Shows of the Week: Demi Lovato’s Music Is Getting Gnarlier Than Ever Before

What to see and what to hear.

Demi Lovato (Courtesy of Demi Lovato)

THURSDAY, SEPT. 22:

A Heilung show is halfway between something you’d expect to see on the Vegas strip and something you’d expect to see at Stonehenge under a full moon. The Northern European band plays an electric reimagining of old Norse folk music, complete with skin drums and bone rattles, while decked out in psychedelic druid costumes straight out of a period epic like The Northman. Even if their pounding drums and epic chants aren’t your thing, they’re still one of the most unforgettable live acts currently touring. Keller Auditorium, 222 SW Clay St. 8 pm. $40.50-$80.50. 18+.

SUNDAY, SEPT. 25:

If you’re not aware of what Demi Lovato’s been doing since her Disney days, prepare to be surprised. 2017′s Tell Me You Love Me established her as a vocal powerhouse unafraid to tackle thorny subject matter, and her two most recent releases went into uncompromising detail about the drug addiction and mental health issues she’s tackled throughout her life. Marketed in her teen years as a just-rebellious-enough pop-rocker, she’s the real thing now, and this year’s Holy Fvck could be called a return to her rock roots if it weren’t so much gnarlier than anything she’s made before. Theater of the Clouds, Moda Center, 1 N Center Court St. 8 pm. $22-$500. All ages.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 28:

In its decade of existence, Kikagaku Moyo has risen to prominence as one of the world’s most popular and respected contemporary psych-rock bands, and no wonder: Their linear, liquid-sounding music is so evocative it’s almost overwhelming at first. But just as they’ve released their best album, May’s Kumoyo Island, the Japanese band has decided to go on an indefinite hiatus. Catch them while you still can at Crystal Ballroom with Portland’s very own Rose City Band, led by Moon Duo’s Ripley Johnson. McMenamins Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside St. 8:30 pm. $25-$30. All ages.

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