[Boston-Area Action 8/5/2026] Show-Going Plans & New Show Announcements
Posted on August 5, 2026 at 2:41 pm | No Comments
Oh, right, it’s Wednesday again. Time for the weekly “Boston area shows” post. Imminent gigs and recent announcements. Yeah.
But I’m just sitting over here bumming out about the apparent death of long-running, highly-esteemed music blog BrooklynVegan. One of the few remaining outlets for quality independent music coverage. I was naively unaware of the site’s ownership switcheroos over the past few years, and maybe this wouldn’t have been such a surprise if I knew that LiveNation & the Madden bros. had their hands on the controls. But I didn’t, and so it was. Dammit. Shall I remain naive and hope the site can somehow be wrested back from those chodes’ clutches? Or at least that the crew can find funding to start something new of their own? Sure.
Ok, so, yeah, Boston-area shows happening over the next seven days, and announcements made over the seven previous.
Tonight I was really looking forward to seeing Smirk at Deep Cuts, but it was suddenly canceled a couple days ago, as was the rest of their tour, apparently. So I’ll be hoping for a make-up date. Tomorrow night I’ll be heading down to Providence for the New England premiere of the Jason Molina documentary YFFIO (“You Fuckers Figure It Out”) as part of the Rhode Island International Film Festival. Very psyched. If I was around, I’d be at the Somergloom Festival’s kick-off show at Deep Cuts. Be sure to check out that fest’s full lineup over the whole weekend.
I’ll be outta town on Friday, too, this time for Lou’s 60th birthday show. In my absence, I highly suggest you head down to Hingham for Rick Maguire (of Pile) and Hallelujah The Hills at Ames Chapel, presented by Best Brother Records. If Hingham is too much of a haul, Hilken & Melissa’s free Friday residencies at Notch Brewing (Brighton) kick off with guests Beth Kaplan, Chris Brokaw, & Evan Shore. Hurts to miss that one, but I’ll get a bunch more chances. See the full lineups in last week’s post, or over on the right.
Rick from Pile is playing at the new Allston Abbey space (a long-standing church that has started hosting shows) on Saturday night, and I’ve really been wanting to check that place out… but it’s the same night as the mighty Oneida at Deep Cuts with KINSKI (!) & Tyler and the Names. Oof. Not only that, but Lupo città & Puke Pisstols are playing the Middle East with Cheater Slicks. Double oof. I’m just glad that Arto Vaun’s set at the Watertown Arts Market is at 3pm, so no conflict there.
As far as new announcements go, the first one I’ll mention is a reschedule: The aforementioned Arto had a show with Elizabeth Steen scheduled for August 15th at the Project Save Photograph Archive, but that’s now happening on September 26th instead. Mark it down. Glad that one starts at 6pm, because Smug Brothers have announced what I think is their first-ever area appearance that same night, playing over at O’Brien’s. So that’ll be another two-show evening.
Also rescheduled? The previously-aborted Comedy Bang! Bang! show, which will try again at the Chevalier in Medford on October 7th. Here’s hoping for no surprise exploding manholes that night. Just tell Scott to stay away from the tainted lettuce. HEY-O.
I really need to wrap this up. Ted Leo will be playing at Off Cabot in Beverly on October 9th, same night that Basic (Forsyth/Avery/McCombs) is at Deep Cuts. Rhett Miller hits City Winery Boston on 10/27, two days before Dent May is at the Rockwell. November 6th brings BEAT to the Wang, with Belew, Vai, Levin, & Bozzio doing their King Crimson thing, and the Daniel Lanois Trio hits City Winery the day before that. There’s more listed, but I’m outta gas. Read on.
