Music

Operators of The Archer Music Hall — Live Nation — very soon should be announcing the downtown Allentown venue's first shows, especially with February pegged as the opening month.

Starting with a show at Lehigh University's Stabler Arena in 1981, Dylan played the Lehigh Valley 10 times — some of them significant shows.

Ditch the Chinese food and the sweatpants: Here are some fun ideas to help you and yours ring in the New Year in the Lehigh Valley.

ArtsQuest in November at a gala news conference announced a renewed push to renovate the 26,000-square-foot brick structure that would open in 2027 or 2028.

"A Complete Unknown" — a biopic on Bob Dylan, portrayed by actor Timothée Chalamet — opens in area theaters today, Dec. 25.

The Freddy Awards aren't until May, but several theater departments have already announced their spring productions to be held in April and May.

Tigirlily Gold will perform on Friday, Jan. 31, as part of Philadelphia country radio station WXTU-FM 92.5's Ski Day at Bear Creek. Also performing will be 2020 "American Idol" contestant Megan Knight.

Cavalera, a gold-record-selling metal band from Brazil that has placed three albums on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart, on Monday announced its latest tour. Its flier lists a March 8 show at The Archer.

The Gene Simmons Band will perform at Wind Creek Event Center on Thursday, May 8, as part of a tour that so far has 14 dates.

Tommy Castro, who has won the Blues Foundation B.B. King Entertainer of the Year four times, will perform with his band The Painkillers on Feb. 27. And Low Cut Connie, the Philadelphia retro-piano-rock band that has shown up on Barack Obama's Spotify Summer Playlist and gotten effusive praise from Elton John, will perform March 5.

11Fest will be from 5-11 p.m. Nov. 11 (11/11) inside the Main Library at 11 W. Church St., Bethlehem.

Tribute shows to the music of Taylor Swift, Whitney Houston and Michael Bublé have been announced for the event center. So is rising comedian Sam Morril.

The Buckinghams, best known for its No. 1 hit “Kind of a Drag,” will join with The Lovin’s Spoonful, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group that had the hits “Do You Believe in Magic?” and “Summer in the City” at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 28.

Chart-topping singer Sabrina Carpenter, a Lehigh Valley native, performed her Short n' Sweet Tour show at Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday, Oct. 8, in what she called a "hometown show."

The Allentown Symphony Association's El Sistema program is expanding to a new school to offer more student opportunities.

Occasional light drizzle did nothing to keep the crowd away from the opening night of the 14th Oktoberfest at SteelStacks on Friday night. The festival runs through the weekend and again Oct. 11-13.

John Legend, best known for his 14-times platinum No. 1 hit “All of Me” from 2013, will perform “A John Legend Christmas" at 8 p.m. Dec. 19 at PPL Center, it was announced.

Melissa Etheridge, who had chart-topping songs such as “Bring Me Some Water,” “I’m the Only One” and “Come to My Window,” will perform at 7:30 p.m. April 26. She'll be joined by Joss Stone and Taylor Dayne.

Oktoberfest at SteelStacks begins on Friday, Oct. 4. The two-weekend celebration will feature four biergartens, a bratwurst eating contest, weiner dog race, polka music and a drag show.

Howie Day, whose 2004 song "Collide" sold four times platinum and helped his album "Stop All the World Now" reach platinum sales, will perform at the free annual Harvest Fest street fair. The event will be noon to 5 p.m. Oct. 20 at Main and Broad streets.

The four-day festival will feature performances by Kinetic Light, a disability arts ensemble and a Latin fest. It starts Thursday, Oct. 3, and runs through Sunday, Oct. 6.

Live Nation, the country's top music promoter, will book shows for the state-of-the-art entertainment venue at 935-939 Hamilton St., the promoter announced.