Concerts

25 great concerts coming to Eastern Mass. suburbs in spring 2026

You don't have to head to Boston for great rock, soul, jazz, Americana and more at clubs and theaters outside the city.

This spring, suburban venues will feature concerts by (clockwise from top left) Jakob Dylan and The Wallfowers, Tia Fuller, Peter Wolf, Diana Krall, Dionne Warwick, and Patti LaBelle. Yasmin Than; Jerris Madison; Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff; Courtesy Photo; Courtesy Photo; AP Photo/Brynn Anderson

By Peter Chianca

7 minutes to read

Let’s face it, after this winter you’re going to want to get out of the house — but maybe not too far out. With that in mind, suburb dwellers can check out the links below for the full listings of great concerts coming to the North Shore, South Shore, South Coast, Merrimack Valley, and Metro West, along with a list of 25 hot Boston.com-approved acts you should definitely check out close to home as the snow melts.

25 worthy concerts outside of Boston for spring 2026:

Lucius will be at The Cabot in Beverly on March 21. – Courtesy Photo

Glen Phillips was/is lead singer and principal songwriter for Toad the Wet Sprocket (“All I Want”), but the often-bare-footed artist also has a sizable solo output, which will be on display at Bull Run on Wednesday, March 4.

Boston legend Peter Wolf (“Lights Out”) — lead singer of the J. Geils Band, beloved WBCN DJ, and general all-around Woofa Goofa — has been barnstorming the Boston suburbs in the wake of his stellar autobiography, “Waiting on the Moon.” Next stop: The Cabot in Beverly on Saturday, March 7.
You have not seen (or heard) the saxophone until you’ve been in the presence of Tia Fuller when she’s blowing hers. Fortunately you’ll have your chance when the Grammy-nominated saxophonist, composer, and bandleader (and voice of Dorothea in Disney/Pixar’s “Soul”) comes to Groton Hill Music Center on Sunday, March 8.

He may be getting up in years, but even at age 82, Albert Lee — who’s played with, well, everybody, including long stints with Emmylou Harris and Eric Clapton — still has his legendary guitar chops intact. He’ll bring those very same to the Fallout Shelter stage on Thursday, March 12.
We’re not quite sure how alt-rock stalwarts Everclear (“Santa Monica”) could be 30 years old already, but their major-label debut, the iconic “Sparkle and Fade,” first hit record stores way back in 1995. They’ll continue their celebration of that particular anniversary when they come to Plymouth Memorial Hall on Thursday, March 12.
Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir? And now that we’ve gotten that age-old question out of the way, we’ll let you know that the Godmother of Soul herself, Miss Patti LaBelle (“Lady Marmalade,” “On My Own”) will be gracing us with her presence. She’ll bring her 80/65 tour, celebrating 80 years of life and 65 years in music, to Lynn Memorial Auditorium on Friday, March 13.
That Pokey LaFarge (“Something in the Water”) even has a career peddling his blend of early jazz, ragtime, country blues, and Western swing in 2026 is pretty amazing. But not only that, he’s thriving — and he’ll no doubt prove why when he comes to the Shalin Liu on Friday, March 13.
“NOT the Peppers!” declared the event announcement, because you just know people have made that mistake in the past. These are the Red Hot Chili Pipers, and their unique brand of “bagrock” (bagpipe + rock, natch) will be coming to Cary Hall on Friday, March 20.
They were a highlight at last year’s Boston Calling, and now Lucius (“Two of Us On the Run”) — fronted by uber-talented Berklee grads Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig — will be bringing their beautifully blended voices and surprisingly hard-rocking alt pop to the Cabot’s venerable stage on Saturday, March 21.
Admit it, you’d like to be able to say you saw Engelbert Humperdinck (“A Man Without Love”) at least once before he finally hangs it up. Which has to happen at some point, given he’s now (checks notes) 89. (89!) You can do so when he comes to Lynn Memorial Auditorium on Saturday, March 21.
She helped birth soul music as we know it in the 1960s, recorded an instant-classic album of Dylan covers in 2018, and found her debut hit (“Let Me Down Easy”) sampled by ODESZA in 2022 for “The Last Goodbye” (now closing in on 164 million Spotify streams). Bettye LaVette will surely dip into that eclectic mix at Narrows Center on Saturday, March 21.

