Science teachers once told us summer starts when Earth’s 23.4-degree tilt points the Northern Hemisphere most directly toward the sun, lifting it to its highest arc across the sky and boosting solar intensity.
For music fans, it’s a lot simpler: More daylight plus hundreds of concerts equals the best season of the year.
From the summer solstice on June 21 to the start of autumn on Sept. 22, an endless stream of bands will pour onto every available D-FW stage, from tiny clubs to mammoth stadiums usually reserved for the Rangers (for a show by Guns N’ Roses) and Cowboys (BTS, Zach Bryan, Usher).
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As we greet the first official day of summer after weeks of sweating, here’s one music critic’s list of 10 promising concerts, in a range of genres and venues.
Shakira, June 23, American Airlines Center, ticketmaster.com
On her albums, the Colombian singer blends R&B and Afro-Latin grooves into fizzy pop confections. But in concert, her basic songs take on a new life as she shakes her moneymaker and whips her golden locks in a nonstop dance party.
Rush, June 24, 26, 28 and 30, Dickies Arena, ticketmaster.com
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In the ’70s, one critic described Geddy Lee’s voice as “a cross between Donald Duck and Robert Plant.” But the oft-maligned Canadian trio got the last laugh in 2013 when it was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. On Rush’s first tour in 10 years, German drummer Anika Nilles has taken over the seat of the late Neil Peart.
Shakey Graves, June 26, Annette Strauss Square, attpac.org
Graves – the stage name of folky/bluesy Austin singer Alejandro Rose-Garcia – tops an eclectic bill featuring Texas singer-fiddlerAmanda Shires and Dallas rockers J. Isiah Evans & the Boss Tweed. The show is part of Flora Street Live, a family-friendly festival of music, dance, art and food trucks.
Kurt Vile and the Violators, July 15, Longhorn Ballroom, axs.com
The Philly-based Vile (yes, his real surname) sounds like Leon Russell by way of Lou Reed. He began as a banjo player, then co-founded indie rock’s the War on Drugs before launching a solo career built on surreal songs like “Pretty Pimpin” and “Bassackwards.” The equally offbeat Austin trio Being Dead opens.
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Charley Crockett, Aug. 28-29, Billy Bob’s, billybobstexas.com
It’s anyone’s guess which songs the prolific former Dallasite will play. By the time you read this, he may have released another album or two. Austin-based jam-grass act Weary Boys and East Texas country singer Jake Penrod open both nights.
Buddy Guy, Aug. 30, Majestic Theater, ticketmaster.com
When the blues legend played at the Oscars last year on the Sinners song “I Lied to You,” it was a nod to his recent about-face: His “farewell” tour, it turns out, was more intermission than goodbye. Now embarking on the “Buddy Guy 90” tour, he’ll keep shooting fireworks from his Stratocaster as he begins his 10th decade.
Arlo Parks, Granada Theater, Sept. 9, prekindle.com
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The low-key London singer-songwriter (born Anaïs Oluwatoyin Estelle Marinho) branched out into electronic dance music on her latest album, Ambiguous Desire. Whatever genre she tackles, Parks wraps it in the same quiet pathos she applied to 2021’s queer coming-of-age hit “Eugene.”
Thee Sacred Souls, Sept. 12, Toyota Music Factory, ticketmaster.com
The rising San Diego soul trio headlines the show, but get there in time for the L.A.-based opening acts: LA LOM, an instrumental band that swirls together cumbia and Peruvian styles, and the Womack Sisters, a trio with impeccable R&B lineage. They’re granddaughters of Sam Cooke and nieces of Bobby Womack.
Samantha Fish, Sept. 12, Kessler Theater, prekindle.com
It doesn’t matter if she’s playing her bizarre cigar-box electric guitar or a regular model. Fish is the real deal. Last fall, the Kansas City singer-guitarist picked up a Grammy nod for Paper Doll, an album of riff-centric blues-rock inspired by Zeppelin and the Stones.
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The Bad Plus, AM/FM, Sept. 21, eventim.us
The mischievous Minneapolis avant-jazz band rarely plays Dallas, but in true unpredictable fashion, it’s coming to town on its farewell tour. In the ’00s and ’10s, the group reinvented songs as diverse as “Iron Man” and “I Walk the Line.” Lately, it’s been focusing on originals and classics by John Coltrane and Fort Worth legend Ornette Coleman.