If you haven’t noticed, summer is flying by. In the spirit of grabbing a moment and really enjoying it, we rounded up a sample of live performances taking place across Fairfield County. Yes, there are many more, but here’s a few picks to get you thinking about enjoying the talent and charisma of professional musicians.
FAIRFIELD THEATRE COMPANY
Wed., July 28: OK, so you (and we) missed out on the awesome Donavon Frankenreiter, who’s stress-evaporating show on July 16 sold out. FTC has a lot of good shows, so we’re picking one that gives you time to snatch up your tickets. Consider North Mississippi AllStars, which brings the soul-saving powers of the blues to our corner of the world. Plus! Just don’t miss the free-air concert series: July 22 Mandala, Aug. 18 Bajzelle, Aug 26 Youth XL and Sept. 3 SG Carlson and the Tines—free, just bring a chair or dancing feet. See shows and tickets at fairfieldtheatre.org.
HARTFORD HEALTHCARE AMPHITHEATER
Wed., Aug. 25: Get the real deal from Foreigner, when they rock the huge stage of the brand new Amphitheater. You’ll dance and head bounce to their greatest hits from their 10 multiplatinum albums for a feel-good evening of music and memories. See all shows, including REO Speedwagon and Styx, at hartfordhealthcareamp.com.
THE LEVITT PAVILLION
Fri., July 16: Performances under the summer stars? That’s the ticket! Head to the Levitt Pavillion. Take off early on Friday for this 2 p.m. show featuring Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and Grammy Award Winner Darlene Love. Premium tickets available for reserved chair in the front lawn. Return Sun., July 25: End the weekend on a high note! Leonardo Suarez Paz’s Cuartetango brings tango’s romance to Westport with music, dance, song and poetry. Show starts at 7 p.m. See tickets and show details as well as the calendar of all shows at levittpavillion.com.
THE PALACE
Thurs., Aug. 26: The Palace is a finger-snappin’ walk through music history this season with such shows as Neil Berg’s 50 years of Rock & roll (Sept. 11), 1964 The Tribute (The Beatles tribute, Sept. 24), Rumours (Fleetwood Mac tribute, Oct. 1), Stayin Alive (Bee Gees tribute, Oct. 8), and Arrival from Sweden (ABBA tribute, Nov. 3). But start with the August show with the talented and funny legends Steve Martin and Martin Short. Tickets at palacestamford.org.
RIDGEFIELD PLAYHOUSE
Fri., July 16: Witty songs with that 1930s/40s vibe are having a moment! Rachael Price of the band Lake Street Dive and Vilray, guitarist/singer/composer, together are Rachael & Vilray—and they have a new album. Picking up sounds of the Great American Songbook and black-and-white Hollywood glam musicals is brand new. Hear it live. VIP tickets at https://bit.ly/3eyOcBg for priority parking and wine and beer at 6 p.m. Insider tip: 10 percent off dinner at Bailey’s Backyard when you flash your ticket.
STAMFORD DOWNTOWN
Thurs., Sept. 2: Buy your tickets now and then put this your “Save the Date” folder: the Alive@Five series kicks off with Jon Batiste, and concludes with Ludacris on Sept. 30. Also check out the Wednesday Nite Live series, with Blues Traveler (Sept. 1) and Boyz II Men (Sept. 8) and more. More at stamford-downtown.com.
WESTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Sun., July 18: The Weston Historical Society’s outdoor concert series, Music at the Barn, is back! Rock ‘n Roll band, Otis and the Hurricanes performs outdoors at 5:30 p.m. at the Weston Historical Society’s Coley Homestead at 104 Weston Rd. Bring a lawn chair, grab food from the Greek Style Grill food truck, and rock out. Tickets at: westonhistoricalsociety.org or at the door—and free for kids ten and under.
WESTPORT COUNTRY PLAYHOUSE
Sat., July 28: Life’s a cabaret, so don’t miss Cabaret in the Robards, part of a series of special performances to benefit the Westport Country Playhouse as they re-open. This show, which starts at 8 p.m., features Ali Stroker. The Playhouse also has virtual events, such as Man of La Mancha in HD, running Aug. 23-Sept. 5 and a talkback event on Aug. 30. See the full season at tickets.westportplayhouse.org.
