Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer and kicks off what’s traditionally the busiest annual stretch of concerts in Chicago. Events tend to move outdoors and get bigger. As usual, music lovers looking for sun, food and crowds have a slew of major festivals — Windy City Smokeout, Pitchfork, Lollapalooza and North Coast included — at their disposal. But there are other options.
While this summer will unfold without last year’s multi-day Taylor Swift and Beyoncé extravaganzas, plenty of fantastic shows should keep you busy through Labor Day.
Melt-Banana: The recent death of Chicago-based recording engineer Steve Albini triggered outpourings that mentioned many of the staple artists with whom he worked — as well as a few smaller albeit influential names tied to his estimable indie cred. Melt-Banana escaped many of those tributes. Yet Albini’s stamp on the Japanese noise-rock band’s 1995 touchstone “Scratch or Stitch” remains a high point of his legacy. Never more than a cult-favorite concern, Melt-Banana has survived on the fringes for more than three decades. Though the duo seldom tours, the wild-eyed intensity of their near-mythic live performances needs to be experienced to be believed. The equivalent of a runaway bullet train plowing into a station at full speed, Melt-Banana headlines a fantastic experimental music bill that extends to local heroes the Flying Luttenbachers and Baltimore tricksters Tomato Flower. 7:30 p.m. June 1 at Bottom Lounge, 1375 W. Lake Ave.; tickets $25 (17+) at bottomlounge.com
Khruangbin: How does a band that primarily deals in instrumental music inspired by international ‘60s and ‘70s styles, and that cannot be placed in an obvious category, graduate to playing a three-night residency at a mid-sized venue? Akin to the evasiveness suggested by its chameleon-like sounds, there’s no easy explanation for the upward trajectory of Khruangbin. The Texas trio, whose name means “engine fly” in Thai, reimagines the possibilities of the deceptively simple guitar-bass-drums configuration on material that touches on everything from laid-back reggae and low-key funk to dreamy psychedelia and surf rock. Such stylistic breadth, as well as the group’s penchant for conjuring full-on mood states within seconds of starting a song, points to its status as the 21st-century version of a hip jazz outfit. 6:30 p.m. June 7-9 at Salt Shed, 1357 N. Elston Ave.; tickets from $100 at saltshedchicago.com
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss: Talk to the people around you at a concert and you’ll probably hear a familiar refrain: They’re at the show because they feel musicians of a certain ilk are an endangered species and don’t want to regret missing out by waiting until the next time — especially if next time never comes. When they first collaborated in 2007, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss offered no guarantees of a tour — let alone a lasting partnership that to date has produced two stellar records and a bonus leg of a tour that follows a memorable 2022 run. As he nears his 76th birthday, Plant stays steadfast in avoiding Led Zeppelin nostalgia. The vocalist’s stance might not summon your inner guitar hero, but the alchemy you’ll likely hear from this pairing will feel more organic, warm and mysterious. 7 p.m. June 12 at Ravinia, 418 Sheridan Road, Highland Park; tickets start at $67. at ravinia.org
Mdou Moctar: Most of the American media attention concerning global turmoil centers on Gaza, Ukraine and Haiti. Led by its namesake guitarist, Mdou Moctar loudly reminds everyone that such a world view is narrow and that Nigeria —and specifically, the country’s Tuareg people — continues to face unthinkable struggles. The ensemble’s bold new “Funeral for Justice” LP explicitly addresses the constitutional crises, colonial repression and environmental crimes hastened by Western super powers. A virtuoso who built parts of his first guitar from bicycle brake wires, Moctar uses his instrument to speak a universal language that dissolves any barriers between French, Tamasheq and English. A more vibrant, vital, hypnotic rock ‘n’ roll band will not cross these paths this summer. (Mdou Moctar plays a sold-out gig at Empty Bottle on June 17.) 8 p.m. June 18 at Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport St.; tickets start at $25 (17+) at thaliahallchicago.com/shows
Iron & Wine: The long, bushy, salt-and-pepper beard worn by Iron & Wine leader Sam Beam functions as a visual parallel to the lived-in nature of the singer-songwriter’s introspective folk-rock fare. Those tunes span nearly 25 years and fill a succession of strong studio albums — including the new “Light Verse,” a lighthearted affair that reaffirms Beam’s strengths as the kind of calming, balanced narrator to whom you’d trust the reading of a lengthy audiobook. No strangers to teaming with string support, Iron & Wine opted for a different collaborative approach for its summer outing. The South Carolina-based group will pair with Manual Cinema, the Chicago collective known for mind-altering shadow puppetry and innovative theatricality. Look for the company to augment Iron & Wine’s compelling storytelling with immersive flair. 8 p.m. July 8 at Salt Shed, 1357 N. Elston Ave.; tickets from $46.50 (17+) at saltshedchicago.com