As always, if there’s anything I missed that you’re excited about, please say so. And if any of the info I shared is messed up/changed, pipe up. You can check out a more extensive list of upcoming shows over in the right-hand column over there…
The lists…
First, imminent Boston-area shows of (my/your?) interest…
Wednesday, August 5th
Buddy Guy
Taj Farrant
@ Lynn Auditorium
Wednesday, August 5th
Franz Ferdinand
Sunday Mourners
@ House of Blues
Thursday, August 6th
“You Fuckers Figure It Out:
A Jason Molina Story”
New England Premiere
@ Rhode Island Intl Film Fest
@ the Uptown Theatre
in Providence
Thursday to Sunday
August 6th, 7th, 8th, & 9th
SOMERGLOOM
@ Deep Cuts
Thursday, August 6th
SOMERGLOOM kickoff show
The Outlourdes
Through A Glass, Darkly
Magnatar
Swamphead
@ Deep Cuts
Friday, August 7th
Junction 18
The Appreciation Post
Man V Ghost
Space Casino
@ the Middle East Downstairs
Friday, August 7th
The Hilken Mancini &
Melissa Gibbs Residency
Week 1 with guests
Beth Kaplan and Chris Brokaw
& Evan Shore (Muck & the Mires)
free @ Notch Brewing Brighton
Friday, August 7th
Best Brother Records presents
Rick McGuire of Pile
Hallelujah the Hills
@ Ames Chapel, Hingham
Friday, August 7th
Holy Wave
@ Deep Cuts
Friday, August 7th
Iron & Wine
@ Boarding House Park, Lowell
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
Saturday, August 8th
King Yellowman
@ the Cut
Saturday, August 8th
Kingsley Flood
@ Jason Russell House, Arlington
Saturday, August 8th
Cheater Slicks
Lupo Città
Puke Pisstols
@ The Middle East Up
Saturday, August 8th
Oneida
Kinski
Tyler & the Names
@ Deep Cuts
Saturday, August 8th
Bruce Hornsby
& the Noisemakers
@ the Cabot
Saturday, August 8th
Hilary Duff
@ Xfinity Center
Sunday, August 9th
Pile
@ John Ives House, Salem
And now, recently announced Boston-area shows…
Wednesday, September 2nd
Joseph Parsons
Amy Fairchild
Thomas Juliano
@ Q Division Studios
Wednesday, September 16th
Ear
Oral
@ the Somerville Armory
Saturday, September 26th
(moved from August 15th)
“Archive After Hours”
with Elizabeth Steen
& Arto Vaun
Free @ the Project Save
Photo Archive in Watertown
Saturday, September 26th
Smug Brothers
@ O’Brien’s
Wednesday, October 7th
Comedy Bang! Bang!
(rescheduled from 6/27)
@ the Chevalier Theatre
Friday, October 9th
Ted Leo
@ Off Cabot, Beverly
Friday, October 9th
Basic
@ Deep Cuts
Tuesday, October 27th
Rhett Miller
@ City Winery
Thursday, October 29th
Dent May
@ the Rockwell
Friday, November 6th
BEAT performs the music of
King Crimson
featuring Adrian Belew, Steve Vai,
Tony Levin, & Terry Bozzio
@ the Wang
Thursday, November 5th
Daniel Lanois Trio
@ City Winery
Saturday, November 7th
Birdbath
@ Deep Cuts
Monday, November 9th
The Blasting Company plays
“Over the Garden Wall”
moved from the Armory
to the Royale
Wednesday, November 18th
Why?
@ the Somerville Armory
Saturday, November 14th
Buffalo Tom
3rd Annual Charity Show
for Marblehead SEPAC
with
Sarah Swain & the Oh Boys
@ Abbot Hall, Marblehead
Sunday, December 13th
Lord Huron
@ MGM Music Hall
[Boston-Area Action 7/29/2026] Show-Going Plans & New Show Announcements
Posted on July 29, 2026 at 12:35 pm | No Comments
Yet another Wednesday, so another post of Boston-centric lists of shows, both impending (as in, within the next 7 days) and newly-scheduled (as in, announced over the previous 7 days). It doesn’t include everything, just those that are on my radar, and maybe on yours, too. If you’re reading this, and you’re psyched about something imminent or announced that’s not listed, leave a comment.
Not many planned shows on deck for me personally this week, though that doesn’t mean I won’t end up catching one or two. Maybe that Tomahawk/ Melvins team-up tomorrow night, probably Thalia Zedek/Sarah Borges/Field Day show on Friday at the Lizard Lounge, and I’ll likely swing by Saturday’s Rat City Arts Festival at the Speedway. Further ahead, Monday brings Elliott & The Burning Paris to the Sinclair.
Announcement-wise, while I don’t generally cover Providence shows (despite often going to them), I am compelled to mention that the Jason Molina documentary “You Fuckers Figure It Out”/YFFIO will make its New England premiere as part of the Rhode Island International Film Festival, screening on August 6th. Hilken Mancini & Melissa Gibbs are hosting a free 10-week Friday residency at Notch Brewing (Brighton) that has some killer guests. Elizabeth Steen & Arto Vaun are playing at the Project Save Photograph Archive in Watertown on 8/15. The August edition of Which Side?: A Protest Music Teach-Out has another solid lineup (including Damon & Naomi!). And Flowting Clowds, which features Jeff Mueller (June of 44, Shipping News, Rodan) and Sean Meadows (June of 44, Lungfish), will be at Deep Cuts on the 23rd with Unmade Bed & Pterodan.
