Live music for summer 2025: 10 must-see concerts in Chicago beyond the fests and arena shows

Chicago Tribune

a day ago

This summer's concert slate points to a transition that continues to slowly unfold locally and around the country. Shying away from big festivals, artists are opting for standalone tours or participating in smaller, manageable package bills.
That's welcome news for music lovers who prefer the equivalent of a savory main course to a prix-fixe buffet. And great for anyone looking to catch performers in more intimate environments where headliners can stretch out with a dedicated show. In the next few months, Chicagoans have no shortage of first-rate options in smaller venues purpose-built for music — and, in most cases, at prices that remain below the three-figure threshold.
Here are 10 such stops that should be on your shortlist:
Samia: 'I wanna be untouchable,' Samia sings in the first verse of the opening cut of her third LP, 'Bloodless. 'I wanna be impossible,' she wishes two stanzas later. The Minneapolis-based singer-songwriter doesn't hurt for confidence, though she has plenty of doubts, regrets and misgivings. Plenty of 20-something indie-pop tunesmiths fit that mold. Yet few possess the imagination to loosely base a record around the bizarre concept of bovine excision and leverage it as a metaphor for reconciling one's prior relationships with and senses of the opposite sex. Melodic, rich, bittersweet, hushed, intimate, albeit insistent: Samia's voice offers another reason to lean into the narratives. Album art and merch that evoke the dark designs preferred by Norwegian black metal bands lend further credence to her ideation.
Alison Krauss & Union Station: The last several times Alison Krauss came through Chicago, she partnered with Robert Plant in support of the duo's surprise second duet record. Though the possibility of a third go-round with the former Led Zeppelin legend cannot be dismissed, the Illinois native recently reconvened with her longtime ensemble Union Station for their first LP ('Arcadia') in 14 years. The songs' myth-busting notion that hardship riddled the 'good ol' days' carries weight in our current age. For the group's first tour in a decade, dobro and lap-steel virtuoso Jerry Douglas receives deserved co-billing with the headliner. And newcomer Russell Moore steps in on co-lead vocals and guitar for former stalwart Dan Tyminski. You won't find a better excuse to connect with the premier purveyors of bluegrass.
Kathleen Edwards: Sometimes, you need to follow your heart, not what other people want or expect you to do. Kathleen Edwards quickly established herself as one of the wittiest, spunkiest and craftiest singer-songwriters during the early 2000s. She issued four acclaimed albums that culminated with an effort ('Voyageur') spearheaded by Bon Iver leader Justin Vernon. Then, just like that, she dropped out. Or rather, she opened the cleverly named Quitters, a coffee shop outside of her hometown of Ottawa, Ontario. The Canadian operated the cafe as she slowly returned to music, releasing 'Total Freedom' (2020) and a covers EP this spring. Edwards also sold Quitters, remarried and started writing again. All positive developments for anyone drawn to smart, crackling country-rock and incisive, self-assured narratives.
MJ Lenderman: Current indie-rock darling MJ Lenderman used a childhood fascination with the game Guitar Hero as a springboard to learn about predecessors who influenced his own work, which he started documenting on a laptop in fifth grade. After paying his dues in the North Carolina club circuits, Lenderman soon gained a wider following in 2022 after making his first properly recorded album ('Boat Songs'). The ascendency of the shambolic collective Wednesday, which Lenderman joins in the studio, and the fact that he unleashes memorably ragged, go-for-broke guitar solos further raised his profile. Last fall's 'Manning Fireworks,' brimming with penetrating character studies, exquisite detail and barbed humor, signaled the 26-year-old Lenderman had officially arrived. Obligatory magazine profiles, best-of-year nods, meme posts and a sold-out tour provided confirmation.
