We’re firm believers that Chicago has one of the greatest music scenes—the Smashing Pumpkins, Styx, Jennifer Hudson, Chance the Rapper, and many other artists were discovered here. Whether you’re into R&B, Rap, Indie Rock, or Pop, there is a stream of festivals and artists coming to perform in Chicago in venues ranging from intimate dive bars to Wrigley Field. There’s no shortage of concerts in Chicago, so here is the list of all the best ones coming in August.
August 3: Peach Pit
While the first weekend in August is dedicated to one of the world’s largest music festivals, there are a few Lollapalooza aftershows you don’t want to miss, including Peach Pit. Hailing from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Peach Pit is an indie pop band consisting of singer and rhythm guitarist Neil Smith, lead guitarist Christopher Vanderkooy, bassist Peter Wilton, and drummer Mikey Pascuzzi.
📍Location: The Vic Theatre
🎫 Purchase tickets to the Peach Pit here
August 3: Foals and Friday Pilots Club
This is one of the most anticipated Lollapalooza aftershows. And if you can snag a ticket, we highly recommend it. FOALS is a British rock band formed in Oxford in 2005 consisting of Greek-born lead vocalist and guitarist Yannis Philippakis, drummer and percussionist Jack Bevan, rhythm guitarist Jimmy Smith, and bassist Walter Gervers.
Friday Pilots Club is a dance-rock band that met at Columbia College in 2013. While their music is harmonic, they are special to Chicago because several members grew up in Batavia. This is a show you want to be at.
📍Location: Thalia Hall
🎫 Purchase tickets to Foals here
August 4: Suki Waterhouse
Suki Waterhouse is an English actress and model turned singer-songwriter. Recently she portrayed Karen Sirko in the musical drama adaptation Daisy Jones & the Six. She released her debut album, I Can’t Let Go, which comprises intimate, formative, and emotionally palpable songs.
📍Location: Lincoln Hall
🎫 Purchase tickets to Suki Waterhouse here
August 4: Candlelight: A Tribute to Radiohead
Listen to a string quintet cover your favorite artists, including Radiohead. These beloved concerts are dimly lit and lined with candles throughout, creating a live magical, multi-sensory musical experience. The song lineup includes Burn the Witch, Everything in Its Right Place, Fake Plastic Trees, and Karma Police.
📍Location: Stan Mansion
🎫 Purchase tickets to A Tribute to Radiohead here
August 5: Lionel Riche and Earth, Wind, & Fire
While many concerts in Chicago are coming, these two artists don’t need our introduction. Lionel Richie is an international superstar and has a discography of albums and singles that are widely beloved, including the sensational All Night Long. While Earth, Wind, & Fire transformed the music in the 70s. The popular funk band incorporated pop, blues, jazz, and other musical notes to create classics like September and Let’s Groove.
📍Location: United Center
🎫 Purchase tickets to Lionel Riche and Earth, Wind, and Fire here
August 6: Poolside
Poolside is an American “Daytime Disco” and chillwave band from Los Angeles, California, that Jeffrey Paradise and Filip Nikoli formed in 2011. Their hits Harvest Moon and Around the Sun are groovy, infectious, and wonderfully zen. The band consists of Jeffrey Paradise, with additional members for live shows Vito Roccoforte, Mattie Safer, Brijean Murphy, and Casey Butler.
📍Location: Lincoln Hall
🎫 Purchase tickets to Poolside here
August 8: The Drums
The Drums is an American indie pop band from New York City that consists of Jonny Pierce—this latest album is fiercely different from previous ones. It’s a deep reflection of his childhood, with the music acting as a love letter, it’s dark, and the melody is beautifully laid out.
📍Location: Metro
🎫 Purchase tickets to the Drums here
August 9-11: Nathaniel Rateliff
With heavy influences of folk, Americana, and vintage rhythm & blues, Nathaniel David Rateliff is an American singer and songwriter based in Denver, Colorado. Rateliff has performed with a backing band called the Night Sweats for an R&B side project he formed in 2013.
📍Location: The Salt Shed
🎫 Purchase tickets to Nathaniel Rateliff here
August 11: Bruce Springsteen
Another one of the best concerts in Chicago will be Bruce Springsteen. Bruce’s latest tour has been regarded as his best yet—his music, the length, and the show he puts on—is one you don’t want to miss. He has released 21 studio albums during his career, spanning six decades, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. This is one of the concerts in Chicago that will be perfect for all ages.
📍Location: Wrigley Field
🎫 Purchase tickets to Bruce Springsteen hereAugust 11-13: Airborne Toxic Event
The Airborne Toxic Event is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2006. It comprises Mikel Jollett, Steven Chen, Adrian Rodriguez, Daren Taylor, and Miriam “Mimi” Peschet.
You may have heard the song Sometime Around Midnight in at least one film or TV Show you watched—it always elicits some type of emotion. Imagine hearing it live?
