There has to be at least one musical act in here that tickles your fancy. Let us know which one(s) you went to see.
This is our largest music roundup of the summer, with 35 live music picks spread across southeastern Connecticut and southwestern Rhode Island from Friday through Sunday. And what’s remarkable isn’t just the number of shows. It’s how wildly different they are.
Want a major headliner? Brandi Carlile is at Mohegan Sun. Want to see Keanu Reeves play bass? Dogstar is at Foxwoods. Country fans have Austin Snell and Nick Bosse. Jazz fans get two nights with the Nat Reeves Sextet. There’s chamber music at The Kate, indie rock at FarmFest, electronic music at Oasis, and Americana, folk, blues, funk, soul, classic rock, and more scattered throughout the weekend.
Then come the throwbacks. Home Free, Mullett, a Steely Dan tribute, the music of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and a ’90s party at the Sun Patio. You can hear music at a casino one night and sit among the vines at a winery the next afternoon.
And plenty of these shows are free.
That’s what I love about putting this list together. You don’t have to be someone who goes to concerts all the time. Pick the music you like, find a setting that sounds good, and give somebody you’ve never heard before a chance.
Summer Friday Music Series at Mystic Seaport Museum Featuring Anna May
Fri. @ 4:30 pm
Anna May brings her alternative Americana sound to the Mystic River waterfront, pairing thoughtful songwriting, poetic lyrics, and folk-inspired storytelling with one of Mystic’s best summer settings. The concert is free, with evening museum admission beginning at 5 p.m. See Full Details
Natalie Paige at Kingdom of the Hawk Vineyard
Fri. @ 5:00 pm
Local singer-songwriter Natalie Paige provides the soundtrack for an easy Friday evening among the vines, with wine and South County BBQ available while she performs. See Full Details
Ty Marshall at Saltwater Farm Vineyard
Fri. @ 5:00 pm
Settle in among the vines as local singer-songwriter Ty Marshall performs at Saltwater Farm Vineyard, pairing live music with wine and one of Stonington’s most distinctive vineyard settings. See Full Details
East Lyme Summer Concert Series Featuring the Chis Marra Band
Fri. @ 6:00 pm
The Chis Marra Band takes over the McCook Point Park Bandshell for two hours of free live music just steps from the beach. Bring a chair or blanket and make a summer evening of it. See Full Details
Nick Bosse at Rivermill Tavern
Fri. @ 6:00 pm
North Stonington’s Nick Bosse brings his gritty blend of traditional country, outlaw country, Southern rock, and bluegrass to Rivermill Tavern for an early Friday night show. See Full Details
Stonington Vineyards Summer Concert Series – Dave Alves Trio
Fri. @ 6:00 pm
The Dave Alves Trio takes over the vineyard lawn for three hours of live music, local wine, and a summer sunset. Bring a chair, blanket, or picnic, with pizza also available on-site. See Full Details
Summer on the Patio Featuring Even Keel
Fri. @ 6:00 pm
Even Keel supplies the music for a relaxed Friday night on the patio at the Caf Bar + Venue, where you can settle in with dinner, drinks, and an outdoor summer atmosphere in Charlestown. See Full Details
City of Groton Concerts in the Park: Diva and the Playboys
Fri. @ 6:30 pm
Diva and the Playboys jump from the sounds of the ’60s to current pop, with everything from Dion to Dua Lipa in a dance-friendly free concert at Washington Park. See Full Details
Be Kind & Rewind – 90s Tribute at Sun Patio
Fri. @ 8:00 pm
Dig out the flannel and rewind to the ’90s as Be Kind & Rewind tears through the decade’s pop, rock, alternative, and hip-hop favorites at Mohegan Sun’s outdoor Sun Patio. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for this free 21+ show. See Full Details
Brandi Carlile with Special Guest Jensen McRae
