2022 music festivals in Southern California — who’s playing and how to get tickets
Free Summer Concert Series For Every Day Of The Week
Music lovers can turn out any day of the week to see exciting free concerts and live performances all across the St. Louis area. With the array of different genres and settings on offer, you can always find the right fit, whether you're looking for a place to picnic with the family or a low-cost date night. For more information on lineups or changes—with outdoor concerts come inevitable weather cancellations—visit the individual event websites.
MondayMusic Mondays at Citygarden
Music Mondays at Citygarden welcome guests of all ages to the downtown sculpture park for afternoon tunes. Each Monday concert includes a free lunchtime musical performance from 11:30 a.M. To 12:30 p.M. With artists such as Nikki Glenn on July 15, and Fire Dog on August 19. Take a break from the office or bring the family out for an hour of fun at Citygarden. Mondays through July 29, including August 19, and September 2.
Tuesday37th Annual Summer Concert Series at Faust Park
Concertgoers can visit Faust Park on Tuesday evenings to hear a variety of music and support local restaurants. The gates open at 5:30 p.M. For attendees to sample from concession stands, dine at numerous food trucks serving local cuisine, and even participate in a game of bingo beginning at 6 p.M. The free concerts are held from 7 p.M to 9 p.M. Each Tuesday evening. Bring your own lawn chair or picnic blanket and enjoy an eventful night of food, drinks, and jams. Every Tuesday through August 13.
The UCity Summer Band
The UCity Summer Band is returning for its 28th season. Playing light classics, popular music, show tunes, and more, the UCity Summer Band welcomes attendees to picnic and have an evening of fun. The free concert series at Heman Park is held every Tuesday evening beginning at 7 p.M. Through July 25. Seating will be on the lawn, and the band recommends bringing a lawn chair or blanket. At the end of each concert, the band will invite kids up to conduct the finale performance of "On the Mall." Every Tuesday through July 23.
O'Fallon Jammin'
Each Tuesday evening, the City of O'Fallon hosts free concerts at the Civic Park Bandstand. Parking is free as well, and food trucks and concessions are available at "nominal prices." Check out the concert series website for a full list of bands and food options each week. Every Tuesday through August 6.
WednesdayWhitaker Music Festival
Every Wednesday evening, the Missouri Botanical Garden hosts the Whitaker Music Festival, celebrating the diversity and dynamism of St. Louis artists. Concertgoers will have the opportunity to listen to bands such as Saint Boogie Brass Band, 5 Star Roscoe, and The Soulard Blues Band. While the concerts are free, advance online reservations are required for admissions. Unless maximum capacity is reached, reservations will be open until the concert's start time. The Missouri Botanical Garden encourages attendees to bring chairs or a blanket to take advantage of lawn seating, and picnicking will be permitted after 5 p.M., with the opportunity to purchase food and beverages on-site. Pets, barbecue grills, and smoking are not permitted. Every Wednesday through July 31.
Beale Street Concert Series
On the second Wednesday of each month all the way into the fall, the Streets of St. Charles will offer free music from local bands and plenty of food and drink options to enjoy from 6-8 p.M. Check out Retro Nerds on August 14, John Hughes Experience on September 11, and Superjam on October 9. Every second Wednesday of the month through October.
Wednesday Night Jazz Jam
Take a mid-week break with Wednesday Night Jazz Jam, presented by The Kranzberg Arts Foundation. Free and family-friendly, the event celebrates the legacy and the future of St. Louis' jazz scene, bringing together people of all ages and backgrounds. From 6 p.M. To 9 p.M. Each Wednesday, Bob DeBoo hosts the Jazz Jam inside The Dark Room. Food and drinks can be purchased on-site, and there is limited seating on a first-come-first-serve basis. Every Wednesday.
Parties in the Park
One of St. Louis' longest-running outdoor happy hours, Parties in the Park, is celebrating their 41st anniversary with live music, and beer and wine at North Brentwood between Forsyth and Maryland Avenue. The program is held from 5 p.M. To 7:30 p.M. On the second Wednesday of the month through September 11, and the monthly lineup includes some of St. Louis' hottest bands. While no coolers or outside food or drinks are allowed, there will be plenty of food trucks and other dining options. Recommended parking is at the N. Brentwood Lot or the City of Clayton Public Garage. All metered parking in Clayton is free after 5 p.M. As well. Second Wednesday of each month, through September 11.