Redd Kross: Raise your hand if you started a band in junior high or high school — or knew someone who did. You’re in good company. Now, leave your hand up if your former peer(s) kept their garage dream alive for 45 years. That distinction alone makes Redd Kross a unique success, and one that later this year will be relayed through a documentary film (“Born Innocent”) and memoir (“Now You’re One of Us”). Family squabbles and contrarian opinions aside, brothers Jeff and Steven McDonald fan the punk-rock-meets-power-pop flame and even get assistance from Pearl Jam/Red Hot Chili Peppers alum Josh Klinghoffer on Redd Kross’ forthcoming self-titled double album. Joyful, catchy, triumphant, silly: Everything the band you imagined beginning as a teenager would be, and then some. 8 p.m. July 16 at Lincoln Hall, 2424 N. Lincoln Ave.; tickets $25 (18+) lh-st.com
George Strait and Chris Stapleton: To quote Beyoncé, this ain’t Texas. But icon George Strait will do his darndest to ensure everyone in the vicinity of Soldier Field will enjoy a healthy taste of the Lone Star State’s cowboy culture, Western swing traditions and “pure country” roots at the best high-profile double bill of the summer. A foolproof entertainer and nuanced vocalist, Strait touts a bulletproof resume that includes 60 No. 1 hits, 33 platinum albums and the feat for presiding over the largest crowd at a North American indoor concert. (Strait is on track to break the latter record in June.) If anyone can precede such a legend without seeming small, it’s contemporary outlaw Chris Stapleton. The Kentucky-born troubadour packs molasses-thick drawl, red-dirt grit and sturdy soulfulness into songs that eschew cheap pop devices and cut deep into the subconscious where, like his unhurried melodies, they can linger for days. 5:45 p.m. July 20 at Soldier Field, 1410 S. Museum Campus Drive; tickets from $59 at ticketmaster.com
Green Day, Smashing Pumpkins and Rancid: The only unknown surrounding this well-curated assembly of early ‘90s rock juggernauts is why it’s in town for just one night. It doesn’t matter whether you’re old enough to remember when Green Day’s “Dookie” turned the Bay Area punks from relatively unknown pranksters into commercial sensations. Or when the band’s “American Idiot” stunned everyone with ambitious arrangements, serious chops and sociopolitical messages. Each landmark celebrates significant anniversaries (30th and 20th, respectively) in 2024. Songs from both records will dominate the set. Closer to home, the show marks the local debut of new Smashing Pumpkins guitarist Kiki Wong. She bested 10,000 applicants for the job and wasn’t yet born when ringleader Billy Corgan formed the group in 1988, the same year Wrigley Field got lights. 5:30 p.m. Aug. 13 at Wrigley Field, 1060 W. Addison St.; tickets from $169 at mlb.com
Missy Elliott: Occasionally, you’ll encounter a fact and shake your head in disbelief. Exhibit A: Missy Elliott never embarked on a headlining tour. Despite a groundbreaking career in which the rapper helped shape the sounds and styles of pop, hip-hop and R&B for a solid decade, the recent Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee failed to demonstrate how she gets her freak on at arena stages. Well, time to work it. Nearly two decades removed from her last studio LP, Misdemeanor will oversee a cosmic presentation dubbed “Out of This World — The Missy Elliott Experience.” Familiar collaborators Busta Rhymes, Timbaland and Ciara are along for the ride. 7 p.m. Aug. 22 and 23 at Allstate Arena, 6920 N. Mannheim Road, Rosemont; tickets from $79.50 at ticketmaster.com
Pink: Give Pink credit for truth in advertising. Few artists could live up to the promise of a tour named Summer Carnival. For Pink, it’s old hat. The vocalist has descended from rafters, performed daredevil acrobatics and proven she could hang with a Cirque du Soleil troop at area arenas and Wrigley Field. Yet she’s never enjoyed a canvas as big as Soldier Field. (Note to Pink: A giant ski jump was constructed over the stadium colonnades as recently as 1954. Just a suggestion!) Add to Pink’s spectacle an opener in the form of Sheryl Crow and the probability of a still-charged environment around the Museum Campus; the Democratic National Convention wraps two nights earlier. Talk about the circus coming to town. 6:30 p.m. Aug. 24 at Soldier Field, 1410 S. Museum Campus Drive; tickets from $100 at ticketmaster.com
Bob Gendron is a freelance critic.
