SALT LAKE CITY — First off, narrowing this list to 11 concerts was tough. Salt Lake’s music venues are bringing their respective A-games this season. But this is why they pay me the big bucks, people.
Without further setup, here are 11 noteworthy Salt Lake shows happening between now and the end of October.
Noah Gundersen: Sept. 26 at the State Room
The Seattle-based singer-songwriter packs an emotional wallop on his new album, “Lover.” Over its 13 songs, Gundersen takes listeners on a journey through big, melancholic soundscapes as he sings about love, loss and aging. “Lover” is an intimate and deeply cathartic experience. It’s the best thing he’s ever made. ($23, thestateroompresents.com)
Bob Seger: Sept. 28 at Vivint Arena
“Farewell Tour” can be a loaded term. But as a generation of classic rock legends get older, these tours become inevitable. Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band brings their “Roll Me Away” farewell tour to Vivint Arena. Seger has been on the tour since last November. “I thought I’d be done by 30,” Seger told Rolling Stone magazine. “My original plan was to do it for five years between the age of 25 and 30 and then buy a motorcycle and drive across Europe, and then get a real job. It didn’t work out that way.” Good job, Bob. ($75-$595, vivintarena.com)
Morrissey and Interpol: Sept. 28 at the Great Saltair
Disparate eras of post-punk collide on Morrissey’s new tour. The former Smiths frontman will be joined by Interpol (the band, not the international police organization) for his Utah visit. There’s no telling what Morrissey will say or do on any given night — but if you’re going to take your chances, it may as well be at a picturesque venue like the Saltair. ($65-$70, smithstix.com)
Robert Plant: Oct. 1 at the Eccles Theater
Few classic rock singers have maintained their performance chops the way Robert Plant has. The former Led Zeppelin frontman brings his current band, the Sensational Space Shifters, to the Eccles Theater. The band’s sensibilities are eclectic in every sense of the word — a manifestation of Plant’s perpetual curiosity, and his refusal to lean on past glories. (arttix.saltlake.org)
Jonas Brothers: Oct. 3 at Vivint Arena
Can a boy band still be a boy band if its members are all, well, grown men? Jonas Brothers are putting that age-old question to the test. After a 10-year hiatus, the former Disney Channel stars returned this year with a new album, “Happiness Begins.” Yes, the album’s lead single “Sucker” mimics “Feel It Still,” last year’s surprise Top 40 hit from Portugal. The Man. But here’s the thing: Jonas Brothers did it better. ($90-$290, vivintarena.com)
Tyler, The Creator & Blood Orange: Oct. 8. at the Great Saltair
We’re in a good era for experimental, ethereal rap/R&B. Two of that scene’s biggest players, Tyler, The Creator and Blood Orange, bring what promises to be a joyously weird show to the Great Saltair. Rolling Stone hailed Tyler, The Creator’s new album “IGOR” as a “rich and messy mélange of R&B, funk and rap that carries a luminous sheen and a bittersweet undercurrent.” They aren’t wrong. ($59.50-$65, thesaltair.com)
Charli XCX: Oct. 8 at the Complex
Charli XCX is fascinating: that rare pop star who displays a simultaneous mastery of pop’s current contours and a desire to constantly subvert them. Her new album, “Charli,” features a who’s-who of similarly inclined female pop stars — Christine and the Queens, HAIM, Lizzo — and the results are often thrilling. If this is where pop music is heading, then buckle up. ($30, thecomplexslc.com)
Jade Bird: Oct. 10 at the Urban Lounge
I saw Jade Bird last year at Kilby Court, and the 21-year-old singer-songwriter was a force of nature. Bird vacillates seamlessly from brash folk-rock to intimate balladry. Her self-titled debut album, which came out earlier this year, displays Bird’s show-stopping skills as a singer, performer and songwriter. Her future is bright. (Her present is pretty bright, too.)($16-$18, theurbanloungeslc.com)
Shelter Red: Oct. 12 at the Urban Lounge
I grew up in Oregon, where Shelter Red originates. Watching them completely obliterate my musical notions is one of my most cherished teen memories. Instrumental progressive hardcore is not in my wheelhouse, but Shelter Red made me a fan, thanks to beautifully creative songwriting, inspiring melodies and some of the most astounding live musicianship I’ve ever seen. They also taught me that you can’t judge a book by its cover: These guys don’t fit their genre’s long-haired Hot Topic aesthetic, and they kind of glory in that defiance. It’s a band you’ve got to see to believe. ($10, theurbanloungeslc.com)
Sleater-Kinney: Oct. 12 at the Depot
Produced by modern rock mastermind Annie Clark (aka St. Vincent), Sleater-Kinney’s new album “The Center Won’t Hold” puts a charmingly modern gloss on the Portland band’s prickly indie rock. Their longtime drummer, Janet Weiss, recently left the group, but this new album shows they’re still in good hands with founding members Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker. ($37.55, depotslc.com)
Cat Power: Oct. 26 at the Union
Chan Marshall could have coasted on the enormous goodwill accrued from her 2006 album “The Greatest.” Luckily for us, she didn’t. Under the moniker Cat Power, she’s continued to release music that runs the sonic spectrum — all united by the common denominator that is her breathy, dreamlike vocals. ($38.50, theunioneventcenter.com)