Music on Main
St. Charles puts on a free outdoor concert series every third Wednesday of the month from May until September. Held in the 100-200 blocks of North Main Street from 5 p.M. To 7:30 p.M., Music on Main invites attendees to bring lawn chairs to relax and enjoy the music. Folks can enjoy music from different artists each month, including Sometimes a Fantasy: a Tribute to Billy Joel, Rock Opera, and Foreplay. Food and drinks are available for purchase, and no outside alcoholic beverages are allowed. For parking, it's recommended that concertgoers head to the lots along Riverside Drive and the parking garage at the St. Charles City Hall. Third Wednesday of each month through September.
Maplewood Summer Concert Series
Come out with family and friends to listen to some of St. Louis' best bands at Maplewood's free Summer Concert Series. Held at Ryan Hummert Park, the monthly concerts start at 6 p.M. And last until 8 p.M. Featured artists include Low Hanging Fruit, Saint Chuck, The Front Street, and Perfect Strangers. Food and drinks will be available to purchase from local vendors, but guests are also welcome to bring their own. Fourth Wednesday of each month, through September 25.
ThursdaySummer Concert Series at Millennium Park
This summer, families are invited to picnic and listen to live music at Millennium Park in Creve Coeur. Free to the public, the concerts will be held every second Thursday of the month through September from 6:30 p.M. To 8:30 p.M. Kiwanis will have barbecue, chips, and sodas available for purchase at each event. Creve Coeur has planned events all ages can enjoy, from nostalgic Rock Opera to Sean Canan's Voodoo Players celebrating works by Prince, Fleetwood Mac, Phish, the Blues Brothers, and Neil Young. Every second Thursday of each month, through September 12.
Grafton Music in the Park
For a scenic summer concert option, head across the river to The Grove Memorial Park in Grafton, Illinois. Concerts take place each Thursday from 7-9 p.M. In the park's picturesque gazebo overlooking the Mississippi. Catch artists such as The Gibson Girls, The Owls, Outlaw Opry, and many more. Every Thursday through August.
HullabaZoo
Enjoy an educational, animated experience at HullabaZoo at the St. Louis Zoo. Hullabazoo introduces a different theme every other Thursday through August 22, showcasing a unique animal in their natural habitat. The event also includes live entertainment, as well as food and drink specials that complement the nightly theme. Attendees can enjoy a Cheetah Cookie and Peri-Peri Chicken to learn more about the cheetah or a Lemur Fruity Frozen Mix to learn more about the lemur. HullabaZoo is held every other Thursday from 10 a.M. To 2 p.M. Every other Thursday through August 22.
Concerts in the Park
The City of Ellisville welcomes crowds to the amphitheater at Bluebird Park each Thursday for a night of free musical entertainment and food, local artisans, and seasonal produce. The summer series kicks off June 6 with Common Time Rhythm & Blues. All concerts run from 7-9 p.M. Every Thursday through August 8.
Sunset on the Riverfront
On the fourth Thursday of each month through September, music-lovers can soak up a performance and a sunset on the banks of the Missouri River. Head to Washington's Rennick Riverfront Park for free music from local bands, food and drink vendors, and children's activities. Fourth Thursday of each month through September.
FridayFerguson Summer Concert Series
Enjoy summer nights on the Plaza at 501 with Ferguson's free summer concert series. Concerts are held the third Friday of each month from 7-9 p.M. Coolers are welcome, but no glass is permitted. Special activities such as a caricature artist and air brush tattoos will accompany each performance. Bring a chair and settle in on the plaza to hear from acts such as Dr. Zhivegas, Vote for Pedro, and Polly & The Pocket. Third Friday of every month through September.
Central West End Music Series
Through September, head to the Central West End every Friday night from 6 p.M. To 9 p.M. To sing and dance to local musicians while you shop and stroll in the neighborhood. Landolfi Quartet, Farshid Etnico Trio, and Bob Gleason are just a few of the anticipated performers set to entertain this year. Performances take place at three different locations: at the corner of McPherson and Euclid, Maryland and Euclid, and Maryland Plaza Fountain, with different line-ups accompanying each location. Every Friday through September 27.
Music on Main Summer Concert Series
Each summer, Wildwood City Hall plays host to Music on Main, a free summer concert series held monthly on Friday nights. Stop by on August 16 for the special Back to School Party featuring inflatables and other family-friendly activities, in addition to a performance by Griffin and the Gargoyles. Third Friday of each month through August.