Fri. @ 7:00 pm
Brandi Carlile brings her powerful mix of folk, rock, and Americana to Mohegan Sun for a night built around great songwriting and one of contemporary music’s most unmistakable voices, with Jensen McRae opening. See Full Details
Steely Dan Tribute Night with the Franklin Brothers
Fri. @ 7:00 pm
The Franklin Brothers celebrate Steely Dan with favorites including “Reelin’ in the Years,” “Do It Again,” “Peg,” and “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number” during a summer night at Ocean Beach Park. See Full Details
Saint-Saëns, Debussy & Brahms at The Kate
Fri. @ 7:30 pm
Chestnut Hill Concerts brings an evening of chamber music to The Kate, moving from the delicate violin and harp of Saint-Saëns through Debussy and into the dramatic sweep of Brahms’ Piano Quartet No. 1. See Full Details
Nat Reeves Sextet “Now in Time” Album Release Show
Fri. @ 8:00 pm
Jazz bassist Nat Reeves celebrates his new album with the actual all-star sextet that recorded it, including Eric Alexander, Steve Davis, Eddie Henderson, Caelan Cardello, and Jeff “Tain” Watts, inside the intimate Side Door. See Full Details
Don’t Tell Mom at The Oasis Pub
Fri. @ 9:00 pm
Forget standing around staring at a stage. Brian Carter, Nové Bloc, and Miami’s Grahm Radio turn Oasis into a dance floor with house, disco, deep grooves, and electronic music running into the early morning. See Full Details
FarmFest 2026 at Highland Homestead
Sat. & Sun. @ 12:00 pm
Two hay wagons become the stage for a homegrown weekend of Connecticut indie, alternative, folk, and rock. Saturday features The Tines, Low Ceilings, LostSol, Greenholt, Modern Refuge, and Queen Moo, while Sunday includes Primo/Connor Yakaitis and Danger Jacobson. Music runs until 10 p.m. Saturday and 5 p.m. Sunday, with proceeds supporting the Chikumbuso Women & Orphans Project. See Full Details
Brad Bensko at Kingdom of the Hawk Vineyard
Sat. @ 3:00 pm
Berklee-trained singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Brad Bensko draws from ’50s and ’60s pop, folk, blues, country, and American roots music for a free afternoon among the vines. See Full Details
Nick Bosse & The Northern Roots at Preston Ridge Vineyard
Sat. @ 6:00 pm
Nick Bosse goes full band for this one, bringing The Northern Roots and their mix of traditional country, Southern rock, and bluegrass to the vineyard for a three-hour Saturday night concert. See Full Details
Dogstar
Sat. @ 8:00 pm
Yes, that’s Keanu Reeves on bass, but Dogstar is much more than a celebrity curiosity. The reunited trio brings its raw, guitar-driven alternative rock sound and music from its latest chapter to Foxwoods. See Full Details
Nat Reeves Sextet “Now in Time” Album Release Show
Sat. @ 8:00 pm
Nat Reeves returns for a second night at The Side Door with Eric Alexander, Steve Davis, Eddie Henderson, Caelan Cardello, and Jeff “Tain” Watts, performing the music they created together for Now in Time. See Full Details
Austin Snell at Wolf Den
Sat. @ 8:00 pm
Austin Snell calls his sound “grunge country,” and that pretty much nails it. The Georgia-born singer combines country storytelling with hard-rock guitars and influences ranging from Alan Jackson to Nirvana for a free 21+ Wolf Den show. See Full Details
Story Songs of the ’70s at The Kate
Sat. @ 8:00 pm
Tom DiMenna celebrates three master storytellers of the 1970s, Gordon Lightfoot, Cat Stevens, and Harry Chapin, with an acoustic-driven show where the lyrics matter every bit as much as the melodies. See Full Details
Home Free at Sun Patio
Sat. @ 8:00 pm
No guitars. No drums. No backing band. Award-winning country a cappella group Home Free creates the whole thing with five voices, mixing country classics, pop favorites, original songs, vocal percussion, and some seriously impressive harmonies. See Full Details
Amber Rose and The Renegades at the Rathskeller
