[Boston-Area Action 7/2/2026] Show-Going Plans & New Show Announcements
Posted on July 2, 2026 at 11:47 am | No Comments
Yes, it’s hot. No, I do not do well in the heat. I live in New England for a reason, I’d rather be too cold than too warm, so this 100+ garbage can eff right off. Apologies in advance for my mood. Also not helping my disposition is the ol’ day job, which is a little too demanding at the moment. Just when I want to mentally ease into the holiday weekend, I cannot. So there’s my excuse for getting to this weekly Wednesday post a day late.
So here are the two lists. First: Some Boston-area rock shows happening in the next week that float my boat, or at least may float yours. Then: A run-down of recently-announced local shows that you might be into. If there are any shows I missed that you’re psyched about, or any details that need fixin’, drop a comment.
July 4th weekends are typically a little slow, show-wise, and my weekend is mostly taken up by non-rock plans, so not a ton on my radar. But still some things well worth checking out, like the Singer Songwriter night at the Square Root in Rozzie this evening, Widowspeak at the Somerville Armory tomorrow night, Spatulas with Major Stars and Tyler & the Names on Sunday at the Lilypad, and Allston Pudding’s last night of their free series at Zone 3 on Tuesday. Also worthy of your attention: That evening’s 33 1/3 event at Brookline Booksmith. See below for the details. And don’t miss Future Teens’ two nights at Deep Cuts, either.
As far as announcements go, I’m looking forward to seeing my first show at The Allston Abbey with Rick from Pile on August 8th, Arto Vaun that same day at Arsenal Park in Watertown, Unwed Sailor with The Burning Paris at Deep Cuts in September, and even though it’s a little out of my range to list it below, I’m likely hitting Lou Barlow’s birthday bash in Turner’s Falls in August. Should be a good one.
Here come the lists. Again, let me know what you’re excited about. Other area dates are included in the right-column of the Almanac over there —>
See you out there, perhaps. May every venue you visit have killer air conditioning.
First, imminent Boston-area shows of (my/your?) interest…
Thursday, July 2nd
Singer Songwriter Night
with Dylan Patrick Ward,
Hilken Mancini, and
Todd Consentino
hosted by Bruno Giordano
and Teresa Mastrorilli
@ The Square Root
Thursday, July 2nd
Godsmack
Stone Temple Pilots
Dorothy
@ the Xfinity Center
Friday, July 3rd
Widowspeak
Neu Blume
@ the Somerville Armory
Sunday, July 5th
The Spatulas
Major Stars
Tyler & the Names
@ the Lilypad
Tuesday, July 7th
“Discussing 33 1/3” with
authors Kevin Dunn
(Stiff Little Fingers’
Inflammable Material),
Michael T. Fournier
(The Minutemen’s Double
Nickels on the Dime),
Michael Stewart Foley
(Dead Kennedys’ Fresh
Fruit for Rotting Vegetables),
& special guest Nancy Barile
@ Brookline Booksmith
Tuesday, July 7th
Black Country, New Road
Horsegirl
@ Roadrunner
Tuesday, July 7th
Allston Pudding’s
Spring Concert Series
with
Jesus the Dinosaur,
Rain House, & Their Treasure
@ Zone 3, Lower Allston
Tuesday, July 7th
NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest
On the Road 2026
@ The Sinclair
Tuesday & Wednesday
July 7th & 8th
Future Teens
Snarls
Alright, Thanks (on the 7th)
Shallow Pools (on the 8th)
@ Deep Cuts
And now, recently announced Boston-area shows…
Friday, July 31st
David Champagne
(ep release show)
@ Club Passim
Saturday, August 8th
Rick Maguire (from Pile)
@ Allston Abbey
Saturday, August 8th
Arto Vaun
@ Watertown Arts Market
@ Arsenal Park
Saturday, August 8th
Elvis Costello
Will Dailey
@ Old Whaling Church, Edgartown
Thursday, August 13th
Family Trip Podcast Show
with Seth Meyers
@ City Winery Boston
Saturday, September 12th
Brian Fallon & the Painkillers
(of the Gaslight Anthem)
@ the Somerville Armory
Wednesday, September 23rd
Unwed Sailor
The Burning Paris
@ Deep Cuts
Thursday, October 1st
John Cameron Mitchell
presents a 25th anniversary
screening of the film
“Hedwig & the Angry Inch”
@ the Shubert Theatre
Saturday, October 3rd
beabadoobee
@ the TD Garden
Tuesday, October 6th
Supersuckers
The Rumours
@ the Middle East
Monday, October 19th
Joe Pug & Willie Watson
@ City Winery Boston
Friday, October 23rd
Have Heart
@ the Middle East Upstairs
[Boston-Area Action 6/24/2026] Show-Going Plans & New Show Announcements
Posted on June 24, 2026 at 1:26 pm | No Comments
My music-fan cup runneth over lately, in the best way. An abundance of good-to-great-to-unbelievable shows over the past month that have left me wondering what I did in a past life (or maybe this one) to deserve all this. My post-pandemic “never say no” philosophy is paying serious dividends. And there’s a lot more ahead.
