There’s so much going this fall season in the Bay Area concert scene.
And the best part?
It’s all over the place – both in terms of genres and location.
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How about some classic rock from Blue Oyster Cult at Plaza de Cesar Chavez in San Jose? Maybe you’d prefer to catch up the ever-amazing pop star Lorde at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley? Or how about the pairing of jazz greats Christian McBride and Brad Mehldau at the Presidio Theatre in San Francisco?
Those are just three of the 20 shows we’re highlighting in this preview of the jam-packed fall season in the Bay Area.
It all kicks off with the aforementioned BOC on Friday. Yeah, we’re aware that that’s technically a couple of days before the fall season actually starts. But it’s close enough for rock ‘n’ roll.
Break out your best Christopher Walken impression – “More cowbell!” – and cheer on the classic rock act behind “Godzilla,” “Burnin’ for You” and, most famously, “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper.” It will be worth the price of admission just to watch the mighty Buck Dharma wail on guitar.
Details: 5 p.m. Sept. 19; Music in the Park concert series, Plaza de Cesar Chavez, San Jose; mitpsj.com
2. Tate McRae
At just 22, this Canadian singer-songwriter-dancer already ranks as a veteran in the music business, having first rose to prominence as a teenaged finalist on “So You Think You Can Dance” in 2016. Her career has really taken off in recent years thanks to a string of hot singles, including the 2025 Morgan Wallen collaboration “What I Want” that brought McRae to the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time ever.
Details: 7:30 p.m. Sept. 24 at Chase Center, San Francisco; chasecenter.com; 7:30 p.m. Oct. 5 at Golden 1 Center, Sacramento; golden1center.com
One of the best bands of the last 45 years, which all-too-few people have actually heard of, is finally heading back to the Golden State. So make sure to turn on out to see the great Scottish frontman Mike Scott and company perform such grand numbers as “This Is the Sea,” “Fisherman’s Blues” and “The Whole of the Moon” in concert.
Details: 8 p.m. Sept. 25; The Fillmore, San Francisco; livenation.com
SAN JOSE, CA – MAY 05: A portrait of a San Jose blues musician JC Smith on May 5, 2020, in San Jose, Calif. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)
It’s the annual running of the jazz cats in Monterey, with Christian McBride, Dianne Reeves, Rene Marie and Pete Escovedo among those leading the charge. Yet, there’s also a lot for blues fans to enjoy, including the marvelous Mr. Sipp and San Jose’s own J.C. Smith Band.
Details: Sept. 26-28; Monterey County Fairgrounds; montereyjazz.org
5. Thomas Rhett
He’s got country music in his blood, thanks to his father (Rhett Akins) having released several albums — as well as the No. 1 country single “Don’t Get Me Started” — in the ‘90s and early 2000s. Yet, dear ol’ dad never produced the type of stunning stats that his son has. Indeed, very few have. We’ll just mention one: Thomas Rhett has scored 20 No. 1 country singles. And you’ll likely get to hear most of those when he brings his Better In Boots Tour to the Bay Area.
Details: 7:30 p.m. Sept. 27; Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View; livenation.com
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6. Laufey
This native of Reykjavík, Iceland — yes, the same place where Bjork was born more than three decades earlier — has struck a massive chord with lovers of jazz-influenced pop music. She produces music that sounds like it could’ve come out in the 1940s, yet she’s also a big hit with listeners who never even got the chance to experience the 20th century. Laufey is touring in support of her third full-length studio outing, “A Matter of Time.”
Details: 7:30 p.m. Sept. 29 at Oakland Arena; theoaklandarena.com; 7:30 p.m. Sept. 30 at Chase Center, San Francisco; chasecenter.com
Guitarist and vocalist Joe Duplantier, with the band Gojira, performs at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, Calif., on Friday, July 26, 2019. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group)
There are so many intriguing metal/hard-rock acts on this four-day bill — including Rob Zombie, Demon Hunter, Flyleaf, Yngwie Malmsteen, 12 Stones and August Burns Red. Yet, the No. 1 reason why we’re counting down the days to Aftershock ’25 is the chance to witness Gojira showcase, once again, why it deserves to be ranked among the best metal acts of all time.
Details: Oct. 2-5; Discovery Park, Sacramento; aftershockfestival.com
It’s year 25 for this legendary free festival, which annually draws hundreds of thousands of people to one of the world’s most beautiful parks to experience blues, country, rock and, yes, even bluegrass. This year’s three-day lineup includes Courtney Barnett, The War and Treaty, Lucinda Williams, Margo Price, Samara Joy, Buddy Miller, Shawn Colvin and so much more.
Details: Oct. 3-5; Golden Gate Park, San Francisco; hardlystrictlybluegrass.com
9. Ledisi
The New Orleans native, who moved to Oakland as a young teen, is treating her Bay Area fans to the music of “For Dinah,” a tribute album to the legendary Dinah Washington that hits shelves on Oct. 3. We’ve heard a bit of it already — including a stunning take on “What a Difference a Day Makes” — and we’re definitely digging it.
Details: 8 p.m. Oct. 6; Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco; sfjazz.org
Peter Holmström performs with the Dandy Warhols on the Bai Stage during the first day of the BottleRock Napa Valley Music festival in 2019 (Chris Riley–Times-Herald).
10. Dandy Warhols
The music of the Dandy Warhols just never gets old. We’ve seen this incredible alt-rock troupe in concert dozens of times at this point, over the course of three decades, and yet we just can’t wait for another round of “Good Morning,” “Get Off,” “Boys Better,” etc. This time around, the Dandys are sharing the bill with Kula Shaker.
