[Boston-Area Action 5/7/26] Show-Going Plans & New Show Announcements
Posted on May 7, 2026 at 11:38 am | No Comments
And so the weekly Wednesday post has become a Thursday post. I saw too many shows over too few days, and the last thing I wanted to do yesterday was write about seeing more shows. Hell, I didn’t even want to listen to any music. I mean, all the shows were great, every one was worth it, but jeez, the burnout is real.
But I’m back. And it’s past time to do the thing where I run down imminent Boston-area shows along with recent area event announcements.
There are two distinct highlights below: First, freakin’ SILKWORM are playing in Somerville on Tuesday! And with Come! Been looking forward to this one for months. I mean, I traveled to Illinois to see the ‘Worm play four shows in a row last fall, so obviously I’m a little excited to catch them here in my ‘hood. And with an absolutely killer opener. I mean, Come on. It’s embarrassing that it hasn’t sold out yet.
Secondly, I’m pretty proud to be ‘presenting’ (which mostly involves me telling you to go and guaranteeing a good time) a show at Deep Cuts on Friday night, May 22nd with a top-notch lineup of faves: The Whimbrels, Thalia Zedek Band, and Unmade Bed. I’ll leave the details of that one for it’s own proper post. It deserves it.
Other stand-outs in the upcoming seven days: Major Stars at Faces Brewing tomorrow night, and Jon Butcher saying farewell to his Axis band in Gloucester. Saturday is the Somerville Porchfest, which you can cap off with Remember Sports, Cusp, & Jake McKelvie at the Crystal Ballroom. 7-11 Jesus also have their EP release show that night at Fifth Column (ask a punk). The Cribs are at The Sinclair on Sunday, and in the most egregious mismatch of band-vibe & venue I’ve seen in awhile: EMF are at City Winery.
And, of course, on Tuesday: THE ‘WORM RETURNS.
Announcement-wise, my personal highlights from below include… um, Dumptruck is playing?! It’s true. In September with Mary Lou Lord at Deep Cuts. Buy a ticket for that now because it’ll sell out. Aside from that, NICE, a fest announced their ridiculous 2026 lineup, as did the The New England Americana Festival. Allston Pudding also revealed some of the bands playing season 2 of their Spring Concert Series at Zone 3 in Allston. Can’t beat neighborhood shows, especially when they’re free & all ages.
In more national-touring-act news, Squeeze are coming to town with Adam Ant & Haircut 100 in August, The Psychedelic Furs & Living Colour are, too. Interpol & DIIV hit Roadrunner together in October, & Dave Davies (!) will be at City Winery. Also pretty into that Menzingers/Hot Water Music/Weakened Friends lineup in November.
The standard shpiel: If there’s anything I didn’t list coming up this week that you’re psyched about, share your enthusiasm in a comment. Same if there’s a recent announcement you dig. Or if there’s any info I got wrong. Also: Check the right column over there, where there’s a full list of shows on my radar. —>
Alright, here come the (warm) lists…
First, imminent Boston-area shows of (my/your?) interest…
Friday, May 8th
Major Stars
Rope Trick
Strawberry Coffin
@ Faces
Friday, May 8th
Jon Butcher Axis
“The Final Show”
with Johnny A
@ the Cut
Saturday, May 9th
Remember Sports
Cusp
Jake McKelvie
@ Crystal Ballroom
Saturday, May 9th
Blood Feeder
Wire Lines
Silver Screams
@ Pour Farm Tavern
in New Bedford
Saturday, May 9th
7-11 Jesus
LP release show
@ Fifth Column
Saturday, May 9th
Somerville Porchfest
all around Somerville
Sunday, May 10th
The Cribs
@ the Sinclair
Monday, May 11th
EMF
@ City Winery
Tuesday, May 12th
Silkworm
Come
@ Crystal Ballroom
And now, recently announced Boston-area shows…
Tuesday, May 19th
Mike Schur & Joe Posnanski
discussing their book “Big Fan”
@ The Brattle Theatre
Friday, May 22nd
The Whimbrels
Thalia Zedek Band
Unmade Bed
@ Deep Cuts
Wednesday, May 27th
Faces on Film (EP release)
Daniel Donovan
DJ Johnny Allen
@ Lou’s
Saturday, May 30th
David Cross
as part of the
WBUR Festival
@ Tsai Performance Center @ BU
Saturday, May 30th
Senator Chris Murphy
with Heather Cox Richardson
presenting
“Crisis of the Common Good”
@ First Parish Church
Saturday, June 6th
New England American Festival
with
Kier Burns & The Kettle Burners,
Nate Perry & Ragged Company,
Other Brother Darryl, Elisa Smith,
Jennifer Tefft & The Strange,
Tigerman Woah, Berm, Regals,
Dirt Road Souls, Autumn Hollow,
Beware the Dangers of a
Ghost Scorpion, Comanchero,
Consuelo’s Revenge, and
Damian and the Displayers
@ the Bellforge Arts Center
Tuesdays from June 9th
through July 7th
Allston Pudding’s
Spring Concert Series (S2!)
