This last week of August heading into the Labor Day weekend marks the end of the summer music season in The Berkshires. Many of the outdoor venues wind down, including Tanglewood, Berkshire Busk, and most of the outdoor concert series. We’ve got a great week ahead, and don’t despair – the music continues strong into the fall season, with many incredible live music performances ahead. This week, we have 61 performances across multiple genres, including classical, jazz, rock, Americana, pop, folk, blues, and opera. Here are a few highlights, followed by the full show rundown.
It’s the final week of music at Tanglewood with three popular headline shows to catch: Jackson Browne on Thursday, Guster (pictured above) on Saturday, and John Legend on Sunday. I’ll be going to all three shows, but in full disclosure, I’m a huge Guster fan and am really looking forward to seeing them.
Other popular music this week includes the 2020 John Lennon Songwriting Contest Winner for folk, Sean Magwire, performing outdoors at Windsor Lake in North Adams on Wednesday. Award-winning thumbpick guitarist Richard Smith is at Dewey Hall in Sheffield on Friday. Also on Friday, acoustic folk and alternative rock performer Jake Klar is at Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield, and art-rocker Billy Wylder is at Egremont Barn. On Saturday, the indie alt-pop band Alvvays (pronounced “always”) is at MASS MoCA. They performed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon – that video is included in the Show Rundown below.
Berkshire County favorites performing this week include the Wanda Houston Band at Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge on Monday. The Hilltown Trio, featuring Chris Merenda of The Whiskey Treaty Roadshow and Picky Bastards, will perform at portaVia Wednesday in Dalton as part of their month-long residency. Also on Wednesday, The BTUs perform outdoors at Lilac Park in Lenox. Jordan Weller is back at The Lion’s Den on Thursday. Milton, who we interviewed back in June, is at Dream Away Lodge in Becket on Saturday. Also on Saturday, Dead Man’s Waltz is at Egremont Barn. They are a tribute band for The Grateful Dead, The Allman Brothers Band, and The Band. Or catch four local favorites performing under one roof: Katherine Winston, Bree, Glori Wilder, and Christine Bilé. They perform at Music in Common In the Round at Guthrie Center in Great Barrington. And certainly don’t miss out on the final week of Berkshire Busk, taking place in downtown Great Barrington Friday night and Saturday afternoon and evening.
Jazz lovers can find the Richard Stanmeyer Trio at The Lion’s Den in Stockbridge on Wednesday. For some Latin jazz, catch the Goza Latin Band outdoors at Naumkeag in Stockbridge on Thursday. Robin Gerson Wong performs at Gateways Inn in Lenox on Saturday. On Sunday, you can take in the Domingo Brunch featuring Jazz duo David Bartley and Pete Toigo at Dottie’s Coffee Lounge in Pittsfield. Or you can catch the Jazz Brunch with Michael Junkins at Race Brook Lodge in Sheffield. Later in the afternoon, you’ll find Karen Tchougourian performing outdoors at Lilac Park in Lenox. (Additional jazz performances will likely be added for the weekend since Gateways Inn and The Lion’s Den have not yet posted their September performances).
Classical music lovers, don’t despair that the Tanglewood classical season has ended! You can catch one of three great classical performances in the County this week: On Saturday afternoon, you can see Simone Dinnerstein at the New Marlborough Meeting House or catch The Knights Orchestra at The Clark Art Institute in Williamstown. They perform again at The Clark on Sunday midday, offering a special Family Concert: The Knights Orchestra. Later on Sunday afternoon, you’ll find the Pacifica String Quartet at South Mountain Concert Hall in Pittsfield – it’s the first of five classical performances at South Mountain during the fall season.
And finally, Opera lovers will want to catch one of two final performances on Tuesday and Friday of Berkshire Opera Festival Presents: La Bohème.
You can read about all of these performances and more in our weekly show rundown below or jump right to our music calendar. Use the subscribe button below to receive this weekly rundown of upcoming performances in your inbox. And if I missed a performance, please contact me, and I’ll add it to the calendar.
Monday
5:00 pm – 8:00 pm Amy Ryan Band at The Barn Kitchen & Bar, Williamstown. Country, Blues, Rock. Learn more and listen here.
5:30 pm – 7:30 pm Wanda Houston Band at Berkshire Botanical Garden, Stockbridge. R&B, Jazz, and Soul. Learn more and listen here.
Tuesday
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm Switchback at Firehouse Cafe & Bistro, Adams.
7:30 pm Berkshire Opera Festival Presents: La Bohème at Colonial Theatre, Pittsfield.
Wednesday
5:15 pm – 9:00 pm David Reed at Oasis Bar and Grill, Lee. Learn more and listen here.
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm The Hilltown Trio at portaVia, Dalton.
6:30 pm The BTUs at Lilac Park, Lenox. Rock.
6:30 pm Sean Magwire at Windsor Lake, North Adams. Folk. Learn more and listen here.
6:30 pm – 9:30 pm Richard Stanmeyer Trio at The Lions Den, Stockbridge. Jazz. Learn more and listen here.
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm Liz Queler & Seth Farber at Ostrich Room at Apple Tree Inn, Lenox. Learn more and listen here.
Thursday
5:15 pm – 9:00 pm Melissa Brinton at Oasis Bar and Grill, Lee. Learn more and listen here.
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm Goza Latin Band at Naumkeag, Stockbridge. Latin Jazz. Learn more and listen here.
6:00 pm – 10:00 pm Eavesdrop at The Chalet at MASS MoCA, North Adams. Americana Folk-Pop. Learn more and listen here.
7:00 pm Jackson Browne at Tanglewood, Lenox.
7:00 pm Nate Martel at Berkshire Palate, Pittsfield. Rock, Folk. Learn more and listen here.
