Where heavy metal is economic development.
The Music Cities™ makes the case for the cultural and economic value of heavy metal by giving visibility to the bands and scenes that deserve it. This is the calendar we actually follow: Florida’s metal venues, the Japanese watch list, marquee festivals and new releases. Last updated Nov 7, 2026.
Three shows in ten weeks, two of them forty-eight hours apart with the same five bands and the same running order. What is left to vary is the room — Wacken, Fort Lauderdale, St. Petersburg.
Read the review →Where we go next. Two weeks across Japan this November — four metal show nights from Tokyo to Kawasaki.
The high-priority shows we're actually building around — marquee acts, confirmed field trips, the ones worth planning your week around.
Second Hollywood night, added by popular demand after Nov 5 sold through. Rush's Fifty Something tour — two sets, a different setlist from night one, pulled from a 35-song pool. Show 7:30 PM.
Rush — Fifty Something Tour, with Anika Nilles on drums alongside Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson. Tampa stop at Benchmark International Arena, doors/show 7:30 PM. Tickets via Ticketmaster. A second Tampa night on Nov 11 is listed by ticket aggregators but not yet confirmed against…
Forbidden — "Chaos By Design" Tour. Conduit, 6700 Aloma Ave, Winter Park (Orlando), FL. Show 6:00 PM. Bay Area thrash originals in a 400-cap room. Forbidden almost never route this far south, and Conduit is a fraction of the size of the rooms they play elsewhere on this…
SiM — HOOMAN AFTER ALL World Tour 2026 NA leg
Pain of Truth's North America 2026 run hits Miami with a stacked hardcore support bill.
Prog-metal headliner with Ne Obliviscaris and Greyhaven. Strongest metal booking on the Jannus fall calendar.
Across every bucket, soonest first. Use the bucket pages for the full lists.
Danish industrial/EBM pioneer Claus Larsen brings Leæther Strip back to Florida — one of only two dates on this side of the Atlantic — with Retractor and CORPSE DUST opening in Little Haiti. Listing: https://www.bandsintown.com/e/1040258675-leaether-strip-at-churchill's-pub
The Southern Survival Tour — "Can You Survive the Florida Man" — Florida-only run with DONEFOR, We're Wolves, and Twin Rova. Daytona Beach stop at The Bank. Tickets and VIP at doneforband.com.
Second Hollywood night, added by popular demand after Nov 5 sold through. Rush's Fifty Something tour — two sets, a different setlist from night one, pulled from a 35-song pool. Show 7:30 PM.
Crucified Barbara — the all-female Swedish hard rock/heavy metal quartet (Mia Coldheart, Klara Force, Ida Evileye, Nicki Wicked), reunited in the original lineup after disbanding in 2016. Four albums between 2005 and 2014; comeback launched at Sweden Rock 2025. Plus support.
Full bill: Mannequin Pussy, Wednesday, Snõõper.
Christone "Kingfish" Ingram brings The Hard Road Tour to Culture Room — the modern blues guitarist most worth a night in a 600-cap room.
SiM — HOOMAN AFTER ALL world tour, North American leg. Tickets: https://tix.soundrink.com/tours/sim
Trapt's 25th anniversary run adds a Tampa club date, one night after the Fort Pierce show. Source: Brass Mug / JamBase calendar sweep.
Mosh For Tots 2026 — hardcore/metal benefit at District Live (Plant Riverside District), Savannah GA. Lineup: Evergreen Terrace, The Tony Danza Tap Dance Extravaganza, Filth, Heavy Hitter (FL), Endera. Date: November 7, 2026. All ages, doors at 2. Presented by AURA Fest…
Each tile is its own page — bucket, count, and the editorial scope behind it.
Deep-dive pages for specific trips and festivals. Hand-built briefs beyond the calendar.
