There’s some doom/gloom in the forecast — so we should probably get our kicks in (safely) while we all still can. Luckily, live, outdoor concerts are on, generally stress-free and might be the best way to claw back a little bit of fun from a summer that’s suddenly gone slightly pear-shaped.
Below, our 21 top picks for summer concert vibes — and remember, our usual end-of-the-season festival (a.k.a. Outside Lands) is on, with headliners Lizzo, The Strokes and Tame Impala, but rescheduled for Halloween weekend.
Because it’s not too late to be an ’80s badass:
Joan Jett & the Blackhearts at Stone Grove, August 1
Because they’re literally an antidote for these uncertain times:
LoCura at the Lake Merritt Bandstand, August 5
Because you saw them in that Tig Notaro special and (rightly) thought, “That was awesome”:
Indigo Girls at Mountain Winery, August 12
Because you came for Common, and stayed for everything else:
The San Jose Jazz Summer Fest, August 13-15
Because “groove-based Soul improv and progressive Funk” might be the cure for what ails you:
Soul Mechanix featuring Omega Rae at Corte Madera Summer Concerts, August 15
Because he might just pull out something from Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812:
Josh Groban at Mountain Winery, August 18
Because now *that* is how to spend a summer night in Berkeley:
Atmosphere and Cypress Hill at the Greek Theatre, August 19
Because you want an experience:
Leah King and Juan Carlos Rodriguez Rivera present “Diasporic Futurism: Taking Up (Outer) Space,” an “extension of … a graphic collage and sound design project exploring futurist ancestry,” all at Yerba Buena, August 19
Because your Daily Mix 6 keeps throwing up “Hard to Handle”:
The Black Crowes at Concord Pavilion, August 21
Because your first kiss was in 1994 and Dookie was playing in the background:
The Hella Mega Tour with Green Day, Weezer and Fall Out Boy at Oracle Park, August 27
Because you have a daughter and you love her:
The Jonas Brothers at the Shoreline Amphitheatre, August 27
Because that is one hell of a way to close out the summer:
Phish at Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena, August 31-September 1
Because a year-plus of isolation really could turn someone into a thrash-metal type:
Megadeth at the Concord Pavilion, September 2
Because you know someone who thinks that a Brandi Carlile-Stevie Nicks-Maren Morris triple bill is heaven on Earth:
BottleRock returns to Napa, September 3-5 (Nicks headlines on 9/3, with Carlile and Morris up earlier that day)
Because ultimately we’re #teammiranda:
Miranda Lambert at Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena, September 3
Because it’s not too late to be an ’80s badass II:
Joan Jett again, joined by Def Leppard, Mötley Crüe and Poison(!), Oracle Park, September 7
Because you 100 percent know if this applies to you:
KISS at Shoreline Amphitheatre, September 10
Because we’ve got a real, live EGOT winner in our midst:
John Legend at the Greek Theatre at UC Berkeley, September 15
Because who knows who those “unnamed special guests” will be??:
H.E.R.’s Lights on Festival at Concord Pavilion, September 18-19
Because it might just be our top pick on the whole list:
St. Vincent at the Greek Theatre at UC Berkeley, September 23
Because you could use another jolt of musical energy:
Kings of Leon at Shoreline Amphitheatre, September 23
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