with
Haasan Barclay, Spirit Ghost,
Bowling Shoes, (T-T)b,
Jesus the Dinosaur,
and many more
@ Zone 3, Lower Allston
Thursday, June 11th
Gracie & Rachel
@ the Rockwell
Monday, July 15th
Craig Finn
Patterson Hood
@ Shalin Liu, Rockport
Wednesday, July 22nd
Finn Wolfhard
Sleeper’s Bell
@ the Sinclair
Friday, Saturday, & Sunday
July 24th, 25th, & 26th
NICE, a fest
the lineup was announced!
too many bands to list here.
just go take a look.
@ Davis Square, Somerville
Tuesday, July 28th
Baby Rainbow
@ Crystal Ballroom
Tuesday, August 18th
The Psychedelic Furs
Living Colour
@ MGM Music Hall
Wednesday, August 26th
Squeeze
Adam Ant
Haircut 100
@ MGM Music Hall
Friday, August 28th
Kacey Musgraves
Midland
@ TD Garden
Thursday, September 3rd
Dumptruck
Mary Lou Lord
@ Deep Cuts
Sunday, September 13th
Graham Nash
@ Boarding House Park, Lowell
Sunday, October 4th
Interpol
DIIV
@ Roadrunner
Friday, October 9th
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
voice + piano
@ the Somerville Armory
Tuesday, October 13th
Dave Davies
(of the Kinks!)
@ City Winery Boston
Thursday, October 15th
& Saturday, October 17th
Olivia Rodrigo
@ TD Garden
Friday, October 16th
JPEGMAFIA
Redveil
Matt Proxy
@ Roadrunner
Saturday, November 21st
The Menzingers
Hot Water Music
Weakened Friends
@ Roadrunner
That’s it. If you see me out there, please say hello. I’m never not glad when that happens.
[Boston-Area Action 4/29/26] Show-Going Plans & New Show Announcements
Posted on April 29, 2026 at 12:31 pm | No Comments
Wednesday = time for the lists I pull together of Boston-area shows of interest (to me, and maybe you) happening in the next week, and recent announcements of bands coming to town.
There’s way too much going on, which is a better problem than nothing going on, but I’d prefer just-a-little-less going on. This is where I whine about tough choices again, because this coming weekend is crazy. Conflicts abound.
Jumping out: The Town & The City Festival on Thursday, Friday, & Saturday. Check out their schedule and get yourself to Lowell, good people. Chris Brokaw & Tanya Donelly are playing it on Saturday, and they’re also playing the night before in Cambridge (I have an extra ticket, get at me). Thalia Zedek Band plays Deep Cuts tonight. Lloyd Cole is at City Winery tomorrow. Vivid Bloom are at the Capitol Theatre on Friday, and Lady Lamb plays the Somerville Theatre on Sunday. Whew.
If you aren’t heading down to the Providence Pop Fest to see them like I am, you can catch Good Flying Birds here at the Lilypad on Sunday night. But that goes up against the guaranteed-great screening of Rachel Lichtman’s “Programme 4” film at the Regent Theatre in Arlington. Cannot wait for that. It’s the main reason I’m hitting Providence for GFB (also, Pylon!) rather than their Sunday show. Jugglin’ over here. My beloved Ducks Ltd. are opening for Yumi Zouma at The Sinclair on Monday, Dry Cleaning is at the Paradise on Tuesday, the Messthetics team up with Trinary System at City Winery that night as well, and Joe Pernice starts his two-night stand at Club Passim, too.
Standout announcement-wise, the Earfull Series has announced the lineups for their June shows at Branch Line (Syd Straw! Sleepyhead! Todd Thibaud!), Liz Phair & Sleater-Kinney are playing MGM Music Hall together in September, and loathe as I am to mention it, Moz is coming to Lowell. Maybe? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Ok, list time. If you please, comment with events I missed that you’re particularly psyched about or involved in, or with any updated/incorrect info. Any shows not listed below might be over in the right-hand column, so have a look there, too.
