The five best concerts this week: December 3-7

By Team Backbeat Mon., Dec. 3 2012 at 10:00 AM

Categories: Best Concerts

Continued from page 1

3. MEDESKI, SCOFIELD, MARTIN & WOOD @ OGDEN THEATRE | 12/7/12
With 1998's A Go Go, guitarist John Scofield tapped into a whole new demographic by enlisting Medeski, Martin & Wood to play on the disc. While Scofield, who played with Miles Davis, was a respected jazzer and had delved into fusion, with A Go Go, he fully embraced the jazz-funk idiom. And chances are good that he didn't have folks doing the noodle dance at his shows until he teamed up with MMW. But it was a successful collaboration on both ends and they went on to record 2009's Out Louder and last year's In Case The World Changes Its Mind.

2. MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS @ OGDEN THEATRE | THURS, 12/6/12
Macklemore's latest album, The Heist, is currently resting at number 37 on iTunes, but when it was first released, the record both topped that chart and held down the number-two spot on Billboard on the strength of its first-week sales. While chart rankings are hardly meaningful in this modern era, what makes this feat impressive is the fact that the XXL freshman and Westword Music Showcase alum issued the album entirely on his own. Besides being a highly capable MC, the Seattle-based rapper brings a certain genuineness and relatability to his music that's easy to embrace, whether he's playfully espousing the virtues of thrifting or poignantly taking a stand for same-sex marriage.