72 Hours: Wiz Khalifa, Tim Fite, Batusis among the weekend's most notable concerts
A Pop & Hiss look at the top shows happening around town this weekend.
Wiz Khalifa, Yelawolf @ the Music Box. Wiz Khalifa's career was once seemed left for dead, with a gone-bust deal with Warner Bros. and little more than mix-tape cred to his name. Kanye West made hip-hop safe for nerdy tough guys, and Kid Cudi put psychedelics and trance chill-outs in vogue. Wiz Khalifa traffics somewhere in the middle, and he's here for two sold-out nights at the Music Box before he issues his first proper major label effort in 2011. First single, "Black & Yellow," is a Pittsburgh love letter that's dank and sometimes claustrophobic, but largely minimalist bravado. Yelawolf is working on a major label effort himself, an Interscope album that already has the Eminem stamp of approval. The sandpaper-scratched vocalist takes a more aggressive route than Wiz Khalifa, and his delivery is full of sudden gear shifts. His obsessions are little more than cars, girls and getting hammered, but it's safe to say he's pretty serious about all of them. The Music Box, 6126 Hollywood Blvd. The show is sold out, and tickets start at about $70 on secondary markets.
Slayer, Megadeath @ Gibson Amphitheatre. Do not make the mistake of taking Slayer for granted. Since 2001's "God Hates Us All," Slayer has gradually been embracing more topical subject matter (oh, don't worry, they still share a love for all things apocalyptic), and the band has survived about three decades without fattening up. This is metal at its most no frills, where tangled guitars are delivered with a punk-rock ferociousness. Megadeath, likewise, dispenses its musical violence with sleekness. The Gibson Amphitheatre, 100 Universal City Plaza. Tickets, which are still available, range from $15-$84.50, not including surcharges.