So here’s the weekly Wednesday post where I list Boston-area shows I’m hoping to attend (or would attend, if physically possible) in the next seven days. Or that you might want to know about. After that, I run down interesting area gig announcements that have happened since I did this last time.
Imminent highlights: Well, tonight should be somethin’ special. The monthly Which Side?: A Protest Music Teach-Out show happens in the Burren Backroom this evening, with guests Beth Kaplan & Chris Brokaw, Kameelah, Ted Leo, Toussaint the Liberator, Magen Tracy, and a “surprise band” dubbed… “Damaged Gods.” Now, if you know what legendary 4-piece Mr. Leo is playing in right now, and realize that very band has a run of shows starting in a couple days, well, that ‘surprise’ is kinda easy to figure out. And, uh, wow. While this show sold out awhile ago (they always do, tix are pay-what-you-want), there are typically a handful of spots available at the door if you line up early enough. Fair warning.
Also tonight: The Church at the Somerville Theatre, which I’ll be missing due to that Burren show, but may try to catch the second half. On Friday there’s a solid bill at the Lilypad, with Hidden Fountain, Trabants, & Children of the Flaming Wheel, Silver Screams headline a matinee show at The Jungle on Saturday, and Comedy Bang! Bang! is at the Chevalier in Medford that night. That show’s up against a throwback evening with the Human League, Soft Cell, & Alison Moyet at the Wang. Sunday night has a must-not-miss appearance by Weird Nightmare with Today Junior at Deep Cuts, which I’ve been looking forward to since the day it was announced. Also very psyched about the Tortoise show with BASIC at The Sinclair on Tuesday, which is sadly up against The Bug Club’s night at Deep Cuts. A brutal conflict, that one is.
Announcement highlights: The 33 1/3 event at Brookline Booksmith in a couple weeks, a killer lineup at Sonia on July 11th with the Veldt, Lovina Falls, Vivid Bloom, & Spirit Hotel, and a Robyn Hitchcock book event at Porter Square Books (Seaport location) on July 27th. The Tubs have announced their next record (and first for Merge), and they’ll be hitting Deep Cuts in October.
Alright, I could keep listing things, but my motivation wanes and my day job beckons. Look closely at the lists below, there’s lots to love. If there’s anything missing that you’re excited about, leave a comment. Check out my full list in the right hand column over there —>, and let me know if anything needs fixing/updating.
Off we go…
First, imminent Boston-area shows of (my/your?) interest…
Wednesday, June 24th
Which Side?: A Protest Music Teach-Out
with this month’s guests
Beth Kaplan & Chris Brokaw,
Kameelah, Maverick, Ted Leo,
Toussaint the Liberator, &
special guests “Damaged Gods”
with The Paid Protesters
@ the Burren Backroom
Wednesday, June 24th
The Church
The Singles Tour
(rescheduled from 8/1/25)
@ Somerville Theatre
Wednesday, June 24th
“Summer Sounds” with
Brooke Annibale,
Adeline Hotel & Jackie West,
and the Benji’s
@ Bellforge Arts Center
Wednesday, June 24th
of Montreal
Boyhood
Cormae
@ the Sinclair
Wednesday, June 24th
Sammy Hagar & his band
Rick Springfield
@ the Xfinity Center
Thursday, June 25th
Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band
Elizabeth Moen
@ The Sinclair
Thursday, June 25th
Spirit Ghost
Hereboy
Doss
@ Deep Cuts
Friday, June 26th
Souled American
@ Deep Cuts
Friday, June 26th
Deer Tick
@ the Royale
Friday, June 26th
Greg Mendez
Scarlet Rae
@ the Sinclair
Friday, June 26th
Hidden Fountain
Trabants
Children of the Flaming Wheel
@ the Lilypad
Saturday, June 27th
Vapors of Morphine
Le Prestige
@ the Regattabar
Saturday, June 27th
Meg Toohey
@ Club Passim
Saturday, June 27th
Silver Screams
Still Sedated
Past Life Crisis
matinee @ the Jungle
Saturday, June 27th
Comedy Bang! Bang!
