Somehow the stakes seem incredibly high for live music this year. Perhaps it’s the *gestures at basic shape of the country and world* of it all just now, but we could all use some escapism and
entertainment, and we could use it stat. Luckily, Santa Fe’s venues and promotions outfits are poised to deliver this year across a wide variety of genres, scopes and scenes, so you should have no trouble keeping your social calendar booked through August and into September. Behold! A smattering of enticing concerts slated for the coming months—just know these aren’t even close to everything popping off this summer, so stay tuned to sfreporter.com/calendar for info.
Trampled by Turtles
7 pm Saturday, May 31
$46-$51
The Bridge @Santa Fe Brewing Company
37 Fire Place, (505) 557-6182
We know this show is only a couple days after this issue comes out, but we wrote this earlier this month and were kind of hoping at the time it wouldn’t sell out. If it has, we’re super-sorry. If it hasn’t, you should know the folk superstars put on a hell of a good show. This one brought to you by the folks at Lensic360.
Greer
8 pm Saturday, May 31
$33 (add-ons available online)
Meow Wolf, 3752 Rufina Circle, (505) 395-6369
The Orange County alt-rock foursome takes over Meow Wolf to celebrate and rock through its much-anticipated and much-loved record Big Smile. Presumably they’ll throw in other tracks and surprises and everyone will be all rocked out and stuff.
Drive-By Truckers & Deer Tick
7 pm Tuesday, June 3
$40-$45
The Bridge @Santa Fe Brewing Company
37 Fire Place, (505) 557-6182
Alternative rock meets Southern-fried realness when the Drive-By Truckers come to town with sick guitar riffs and relatable lyricism. You’ll also get to enjoy the indie-rock-meets-folk sounds of the irrepressible Deer Tick, so this one should be good for people who like a little emotionalism with their twang.
Ozomatli 30th Anniversary
5:30 pm Friday, June 5
Free
Santa Fe Railyard Plaza, Market and
Alcaldesa Streets, lensic360.org
Nonprofit outfit Lensic360 rings in the iconic Los Angeles hip-hop/rock/salsa/funk act’s big three-oh to kick off its 2025 Summer Scene series of free shows in the Santa Fe Railyard. Show up right at 5:30 with the kids for a family-friendly set with OzoKidz, too, before the main event. Dang, we love a free show.
Nosotros Doble Quinceañera
7 pm Thursday June 5
Free
Santa Fe Railyard Plaza, Market and
Alcaldesa Streets, lensic360.org
As if the free Ozomatli show wasn’t enough, the Santa Fe Summer Scene series keeps slaying for a second day with another special birthday performance, this time from New Mexico’s own Nosotros and its rock and jazz-infused Latin sounds. Expect special guests like woah.
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
7 pm Friday, June 20
Free
Santa Fe Railyard Plaza, Market and Alcaldesa Streets, lensic360.org
Guitarist Jacob Shije (Santa Clara Pueblo) opens a show we’re not sure any of us were expecting—one from swing act Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (Remember that song “You & Me & Bottle Makes 3 Tonight (Baby)?”) Right on. And it’s yet another one from Lensic360’s Santa Fe Summer Scene series of free shows.
Juneteenth Celebration w/Natasha Diggs
3 pm Saturday, June 21
Free
Santa Fe Plaza, 63 Lincoln Ave., lensic360.org
Celebrate the June 19, 1865 emancipation of slaves with a full-out feel-good party on the Plaza featuring jamz from internationally renowned DJ Natasha Diggs. We know she transcends genres, cultivates sweet parties and still uses vinyl in the pursuit of all things dancey. We expect other surprises during the event, too, and it’s part of Lensic360’s Santa Fe Summer Scene.
Eliza Gilkyson
6:30 pm Friday, June 27
$29-$42
St. Francis Auditorium, 107 W Palace Ave.
(505) 476-5072
The celebrated folk singer-songwriter drops her new record Dark Ages at a special show from the folks at promotions nonprofit AMP Concerts. You been to St. Francis Auditorium? It’s intimate as hell.
Esther Rose
7:30 pm Saturday, June 28
$21-$26
Tumbleroot Brewery & Distillery, 2791 Agua Fría St. (505) 303-3808
In January of 2024, SFR asked then-new Santa Fe folky/indie singer-songwriter Esther Rose (pictured above, btw) why she’d moved to town from New Orleans. “I moved here for love,” she told us—and that’s just, like, really awesome. Rose is set to release her new album Want on this date with Albuquerque-based rockers Red Light Cameras opening the show.
