike Road, Wallingford
One of the top Tom Petty live tribute acts, Free Fallin has been around since the mid-2000s, over a decade before the real Petty passed away, playing hits from “American Girl” to “I Need to Know” to, yes, “Free Fallin.’” The sextet has even played for tens of thousands at a festival on Petty’s birthdate in the town where he grew up, Gainesville, Florida. Jan. 11 at 7:30 p.m. $35.25-$97.95. concerts.livenation.com.
‘An Evening with Yo Yo Ma: Reflections in Words and Music’
The Bushnell, 166 Capitol Ave., Hartford
Yo Yo Ma, one of the world’s greatest living cellists, has been playing since the age of 4 and is now 69. He’s visited Connecticut many times, including with his Silk Road Ensemble project and as a special guest of the Connecticut Forum. On Jan. 11 at 7:30 p.m. at The Bushnell, Yo Yo Ma presents his current touring show in which he plays some of the music that has affected his life, discussing the role that the arts play in our lives and in the world. $48-$225. bushnell.org.
Waterloo: A Tribute to ABBA
Foxwoods Resort Casino, 350 Trolley Line Blvd., Mashantucket
Waterloo: A Tribute to ABBA is one of many, many ABBA tribute bands. This is not even the only ABBA tribute band named Waterloo. It’s meaningful to name an act after the band’s very first international hit (which won them the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974). This is one of those tributes where the performers look quite a bit like the act they’re playing tribute to, and because it’s ABBA there are also spectacular costumes. Jan. 11 at 8 p.m. $61.65-$71.95. foxwoods.com.
The Genesis Show: 1976 A Trick of the Tail Tour
Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 East Ridge Road West, Ridgefield
The perfectionist Genesis tribute band, The Genesis Show, tackles the set list from the band’s 1976 tour, the first in which drummer Phil Collins assumed the role of lead vocalist following the departure of Peter Gabriel. In the mid-1970s Genesis was way too big to play a theater the size of the Ridgefield Playhouse (in New York it played three nights at the 2,800-seat Beacon) so this will be a blend of grandiosity and intimacy. Jan. 11 at 8 p.m. $45. ridgefieldplayhouse.org.
Get the Led Out
Warner Theatre, 68 Main St., Torrington
Get the Led Out has a different plan than a lot of tribute acts. Rather than trying to recreate a Led Zeppelin live show, Get the Led Out instead creates live arrangements of Led Zeppelin songs as they’re known from the studio recordings. The band does that without pretending to look like Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham, which wouldn’t work anyhow because Zeppelin needs a six-person ensemble to do its magic. Jan. 11 at 8 p.m. at the Warner in Torrington. $35-$55. warnertheatre.org.
Sun Kings
Palace Theatre, 61 Atlantic St., Stamford
Here come the Sun Kings, a West Coast American tribute to those leaders of the British Invasion, The Beatles. This is another of those tribute bands that cares more about honoring the music than playing dress-up. Jan. 11 at 8 p.m. $10. palacestamford.org.
‘Dancing with the Stars: Live 2025’
Mohegan Sun Arena, 1 Mohegan Sun Blvd., Uncasville
The latest live version of the long-running TV dance competition hits the road in 2025 featuring dancers Emma Slater, Alan Bersten, Brandon Armstrong, Britt Stewart, Daniella Karagach, Gleb Savchenko, Pasha Pashkov, Rylee Arnold and Stephen Nedoroscik. Jan. 11 at 8 p.m. The show is virtually sold out. “Verified resale” tickets can be found on the Mohegan Sun tickets site for $150-$600. mohegansun.com.
Hell Fairy
Cafe Nine, 250 State St., New Haven
It’s a night of fast, loud rock ‘n’ roll with the Satanic trio Hell Fairy (who worship Elvis and The Cramps) plus Schenectady, New York garage rockers The Abyssmals and the “party rock” outfit Peoples Club. Jan. 11 at 9 p.m. $12, $10 in advance. cafenine.com.