SaturdayHot Summer Nights at Frenchtown
Hot Summer Nights is returning to Frenchtown with exciting bands looking to bring the streets to life every second Saturday from 7 p.M. to 10 p.M. Events include a Rock Night featuring All Together Now on July 13 and a Country Night featuring Twisted Road on September 14. While no outside food or drinks are allowed, alcoholic drinks will be available to purchase, and guests will have access to food trucks on site. Historic Frenchtown suggests attendees bring their own lawn chairs for an evening full of fun in St. Charles. Every second Saturday of each month, through September 14.
Lake Saint Louis Parks & Recreation Department 2024 Summer Concert Series
The 2024 concert series at Lake Saint Louis is underway and a perfect way to enjoy a summer evening. Held from 7 p.M. To 10 p.M. On select Saturdays through September 14, the concert series welcomes a variety of genres for folks to enjoy. The Lake Saint Louis Parks and Recreation Department also invites guests to bring their chairs, favorite foods, and beverages, but glass of any kind is prohibited. The concerts will take place across two locations: Windjammer or Boulevard Park Amphitheater, so make sure to check out Lake Saint Louis' website for more information. Select Saturdays through September 23.
Making Music Concert Series
The Kirkwood Arts Commission has been hosting its annual Making Music Concert Series for more than 20 years. Pack up a picnic and catch bands such as Skeet Rodgers & the Inner-City Blues Band, Northbound Train, and Ticket to the Beatles every second and fourth Saturday at 7:30 at the Lions Amphitheater in Kirkwood Park. Every second and fourth Saturday through August 24.
Music Under the Stars
Spend your Saturday night in Florissant's St. Ferdinand Park for Music Under the Stars. Each Saturday from 6-9 p.M., the series offers free concerts from local acts such as Soulard Blues Band, Butchwax and the Hollywoods, and Dr. Zhivegas. The events are BYOB and picnics are welcome, but food trucks will also be available on site. Saturdays through August.
SundayThe Gateway Festival Orchestra
The Gateway Festival Orchestra is returning for its 60th season to present a series of classical summer evening concerts every Sunday in July at 7:30 p.M. The Gateway Festival Orchestra performs at Brookings Quadrangle at Washington University and inside the 560 Music Center. Patrons are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, blankets, and picnics for the night on the quad. Every Sunday in July.
Manchester Community Band
Searching for a relaxed evening before the start of the work week? Look no further than the Manchester Community Band, performing on select Sundays this summer. The July 14 performance will start at 6:30 p.M., and the August performance will start at 6 p.M. July 14 and August 11.
Things To Do
A power outage Saturday night silenced a classic rock concert at the Toyota Pavilion in Concord featuring co-headliners Styx and Foreigner, before an crowd of 9,500 music fans had the chance to rock out.
The outage occurred at 6:39 p.M. Saturday, according to Pacific Gas & Electric, and also affected some 1,500 customers in Concord and northern Clayton, including numerous areas around Kirker Pass Road, Concord Boulevard and Bailey Road. Reports said power was expected to be restored by 5 a.M. Sunday. The cause of the outage is still under investigation.
Disappointed music fans wait for the power to come back on at the Toyota Pavilion at Concord for the Styx and Foreigner concert, Saturday, June 29, 2024. A PG&E outage in the area was cited by promoters as the cause. (Karl Mondon/ Bay Area News Group) The show featuring two of the bigger pop/rock bands of the '70s and early '80s was scheduled to start at 6:45 p.M. With opening act John Waite, but was halted before anyone went on. By 8 p.M., the concert was called off. Since there was no power and no PA system, information spread slowly through the venue.
Concert organizers said Sunday they had rescheduled the concert and that tickets for Saturday's scheduled performance will be honored at the new date. Refunds are not available yet. Check here for updates.
On Saturday, Aaron Hawkins, manager of the venue, announced the outage to the audience amid a scattering of boos.
"We will ride this out as long as we can. Let's all cross our fingers. Please be patient," Hawkins said.
Dan Yorke from Walnut Creek said he came out to enjoy the music he grew up on.
"I'm a big 80s rock fan. I used to love Foreigner — Styx too," Yorke said.Yorke said he wasn't too optimistic that the issue would be resolved quickly due to the time the outage occurred, saying that "a skeleton crew" at PG&E might be working to resolve the issue.
Jim Service, of Pleasant Hill, who attended the concert with his wife, Michelle, said he wondered why there wasn't better preparation for a potential power outage.
"You would think that a venue like this would have backup generators for something like this," Service said.
Disappointed music fans leave the Toyota Pavilion at Concord as a concert featuring Styx and Foreigner is cancelled due to a PG&E power outage, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (Karl Mondon/ Bay Area News Group) 
Disappointed music fans leave the cancelled Styx and Foreigner concert due to a PG&E power outage that affected the Toyota Pavilion at Concord, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (Karl Mondon/ Bay Area News Group) Originally Published: June 29, 2024 at 8:40 p.M.