Details: 8 p.m. Oct. 8; Regency Ballroom, San Francisco; axs.com
11. Alice Cooper, Judas Priest
It’s a dream date for old-school hard-rock heads, who get not one but two Rock and Roll Hall of Fame acts on the same bill. We’ve seen Judas Priest a few times over the past few years and can testify that Rob Halford and his fellow metal men can still turn up the “British Steel.” But we’re mainly in this to catch Cooper and see what theatrics he may have up his sleeve on this tour. Corrosion of Conformity is also on the bill.
Details: 6:45 p.m. Oct. 14 at Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View; 6:45 p.m. Oct. 15 at Toyota Amphitheatre, Wheatland; Livenation.com
Christian McBride (bass) performs in concert with Kenny Barron’s quintet at SFJAZZ Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Thursday, April 10, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
12. Christian McBride and Brad Mehldau
We’re used to seeing McBride and Mehldau referenced as two of the greatest artists working in jazz today. Yet, it’s time to retire that line and start referencing the bassist and pianist (respectively) as nothing short of all-time greats. And what an amazing treat it will be to see these longtime collaborators join forces in a duo setting.
Details: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 16-17; Presidio Theatre, San Francisco; presidiotheatre.org
13. Beta Band
We always think about the 2000 John Cusack flick “High Fidelity” — and possibly the single most awesome scene of music snobbery ever captured on film — whenever this band gets mentioned. But, really, there are so many other good reasons to recall the Beta Band on a regular basis. Chief among that list would be that this excellent Scottish indie-rock act has finally reunited and is set to perform its first Bay Area show in well over 20 years.
Details: 8:30 p.m. Oct. 17; Regency Ballroom, San Francisco; axs.com
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – MAY 3: Lorde performs in concert at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, May 3, 2022. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
14. Lorde
If we could only catch one show on this entire list — which, thankfully, is not the case — it would definitely be this one. Lorde is just that good, with a back catalog that includes two of the 10 best albums of the 21st century (thus far) — the landmark 2013 debut “Pure Heroine” and the equally amazing 2017 follow-up “Melodrama.” The New Zealand alt-rock/pop genius is out on the road in support of another massive winner, “Virgin.”
Details: 6 p.m. Oct. 19; Greek Theatre, Berkeley; apeconcerts.com
15. Garbage, Starcrawler
Sure, Garbage is the headliner — and they’ve got the songs (and popularity) to warrant that spot. Yet, we’re even more interested in seeing the opener — the awesome L.A. glam-rock outfit Starcrawler — which puts on such a fun live show. All in all, this is a really sold doubleheader.
Details: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 23; Mountain Winery; mountainwinery.com
Dead & Company certainly ranks as the most popular Grateful Dead tribute band. But the best? That title would go to JRAD, which brings a Phish-like energy to the Dead’s mighty songbook. The result feels like you’re hearing adventurous new takes on old classics, as opposed to something that somewhat recalls what you could get from just playing those old tapes of Shoreline shows from the ‘90s.
Details: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 24 at Channel 24, Sacramento; 7:30 p.m. Oct. 25 at Fox Theatre, Oakland; apeconcerts.com
CONCORD, CA – JULY 18: Chris Tomlin performs on stage during the Spirit West Coast Concert held at the Concord Pavilion in Concord, Calif., on Sunday, July 18, 2021. It was the first major full-capacity concert held in the Bay Area since the pandemic began. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
17. Chris Tomlin
Time magazine once referred to this excellent singer-songwriter as the “most often sung artist in the world.” And that may well be the case, given how many millions of churchgoers raise up their voices through Tomlin songs on a weekly basis. Here’s your chance to join the choir with Tomlin in the building.
Details: 7 p.m. Oct. 28; Cathedral of Faith, San Jose; tprlive.co
Doechii is carried by her dancers as they perform on the Lands End stage during the first day of the Outside Lands music festival at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco on Aug. 8, 2025. (Chris Riley/Times-Herald)
Having just stole the show — nay, the entire weekend — from the more-established stars (including headliners Doja Cat, Hoozier and Tyler, the Creator) at the 2025 Outside Lands music festival at Golden Gate Park in August, Doechii quickly returns to the Bay Area for her own hotly anticipated headlining show. The rising hip-hop star is supporting her second mixtape, 2024’s “Alligator Bites Never Heal,” which won the 2025 Grammy for best rap album.
Details: 8 p.m. Nov. 7; Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco; apeconcerts.com
19. Brandon Lake
This immensely talented South Carolinian — who first came to fame as a member of the music collectives Bethel Music and Maverick City Music — has now firmly established himself as one of the biggest stars in all of contemporary Christian music. The sense of conviction in his voice and the way his faith so clearly comes across in each line that he utters are what really sell such gems as “That’s Who I Praise,” “Hard Fought Hallelujah” and –perhaps the best Christian rock song of the decade — “Count ‘Em.”
Details: 7 p.m. Nov. 15 at Golden 1 Center, Sacramento; 7 p.m. Nov. 16 at SAP Center, San Jose; ticketmaster.com.
20. David Byrne
We never got the Talking Heads reunion tour that many predicted – and all of us wanted – in 2025. Yet, we are getting a trio of Bay Area shows in support of David Byrne’s newly released ninth full-length studio album, “Who Is the Sky?” That’ll tide us over for now, while we wait for any word that the band could finally be hitting the road again. (A 2027 trek in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Talking Heads’ debut album seems like a great idea. Just saying.)
Details: 8 p.m. Nov. 16-18; Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, apeconcerts.com