There are a few other cool announcements beyond that, so check the lists below, and have a look at the Almanac’s right column over there—> for many more.
Away we go…
First, imminent Boston-area shows of (my/your?) interest…
Thursday, July 30th
Tomahawk
Melvins
@ House of Blues
Thursday, July 30th
WOMPS
Loen Trout
ODACOVA
@ Soundcheck Studios
Friday, July 31st
Gang Green (40th anniversary)
with F.U.’s, Spectacle,
The Promised End, Worm
@ Brighton Music Hall
Friday, July 31st
Tori Amos
@ the Pavilion
Friday, July 31st
Thalia Zedek Band
Sarah Borges
Field Day
@ the Lizard Lounge
Friday, July 31st
David Champagne
(ep release show)
@ Club Passim
Friday & Saturday
July 31st & August 1st
Phish
@ Fenway Park
Saturday, August 1st
Bearmonster
The Daylilies
The Zip-Ups
@ The Square Root
Saturday, August 1st
Regal Seagull (release show!)
37 Houses
Lesser Birds
@ Deep Cuts
Saturday, August 1st
Rat City Arts Festival
with Cheem, Makeout Palace,
Justice Cow, The Reunion,
Kay Wolf, Ashy Finn, Intac,
Dream Journal, Taylor Hurd,
Eli Shane, Ava Sophia, Von Aldra,
Nick Shea, Aka Rat, Ella Faye,
& C.J. Red Mouth
@ Charles River Speedway
Sunday, August 2nd
Dan Deacon
@ the Sinclair
Monday, August 3rd
Elliott
The Burning Paris
@ the Sinclair
And now, recently announced Boston-area shows…
Thursday, August 6th
“You Fuckers Figure It Out:
A Jason Molina Story”
New England Premiere
@ Rhode Island Intl Film Fest
@ the Uptown Theatre
in Providence
Every Friday for 10 weeks!
Hilken Mancini & Melissa Gibbs
in (a free!) residency each week
with special guests including:
8/7 – Beth Kaplan & Chris Brokaw
& Evan Shore (Muck & the Mires)
8/14 – Thalia Zedek
8/21 – Aaron Perrino & The Starlings
8/28 – Andy California
& Coco (of Whyte Lipstick)
9/4 – Mike Gent (the Figgs)
& Chris Colbourn (Buffalo Tom)
9/11 – Nature Machine
& Bob Bradshaw
9/18 – Kathy Snax & Emily Grogan
9/25 – Nat Freedberg
10/2 – Magen Tracy & Andrea Gillis
10/9 – Highway Hosiery
@ Notch Brewing Brighton
Saturday, August 15th
“Archive After Hours”
with Elizabeth Steen
& Arto Vaun
Free @ the Project Save
Photo Archive in Watertown
Tuesday, August 18th
Which Side?:
A Protest Music Teach-Out.
this month featuring
the Croaks, Damon & Naomi,
Dom the Composer, Hazel Project,
Eric Martin, Emily Marvosh,
& the Paid Protesters
@ the Burren
Sunday, August 23rd
Flowting Clowds
Unmade Bed
Pterodan
@ Deep Cuts
CANCELLED
Wednesday, September 16th
Roxette
Taylor Dayne
Nick Lowe & Los Straitjackets
@ the Xfinity Center
Sunday, September 27th
Improvement Movement
The Point.
@ Warehouse XI
Friday, October 2nd
Empty Country
Strange Pains
Meredith Sheldon
@ Deep Cuts
Friday, October 2nd
Greenleaf (Sweden)
Howling Giant
High Desert Queen
Worshipper
@ Widowmaker Braintree
Sunday, October 4th
Set Your Goals
The Warriors
(playing “War Is Hell”)
Restraining Order
Stateside
@ the Sinclair
Thursday, October 15th
Jamie Webster
@ the Rockwell
Saturday, November 21st
Orville Peck
Abbie Callahan
@ MGM Music Hall
Sunday, December 6th
Jim James
(My Morning Jacket)
@ the Wilbur Theatre
Saturday, December 12th
Emma Ruth Rundle
Cinder Well
@ Roadrunner
Tuesday, March 30th
Hayley Thompson-King
@ David Friend Recital Hall