Klaus Voormann's Reflects On His 'Ridiculous' Concert With John Lennon & Yoko Ono In 1969
In the rock history, the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival festival in 1969 is legendary. But for Klaus Voormann, who played bass in John Lennon and Yoko Ono's Plastic Ono Band, it was something of "a joke."
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'Revival69' Documentary Shines New Light on Forgotten 1969 Toronto Rock… 06/28/2024
The story of the band's ad hoc first concert on Sept. 13, 1969, at the University of Toronto's Varsity Stadium has been oft told, and is the subject of a new documentary, Ron Chapman's Revival69: The Concert that Rocked the World, out now via a variety of platforms.
Using footage shot on that day by legendary documentarian D.A. Pennebaker, it chronicles how festival organizers, fretting over low tickets sales and indebted to a motorcycle gang financier, put in a last-minute call to England and convinced Lennon to agree to fly from London to Toronto on short notice and play on the same bill as his rock n' roll heroes — Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bo Diddley, Gene Vincent and more — as well as the Doors and Chicago.
Lennon, however, had no band, so he rounded up a crew that included Eric Clapton (after Beatles mate George Harrison declined), Voormann — a friend from the Beatles' early Hamburg days who designed the album cover for Revolver and was playing in Manfred Mann — and fledgling drummer Alan White, whom he saw play in a London club (and who famously hung up on Lennon's first phone call). With minimal rehearsal — a bit on the plane ride over and backstage — the troupe played a rough and tumble set of covers, The Beatles' "Yer Blues," Lennon's not-yet recorded "Cold Turkey" and "Give Peace a Chance," as well as two Ono songs, including the lengthy, free-form "John John (Let's Hope For Peace)."
As Lennon's first full-scale concert performance since the Beatles' last show on Aug. 29, 1966, in San Francisco, it was a bit loose, and it's preserved on the Live Peace in Toronto 1969 album released three months later. With Revival69's release, Billboard spoke to Voormann — who also appears in the film and played on the John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band album that followed in 1970 — to recount his memories of the auspicious event.
An Unexpected Call"John called me, and he never called me before, not so much. He'd seen me play bass and he knew I played for Manfred Mann, but I had never played for him or anything. So out of the blue he called me and said, 'I'm putting a band together. It's called the Plastic Ono Band. You want to play bass in the band?' And I said, sort of, 'What's this Plastic Ono Band?' I had no idea what was gonna happen, and I'd never met Yoko, so it was really very strange.
"So he said, 'Well, Eric Clapton is going to do it, and we've got a little drummer in mind called Alan White.' I didn't know who he was, just a kid. 'That's it, just the four of us and Yoko and we are the Plastic Ono Band.' I said 'OK, let's do it' and (Lennon) says, 'Great. I'll see you at the airport tomorrow!' (laughs)
"He just jumped into the cold water, not knowing what was gonna happen, no rehearsal. We didn't know what we were going to play…but here's the Plastic Ono Band and we go to Toronto to this festival tomorrow. We didn't have any stage performance. We didn't know what songs John was gonna do. He said, 'Well, there's Chuck Berry and Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis and all these great (artists) and we are just playing rock n' roll.' And I thought it was a little far-fetched. This is John Lennon, who played in the Beatles, and this is the first time he's gonna be out there and presenting something new, and…we just go on stage and play? How does somebody like John Lennon get out there with a band that never played together?
"So we went to the airport, and before we got onto the plane we stood there and we were waiting for Eric Clapton and nobody could find Eric. It was getting really close to (boarding); John said, 'Well, if he isn't here in 10 minutes, we're gonna go home,' and then Yoko says, 'No, no, no, let's do it. It's for peace. We've got to do it.' So Terry Doran, who was sort of the road manager, he actually got a hold of Eric. He was asleep. I don't think he realized that this thing is really going to happen. So he came and we all got on the plane, and the plane was very full. It was packed."
The Friendly Skies"We were lucky; they arranged for us to sit in the last row of the plane, which was right next to the engines, and it was really loud back there. John and Yoko were in first class, but he came back and we tried to (rehearse) a little bit. It was just hilarious, just a joke, trying to rehearse the songs. I played an electric bass, no amplifier. John had a semi-acoustic guitar, Eric had a semi-acoustic guitar. It was maybe a little bit of John singing "Money (That's What I Want)" or something like that. But there was no rehearsal. We all knew the songs, yes, of course. We could play any rock n' roll — I could, Eric could, Alan White had no idea if he could. (laughs) It was just a joke, really. Just a joke.
