Music

The Avett Brothers, which blends folk, rock and country, will headline Musikfest's main Steel Stage on Saturday Aug. 2.

Darius Rucker, who has had almost as successful a solo career as he had as frontman of Hootie and The Blowfish in the 1990s, will perform at 7 p.m. Aug. 3, making him the second headliner announced for Musikfest’s 41st year.

Popular Celtic groups, Christmas Vespers, the Allentown Symphony and church choirs help spread holiday cheer this December in the Lehigh Valley.

The Peace Candle is 106 feet tall. It was first built and lit in 1951 to honor the families who lost loved ones in World War II.

Direct from Sweden: The Music of ABBA, will play Miller Symphony Hall on July 18, and Brass Transit, which describes itself as "The Musical Legacy of Chicago," on July 12.

At 7 p.m. Dec. 6, Lehigh Valley-based jazz singer Corrine Mammana will perform A Jazzy Little Christmas, a concert of Christmas music at the church, at 75 E. Market St. Admission is free, but patrons are asked to bring household items to be donated to aid the unhoused of Bethlehem.

Ten new shows were added to the State's 2024-25 season lineup.

Il Divo will play the event center at 8 p.m. March 28, comedian Jimmy Carr on Nov. 7, 2025, and comedian Stavros Halkias on May 10.

Based on themes of home in the Lehigh Valley and executed via improvisation on the piano, former Nazareth native Dominic Billett's new record “Truer is the Valley, the River, the Pale Sky" paints a thoughtful, vivid picture perfect for walks throughout the region.

The State Theatre show will kick off a tour in which Elvis Costello will perform only with pianist Steve Nieve from his band The Attractions, according to his website.

Eric Hutchinson's new Best Of tour stops at Musikfest Cafe at ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks at 7:30 p.m. tonight, April 23. Tickets for the show, at $40 (some areas are sold out) remain available at the SteelStacks website.

Submissions for the singing competition will be accepted until June, but organizers say early applicants have the competitive edge. The winner will take home $2,000.

"The Book of Mormon," which has grossed nearly $1billion, making it one of the most successful musicals of all time, will return to the theater for three performances Sept. 27-28.

Visitors can find rare records and artwork at the free flea market that will take place from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday at the Charles A. Smith Ice House in Bethlehem. Later in the day, four punk bands will take the stage.

Archer Music Hall, the new downtown concert venue, has announced a concert series that will showcase Pennsylvania acts. The series, called Pennsylvania’s Own, will start May 9 with Motionless in White.

The Struts, whose style recalls bands such as The Rolling Stones and Queen and who has had the hits “Could Have Been Me” and “Kiss This,” will perform at 8:30 p.m. Aug. 20.

Z.Z. Top, which had the hits “Tush” in the 1970s and “Legs” and “Sharp Dressed Man” in the 1980s, will perform at Wind Creek Event Center at 8 p.m. Sept. 21, it was announced Tuesday.

Three Dog Night, which from 1975-83 had 19 Top 30 hits on the Billboard Singles chart, and Little River Band, which had 11 Top 30 hits from 1977-83, will perform at 6 p.m. Aug. 15.

The festival will be held Friday and Saturday, July 18-19, on the SteelStacks campus, with performances at Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks and the Town Square Community Stage.

Punk band Pissed Jeans, which started in the Lehigh Valley, will perform at Archer Music Hall in Allentown on April 12.

Chris Janson, whose song “Buy Me a Boat” peaked at No. 2 and sold double-platinum in 2015, will perform at Wind Creek Event Center 8 p.m. Oct. 9.

Swan Lake, written 150 years ago by Russian composer Tchaikovsky and one of the most popular ballets of all time, will return to the theater at 2 p.m. Oct. 26. And Let’s Sing Taylor — A Live Band Experience Celebrating Taylor Swift, which calls itself “the ultimate tribute to the music of Taylor Swift,” will perform at the center at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 20. And it will include a tribute to an even more recent hitmaker — Olivia Rodrigo.