21 December 19-25, 2024 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | Contents | Letters | news | night+Day | CuLture | Cafe | Music | The Year That Rocked The ten best Miami concerts of 2024. BY JOSE D. DURAN A s far as live concerts go, 2024 was one for the books. Despite the headache it has become to beat scalpers to the punch when trying to secure tickets, the fans flocked to concerts like their lives de- pended on it. Taylor Swift alone grossed $2 billion in ticket sales thanks to her culture- dominating Eras Tour. (Keep in mind, that number includes 21 months of shows that started in 2023.) This year also saw Missy Elliott’s first headlining tour, which showcased why El- liott dominated the early aughts during the peak of her influence. Then there was the in- ternet’s buzziest coheadlining show, the Sweat Tour, which brought British singer Charli XCX and Aussie singer Troye Sivan to- gether on stage. Because neither had ever embarked on a U.S. arena tour, many thought it was destined to fail, but thanks to the runaway suc- cess of Charli XCX’s album Brat and word of mouth, the Sweat Tour sold out in every city it stopped, includ- ing Miami. That’s only the tip of the iceberg of what graced the stages across Miami and South Florida in 2024. From Mitski’s magnetic performance to Justice’s trippy light show, here’s a chro- nology of the ten best concerts New Times writers witnessed in 2024. Mitski at the Fillmore Miami Beach (January 26) At the beginning of 2024, singer-songwriter Mitski kicked off her tour in support of her 2023 critically acclaimed album The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We at the Fillmore Miami Beach. In his review of the show, Douglas Markowitz called it “one of the most incredible live performances I’ve ever seen.” High praise, but it was well deserved. With a stage design that mimicked the Old Holly- wood glamour of the soundstage musical, Mitski delivered an electric performance filled with her signature bittersweet melodies. Travis Scott at the Kaseya Center (January 28) Even though his fourth album, Utopia, didn’t match the critical praise of its predecessor, Astroworld, Travis Scott still managed to do what he does best: give a larger-than-life per- formance. When he brought his Circus Maxi- mus Tour to the Kaseya Center in January, it was actually the second time he had treated his fans in South Florida to the experience, previously selling out the venue in November 2023. However, his second appearance was no less glorious, with Osvaldo Espino com- menting that the concert was “a brilliant showcase of the artist Scott has become.” Olivia Rodrigo at the Kaseya Center (March 6) If you were one of the lucky few who snagged a ticket to Olivia Rodrigo’s stop at the Kaseya Center for her Guts World Tour, congrats — everybody hates you. Seriously, preregister- ing for the chance to buy tickets for Rodrigo’s Miami concert was an exercise in futility. Those who did manage to attend witnessed a singer-songwriter who has only grown stronger as a performer. Even Celia Almeida noted it in her review, writing, “Rodrigo is a natural at commanding an arena stage, and that’s no small feat, considering it’s her first time doing it.” Megan Thee Stallion at Hard Rock Live (June 6) In 2019, rapper Megan Thee Stallion intro- duced the world to “Hot Girl Summer,” both a song and mantra of being the baddest bitch you can be as the temperature rises. Well, it only took Megan five years to finally give ev- eryone what they wanted with the Hot Girl Summer Tour, which stopped at Hard Rock Live just as South Florida’s summer season was kicking off. In her review, Caroline Val noted that the show was an all-out party that satisfied even the most diehard Hottie. Feid at Hard Rock Stadium (July 6) What’s the sign that an artist has made it big? If they can sell out a stadium show. Colombian superstar Feid had no problem meeting that goal when he brought his FerxxoCalipsis Tour to Hard Rock Stadium. The 32-year-old skipped across the stage, performing hits like “Alakran,” “Ferxxo 30,” and “Normal.” “He’s gone from the biggest underdog in Latin music, having written and worked for every artist imaginable, to being the guy who’s selling out stadium shows,” Osvaldo Espino noted in his review of the show. Missy Elliott at Amerant Bank Arena (July 25) Let’s get it out of the way: Missy Elliott owned the early aughts. From “Get Ur Freak On” to “Lose Control,” Elliott had the whole world moving with a nonstop string of hits. It’s mind-blowing that she never went on a solo arena tour during the peak of her fame. That error was corrected this year when Elliott embarked on her Out of This World: The Missy Elliott Experience Tour, which stopped at the Amerant Bank Arena in July. In his review of the show, Osvaldo Espino wrote, “At 53, Missy’s production value is making an embarrassment out of your favor- ite Gen Z rapper who runs around on stage with a backing track and hype man.” Charli XCX and Troye Sivan at the Kaseya Center (October 5) Brat summer, y’all! Formerly underground avant-pop singer Charli XCX finally broke through the mainstream thanks to an off-put- ting shade of green and a four-letter word. It also helped that Charli released some of her strongest work to date, which further enam- ored her with critics and fans alike. And this summer, Charli brought her crying-in-the-club music to venues across North America as part of the Sweat Tour, which she coheadlined with Australian pop singer Troye Sivan. When the Sweat Tour arrived in Miami, Charli and Troye delivered one of the biggest ragers the city had ever seen. Somehow, they transformed the cav- ernous Kaseya Center into a nightclub where you could dance to your heart’s content. Taylor Swift at Hard Rock Stadium (October 18) Nobody could pull off anything on the scale of the Eras Tour except for Taylor Swift. Few artists enjoy the feverish fandom that Swift elicits, a fandom that would pay through the nose to see the pop goddess up close. So when Swift announced the Eras Tour would finally come to Miami in 2024, South Florida Swift- ies weren’t only competing locally for tickets, but with every fan in the world willing to pay to see her live one more time. During the first of three shows at Hard Rock Stadium, Swift teased Reputation (Taylor’s Version) and brought out Florence Welch to sing their col- laboration “Florida!!!” Justice at III Points (October 19) It’s pretty hard to stand out at a festival, but French electronic duo Justice managed to do just that on the second day of III Points. With their fourth album, Hyperdrama, only a few months old, Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Ros- nay took the stage to deliver a step that ran through hits like “D.A.N.C.E.,” “Neverender,” “We Are Your Friends,” and “Generator.” However, the most astonishing part of the show was the dazzling stage production, which used every imaginable kind of lighting rig to set the mood. When the show finished in a star field not too dissimilar to the ending of 2001: A Space Odyssey, you knew you had witnessed something special. Air at the Fillmore Miami Beach (October 26) A week after Justice’s dazzling performance at Mana Wynwood, another French duo gave Miami another spectacular stage show. Air celebrated the 25th anniversary of its much- lauded debut, Moon Safari, with an immer- sive concert experience that stopped at the Fillmore Miami Beach. The album was per- formed in its entirety with a stage production that beat out anything you saw during a big- budget arena show in 2024. “The experience felt like a James Turrell installation inside a Sol LeWitt sculpture, yet it also took cues from their countrymen and scene-mates in late ‘90s French electronica Daft Punk,” Douglas Markowitz shared in his review. [email protected] ▼ Music Missy Elliott performing on stage at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles during the Out of the World Tour on July 12, 2024. Photo by Derek Blanks WHEN THE SWEAT TOUR ARRIVED IN MIAMI, CHARLI AND TROYE DELIVERED ONE OF THE BIGGEST RAGERS THE CITY HAD EVER SEEN.