"We all didn't know Yoko at all — Eric didn't, I didn't, Alan White didn't. John did, of course, but I don't know if he knew exactly what Yoko was gonna do. So when we were on the plane and rehearsing for maybe an hour, Yoko came down the aisle, 'Can we rehearse my song now?' And John stood up: 'Come on, Yoko, let's have a cup of tea.' He didn't even let us hear what she had in mind. He didn't tell us what song we were gonna do, what noises we were gonna do. We had no idea.
"We came off the plane, got into the cars, the limousines, and the motorbikes were escorting us to the stadium. We went in the stadium and went back into the dressing room, and we had one amplifier for the three of us, and the drummer. There was no bass drum, just a snare and a hi-hat and a cymbal. That's all there was. So it was another Mickey Mouse attempt to have a rehearsal. So had a bit of rehearsal and one person who came in I recognized — that was Gene Vincent. But apart from him I just walked up to the stage, went up on the stage, did the whole concert, went back to the dressing room, got my clothes, packed the bass into a case and got back into the limousine and we were off. I didn't see anybody. I can't tell you about any conversations with other musicians or anything. I didn't see any of those. John, of course, they were all getting on his case, but I was completely out of that. People were not interested in Klaus Voormann. It wasn't important to me, either, so I was happy to get out of this place.
"I think (Lennon) only really realized what he was doing when we were there, just about to get up on stage. He had his lovely white suit on and we were walking (to the stage) and he said, 'Wait a second' and went in the corner, and he puked. He threw up. He was very, very nervous. He didn't even have a very good voice. HIs voice was nearly gone. So there we were with a singer, John, going up there and not having a strong voice and we just walked on the stage and played."
Rock n' Roll Revived"I felt sorry for John. He really felt out of place on stage, when I see it now. John never was a frontman on stage. People don't realize (that) when you're with a band you may do a little bit of saying, 'Here's the next number…' He was never the frontman who was actually organizing a stage persona. He never had that. He was doing 'Cold Turkey,' and it was such a stupid version, the way we played it. When I heard the song I was so excited; 'We can go in the studio and make a great version of this song!' And later on we did. I loved the record but what he played on stage was just terrible…and the audience didn't applaud. John was dreaming, 'Wake up!' Telling people to wake up and participate.
"And then, of course, the big surprise came when suddenly…we had no idea if Yoko was singing classic opera or what she was gonna do. Suddenly this screaming started. 'What's this?!' We couldn't believe it. It was just…ridiculous. John said, 'Well, when Yoko's number comes we kind of play an E chord,' so we played in E and just fiddled around on our instruments. We had no idea what was gonna happen. So we were just improvising, making strange noises on the guitar, on the strings. And I had flat-wound strings, so I couldn't do many noises. If I would've had a flute or any crazy instrument I could've improvised something, but with my bass there was not much I can do.
"I knew that Yoko very much wanted to come to spread the message of peace, which is a very nice thing to do. So you had her lying there (on the stage) and she was really like a dying bird. She was croaking, making all these noises. I was standing behind her, and I could really see this woman was really trying as hard as she can out of her little body to let the people know there's a war going on and people are dying and bombs are falling, and that was the feeling I got out of it. The audience didn't quite get it, of course. They wanted to see John and they didn't care about Yoko, and suddenly there was this woman making these noises.
"And Yoko is amazing. She had no…how can I say it? At that particular time she had no feeling for an audience. The charisma that comes across if a Little Richard gets up there or a Chuck Berry, they have their tricks to get the audience, and she had no idea what stage presence really was. She learned that much later, but at the time, no. And of course you had a rock n' roll audience, not an artistic type of audience. People wanted to hang out and have a party, and then there's Yoko trying to spread that message. It was really tough. I'm really proud of her that she actually did this. When you see the documentaries you can at least see the effort she was making to tell the people, 'Please make peace.' That's what she was trying to do."
No Encore"I think we pretty much soon forgot about it and didn't even talk much about it. All I remember is after (the show) we drove a long drive in a limousine to a huge mansion of some guy, it must've been the guy who put the concert together. He had a golf course in his garden, and I remember Terry Doran driving a golf cart and said, 'This f–king thing doesn't pull the d-ck off a chocolate mouse!' (laughs) It was so slow and he wanted to ride pretty quick on it. I remember sitting at a swimming pool and somebody took some photos. We had fun. We were laughing. But there was no talk about the concert or anything. We were just ready to go back home."
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