with Scott Aukerman,
Paul F. Tompkins, &
the CB!B! All-Stars
@ the Chevalier Theatre
Saturday, June 27th
The Human League
Soft Cell
Alison Moyet
@ the Wang
Saturday, June 27th
Jesca Hoop
@ City Winery Boston
Saturday, June 27th
Slo-Anne
The Orrs
Lesser Birds
@ Remnant Satellite
Saturday, June 27th
The Displayers
Elisa Smith
Lonely Leesa & the Lost Cowboys
@ The Square Root
Sunday, June 28th
Weird Nightmare
Today Junior
@ Deep Cuts
Monday, June 29th
Santana
The Doobie Brothers
@ the Xfinity Center
Monday, Tuesday, & Wednesday
June 29th, 30th, & July 1st
Lyle Lovett
@ City Winery Boston
Tuesday, June 30th
Tortoise
Basic
@ the Sinclair
Tuesday, June 30th
Allston Pudding’s
Spring Concert Series
with
Haasan Barclay (release show!),
ET, & Valeria Orrantia
@ Zone 3, Lower Allston
Tuesday, June 30th
Steve Earle
@ Groton Hill Music Center
Tuesday, June 30th
The Bug Club
@ Deep Cuts
Tuesday & Wednesday
June 30th & July 1st
Goose
@ the Pavilion
And now, recently announced Boston-area shows…
Tuesday, July 7th
“Discussing 33 1/3” with
authors Kevin Dunn
(Stiff Little Fingers’
Inflammable Material),
Michael T. Fournier
(The Minutemen’s Double
Nickels on the Dime),
Michael Stewart Foley
(Dead Kennedys’ Fresh
Fruit for Rotting Vegetables),
& special guest Nancy Barile
@ Brookline Booksmith
Saturday, July 11th
The Veldt
Lovina Falls
Vivid Bloom
Spirit Hotel
@ Sonia
Wednesday, July 15th
Bellwire
@ the Rockwell
Monday, July 27th
Robyn Hitchcock
presents his new book
@ Porter Square Books
Seaport/Boston location
Friday, July 31st
Thalia Zedek Band
Sarah Borges
Field Day
@ the Lizard Lounge Cambridge
Sunday, August 9th
Pile
@ John Ives House, Salem
Thursday, August 13th
Save Ferris
@ Taffeta Music Hall
Sunday, August 30th
Mike D
@ the Royale
Wednesday, September 2nd
The Fixx
Colin Blunstone (the Zombies)
Peter Asher
@ the Somerville Theatre
Wednesday, September 23rd
Brandon Flowers
@ Roadrunner
Wednesday, September 23rd
Mike Campbell & the Dirty Knobs
@ the Cabot
Thursday, September 24th
Slothrust
The Velveteers
@ the Royale
Wednesday, September 30th
Pennywise
Circle Jerks
H20
DFL
@ the House of Blues
Thursday, October 1st
Russian Circles
Pelican
@ the Royale
Friday, October 2nd
Stanley Simmons
@ City Winery
Monday, October 5th
Chelsea Wolfe
Jonathan Hulten
@ the Shubert Theatre
Friday, October 16th
The Tubs
@ Deep Cuts
Friday, October 23rd
Author Neal Stephenson
@ First Parish Church, Cambridge
Saturday, October 24th
The Jayhawks
@ the Shubert Theatre
Friday, November 6th
Hovvdy
Christian Lee Hutson
@ the Royale
Wednesday, November 11th
Marshall Crenshaw
@ City Winery Boston
Thursday, November 12th
Sleep
@ Roadrunner
Saturday, November 14th
Small Brown Bike
The Casket Lottery
@ Deep Cuts
Saturday, November 14th
BoDeans
@ City Winery Boston
Sunday, November 15th
Senses Fail
Koyo
Initiate
@ Big Night Live
Monday, November 16th
The War and Treaty
@ the Sinclair
Support your local & touring musicians. Hit a show, buy some merch, tell ’em you love ’em.