There are many reasons why music fans are willing to pay the big price tag that goes with living in the Bay Area.
Indeed, we’re about to give you 10 of those reasons — in the form of our Fall Music Guide, which looks at the hottest shows set to take place in the Bay Area and beyond over the next few months.
And we certainly had no shortage of events to chose when it came time to compile this list.
There is just so much good music taking place around these parts between now and, let’s say, Thanksgiving, drawing from everything form country and metal to pop-punk and hip-hop.
Here are our picks for the top upcoming gigs (listed chronologically). Please keep in mind that dates, times and ticket prices are all subject to change.
1. Green Day (and friends)
The Rodeo rockers, who rank among the best-selling Bay Area bands of all time, are performing their two most beloved albums — 1994’s “Dookie” and 2004’s “American Idiot” — during the Saviors Tour.
And they’ve got some pretty impressive company on this road show, in the form of the Smashing Pumpkins, fellow East Bay act Rancid and the Linda Lindas.
Never heard of the latter? Well, trust us when we say that you should definitely arrive on time to the Sept. 20 show at Oracle Park in order to see this young L.A. act, which recently opened up a huge stadium show for the Rolling Stones. The Linda Lindas absolutely rock.
Details: 5:30 p.m.; $99 and up; ticketmaster.com
2. Jon Pardi
The homegrown country singer, who was born and raised just outside of Sacramento in Dixon, has seen his star steadily rise through the years and now ranks among the genre’s top artists. He’s scored multiple No. 1 hits, including “Head Over Boots,” “Dirt on My Boots” and “Last Night Lonely,” and achieved the extreme honor of being inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2023. Pardi returns to NorCal for shows on Sept. 20 at Toyota Amphitheatre at Wheatland and Sept. 27 at Shoreline Amphitheatre at Mountain View.
Details: 7 p.m. each show; $50 and up; livenation.com
3. Nicki Minaj
Having kicked off her Pink Friday 2 World Tour back in March in Oakland, Nicki Minaj brings the production back to the Bay Area for an encore performance at Chase Center in San Francisco on Sept. 23.
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The hip-hop great is touring in support of her fifth studio album (also called “Pink Friday 2”), which debuted atop the charts when it was released in December. The trek has grossed more than $80 million (and counting), reportedly making it the top-grossing tour ever from a female rapper.
Details: 9 p.m.; $69 and up; ticketmaster.com
4. Hardly Strictly Bluegrass
The best free music fandango in — well, arguably — the entire world returns to Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.
This year’s three-day affair, set for Oct. 4-6, is once again loaded with top talent. Some of the more interesting names on the bill include Palo Alto’s own bluegrass guitar sensation Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway, legendary gospel star Mavis Staples, alt-rock greats Sleater-Kinney and rock icon Patti Smith.
Details: Gates open 11 a.m. Oct. 4, 9 a.m. Oct. 5-6; admission is free; hardlystrictlybluegrass.com
5. Korn and Gojira
It will be cool to see Korn on Oct. 6 at Shoreline Amphitheatre at Mountain View, especially given that the Bakersfield bunch is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its debut album — the self-titled nu metal milestone from 1994.
Yet, the No. 1 reason to attend this show is to catch Gojira, which continues to establish itself as one of the world’s greatest metal acts. Gojira’s profile skyrocketed earlier this year when it delivered a mesmerizing performance during the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics.
Details: 6:30 p.m.; $48 and up; livenation.com
6. Aftershock Festival
Didn’t get enough of the hard stuff with Korn and Gojira? Then make plans to headbang your way through four days and nights at this hard-rocking shindig held Oct. 10-13 at Discovery Park in Sacramento. The lineup reads like an elbow to the nose, offering up such heavy hitters as Slayer, Pantera, Slipknot, Motley Crue, Five Finger Death Punch, Judas Priest, Anthrax, Iron Maiden and – best of all – Halestrom.
Details: Gates open noon daily; daily passes $173.78-$196, weekend pass $521 (installment payments available); aftershockfestival.com
7. Jeff Lynne’s ELO
What an absolute joy it was to catch this group earlier this month at Chase Center. The group delivered an amazing show of rich visuals, fine musicianship and, of course, “Strange Magic,” as it reawakened classic tune after classic tune from the mighty Electric Light Orchestra songbook. We highly recommend that fans see the group when it returns to perform on Oct. 23 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento — especially since this might be your last chance to see Jeff Lynne’s ELO on its farewell tour.
Details: 8 p.m.; $63-$289; ticketmaster.com
8. Hip-Hop 101
Talk about a fantastic lineup. It’s hard to imagine Bay Area hip-hop fans would want to be anywhere else than Oakland Arena on Nov. 9, taking in sets from Public Enemy, Cypress Hill, Too $hort, Eric B & Rakim, De La Soul, Dilated Peoples and Mistah Fab. That’s a lot of talent on one bill. Yet, truth be told, you had us at Public Enemy.
Details: 6:30 p.m.; $53 and up; ticketmaster.com
9. Sabrina Carpenter
Having just wowed local fans with her inaugural festival headlining set at Outside Lands in August, Carpenter returns to San Francisco for a date on Nov. 9 at Chase Center. Since we last saw her, the pop star released her sixth studio effort — “Short n’ Sweet” — which has been an absolute blockbuster on the charts. Not surprisingly, Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet Tour has been one of the season’s toughest tickets. So, fans will likely have to pay top dollar if they want to catch Carpenter at Chase.
Details: 7 p.m.; $400 and up (through resale markets); ticketmaster.com
10. TobyMac, MercyMe, Zach Williams
Three of the top names in contemporary Christian music are combining forces for a tour that stops at Oakland Arena on Nov. 23. Each of the three artists boasts a rich catalog, with Toby Mac’s stretching all the way back to the ‘80s and including such winners as “Gone,” “Made to Love” and “Lose My Soul.” MercyMe is best known for the chart-topper “I Can Only Imagine,” which is often referenced as the best-selling Christian single of all time. Williams has won over fans with such great tunes as “Chain Breaker” and “There Was Jesus.”
Details: 7 p.m.; $31 and up; awakeningevents.com
