With temperatures going up and pollen levels hopefully going down, the late spring and summer festival and concert season is finally upon us once more. As always, a staggering array of options awaits Georgia concertgoers: from pop titans to rap superstars, and legends of jazz to the future of indie rock. Some festivals are free while other events carry a price tag, so be sure to confirm details and logistics in plenty of time to enjoy the music.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Kicking things off is none other than 12-time Grammy winner and singer/songwriter extraordinaire Taylor Swift, who brings The Eras Tour to Mercedes-Benz Stadium for three electric nights, April 28-30. Opening acts vary by performance but include beabadoobee and Gracie Abrams. True to the tour’s name, the three-hour-plus show spans material from the entirety of Swift’s career rather than focus on her newest album “Midnights.” That same Saturday (April 29) just down the road is the annual charity-supporting Amplify Decatur Music Festival, headlined this year by Alabama neo-soul stalwarts St. Paul & The Broken Bones.
Credit: Courtesy of the Lumineers
Credit: Courtesy of the Lumineers
Shaky Knees Festival celebrates its 10th anniversary at Central Park May 5-7. This year’s extravaganza boasts headliners The Killers, Muse and The Lumineers, plus classic album sets from Cypress Hill and the Flaming Lips. Some Shaky Knees artists will also play late night shows around the city. Mary J. Blige returns with her multipurpose Strength of a Woman Festival, which includes a State Farm Arena concert featuring Jeezy, Method Man and Blige herself on May 12 and a performance spearheaded by Lauryn Hill the following evening. May 13 also sees Kenny Loggins, the man behind hits from seemingly every good movie from the 1980s, play at Ameris Bank Amphitheatre.
Credit: John Stephens JAS PHOTO
Credit: John Stephens JAS PHOTO
May wraps up with concerts by a Fleetwood Mac legend and an English singer plus a festival that’s long been an Atlanta tradition. Stevie Nicks performs at State Farm Arena on May 22, with Ed Sheeran bringing his symbolic +-=÷X tour to Mercedes-Benz Stadium on May 27. The forty-sixth Atlanta Jazz Festival takes place at Piedmont Park over Memorial Day Weekend, May 27-29. One of the biggest free jazz festivals in the U.S., the event features an itinerary of stellar performers, including the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra fronted by trumpet maestro Wynton Marsalis.
A new concert series, Re:SET, arrives at Central Park June 9-11. Giving fans a festival experience that includes the artists performing on one stage only (so no conflicting sets), Re:SET’s inaugural Atlanta weekend will be headlined by Steve Lacy, LCD Soundsystem and boygenius, the much-heralded trio of usual solo performers Lucy Dacus, Julien Baker and Phoebe Bridgers. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame acts will descend upon State Farm Arena on consecutive nights, with Duran Duran (and openers Chic and Bastille) on June 15 and James Taylor on June 16. The end of the month centers on shows by indie rock veterans, with Pixies and Franz Ferdinand at Coca-Cola Roxy (June 20), Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds and Garbage at Ameris Bank Amphitheatre (June 24) and The Cure at State Farm Arena (June 27).
Credit: Robb Cohen for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Credit: Robb Cohen for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Toronto hip hop icon Drake will celebrate Canada Day and the day after with performances opened by 21 Savage at State Farm Arena (July 1 and 2), while pop punk mainstays blink-182 are at the same venue for a July 13 concert. Chicago punk favorites Fall Out Boy recently released “So Much (for) Stardust,” the group’s first album in five years. Joined by Bring Me The Horizon, they’ll appear at Lakewood Amphitheatre on July 26. Speaking of Chicago, the future of indie rock looks bright as the Windy City’s hugely acclaimed teen trio Horsegirl plays Purgatory at The Masquerade (July 30).
The free, family-focused BeREGGAE Diaspora Music & Arts Festival returns to Piedmont Park Aug. 11-13 with a lineup to be announced. Formerly known as Atlanta Reggae in the Park, the weekend celebrates the intersectionality of Caribbean, African and Black American cultures and is one of the most diverse gatherings in the state. Beyoncé brings her eagerly awaited Renaissance World Tour to Mercedes-Benz Stadium for three performances over four days (Aug. 11, 12, 14). Extra shows were added here because, according to Ticketmaster, Queen Bey demand exceeded initial supply by a staggering 800%.
Credit: Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
Credit: Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
New York City rockers The National are in town Aug. 16, supporting upcoming ninth album “First Two Pages of Frankenstein” at Cadence Bank Amphitheatre. Saying “hello” on Aug. 22 will be Lionel Richie, performing at State Farm Arena along with Earth, Wind & Fire on the Sing a Song All Night Long tour. Ameris Bank Amphitheatre will welcome country (and other assorted styles) giant Chris Stapleton for two shows, on Aug. 25 and 26. For the first time, Madonna is launching a greatest hits tour, and she’ll perform her hits from across the decades on Sept. 5 at State Farm Arena. Bob the Drag Queen will open the festivities. Rounding out the summertime fun is a Sept. 11 show by English rock dynamos Arctic Monkeys (with Fontaines D.C.) at Ameris Bank Amphitheatre in support of last year’s album “The Car.”
Whether you want to be inside or out, or prefer a full festival weekend or one night of fun, it’s time to grab those tickets, put in hearing protection and take in the sounds that will fill Atlanta’s venues all spring and summer.
IF YOU GO
Atlanta Jazz Festival. atljazzfest.com.
Shaky Knees Festival. shakykneesfestival.com.
BeREGGAE Diaspora Music & Arts Festival. atlreggaeinthepark.com.
Re:SET Concert Series. atlanta.resetconcertseries.com.
Amplify Decatur. amplifydecatur.org.
State Farm Arena, 1 State Farm Drive, Atlanta. statefarmarena.com.
Ameris Bank Amphitheatre, 2200 Encore Parkway, Alpharetta. concerts.livenation.com.
The Masquerade, 50 Lower Alabama St., Atlanta. masqueradeatlanta.com.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, 1 AMB Drive NW, Atlanta. mercedesbenzstadium.com.
Lakewood Amphitheatre, 1932 Pryor Road, Atlanta. 404-443-5000, www.livenation.com.
Coca-Cola Roxy at the Battery, 800 Battery Ave. SE, #500, Atlanta. cocacolaroxy.com.
Cadence Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park, 4469 Stella Drive, Atlanta. 404-233-2227, livenation.com.
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