Central Jersey this week: four nights at Starland, from Saosin's anniversary run to Free Throw and Microwave

Starland Ballroom in Sayreville has four heavy bills between Wednesday and Sunday, and Suzanne Vega plays Princeton on Friday.

If you live anywhere near Sayreville, this is a week to keep your earplugs in the car. Starland Ballroom has four bills in five nights, starting Wednesday, and each one is stacked three or four bands deep with 7 p.m. starts. Bring your own pacing.

Only five shows are on the Central Jersey calendar from Monday, Nov. 2, through Sunday, Nov. 8, and four of them are on the same stage. The fifth goes the opposite way: Suzanne Vega in a Princeton theater on Friday night.

Wed, Nov. 4 · Sleeping With Sirens at Starland Ballroom, 7 p.m. Rain City Drive and Shyeye open, kicking off the run midweek. Tickets are through AXS.

Fri, Nov. 6 · Saosin at Starland Ballroom, 7 p.m. (doors 6 p.m.) Silent Planet and Like Moths to Flames support. This is the tour Saosin announced to mark the 20th anniversary of its self-titled debut. If that record was the soundtrack to your high school years, Friday is your night.

Fri, Nov. 6 · Suzanne Vega at McCarter Theatre Center – Matthews Theater, 8 p.m. It's the other side of Friday: a seated, 1,100-capacity room in Princeton, booked through McCarter's own site.

Sat, Nov. 7 · Free Throw at Starland Ballroom, 7 p.m. Microwave shares the billing on the AXS listing, with Carly Cosgrove and Kerosene Heights also on the bill. It's the emo night of the week, with four bands for one ticket.

Sun, Nov. 8 · The Amity Affliction at Starland Ballroom, 7 p.m. (doors 6 p.m.) Blessthefall, Orthodox and Buried In Spring complete the run's last and heaviest lineup. It's a school night, so plan the drive home.

It's a lopsided week, but a good one if your taste runs loud. Starland is a 2,000-capacity room, big enough to pull national package tours like these. Four of them in one week means most of the region's heavy-music crowd will pass through Sayreville at least once.

To pick one, start with the anniversary. Saosin built this whole tour around a single album, and anniversary sets tend to bring out the people who were there the first time. If you'd rather hear something newer, Saturday's Free Throw and Microwave bill is the one to watch, with four bands that will have plenty of people singing along.

And if none of that is your speed, Suzanne Vega in Princeton on Friday is about as far as you can get from a Starland mosh pit while staying in the same county line-up. Either way, it's a week with a show for most moods. Choose your night and get there for the openers.

Sources: Saosin announce 20th anniversary tour for self-titled debut w/ Silent Planet, Like Moths to Flames & more – BrooklynVegan (brooklynvegan.com); McCarter Theatre Center (mccarter.org); Free Throw & Microwave at Starland Ballroom (AXS) (axs.com); Saosin at Starland Ballroom (AXS) (axs.com); Sleeping With Sirens at Starland Ballroom (AXS) (axs.com); The Amity Affliction at Starland Ballroom (AXS) (axs.com)