Portland summer music 2017, vol 2 ... hot tickets, cool shows!

So the other day I added my list of free outdoor music, but there are also lots of great ticketed outdoor (and indoor) music shows that bring top acts to the region all summer. Here are a few of this summer's highlights for me.

Besides the just finished Waterfront Blues Festival, there are a host of great festival to check out in and around the area, including:
Northwest String Summit (July 13-16)
Wildwood Music Festival (July 21-23)
Winthrop Rhythm and Blues Festival (July 21-23)
Pickathon (August 3-6 and selling out fast!)
West Coast Country Music Festival (August 12)
MusicFestNW/Project Pabst (August 26-27)
Sisters Folk Festival (September 8-10)

Though not confined to one weekend, the Britt Festival runs all summer at the Britt Pavilion in Jackson, Oregon. Check out the schedule and consider a trip to southern Oregon.

Ticketed outdoor venue shows include:

Oregon Zoo Concerts - a strong lineup this year includes show with Natalie Merchant, Brandi Carlile,  Blind Pilot, Garrison Keillor's Prairie Home tour, Pat Benatar, Conor Oberst and M Ward, and more. The one I'm most looking forward to is the July 16 show with Rhiannon Giddens and Aimee Mann. That one's not sold out yet, but other already are. We do love our outdoor venues in the summer!

Edgefield Concerts on the Lawn -  already underway and with a crowd-pleasing lineup that includes Willie Nelson, Blondie and Garbage, Michael Franti, Steve Miller and Peter Frampton, Pink Martini, Diana Krall, Trombone Shorty and St. Paul & the Broken Bones, Fleet Foxes ... and a lot more. Some shows are already sold out!

Plus, how about the oh-so-Portland shows like the Caravan Campfires - Songs n' S'mores! series on Wednesday evenings in July and August.

Tualatin Hills Parks and Rec presents their annual Groovin' On The Grass on Saturday, August 19 - this year with Nu Shooz, Quarterflash, and Curtis Salgado!

And you can always take a trip to Kruger's Farm on Sauvie Island for the Thursday night concerts ... they charge by the carload, so pile in and head to Sauvie Island!

But Jim, what about indoor shows? Well, glad you asked!

My three favorite indoor venues - the Aladdin Theater, Alberta Rose Theatre, and Revolution Hall - don't go dark for the summer and have some excellent choices, including:

At the Aladdin:
July 9 - The Duke Robillard Band
July 20 - Delbert McClinton ... with a long overdue return to Portland
August 9 - The Alarm
August 10 - John Moreland
August 11 - The Wheepies (acoustic)
August 23 - Coco Montoya
September 10 - Judy Collins

At the Alberta Rose:
July 7 - Rodney Crowell (yes!)
July 12, 19, 26 - Chamber Music NW Summer Festival
July 14 - "Roll Columbia" - Smithsonian Folkways Woody Guthrie Album Release Concert
July 22 - Patrice Pike and Brian Cutean
July 25 - Paul Thorn Band
August 10/11 - The Nowhere Band presents Sgt. Pepper (50th anniversary)
September 6 - Amy Helm


At Revolution Hall:
July 12 - Cowboy Junkies
July 22 - The Psychedelic Furs and Robyn Hitchcock
Aug 4 - The Wailers
Aug 14  - Steve Earle & the Dukes
Plus a very cool "Rooftop Series" that includes Chris Pureka, The Billy Shears Orchestra (more Sgt. Pepper), Kyle Morton, Shook Twins, Casey Neill, and more.

Interested in the indoor arena show experience? Me neither. But if you're interested, Oregon Live has a list of arena shows.

See ya out and about .... and have a great summer!