First, imminent Boston-area shows of (my/your?) interest…
Wednesday, April 29th
Vulture Feather
Thalia Zedek Band
Sinaloa
@ Deep Cuts
Thursday, April 30th
Lloyd Cole
@ City Winery
Thursday, April 30th
through Saturday, May 2nd
The Town and the City Festival
@ venues throughout Lowell, MA
Thursday, April 30th
through Sunday, May 3rd
The Hold Steady
celebrate 30 years of
“Boys and Girls in America”
@ The Sinclair
Friday, May 1st
4th Wall presents…
Circus Trees
Vivid Bloom
Declaw
@ the Capitol Theatre
in Arlington
Friday, May 1st
Tanya Donelly
& Chris Brokaw
@ First Church, Cambridge
Saturday, May 2nd
Telehealth
Perennial
Pinklids
@ Deep Cuts
Saturday, May 2nd
Lightheaded
The Hobknobs
Intac
Ohio State Fair
@ O’Brien’s
Saturday, May 2nd
Vundabar
Copilot
free & all ages
@ Palmer St. in Lowell
Sunday, May 3rd
Lady Lamb
@ the Somerville Theatre
Sunday, May 3rd
Good Flying Birds
Galore
Grass Widow
@ the Lilypad
Sunday, May 3rd
Rachel Lichtman presents
Programme 4’s
“Make the Scene”
with guests Josh Kantor,
Chris Murphy/Jim Roebuck,
and Juliana Hatfield
@ the Regent Theatre
Monday, May 4th
Yumi Zouma
Ducks Ltd.
@ the Sinclair
Monday, May 4th
Harvard Bookstore presents
Gaelynn Lea in conversation
with Adrian Anantawan
and Colleen Flanagan
@ Cambridge Public Library
Tuesday, May 5th
Dry Cleaning
YHWH Nailgun
@ the Paradise
Tuesday, May 5th
The Messthetics
and James Brandon Lewis
Trinary System
@ City Winery Boston
Tuesday, May 5th
Gladie
Noun
@ Deep Cuts
Tuesday & Wednesday
May 5th & 6th
Joe Pernice
@ Club Passim
And now, recently announced Boston-area shows…
Wednesday, May 6th
Future Teens Paint Night +
Record Release Listening Party!
@ Deep Cuts
Friday, May 15th
Natural Information Society
Jake Meginsky & Lemual Marc
@ Hope Central Church
Friday, May 29th
Field Day
@ Village Social Club, Brookline
Tuesday, June 2nd
Earfull Series presents…
Authors Allison King & Lauren Acampora
Musicians Hope for Rain & The Franc Graham Band
@ Branch Line, Watertown
Tuesday, June 9th
Earfull Series presents…
Authors Lesley Mahoney O’Connell & Elizabeth Graver
Musicians Syd Straw & Todd Thibaud
@ Branch Line, Watertown
Tuesday, June 16th
Earfull Series presents…
Authors Laura Zigman & Tom Perrotta
Musicians Special Guests TBA & Sleepyhead
@ Branch Line, Watertown
Tuesday, June 23rd
Earfull Series presents…
Authors Keith O’Brien & Charlie Pierce
Musicians Bronson Arroyo & Gompson
@ Branch Line, Watertown
Friday, July 10th
Emperor X
@ Warehouse XI
Wednesday, July 15th
Willis
Boyscott
The Flooks
@ the Sinclair
Monday, July 22nd
Los Lobos
@ the Cut
Friday – Sunday
July 24th – July 26th
2026 Lowell Folk Fest
Elida Almeida, Dat Mighty 9,
Melissa Carper & Emily Gimble,
John Doyle & Friends,
Fabiola Mendez,
and Super Chikan
& the Fighting Cocks
@ downtown Lowell
Saturday, August 8th
King Yellowman
@ the Cut
Friday, August 28th
Kacey Musgraves
Midland
@ TD Garden
Sunday, August 30th
Citizen
Anxious
Hotline TNT
Rocket
Cryogeyser
@ the House of Blues
Monday, September 21st
Liz Phair
Sleater-Kinney
@ MGM Music Hall
Thursday, September 24th
Suki Waterhouse
Charlotte Lawrence
@ MGM Music Hall
Wednesday, September 30th
Morrissey
@ Lowell Memorial Auditorium
Tuesday, October 13th
Fred Armisen
@ the Wilbur
Tuesday, November 10th
Geese
@ Roadrunner
See you out there. I might be limping. Don’t ask.