Akron–Canton this week: Neko Case, Ashley McBryde and more

Neko Case brings Destroyer to E.J. Thomas Hall on Saturday, Ashley McBryde plays New Philadelphia, and Sting opens the week tonight.

Two nights at E.J. Thomas Hall frame the week in Akron–Canton. Sting opens it tonight, and on Saturday Neko Case comes to the University of Akron campus with Destroyer in support. In between, the calendar runs out to New Philadelphia, Rootstown, Wadsworth and Kent, with a country headliner in a college theater, a Metallica tribute on Friday and a 50th-anniversary concert in Wadsworth.

Mon, Nov 2: Sting at E.J. Thomas Hall, Akron, 8 p.m. Chance Emerson opens. The week's biggest name has the first night, so if you're going, it's tonight. Tickets

Fri, Nov 6: Ashley McBryde at the Performing Arts Center at Kent State University Tuscarawas, New Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m. A country headliner in a room of about 1,000 seats, and worth the drive south.

Fri, Nov 6: The Four Horsemen – The Ultimate Tribute to Metallica at Goodyear Theater at East End, Akron, 7:30 p.m. Probably the loudest night on the calendar. Tickets

Sat, Nov 7: Neko Case, with Destroyer, at E.J. Thomas Hall, Akron, 7:30 p.m. The week's pick. More below. Tickets

Sat, Nov 7: Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox at Goodyear Theater at East End, Akron, 7:30 p.m. Tickets run $57.05 to $177. Tickets

Sat, Nov 7: Lily Rose at the Dusty Armadillo, Rootstown, 7 p.m. Saturday's country option, if E.J. Thomas Hall isn't your night.

Sat, Nov 7: The Easy Street Band at Celestia Theater, Wadsworth, 7 p.m. It's billed as the band's 50th anniversary concert, and an anniversary like that only happens once.

Sun, Nov 8: Black Violin at The Kent Stage, Kent, 7 p.m. The Be Free Tour reaches the Kent Stage's 642-capacity room to close out the week. Tickets

Saturday is where the week peaks. Case's Neon Grey Midnight Green tour started its fall run on Oct. 15 in Lexington, Mass., passing through Nashville, Kansas City and Detroit, according to Consequence and mxdwn. The leg ends with two hometown nights in Tacoma, Washington, on Nov. 11 and 12, so Akron comes near the end of the run. Destroyer, Dan Bejar's project, is on only some of the dates, and Akron is one of them.

The room suits it. E.J. Thomas Hall opened on Oct. 9, 1973, with a concert by the Akron Symphony Orchestra. It seats 2,955, and it's named for Edwin Joel Thomas, the former chairman and CEO of Goodyear Tire & Rubber, who later served on the university's board of trustees. The university marked the hall's 50th year with a gala. It's a theater built for orchestras, and it should treat a voice like Case's well.

Both of the week's biggest nights are in the same room on the university campus.

If you want something smaller, there are two more nights that didn't make the list above. On Wednesday, Westbound Situation plays G.A.R. Hall in Peninsula at 8 p.m. The room holds 140 and tickets are $25 through Eventbrite. On Friday, 1964 The Tribute plays its Beatles set at the Celestia in Wadsworth at 8 p.m. (tickets).

Pick one big night and one small one. Tonight works if you want to start early. For Saturday, plan ahead: four rooms all start between 7 and 7:30, so you'll have to choose.

Sources: Neko Case Announces Fall 2026 US Tour (Consequence) (concerts.consequence.net); Neko Case announces fall 2026 North American tour dates with Destroyer (mxdwn) (music.mxdwn.com); E. J. Thomas Hall (Wikipedia) (en.wikipedia.org); About the Hall – E.J. Thomas Hall, University of Akron (uakron.edu); EJ Thomas Performing Arts Hall showcases the arts in Akron for 50 years (University of Akron) (uakron.edu); Community celebrates E.J. Thomas Hall at Gala Event (University of Akron) (uakron.edu); Performing Arts Center, Kent State University Tuscarawas (kent.edu); The Easy Street Band 50th Anniversary Concert (eTix) (etix.com); Black Violin: The Be Free Tour, The Kent Stage (eTix) (etix.com); 1964 The Beatles Tribute, Celestia Theater (eTix) (etix.com)