Rick Springfield, left, and Richard Marx. Photo courtesy of the artists

An Acoustic Evening with Rick Springfield and Richard Marx
POSTPONED. New date to be determined. 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Merrill Auditorium, 20 Myrtle St., Portland, $63 to $96. porttix.com
Wherever you go, whatever you do, Rick Springfield and Richard Marx will be right here waiting for you. That is, of course, if you head to Merrill Auditorium for an acoustic evening from the pair of ’80s-era hitmakers. Hold onto the night, even while you pine for Jessie’s girl. While you’re at the show, you can talk to strangers all you want because this is a night that you’ll remember, now and forever. Marx, 60, and Springfield, 74, are both Grammy-winning artists with several hits and 36 studio albums between them.

Merther. Photo by Alex Pietro

Merther with Lee Ross
8 p.m. Thursday. Portland House of Music, 25 Temple St., Portland, $9 in advance, $15 day of show, 21-plus. portlandhouseofmusic.com
Enjoy a night of Maine-spun jam band tunes from the band Merther. Their sound is a brew of psychedelia, funk fusion, rock and jamtronica, so you can expect to go from a chill sway to full-on dancing as Josh Bowden (drums), Cam King (guitar, vocals), James Morang (bass, vocals) and Devin Ryan (keys) do what they’ve been doing since 2012. If you’re wondering about the band name, King said that “merther” is a word used to describe a type of trance that one goes into while listening to music. Catch an opening set from multi-instrumentalist Lee Ross.

Joe Boucher. Photo by Jeff Swanson

Piano Men: The Music of Elton and Billy
7 p.m. Friday. Franco Center, 46 Cedar St., Lewiston, $30 in advance, $35 day of show. francocenter.org
You just might find yourself talking with Davy, who’s still in the Navy, if you head to Lewiston on Friday night. It will be a long, long time until you hear a better tribute to the music of Elton John and Billy Joel, because Piano Men: The Music of Elton and Billy is one heck of a show, led by pianist and singer Joe Boucher and a band of seasoned pros. Mohair suits and electric boots are optional, as are pink sidewinders and bright orange pairs of pants.