According to the Jazz Times, “if there’s a post-millennial answer to Dinah Washington, surely it’s Catherine Russell,” which is high praise indeed. After providing vocals while touring with the likes of Steely Dan and David Bowie, Russell (“Did I Remember”) is delighting old-fashioned jazz fans as a solo artist, and will do just that at Shalin Liu on Friday, March 27.
Much more than just a jazz singer, Diana Krall is simply one of the most versatile and nuanced vocalists working today — just take a spin through “The Look of Love,” “Live in Paris,” “Turn Up the Quiet,” or “Love Is Here to Stay,” her collaborative album with Tony Bennett, if you don’t believe us. Or check her out in person at the Cabot on Saturday, March 28.
If there’s a more electric modern blues artist working today, we haven’t heard her. ZZ Ward (“Put the Gun Down”) has been living up to her promise to deliver the blues “on my own terms” since her smoking 2012 debut “Til the Casket Drops,” right up through last year’s excellent “Liberation.” You can check her out when she and her band hit Narrows Center on Wednesday, March 25. (Or if you prefer a trip into the city, at City Winery on Sunday, March 29.)

It’s not every day you get to see someone who’s had more than 75 hit songs and sold over 100 million records, in addition to becoming the octogenarian “Queen of Twitter.” But Dionne Warwick (“Walk on By,” “I Say a Little Prayer,” “That’s What Friends Are For”) has done all that and more. Don’t miss the chance to see her in action when she comes to Groton Hill Music Center on Sunday, March 29.
Newly minted Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominee Melissa Etheridge (“Come to My Window,” “I’m the Only One”) has been on an amazing roll these last few years, with some great new music, a stint on Broadway, and a live album recorded inside the Topeka, Kansas Correctional Facility. And she’ll prove that she can still rock as hard as ever when she comes to Plymouth Memorial Hall on Wednesday, April 8.
If you’re a chamber-folk fan — you know who you are — or just like uber-talented performers who march to the beat of their own drum (albeit via piano), then you need to check out Vienna Teng when she comes to Groton Hill Music Center on Thursday, April 9. (You don’t get to have David Byrne as one of your biggest fans by phoning it in.)
Let’s face it, Adam Weiner is Low Cut Connie (“Beverly”). But in addition to being the brains behind that rollicking rock ‘n’ roll outfit, he’s also Adam Weiner, master of solo piano and introspective storytelling. That’s who he’s going to be when he brings his solo show to The Spire on Friday, April 10.
She may hail from Nashville, but don’t assume Liz Longley is your typical country crooner. Rather, her atmospheric folk, pop, and Americana charms, coupled with a stunning voice and sheer emotional charisma, make her an eclectic must-see when she hits The Spire on Saturday, April 18.

Anyone who remembers 1979’s “Squeezing Out Sparks” knows that Graham Parker (“Local Girls”) was the real deal when it came to literate British new wave (even if his compatriots Elvis Costello and Joe Jackson got more of the headlines). Parker will show he’s still got his pub rock bonafides fully intact when he brings his solo show to Bull Run on Saturday, April 25.
Some of us have been around long enough to remember when Soul Asylum performed at the Bill Clinton’s first inauguration in 1993 — and that was even before they hit superstardom with their Grammy-winning single “Runaway Train” later that year. (Also before Dave Pirner dated Winona Ryder, but we don’t want to dwell on those sad memories.) You can relive your grunge glory years when the band hits TCAN with their acoustic tour on Saturday, April 25.
Since we sadly no longer have the opportunity to see Billie Holiday or Ella Fitzgerald live and in person, you’ll have to settle for the next best thing: Madeleine Peyroux, who was already being compared to those luminaries even before she achieved jazz superstardom with her album “Careless Love” — and her exquisite cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Dance Me To The End of Love” — in 2004. She’ll bring her exquisite pipes to Cary Hall on Friday, May 1.
The BoDeans have been doing their thing for 40 years, well before and long after their “Party of Five” theme song “Closer to Free” rocketed them into the spotlight. On their current tour they’ll be celebrating the anniversary of their debut album, 1986’s “Love & Hope & Sex & Dreams,” complete with a video retrospective — you can check them out at Blue Ocean Music Hall on Friday, May 1, and at The Spire on Saturday, May 2.
Dar Williams (“When I Was a Boy”) started finessing her folk-pop songwriting and performing chops as part of the Boston music scene back in the 1990s, and has evolved into simply one of the best singer-songwriters plying her craft today. The folk festival regular will no doubt enchant the crowd at Groton Hill Music Center when she performs there on Saturday, May 2.

Sure, Jakob Dylan had connections, not to mention good genes, thanks to his legendary dad. But the success he and his stellar roots rock band The Wallflowers (“One Headlight”) had in the 1990s went well beyond any potential nepo-baby advantages. The band will celebrate their breakout album “Bringing Down the Horse” by playing it straight through when they hit The Cabot on Friday, May 22 — and they’ll throw in a full performance of the Tom Petty album “Long After Dark” to boot.

Note: Some shows may only have tickets available on secondary markets. Our spring concert listings for both large and small Boston-area venues are coming soon. Did we miss your favorite suburban venue? Email us at [email protected] and let us know about it.