Bethel Woods
June 7-September 13
The site of the 1969 Woodstock Festival shines with Warren Haynes (June 7), John Fogerty (June 14), Roger Daltrey (June 16), Hootie and the Blowfish (June 27), James Taylor (June 28), Alanis Morrisette and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts (July 5); Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, and Robert Plant and Allison Krauss (July 6); Jason Mraz (July 12), Santana and Counting Crows (July 18), Daryl Hall and Elvis Costello (July 20), Pat Benatar (July 21), Train and REO Speedwagon (July 24), Hank Williams Jr. (July 25), Limp Bizkit (July 26), Phish (August 9-11), Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ Top (August 16), Melissa Etheridge and the Indigo Girls (August 21), Tedeschi Trucks Band (August 25), Deep Purple (September 6), Megadeth (September 13), and more.
Arrowood Farms
June 15-September 22
Raise a glass: Arrowood Farms brewery and distillery serves up a tasty musical crop once again. The season starts with the Wood Brothers (June 15) and from there it’s the Follow the Arrow Festival, featuring curator Marco Benevento with Phish’s Mike Gordon as well as Os Mutantes, W.I.T.C.H., the Ghost Funk Orchestra, and others (June 29); Los Lobos with Joan Osbourne (July 12); Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams’s July Jam with Hot Tuna, Jackie Green, the Secret Sisters, Connor Kennedy, and more (July 20); Waxahatchie (August 31); and the Woodsist Festival with Yo La Tengo, Real Estate, and others (September 21-22).
Mass MoCA
June 28-September 22
The Western Massachusetts multi-arts destination Mass MoCA boasts Wilco’s returning Solid Sound festival, featuring the curators themselves along with Jason Isbell, Horse Lords, Dry Cleaning, Nick Lowe and Los Straitjackets, Soul Glo, Ratboys, Etran De L’Air, the Young Fresh Fellows, Iris Dement, Mary Halvorson, and more (June 28-30). Seun Kuti and Egypt 80 stir it up (July 12); Roomful of Teeth sing gloriously (August 24); and the FreshGrass festival has Shakey Graves, Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway, The Devil Makes Three, Drive-By Truckers, Bela Fleck, Edmar Castaneda, Antonio Sanchez Trio, Hurray for the Riff Raff, and more (September 20-22).
Opus 40
Through October 5
With many of its shows once again being organized under the Chosen Family Presents logo, the breadth of the seasonal live music bookings at the landmark sculpture park continues to astound. The up-and-running roster includes Dry Cleaning with Rider/Horse (June 27); Son Rompe Pera (June 30); two nights with the Sun Ra Arkestra (July 5 and 6); Arooj Aftab (July 25); the Euphonia! Mini-Brass Fest (July 27); Mokoomba (August 2); Beings (August 8); Junior Toots (September 7); and Beverly Glen Copeland (October 5). Movies, nature walks, and other attractions—along with much more live music—with more to be found on the schedule as well.
Oldtone
September 5-8
Founded in 2015 with a mission that “preserves roots music and traditional folkways through artist and audience participation, connecting neighbors, bridging cultures, and sharing insight and wisdom across generations,” roots music festival Oldtone returns with the Foghorn Stringband, Los Texmaniacs, Kiki Cavazos, Sweet Megg, the Deslondes, Jesse Lege and Bayou Brew, Dawn Paisley and Southern Grass, JP Harris, Dumpster Debbie, Jourdan Thibodeaux/Joel Savoy/Cedric Watson, the Downhill Strugglers, Will Mentor, Ranse Chase, Zach Bryson, Krissie and the Kranks, the Chatanooga Dogs, Maura Gahan, Moonshine Holler, Slinky Armadillo, and a whole mess more.
Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival
July 17-21 at Walsh Farm in Oak Hill
Every July, thousands of bluegrass music lovers flock to the grassy expanses of Walsh Farm in Greene County for four days of world-class music, camping, jams, and lessons. The convivial, family-friendly event features four stages and dozens of top acts. This year, the festival is hosted by Dry Branch Fire Squad—a throwback to the first ever Grey Fox in 1984. This year’s artist in residence is the female-led, Grey Fox favorites Della Mae. Other top headliners include the ever-vital 85-year-old Del McCoury, the Steeldrivers, Yonder Mountain String Band, and Earl Scruggs tribute band Tony Trischka’s Earljam.
This article appears in June 2024.
Not mentioned in this writeup…. Headliners include is red hot (2024 Grammy-winning) Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway, The Travelin’ McCourys, blues guitarist and Smithsonian recording artist, Charlie Parr, Le Vent Du Nord from Quebec, I Draw Slow from Dublin, and more.