Whoa now. Now this is a big one. The Rapids Theatre in Niagara Falls will be hosting avant-garde indie rock act Grizzly Bear on Thursday, August 1st. The Brooklyn based four-piece recently released Shields, maybe their most accomplished works to date, back in September of 2012. The band has reached that can't-do-wrong status over the past couple years, and it's not every day those bands play our area. This will be their first Buffalo appearance since playing the Tralf in 2007 (I think?), so do not hesitate to get in on this show. While prices are not yet known, tickets do go on sale tomorrow at 10am.

Brooklyn's eight piece dance explosion Rubblebucket take the stage at The Rapids Theater night with their ever growing audio/visual experience.  The octet have had a busy year, with performances at Bonnaroo and the release of their Oversaturated EP.  I love seeing the resurgence of horns in dance music, and Rubblebucket's left field arrangements still manage to sound accessible when transmitted through a familiar dance backbone.  They'll be joined by Reptar, a four piece disco rock outfit from Athens, Georgia, making The Rapids Theater the place to be tonight if you're looking to shake your pants (take a chance).  Tickets cost $18 at the door with music beginning at 7:30pm.

Jimmy Page is the primary keeper of the Led Zeppelin flame. He oversees the Zepp catalogue and handles the remixing and remastering when it gets reissued and even better when new stuff gets released (How the West Was Won, Celebration Day on November 19); he is the watcher and holder of their musical legacy. But thankfully, he's not the only one keeping the Zeppelin flame alive, and tonight that flame will be burning at the Rapids Theatre in Niagara Falls when Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience rolls through town. The son of legendary Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, Jason has played with a ton of bands including Led Zeppelin when Mssrs. Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones want to (infrequently) jam, and his Led Zeppelin experience is a potent and enjoyable tour of the band's vast musical legacy. Doors open at 6:30, the show starts at 7:30, tickets are $45 at the door, and it's an all ages show (kids under 16 do need an adult to get in).



I would also be remiss if I didn't mention that the Regal on Transit will be showing an encore presentation of Led Zeppelin: Celebration Day tomorrow night at 7:30. If the sound is cranked up to proper levels it is a face melting experience watching Zeppelin be Zeppelin, creating that Zeppelin sound live in front of 18,000 blessed souls in December 2007, and a lot of that is due in no small part to Jason Bonham on drums. It's a Zeppelin two-fer, Jason Bonham tonight and Celebration Day tomorrow night. You can't go wrong.

Funk metal band Primus makes a stop at the Rapids Theater (1711 Main Street) in Niagara Falls this evening.  Tonight's show is part of a tour the band calls the "first ever traveling 3D-enhanced live musical performance." This unique show will feature 3D visual effects and a quad surround sound system to offer a psychedelic experience like none other attempted. They will be performing two sets full of Les Claypool's signature bass slapping, Larry LaLonde's distorted guitar, and a wild beat on drums from Jay Lane. 

I have seen Primus twice before and both times they offered a great experience, most recently in Rochester where they also played two sets. The first set was a selection of their hits from all over their career and the second set was their most recent album Green Naugahyde in its entirety. In between the two sets, old Popeye cartoons played on the screen so there will be no shortage of entertainment at this show. Doors open at 6:30 and tickets are $50.