November 17
Carrie Underwood at The Viv
Carrie Underwood has come a long way from when she won “American Idol” in 2005. Her first single, “Inside Your Heaven,” made her the only solo country artist to have a No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and her crossover hits — “Jesus, Take the Wheel” and “Before He Cheats” — cemented her early stardom. She’s touring in support of her ninth studio album, “Denim & Rhinestones,” and will be performing Thursday, Nov. 17, at Vivint Smart Home Arena, 301 W. South Temple, Salt Lake City. Jimmie Allen is the opening act. Show starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available at VivintArena.com.
November 17
A lot of chocolate
Caputo’s Market & Deli, at 314 W. 300 South in Salt Lake City, is bringing back its annual Chocolate Festival in person after — say it with me — a two-year break because of the pandemic. The festival, set for Thursday, Nov. 17, at 7 p.m., celebrates craft chocolate, and this year the spotlight is on a U.S. company for the first time: Manoa, a brand that’s based in and grows its cacao in Hawaii. Tickets for the event are $60 without alcohol, and $90 with alcohol. (Guests must be 21 or older, of course.) Go to caputos.com for information.
November 19
Start the Christmas music
Every year after Halloween, the burning question for many is: When can we start playing Christmas music? So far in November, Salt Lake City radio station My 99.5 FM switched over to an all-holiday format on Nov. 4, while FM 100.3, the granddaddy of Utah Christmas music has not (as of Nov. 9) started up its annual yuletide programming. With that in mind, having the a cappella group Pentatonix bring its “A Christmas Spectacular” tour to West Valley City’s Maverik Center on Saturday, Nov. 19, doesn’t seem that early — even if it is before Thanksgiving. The show, with the band Girl Named Tom as the opening act, starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available at MaverikCenter.com.