Sat. @ 8:00 pm
Powerhouse vocals lead the way as Amber Rose and The Renegades jump across generations of rock, from Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin, Heart, and Jefferson Airplane to Adele, on the Rathskeller’s outdoor stage. See Full Details
Jim Belushi Featuring Jami Belushi and the James Montgomery Band at Paddy’s
Sat. @ 8:00 pm
Jim Belushi’s connection to the blues goes well beyond his acting career. He joins daughter Jami Belushi and veteran bluesman James Montgomery for a beachfront night of blues and rock featuring musicians with ties to Aerosmith, the J. Geils Band, and the original Blues Brothers. See Full Details
Multiplier with DJ W.O.W. at The Oasis Pub
Sat. @ 8:00 pm
DJ W.O.W. starts the party before local electronic band Multiplier takes over with a live collision of house, EDM, dub, electro-funk, hip-hop, and trip-hop, backed by lasers and video projections. See Full Details
Wicked Peach at the Windjammer
Sat. @ 9:00 pm
Wicked Peach has been rocking southeastern Connecticut for 30 years, and the New London band returns to Misquamicut for a free 21+ night of rock and pop-rock favorites just steps from the beach. See Full Details
UNITED Music School Summer Jazz Performance at Wilcox Park
Sun. @ 1:00 pm
Young musicians from the UNITED Music School bring what they’ve been working on all summer out of the rehearsal room and into Wilcox Park for a free afternoon jazz performance. See Full Details
Nick Bosse at the Windjammer
Sun. @ 1:00 pm
Nick Bosse trades Saturday night’s full-band vineyard show for a more intimate Sunday afternoon on Misquamicut Beach, bringing his country, Southern rock, and bluegrass influences to the Windjammer Surf Bar. See Full Details
Ben Freiert & Jeff Lewis at Dean’s Mill Farm
Sun. @ 2:30 pm
Ben Freiert and Jeff Lewis bring acoustic indie, folk, and alternative music to Dean’s Mill Farm’s Sunday Jam Sessions, with food trucks, drinks, lawn games, and the farm’s open-air beer garden. See Full Details
The Cartells at Maugle Sierra Vineyards
Sun. @ 3:00 pm
One of southeastern Connecticut’s longtime party bands brings Motown, R&B, rock & roll, swing, jazz, and dance music to the vineyard for a free Sunday afternoon designed to get people out of their chairs. See Full Details
Saltwater Farm Vineyard Sunday Music Series Featuring Dan Watson
Sun. @ 2:30 pm
Dan Watson provides the Sunday soundtrack among the vines at Saltwater Farm Vineyard, with wine and food from The Rolling Tomato Pizza Truck rounding out an easygoing afternoon in Stonington. See Full Details
The Earl Knightwood Band at the Rathskeller
Sun. @ 4:00 pm
New Orleans funk meets R&B, soul, and blues as the Providence-based Earl Knightwood Band takes over the Rathskeller’s Down Back Stage for a free Sunday afternoon show. See Full Details
Acoustic Sundays: Madison Blues at Sun Patio
Sun. @ 4:00 pm
Sunday is the quieter side of the Sun Patio as Madison Blues performs a free, all-ages afternoon show. Expect the series’ laid-back mix of familiar Top 40, country, pop, and soul rather than four hours of traditional blues. See Full Details
Mullett at Wolf Den
Sun. @ 7:00 pm
Big hair, leather, guitar solos, and absolutely no interest in subtlety. Mullett turns the Wolf Den into an ’80s arena-rock party with music from Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Van Halen, Journey, Mötley Crüe, and more. Admission is free for this 21+ show. See Full Details
Our House: The Music of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young at the Garde Arts Center
Sun. @ 7:00 pm
This is more than a conventional tribute show. Musicians with direct ties to David Crosby and CSN perform “Déjà Vu,” “Wooden Ships,” “Helpless,” “Carry On,” and more, while legendary rock photographer Henry Diltz adds photographs and stories from inside that musical world. See Full Details