📍Location: Lincoln Hall
🎫 Purchase tickets to Airborne Toxic Event here
August 12: P!nk
Raise your glass at Wrigley Field to what will be an unforgettable show—having a notable career that’s taken effect since the early 2000s. Influenced by rock and pop, P!nk’s first solo studio album, Can’t Take Me Home, was certified double-platinum in the United States. This is one of the concerts in Chicago you must attend if you love pop-rock.
📍Location: Wrigley Field
🎫 Purchase tickets to P!nk here
August 12-13: Eric Church
Kenneth Eric Church is an American country music singer-songwriter, releasing nine studio albums through Capitol Nashville since 2005. His debut album, 2006’s Sinners Like Me, produced three singles on the Billboard country charts, including “How ‘Bout You.”
📍Location: Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
🎫 Purchase tickets to Eric Church here
August 13: Horsegirl
Horsegirl is an American rock band from Chicago, Illinois. The band members are Nora Cheng, Penelope Lowenstein, and Gigi Reece. Forming in 2019, they self-released their first song, “Forecast,” that year. They recently released the album Versions of Modern Performance.
📍Location: Thalia Hall
🎫 Purchase tickets to Horsegirl here
August 13-14: LL Cool J
LL Cool J is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor that will be playing on one of the most prominent stages in Chicago. Notably, he is one of the earliest rappers to achieve commercial success.
📍Location: United Center
🎫 Purchase tickets to LL Cool J here
August 13-14: Coco Jones
A prominent Disney Star from Let It Shine, she’s now stepping into rich R&B, and songs such as ICU and Until The End Of Time showcase her amazing vocals and talent.
📍Location: House of Blues
🎫 Purchase tickets to Coco Jones here
August 13-15: John Legend
Up next is the legendary John Legend—he has a long list of Grammy-winning R&B songs; however, the melody to All of Me and Love Me Now has the ability to make us get up and our feet move side to side. John Legend will be performing in a spectacular venue where you can listen to him while you picnic on the grass or up close in the Ravinia Pavilion.
📍Location: Ravinia Pavillion
🎫 Purchase tickets to John Legend here
August: 17-18: Gavin Degraw
If you were a fan of One Tree Hill growing up, you undoubtedly heard the name Gavin DeGraw. He is an American singer-songwriter. DeGraw rose to fame with his song “I Don’t Want to Be” from his debut album Chariot.
📍Location: House of Blues
🎫 Purchase tickets to Gavin Degraw
August: 19-20: Chance the Rapper
Hailed as a Chicago legend, Chance the Rapper was born and raised in Chicago and released his debut mixtape,10 Day, in 2012. He began to gain mainstream recognition in 2013 after releasing his second mixtape, Acid Rap. With Acid Rap recently hitting its 10th Anniversary, this is a concert in Chicago you will want to participate in.
📍Location: United Center
🎫 Purchase tickets to Chance the Rapper here
August 23-24: 5 Seconds of Summer
A popular boy band with the following akin to N Sync and the Backstreet Boys. 5 Seconds of Summer, often shortened to 5SOS, is an Australian pop rock band from Sydney, New South Wales, formed in late 2011. The group comprises lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Luke Hemmings, lead guitarist Michael Clifford, bassist Calum Hood, and drummer Ashton Irwin.
📍Location: Huntington Bank Pavilion
🎫 Purchase tickets to 5 Seconds of Summer here
August 24: Dominic Fike
Best known for his singing, songwriting, and recent acting in Euphoria, Dominic Fike first received recognition after releasing several popular songs on SoundCloud. He’s now on tour for his most recent album, Sunburn.
📍Location: Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
🎫 Purchase tickets to Dominic Fike here
August 24-25: Lil Baby
Lily Baby rose to mainstream fame in 2017 following the release of his mixtape Perfect Timing: his debut album, Harder Than Ever. His modern hip-hop style is exceptionally contagious and instantly identifiable, and this is one of the concerts in Chicago that will have the floor reverberating.
📍Location: United Center
🎫 Purchase tickets to Lil Baby here
August 25-26: Jonas Brothers
This band has been in the popular zeitgeist for quite some time. The Jonas Brothers are an American pop-rock band. Formed in 2005, they gained popularity by appearing on the Disney Channel television network. They have three brothers: Kevin Jonas, Joe Jonas, and Nick Jonas.
📍Location: Wrigley Field
🎫 Purchase tickets to Jonas Brothers here
August 30: Guns N’ Roses
Guns N’ Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, that rose to fame in the late 80s and early 90s. The band is responsible for ushering in the gritty rock and roll era. Sweet Child O’ Mine always comes to mind when you hear the band from the stretch of the electric guitar solo, which gives everyone chills hearing it live.
📍Location: Wrigley Field
🎫 Purchase tickets to Guns N’ Roses here
August 30-31: Pixies and Modest Mouse
The Pixies are an American alternative rock band formed in 1986 in Boston, Massachusetts, and produced the widely popular song Where Is My Mind and Here Comes Your Man. While Modest Mouse. Modest Mouse is an American rock band formed in 1993 in Issaquah, Washington, and is currently based in Portland, Oregon. This is one of the concerts in Chicago that will be the ultimate dream for indie rock fans.
📍Location: Salt Shed