Fishbone
7:30 pm Thursday, July 3
$25-$30
The Bridge @Santa Fe Brewing Company
37 Fire Place, (505) 557-6182
The capital-L LEGENDARY ska/punk/reggae/rock act comes to town to teach us all a thing about feeling feelings and how to spell the word “ugly.” Did they lose members like Norwood Fisher, Walter Kirby and John Seward? Yes. Will it still be a head-bobbing good time? Also yes. Please note this show is 21+ unless you’ve got a guardian with you.
M. Ward & The Undertakers
8 pm Saturday, July 12
$32-$37
Meow Wolf, 3752 Rufina Circle, (505) 395-6369
Guitarist and singer M. Ward reportedly channels a bit of that Neil Young sound for his newest stuff, which really vibes with how he’s recently collaborated with the likes of First Aid Kit and Neko Case. Think indie-folk for sure, but maybe with a little of that emo-tinged goodness (and we don’t mean MCR even at all).
Innastate
5:30 pm Saturday, July 26
Free
Genoveva Chavez Community Center, 3321 Rodeo Road, (505) 955-4000
The trio of Adrian Wall (Jemez Pueblo), Rylan Kabotie (Santa Clara Pueblo and Jicarilla Apache) and Lawrence Bailon (Santa Clara and Kewa Pueblos) form Innastate, New Mexico’s preeminent reggae act. Together, they’ll preside over the final day of the Santa Fe Public Library’s Santa Fe Summer Reading program, which was designed to empower local students through the power of books. Now they’ll also have reggae powers.
Waxahatchee
7:30 pm Monday, Aug. 4
$39-$44
The Bridge @Santa Fe Brewing Company
37 Fire Place, (505) 557-6182
Yes to Alabama’s Waxahatchee—and long may she reign. Songwriter/guitarist Katie Crutchfield knows a thing or two about a pleasing melody and constructs nonstop catchy bangers with a bit of the indie style colored by country-ish leanings and a GOAT-level ability to croon directly into your heart through your friggin’ ears. She’s just so good! Frankly, Lensic360 shows are killing it this summer.
Yelawolf
7:30 pm Thursday, Aug. 7
$32.50-$37.50
The Bridge @Santa Fe Brewing Company, 37 Fire Place, (505) 557-6182
Another Alabama artist? You better believe it. Rapper Yelawolf gets his flowers for having merged the hip-hop world with artists like blink182, Diplo and Ed Sheeran, thereby opening up the wild and wooly realm of sick rhymes to people who didn’t know they loved rapping yet. This’ll be a fun one, promise, and we hope folks understand why hip-hop rules afterward.
Tennis
7 pm Sunday, Aug. 24
The Bridge @Santa Fe Brewing Company
37 Fire Place, (505) 557-6182
Denver indie-pop duo Tennis is one of those Mates of State-like wife ’n’ husband tales wherein a couple of cuties who absolutely know how to slay a catchy-ass melody join forces to drop hot bangers. Sometimes dreamy, sometimes rocky, always ultra-fun, Tennis will surely get the nerds a-dancin’ when they come to Santa Fe. We hope it’s outside. It’ll probably be outside. Don’t send us letters if it’s not outside. Do you like it outside, Tennis? We bet you like it outside.
Thievery Corporation
7:30 pm Wednesday, Sept. 3
$53
The Bridge @Santa Fe Brewing Company
37 Fire Place, (505) 557-6182
The nonprofit cahmps at AMP Concerts flirt with the waning days of summer at a show from a little band called Thievery Corporation—only one of the most influential, danceable and long-lasting electronic music acts in the history of electronic music acts. Finally—something from Washington, DC we can get behind (just kidding, though, because we also love you, Bad Brains and a whole bunch of Dischord bands, too).
Melvins & Redd Kross
8 pm Wednesday, Sept. 10
$29.50-$34.50
Meow Wolf, 3752 Rufina Circle, (505) 395-6369
Though hard to peg down exactly what it is that the seemingly immortal band Melvins does, one can look to the realms of sludgey stoner metal and heavy rock, though the dueling bass/drum madness of King Buzzo and Dale Crover has sort of been its own experimental thing without equal since its 1983 inception. This is your favorite band’s favorite band, probably. Punk mainstays Redd Kross open, so we’re thinking this audience will be full of really cool and hot weirdos.
Blossoms & Bones: Ghost Ranch Music Festival
Thursday, Sept. 11-Saturday, Sept. 13
$166.94-$329.89
Ghost Ranch, 280 Private Drive 1708 Hwy. 84 ghostranchmusicfest.com
The now-annual homegrown high desert festival from the Lensic360 folks scored some huge names this year, including Lucy Dacus and Ani DiFranco—but don’t forget Santigold and/or Durand Jones & the Indications, plus many others. There are numerous ticketing and camping options, so make sure you visit the website to get all the possible information. Honestly, this is a great way to close out the summer.
