Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox.
Subscribe to our newsletter here.

After a year of social distancing in central New York and a reimagined concert landscape relying on video streaming and drive-in concerts, the region is starting to see the reemergence of in-person outdoor concerts. People can plan a return to seats as musicians hit the road for tours this summer. Many national and local artists will perform in the central New York region — from the Lafayette Apple Festival grounds to the shores of Onondaga Lake — throughout the summer. The Daily Orange compiled a list of concerts in the area. Here’s where to find them.

Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards

In autumn, people flock to Beak & Skiff for its apple orchards. But this summer, its concert series will return with shows currently scheduled for June and July. The lineup includes performances from Lake Street Dive from June 4-6, funk band Pigeons Playing Ping Pong from June 18-19 and Indigo Girls from June 25-26.

“We want to offer people an escape, a place where they can leave all their troubles and worries behind and embrace the joy of human connection,” said Pigeons Playing Ping Pong singer and guitarist Greg Ormont in a statement on Beak and Skiff’s website. “Our mission with our music is to create the most blissful, carefree experience possible.”

While audiences may feel a sense of normalcy being back at a live concert, Beak & Skiff has COVID-19 social distancing protocols in place, such as mandatory mask-wearing, temperature checks and a pre-entry questionnaire. Concertgoers will also enter and watch the performances together in pods.

St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview

For concertgoers who like a view with their shows, St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview is a must this summer. The stage sits on the shore of Onondaga Lake, with the audience facing the water. Luke Bryan and Caylee Hammack will kick off the summer concert season at St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview on July 8. Four more concerts are scheduled through October, including the Dave Matthews Band on Aug. 18, Korn and Staind on Aug. 25, Thomas Rhett and Cole Swindell on Sept. 16 and Chris Stapleton on Oct. 7. Tickets are available through the amphitheater’s website.

Apple Valley Park

This summer marks the inaugural concert series for Apple Valley Park, which will host 11 bands and artists over 15 shows from May through August. Rock band Twiddle will open the season with four shows from May 27-30, the first two accompanied by Dopapod and the last two by Aqueous. The park hosted drive-in concerts last fall, but attendees had to stay in their cars. This summer, however, concertgoers can purchase tickets for roped-off pods of two, four or six people. Guests must wear masks when entering, exiting or moving outside of their pod.

Oswego Summer Concert Series

Looking to skip town for the weekend? The Oswego Summer Concert Series is returning on July 2. Oswego Mayor Billy Barlow announced the concert series’ return in early May, calling it an important part of the city’s renaissance. Concerts at Water Street Square will run 7-9:30 p.m. on Fridays from July 2 to Aug. 20 while concerts at Veteran’s Stage will run 6-9 p.m. on Thursdays from Aug. 5 to Sept. 16. Barlow added that the concert series will host local Oswego artists, such as Cam Caruso and Mike Shiel. Piano folk artist Nancy Kelly will perform on Aug. 27 as well.

New York State Fair

As New York state rolls back COVID-19 restrictions ahead of the summer, the “Reimagined New York State Fair” continues to add performers to its concert series. Currently, nine performances are scheduled from Aug. 25 to Sept. 1, such as rock band REO Speedwagon, Celtic punk band Dropkick Murphys and Scottish singer-songwriter Sheena Easton. LGBTQ activist and singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge will perform on the fair’s Pride Day, Aug. 27. Fairgoers can check the NYS fair’s website prior to the event’s start for an updated list of performances. As in previous years, all of the concerts will be free, but audiences will be limited due to social distancing.

Published on May 20, 2021 at 2:01 am

Contact Louis: louis@dailyorange.com | @JBL__98