Tropidelic calls itself “a musical lighthouse, shining a resilient light for everyone that has had to pull themselves up by their bootstraps.” That framing has to be earned — and the Cleveland six-piece has earned it over 861-plus shows, festival stages from Electric Forest to Okeechobee, and two music festivals of their own making. They bring their fall 2026 headlining run to Higher Ground Ballroom on Thursday, November 12, and if your Thursday night is open, this is a good reason to use it.
About the Show
Tropidelic is a six-piece from Cleveland, Ohio that blends reggae, hip-hop, funk, and ska-punk into something frontman Matthew Roads frames around emotion over technique. “Feelings more than sounds” is how he describes the priority, and Cleveland Magazine captured the live reality: the band combines “beachy, vibey reggae elements with frenzied ska-punk influences.” They describe themselves as an “everyman-band making music to overcome life’s obstacles,” and their fanbase, a 20,700-member community called Tropi-holics, has clearly received that message.
The touring credentials back up the self-belief. A 2016 performance at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland drew national attention and landed the band a record deal. Since then they’ve shared stages with 311, Slightly Stoopid, The Dirty Heads, Lupe Fiasco, and Pepper; played Okeechobee, Beach Life, Tortuga, Electric Forest, and Warped Tour; run two self-produced festivals (Everwild Music Festival and Sunny Days); and in 2023 alone played 100–150 concerts. Roads has summed up the band’s mentality: “We have this blue-collar mentality, ‘The hard way is the only way,’ and it’s very Midwestern and very Cleveland.”
Their catalog has grown alongside the mileage. The 2019 album Here in the Heights debuted at #2 on Billboard’s reggae charts. Of Illusion, the 2020 follow-up on Ineffable Records (Billboard’s top reggae label), featured collaborations with The Dirty Heads, Matisyahu, Devin the Dude, and Shwayze. Their eighth studio album, Royal Grove, arrived in July 2024. The Higher Ground date opens the November stretch of a fall run that closes in Cleveland, the band’s hometown, on November 21.
Support comes from Surfer Girl and The Quasi Kings. The show is all ages.
Venue & Logistics
Higher Ground Ballroom on Williston Road in South Burlington is the go-to room for touring acts coming through the north-country region. At 750 capacity, it’s intimate enough that a band with Red Rocks on their resume still has to close the distance. Doors open at 7:00 p.m.; the show starts at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets
Advance tickets are $23–$28. Buy tickets