FKA Twigs: FKA Twigs began dancing professionally as a 'tween, advanced to performing for global stars like Kylie Minogue and Jessie J, and got her solo break after playing at a party connected to a fetishwear company. Unsurprisingly, body language, fashion and sensuality serve as principal impetus behind everything the British multi-instrumentalist/singer touches. Especially the club music on 'Eusexua,' an electronically sculpted journey that spotlights her finessed vocals, reveals introspective lyrics and rearranges house, ambient, techno, dubstep and synthpop motifs at will. Built for headphones, FKA Twigs' textured sonic portraits transform into ethereal and empowering physical experiences when the singer gets to act them out onstage.
Alabama Shakes: For reasons nobody can explain, promising rock bands that form in the 21st century inevitably have short lifespans. Alabama Shakes count themselves among those ranks. Led by vocal dynamo Brittany Howard, the quartet electrified crowds and won over audiences with two studio albums, particularly the aptly titled 'Sound & Color.' Then, just as the group appeared to leap from mid-sized hall to arena status, it went on hiatus. Howard busied herself with a solo career. Circumstances turned bleaker for former drummer Steve Johnson. Now operating as a trio, Alabama Shakes seek to rekindle their old spark on their first tour in more than eight years — one they hint will involve old and new material.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs: If you were fortunate to catch Yeah Yeah Yeahs in their prime at Metro way back in April 2003, you witnessed the band's dervish of a singer, Karen O, attack with a blend of grit, humor, brazenness and New York City-style cool that felt too real and spontaneous to be anything else. Don't bet on the vocalist summoning the ghosts of her younger self here. Instead, the edgy trio plans a tactic that on the surface sounds like the exact opposite: reconceptualizing favorites and deep cuts with piano, strings and acoustic guitars. An arty retort to carefree nostalgia, or the next logical step for a group that seldom adheres to convention and values surprise? Yeah Yeah Yeahs' penchant for unpredictability says all bets are off until the shows happen.
Pelican: In its most basic form, Pelican is a rock band that doesn't use a vocalist. Beyond that, the quartet endures as one of the most dynamic, diverse representatives of this city's creative climes. Cheekily characterized as 'Post-Emo Stoner Deathgaze' on its Facebook page, Pelican skirts simple description. Having evolved beyond the churning metal of its early era and even dared to adopt classically inspired motifs, Pelican functions as a two-way bridge to Chicago's hard-nosed noise-rock of the late '80s and anything-goes Fireside Bowl scenes of the mid/late '90s. Melodic devices and mysterious intrigue augment the quartet's palette. Another reason to cheer on the local heroes? The release of 'Flickering Resonance,' its first record with original guitarist Laurent Schroeder-Lebec since 2009.
100 concerts for Chicago summer 2025 — starting with music this weekendKing Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard: Depending on the source, lo-fi cult favorites Guided by Voices have released somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 studio LPs, 20 EPs, four box sets and dozens of singles during an on-again, off-again legacy that stretched to the early '80s. Which means at the rate they're going, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard will lap their prolific forebearers in roughly five years, all the while adding chapters to their 'Gizzverse,' a fascinating galaxy with recurring characters, stories and themes. The forthcoming 'Phantom Island' marks the enviro-conscious sextet's 27th album since 2010 and witnesses the shape-shifting Australians lean in symphonic directions. At this ambitious outing, the Chicago Philharmonic helps the collective bring it to life. Expect fireworks without the boom.
Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore: Elder statesmen Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore make up in pedigree what they lack in mainstream-name recognition. Alvin's sparkling resume includes a stretch co-leading the seminal roots-rock outfit Blasters; stints in the Los Angeles punk collective the Flesh Eaters; and having songs from his deep solo catalog hand-picked for revered television series such as 'The Sopranos.' The 80-year-old Gilmore counts membership in 'alt-country' forefathers the Flatlanders; Grammy-nominated records that double as middle fingers to the Nashville establishment; and a memorable acting turn in 'The Big Lebowski' among his achievements. Together, the explorers channel the aura of the lonely highways, high plains dustiness and bordertown barrooms that populate their bluesy folk and cosmic country.