Surveying New York’s July concerts, we’d be remiss to not mention three major gigs by American icons up front: Paul Simon’s first appearances in a decade at Queens’ historic Forest Hills Stadium — not far from where he grew up in Kew Gardens — on July 8 and 9, and Jay-Z’s massive three-nighter at Yankee Stadium on July 10, 11 and 12, featuring celebrations of "Reasonable Doubt" and "The Blueprint" and a third show billed as “Extra Innings.” And FYI, some guy named Bob Dylan will also be at Forest Hills on July 21.

But just in case you’re in the mood for something a little more under-the-radar, we present our monthly array of genre-spanning picks.

St. Vincent with the New York Philharmonic
David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center
July 2

“It really was one of the greatest experiences of my life,” Annie Clark, a.k.a. St. Vincent, said recently of performing with an orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall last year. “You just get to bathe in beauty for an hour-and-a-half, two hours.” She commemorated the experience with a live album, released this past spring, and she’s now taking it on the road, performing across North America with local orchestras, including the venerable New York Phil. Clark has always favored a huge, richly textured sound, but this setting, where swelling strings and pounding brass meet her patented guitar snarl, feels like the ultimate realization of her epic art-pop ambition.

Steve Gunn + Wendy Eisenberg + Evan Wright
Rippers
July 10

Wendy Eisenberg has been sending listeners mixed messages for around a decade now. The guitarist and vocalist is an expert improviser with a penchant for rough edges and abrasive, unsettling textures, but they’re also a committed songmaker. Earlier, Eisenberg releases reveled in the tension between these impulses, but their recent self-titled album is their most straightforward release yet, a set of lovely folk-pop tunes infused with subtle weirdness. These songs should make an idyllic night at Rippers on the Rockaway Beach boardwalk, where Eisenberg will co-bill with Steve Gunn, another guitar luminary whose work bridges the beautiful and the gently bizarre.

King Woman
Le Poisson Rouge
July 10

Kris Esfandiari, leader of the San Francisco doom metal band King Woman, pulled off an impressive feat on her 2021 album, "Celestial Blues," offering gothic beauty and harrowing brutality in perfect balance. The artist grew up in the Charismatic Christian faith, in which, as she once put it, “exorcisms and demons and angels” were a part of everyday life, and through this project, she “found my final peace with religion.” Expect an entrancing and possibly ritualistic vibe as she revisits the album at this fifth-anniversary show, presented in the round.

MIKE’s Young World
Herbert Von King Park
July 11


For indie-rap phenom Michael Bonema, better known as MIKE, who spent his teenage years in Brooklyn, staging his free Young World festival in Bed-Stuy’s Herbert Von King Park holds a special significance. “I think one of the most sacred things of it, to me, is the fact that everybody could come for free and we can enjoy it in a place like Herbert Von King, where I’ve walked past that park, bought weed in that park, done so much surrounding that park,” he said of the event in 2024. Think of this year’s Young World as a smaller-scale counterpart to Jay-Z’s Yankee Stadium shows, showcasing MIKE’s playful yet incisive style alongside an appearance by Max B, a veteran Harlem MC re-emerging after serving a lengthy prison sentence; and up-and-comers including Thirteendegrees, Eris the Planet and Salimata. (Another big, free park show for your summer hip-hop calendar: De La Soul and Pete Rock at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park on July 17.)

Goodhaven Queens Percussion Concert 2026 with Gamelan Yowana Sari + Ryan Sawyer Shaker Ensemble + Farafina
Seuffert Bandshell, Forest Park
July 18

Every underground scene needs its lifers, and here in NYC, drummer John Colpitts, better known as Kid Millions, is one of the most indispensable. For around 30 years, anywhere something cool and interesting has been going down in the city’s fringe music world, there’s a good chance that he’s been involved, whether performing with his long-running band Oneida or, more recently, curating eclectic community-friendly free gigs at the Seuffert Bandshell in Queens’ Forest Park. This installment is a feast of international percussion, including Gamelan Yowana Sari, a local collective performing new works in the enchanting Balinese gamelan tradition; the vibrant Malian sounds of Farafina; and Ryan Sawyer’s Shaker Ensemble, which stages immersive performances based around the rattle of the leader’s maracas.

Kris Davis, Ingrid Laubrock and Tyshawn Sorey
Village Vanguard
July 21-26

It’s been around a decade since we got a glimpse of the trio of pianist Kris Davis, saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock and drummer Tyshawn Sorey. Back in the 2010s, when they put out two striking albums under the group name Paradoxical Frog, these three were all already major names on the cutting edge of jazz, and their individual reputations have only grown since then, with each becoming a star bandleader (with Sorey in particular making a major mark in the world of classical music, even winning a Pulitzer in 2024). Even if you’re unfamiliar with any of them, this stint at NYC’s most illustrious jazz club offers a chance to embark on a wondrous sonic journey with three virtuosos who value patient exploration as much as fiery intensity.

Cindy Blackman Santana + Patricia Brennan Septet + Lucía
Lena Horne Bandshell, Prospect Park (Celebrate Brooklyn)
July 24

Drummer Cindy Blackman Santana emerged in the late ’80s playing jazz with a fierce, hard-hitting approach that recalled her heroes like Tony Williams and Art Blakey. Then, in the early ‘90s, she started a lengthy stint laying down the beat for Lenny Kravitz. (Readers of a certain age may remember her from the “Are You Gonna Go My Way” video.) These days, she makes time for both pursuits, drumming behind her husband, Carlos Santana, and leading her own group, where she revels in the gritty glory of classic fusion, mixing jazz, rock, funk and more into a highly potent sound. She previews her upcoming album, "Coherence," on a bill that also includes a septet led by the brilliant vibraphonist-composer Patricia Brennan and the up-and-coming Mexican jazz singer Lucía.

Rush
Madison Square Garden
July 28, 30; Aug. 1, 3

It seems almost miraculous to say it, but Rush are back on the road. Superfans are already all in, but the prime reason for everyone else to take notice is Anika Nilles, a German drummer previously best known online for jazz-fusion instrumentals posted to YouTube. Last fall, the legendary Canadian prog-rockers made the bombshell announcement that they were going on tour for the first time since the 2020 death of their iconic drummer, Neil Peart, with Nilles taking on the near-unthinkable task of replacing him (a gig tantamount to subbing in for Michael Jordan in the reunited ’86 Bulls). Since the tour kicked off last month, the reception has been rapturous, with Nilles wowing arenas full of ecstatic fans with her renditions of classics like “Tom Sawyer” and “Limelight” and earning huge ovations for her takes on Peart’s perennially air-drummed fills.