Welcome to the all-outdoor, all-awesome summer music preview. We’ve got festivals and stadium concerts, local music and acts from around the world, pop, rock, soul, jazz, jam, metal, punk and hip-hop.
HarpoonFest: May 20 & 21, Harpoon Brewery
Come for the music, stay for the music. Sure, there is delicious beer and loads of food truck offerings, but over the past decade Harpoonfest has become one of the best showcases for local talents of every genre. A few of the aces in the 2022 lineup: Carissa Johnson, Latrell James, Lady Pills and Senseless Optimism. harpoonbrewery.com
Boston Calling: May 27-29, Harvard Athletic Complex
Our local megafest has traditionally not been one the best showcases for local talents. That has been changing and this time around plenty of Boston heroes made the bill alongside the giants. Coral Moons, Ali McGuirk, Miranda Rae, the Chelsea Curve and others offer support to headliners Nine Inch Nails, the Strokes and Metallica. bostoncalling.com
Kina Zore: May 28, Governor Hutchinson’s Field, Milton
Led by Mozambican native Helder Tsinine and featuring members from North America, Europe and Africa, Kina Zore plays a smart, passionate, very-danceable form of Afropop. This show in Milton is just one of the many family-friendly picnic concerts the Trustees host in Massachusetts’ great wild spaces. thetrustees.org/program/summer-concerts
BAMS Fest: June 11, Franklin Park, Playstead Field
The Boston Art & Music Soul Festival champions the Black artistry of local and national stars. This edition of the fest shows of some of our city’s brightest including sets from hip-hop queen Jazzmyn RED, singer-songwriter-genre-defier Naomi Westwater, young jazz titan Jonathan Suazo and Zili Misik, anacoustic & electronic fusion of roots music of the African diaspora. bamsfest.org
Summerville Solstice!: June 25, Boynton Yards, Somerville
Boynton Yards hosts a series of outdoor parties near Union Square. This one features music for kids, music for adults and music for people who like awesome, excessive volume — we are looking at you Black Helicopter! Come shout and dance with Genie Santiago, Tigerman WOAH, Grace Givertz, Assasi, Borboleta, Nectarine Girl, the Dripp, and Matt Heaton and the Outside Toys. oncesomerville.com
Dead and Company: July 2, Gillette Stadium, Foxboro
In the immortal words of Robert Hunter, “Wave the flag, pop the bag, rock the boat, skin the goat.” Celebrate Independence Day weekend with the Dead and hope for “U.S. Blues” (and “Throwing Stones,” which also seems seasonally appropriate). gillettestadium.com
Phish: July 14 & 15, Xfinity Center, Mansfield
In the immortal words of Tom Marshall, “Down with disease and I’m up before the dawn, a thousand barefoot children outside dancing on my lawn.” Celebrate summer with the Phish and hope for “Down with Disease” (and “Axilla Part II,” which also seems seasonally appropriate). livenation.com
An Evening with Lost 80’s Live: Aug. 5, South Shore Music Circus, Cohasset
For 7% of readers, this is the must-see show of summer. For the other 93%, c’mon, live a little. An early MTV smorgasbord featuring A Flock of Seagulls, Missing Persons, Bow Wow Wow, Naked Eyes, Tommy Tutone and Stacy Q. themusiccircus.org
Alicia Keys: Aug. 9, Leader Bank Pavilion
Alicia Keys: piano master, songwriting ace, Grammy host, James Bond film theme song singer, girl on fire, must-have summer concert ticket. livenation.com
Lady Gaga: Aug. 19, Fenway Park
Two years late, Gaga’s Fenway gig is finally back on the calendar. Thankfully, the wait has given us more time to spend with “Chromatica.” Stefani Joanne Germanotta does so much so well (jazz standards, power ballads, tender folk, gonzo fashion), sometimes her status as this century’s dance pop monarch gets lost in a fog of other stuff, like meat dresses and movies. “Chromatica” dispels the haze by injecting discotheque candy into hearts, brains and loins. ticketmaster.com
Hiss Golden Messenger & Aoife O’Donovan: Aug. 27, Boarding House Park, Lowell
This show will be a songwriting masterclass. Between these two acts, it’s no stretch to say this show is for fans of Joan Baez, Willie Nelson, Bruce Springsteen, Tracy Chapman, Rhiannon Gideon and The War on Drugs. lowellsummermusic.org
