BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Welcome to another year of LehighValleyNew.com's Fest in Show, a daily offering of some of the can't-miss acts on the 16 free stages of Bethlehem's Musikfest festival.
This year, more than 400 acts will play those stages during the festival's 11 days.
Read us daily during Musikfest for suggestions of the best music — and more.
Here are our picks for Saturday, Aug. 9:
ARKAI, noon Lagerplatz and 6:30 p.m. Main Street
Award-winning violin-and-viola duo who toured with famed violinist Lindsey Stirling this spring and headlined a free show at Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks last summer. "They are brilliant," ArtsQuest Chief Programming Officer Patrick Brogan said. "Two gentlemen playing classical instruments but [on] pop crossover covers. It's enthralling the way that they take these rock sounds, rock songs, and transform them into a classical instrumentation. I could listen to them all night long."
Dirty Dollhouse, 6 p.m. Americaplatz
Dirty Dollhouse is the multi-genre music of Philadelphia-based artist Chelsea Mitchell, a folk chanteuse with classical training and a retro-pop composer with a soft spot for country. The result is alternative/indie/pop. Has played Musikfest for a couple of years. Mitchell has been compared to Brandi Carlile, or, Brogan said, "if you like Kacey Musgraves, Dirty Dollhouse is a show for you."
The Dracu-Las, 6:30 p.m. Zinzenplatz (Also, 6 p.m. Sunday, Americaplatz)
A female surf-rock band, with power-pop, garage-band and 1960s girl group influences, the Jersey City, New Jersey-based The Dracu-Las are harmony-driven with a sound that is as fiery as it is vulnerable. Made their Musikfest debut last year.
Augustana, 9:30 pm. Americaplatz
Our choice as the best free-stage show of the festival. Best known for its Top 10 hit "Boston" in 2006 and Top 5 hit "Sweet and Low" in 2008, Augustana from the mid-2000s to the mid-2010s had six Top 20 hits on Billboard's Adult Alternative chart.
"Boston" was used on the third-season finale of the TV show "One Tree Hill" in 2006, and on shows such as "Scrubs" and "Big Bang Theory." Augustana had four albums that hit the Top 100 on Billboard, with 2008's "Can't Love, Can't Hurt" and 2011's self-titled disc both hitting the Top 10 on the Rock chart. Its most recent disc was "Something Beautiful" in 2024. Its last charting hit was "Ash and Ember" in 2014. The band in 2010 headlined Musikfest with Counting Crows, and played a paid show at Musikfest Cafe in 2019 with Daughtry.