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm Lexi Weege & JJ Slater at Miraval Berkshires, Lenox. Rock, Jazz. Learn more and listen to Lexi here.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Thomas Savoy at Antimony Brewing, Lenox. Rock, Folk, Pop, Country. Learn more and listen here.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Jordan Weller at The Lions Den, Stockbridge. Rock, Folk, Blues.
7:30 pm – 9:30 pm Erin Cassels Brown at Dream Away Lodge, Becket. Country, Folk. Learn more and listen here.
7:30 pm – 10:00 pm Ian Giles Trio at Egremont Barn, South Egremont. Jazz, Funk, Rock, Soul, Reggae. Learn more and listen here.
9:30 pm – 11:00 pm Joshua Speers at Dream Away Lodge, Becket. Rock, Folk. Learn more and listen here.
Friday
6:00 pm Scott Silvia at Knox Trail Inn, East Otis.
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm Colby Lewis at Bousquet, Pittsfield. Rock, Folk. Learn more and listen here.
6:00 pm – 9:30 pm TapRoot Sessions presents guitarist Richard Smith Workshop and Concert at Dewey Hall, Sheffield. Learn more and listen here.
6:30 pm – 8:30 pm Berkshire Busk in Downtown Great Barrington. Music performances include Electrifunk, David Reed, Katherine Winston, and Michael Aaron.
7:00 pm Back Porch Music: Jake Klar at Hancock Shaker Village, Pittsfield. Folk, Rock. Learn more and listen here.
7:30 pm Berkshire Opera Festival Presents: La Bohème at Colonial Theatre, Pittsfield.
7:30 pm – 10:30 pm Billy Wylder at Egremont Barn, South Egremont. Art-Rock. Learn more and listen here.
8:00 pm – 10:00 pm Tribute to the Velvet Underground at Ostrich Room at Apple Tree Inn, Lenox. Rock.
8:00 pm – 11:00 pm Little Saints at Antimony Brewing, Lenox. Americana, Folk, Blues, Soul. Learn more and listen here.
8:00 pm – 11:30 pm Party of the Sun at Dream Away Lodge, Becket. Psych-Folk. Learn more and listen here.
Saturday
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm Berkshire Busk in Downtown Great Barrington. Music performances include Katherine Winston at Berkshire Mountain Distillers.
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm The Knights Orchestra at The Clark Art Institute, Williamstown. Classical.
4:30 pm – 6:00 pm Simone Dinnerstein at New Marlborough Meeting House, New Marlborough. Classical.
5:30 pm – 7:30 pm The Desperate Catskill Mountain Band at Monterey Community Center, Monterey.
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm Jack Waldheim at Bousquet, Pittsfield.
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm Robin Gerson Wong at Gateways Inn, Lenox. Jazz.
6:30 pm – 8:30 pm Berkshire Busk in Downtown Great Barrington. Music performances include Eli Elkus, Colby Lewis Music, and Ryan Leddick.
6:30 pm – 10:00 pm Berkshire Busk in Downtown Great Barrington. Main Stage music performances include Sample the Cat.
7:00 pm An Evening with Guster at Tanglewood, Lenox.
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm Canna Provisions Presents Live Music at The Locker Room Featuring Kitty and The Beard at Locker Room Sports Pub, Lee.
7:30 pm – 10:30 pm Dead Man’s Waltz at Egremont Barn, South Egremont. Tribute band for The Grateful Dead, The Allman Brothers Band, and The Band. Learn more and listen here.
8:00 pm Alvvays at MASS MoCA, North Adams. Indie Alt-Pop Band. Listen here.
8:00 pm The 413’s at Knox Trail Inn, East Otis.
8:00 pm – 10:00 pm Music in Common In the Round at Guthrie Center, Great Barrington. Featuring Katherine Winston, Bree, Glori Wilder, and Christine Bilé.
8:00 pm – 10:00 pm Sam Brown Band at Ostrich Room at Apple Tree Inn, Lenox. Rock, Pop, Folk. Learn more and listen here.
8:00 pm – 11:00 pm Pug Demary & John Zarvis at Antimony Brewing, Lenox.
8:00 pm – 11:30 pm Milton at Dream Away Lodge, Becket. Learn more and listen here.
Sunday
10:00 am – 12:00 pm Domingo Brunch featuring Jazz duo David Bartley and Pete Toigo at Dottie’s Coffee Lounge, Pittsfield. Jazz. Learn more and listen to David here.
11:00 am – 2:00 pm Michael Aaron at Starving Artist Cafe and Creperie, Lee. Learn more and listen here.
12:00 pm – 12:45 pm Family Concert: The Knights Orchestra at The Clark Art Institute, Williamstown. Classical.
12:00 pm – 3:00 pm Jazz Brunch with Michael Junkins at Race Brook Lodge, Sheffield. Jazz. Learn more and listen here.
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm Melissa Brinton at Antimony Brewing, Lenox. Learn more and listen here.
3:00 pm Pacifica String Quartet at South Mountain Concert Hall, Pittsfield. Classical.
3:30 pm Karen Tchougourian at Lilac Park, Lenox. Jazz.
6:00 pm Bree and Devin at Sloane’s Tavern, Lenox.
7:00 pm An Evening with John Legend at Tanglewood, Lenox.
7:00 pm Man Must Explore feat. Fugue State & Emma’s Secrets at Hot Plate Brewing Co, Pittsfield. Rock. Listen to Man Must Explore here.
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm Colby Lewis and Steve Ide at Ostrich Room at Apple Tree Inn, Lenox. Learn more and listen to Colby here.
That’s our performance rundown for the week of August 28. Summer is almost over – so get out this week and enjoy some great live music in The Berkshires!
— Mark @ Music in the Berkshires