ADELE The last time Adele played Boston, she was at House of Blues; in the five years that have elapsed since, the British belter has become pop’s reigning bruised-heart queen, building up enough hits and good will to command two nights headlining TD Garden. Get ready for lots of teary-eyed moments and lots of sardonic banter. Sept. 14 and 15 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $39.50-$149.50. TD Garden, Boston. 800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com
OKKERVIL RIVER New Hampshire-born Will Sheff’s songwriting has become more acutely felt over the course of his band’s nearly two-decade career. The band’s most recent album, “Away,’’ takes tight closeups of loss and rebuilding, coming out on the other side with gorgeously realized folk-rock that’ll sound like a gut-punch in the Sinclair’s intimate room. Sept. 14 and 15 at 8 p.m. Tickets: $25, $22 advance. The Sinclair, Cambridge. 617-547-5200, www.sinclair cambridge.com
Ma Di This Chinese folksinger’s velvety voice and knack for incorporating his local folk motifs into Amerindie-inspired acoustic pop have captivated audiences in his home country, and his first tour of the States should attract expats as well as listeners who stumbled across covers of his delicate 2015 track “Nan Shan Nan.’’ Sept. 18 at 7 p.m. Tickets $35-65. Middle East Downstairs, Cambridge. 617-864-3278, www.mideastoffers.com
THE BRONX/POUNDED BY THE SURF/MARIACHI EL BRONX The hardest-working band in Boston during autumn’s first weekend will no doubt be the grime-punk outfit the Bronx, who will be playing as themselves as well as their two alter egos — the spaced-out surf-punk band Pounded by the Surf and the south-of-the-border-inspired Mariachi El Bronx — over the course of shows at the Sinclair and the Copenhagen Beer Fest. The Bronx + Dead Heavens + Pounded by the Surf: Sept. 23 at 8 p.m. Tickets $20, $18 advance. The Sinclair, Cambridge. 617-547-5200, www.sinclair cambridge.com. Mariachi El Bronx: Sept 24 at 11:30 a.m. Tickets: $40-$95. City Hall Plaza, Boston. www.copenhagenbeerfest.com
BAD BOY FAMILY REUNION TOUR Sean “Diddy’’ Combs helped define the platinum-plated, fisheye-lensed hip-hop that ruled pop radio at the turn of the millennium. He headlines a tour bringing together heavy hitters from his label Bad Boy Records, including the fleet-tongued Lil’ Kim, the powerful diva Faith Evans, and new Bad Boy on the block French Montana. Sept. 24 at 8 p.m. Tickets: $39.50-$150. TD Garden, Boston. 800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com
CONCERT ACROSS AMERICA TO END GUN VIOLENCE Part of a country-wide roster of shows scheduled for the ninth annual National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims, this show will feature multiple bright lights of the Boston music scene, including Jamaica Plain-based gloom-folker Marissa Nadler, whose darkly contemplative “Strangers’’ is one of 2016’s most stunning albums. Sept. 25 at 6 p.m. Tickets: $20. Brighton Music Hall, Boston. 617-779-0140, www.cross roadspresents.com
COUNTRY 102.5 STREET PARTY The fact that country music can command two slots on Boston’s FM dial is a testament to twangy music’s strength in New England. Country 102.5, the older of the Hub’s two country stations, kicks fall into gear with a party on Landsdowne Street; up-and-comer Maren Morris, whose sassy confessionalism and big beats have given the genre a kick in the pants, highlights the bill. Sept. 25 at 12 p.m. Tickets: $25. House of Blues, Boston. 800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com
CHANCE THE RAPPER Chicago-based Chance the Rapper brings his digital-age success story to the Blue Hills Bank Pavilion. His mixtapes have garnered so much heat that his most recent one, the gospel-tinged “Coloring Book,’’ is available officially via Apple Music, and his live performances have generated so much buzz that he’s headlined festivals and amphitheaters even while operating apart from the traditional record industry. Sept. 29 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $39.50-$59.50. Blue Hills Bank Pavilion, Boston. 800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com
BLAKE SHELTON His romance with fellow “The Voice’’ judge Gwen Stefani has turned him into a gossip-page fixture. Country megastar Shelton’s 2016 album “If I’m Honest’’ only fuels those flames, with zinging breakup tracks and a duet with the No Doubt singer that was written when their much-blogged-about romance was in its infancy. Oct. 1 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $39.75-$89.75. TD Garden, Boston. 800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com
RAE SREMMURD + LIL YACHTY Two acts at the cutting edge of hip-hop unite for a tour that will probably do well to expose any generational divides among the genre’s fans. Brotherly duo Rae Sremmurd’s blend of gasping verses and sparse trap beats pair well with Atlanta up-and-comer Lil Yachty’s sun-dappled boasts. Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. Tickets: $35-45. House of Blues, Boston. 800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com
SQUEEZE The songwriting pair of Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook has written some of the most wrenching poetry of the past four decades; that they coat their tales of love lost and chances missed in sugarspun pop only makes their devastation more brutal. Oct. 17 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $52-70. The Wilbur, Boston. 800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com
SIA + MIGUEL She had a chart-topping single with the fun-on-a-budget anthem “Cheap Thrills’’ earlier this year, but the attention-shy Australian hit architect Sia will likely remain steadfastly cloaked on the Nostalgic for the Present tour. Selecting the R&B polymath Miguel, whose 2015 album “Wildheart’’ was an exploration of all things sumptuous, for an opener has given her the edge over all her arena-touring compatriots. Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. Tickets: $35-$125. TD Garden, Boston. 800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com
HASSLE FEST 8 Boston’s annual celebration of what “punk’’ might mean right now returns to Brighton Music Hall for a staggeringly stacked lineup featuring heady jammers Guerilla Toss, Speedy Ortiz lead singer Sadie Dupuis’s synthpop project Sad13, legendary electro-psych act Silver Apples, and gloriously bent avant-rockers Palberta. Nov. 4 at 6 p.m.; Nov. 5 at 2 p.m. Tickets: $25; $22 in advance. Brighton Music Hall, Boston. 617-779-0140, www.bostonhassle fest.com
PILE Every Boston band’s favorite Boston band returns to Allston with new ear-shredders as well as some beloved chestnuts. Nov. 16 at 9 p.m. Tickets: $12, $10 in advance. Great Scott, Boston. 617-566-9014, www.greatscott rocks.com
LETTERS TO CLEO With a five-song EP — their first new recorded music since the Clinton administration — scheduled to hit stores later this month, Boston’s much-beloved alt-pop outfit will take a short jaunt around the States to showcase their new music as well as sticky-sweet classics like “Here and Now.’’ This hometown show sold out shortly after it was announced, but the dream of the ’90s can usually be found lurking in the secondary-ticket market. Nov. 19 at 8 p.m. Tickets: $25. Paradise Rock Club, Boston. 617-747-2261, www.crossroads presents.com Maura Johnston
Maura Johnston can be reached at maura@maura.com.
