Hottest shows: 12 concerts you shouldn't miss this summer in the Quad-Cities (2024)

The weather's heating up and Quad-Citians are eager to get out and enjoy some local entertainment.

Throughout the summer, our area has a wide range of outdoor festivals and free concert series, on top of the typical gigs at local venues.

While it'd sure be nice, with summer vacation plans and shifting schedules, it's simply impossible to catch them all.

We're hoping to make your music planning in the Quad-Cities a little easier, so we've compiled a list of concerts this summer that you shouldn't miss. On it, there are twelve shows at twelve different locations, starting in June with a show at Rock Island's Rozz-Tox Cafe.

June 1: Chrash at Rozz-Tox in Rock Island

Local indie rock band Chrash is holding an album release party for their fifth record, "Music For The New Scene," at Rozz-Tox on Saturday, June 1. The alt-rock act is led by lead singer Chris Bernat of fellow local band Tripmaster Monkey. The show starts at 8 p.m. and will be followed by a DJ set from members of local band Running Man. Tickets cost $10 in advance, or $13 at the door in cash.

Chrash's last album, "2017 The Music," was released in ... 2018. It's full of politically charged, understated rock songs with groovy basslines and hoppy guitar licks. "Division" is a slow-building standout on the B-side, and opener "Flowers and The Feel" is a Pavement-ish garage rocker. Chrash describes their upcoming project as "phantom rock."

June 6: Jelly Roll at Tailgate N' Tallboys in Clinton

It's rare you get an artist months removed from a Grammy nomination coming to town, so it's a cause for celebration. Jelly Roll, the face-tatted rapper-turned-country-rocker, was indeed nominated for Best New Artist at this year's Grammy Awards. His rollicking religious ballad "Need A Favor" was one of country music's most ubiquitous hits in 2023.

Jelly Roll will be headlining the first day of Tailgates N' Tallboys, a country festival on the Clinton riverfront from June 6 to June 8. There will be food vendors, bars and overnight camping opportunities at the all-ages fest. Three-day passes start at $189.99 before taxes and fees, while single-day tickets go for $99.99.

Jelly Roll will be joined on the Thursday, June 6, lineup by Redferrin, Austin Snell and Nate Smith. The latter's track "Whiskey On You" has nearly 200 million Spotify streams. Bailey Zimmerman and Shinedown round out the rest of the fest's headlining bill. Doors will open on June 6 at 1:55 p.m.

June 25: The Night People at Lincoln Park in Rock Island

When you get a chance to see a band that once opened for Jimi Hendrix for free, you take it. That's the offer on the table at Lincoln Park in Rock Island on June 25, when The Night People will perform as part of the city's Starlight Revue Concert Series. The local band has roughly 50 years of history to its name and consistently attracts a big crowd. The show starts at 6:30 p.m. and will be warmed up with a 5 p.m. grill event.

June 28: Girl Talk, Chromeo & Waka Flocka Flame at The Rust Belt in East Moline

It'll be tough to find a more stacked dance bill in the Quad-Cities this summer than the one at The Rust Belt on June 28 and June 29, for the TreeOnine Festival.

There's Girl Talk, the pioneering mash-up DJ who found a way to squeeze Andre 3000, "Walk It Out," "We're Not Gonna Take It," Sinead O'Connor, Lil Wayne and Huey Lewis into just the first few minutes of an album — seriously, listen to "Feed The Animals" as soon as you can. Then there's a DJ set from funk duo Chromeo and a set by rapper Waka Flocka Flame, who you almost certainly know from diamond single "No Hands."

Two-day passes are $100, plus fees, and one-day tickets are $50.

July 6: Counting Crows at the John Deere Classic in Silvis

Sure, Counting Crows is the band many listeners know for hits like "Mr. Jones" and the cover of Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi." But they're also probably one of the most underrated acts from the nineties pop-alternative explosion. Almost every Crows song is densely colored with songwriter Adam Duritz's psychedelic, potent lyricism and the band's twangy wallop. Duritz packs a punch on ballads like "Colorblind" and "A Long December," and pens earworms on "Round Here" and "Rain King."

It's a treat that the group will be coming to town to play the "Concert On The Course" at the John Deere Classic golf tournament in Silvis. They're joined on the lineup by Lainey Wilson, a rising country star who will take the stage on Sunday, July 7. Counting Crows will play on Saturday, July 6, at 5:45 p.m. Admission to the show comes with a ticket to the JDC, which starts at $50, plus fees.

July 19: Gin Blossoms at Rhythm City Casino in Davenport

Speaking of '90s rock, if you can't get enough of it, head to Rhythm City Casino a few weeks after the Crows come to town and see the Gin Blossoms. The Arizona band wrote some of the most contagious grunge-pop crushers of the decade with "Follow You Down" and "Hey Jealousy," and they've toured over the years with acts like Neil Young and the Goo Goo Dolls.

Tickets for the show on Friday, July 19, are starting at $35. It starts at 8 p.m.

July 26: Harrison Gordon at Raccoon Motel in Davenport

While many of the bands on this list are already A or B-listers, if you want to get in on a rising star, this is your chance. That's almost always the case at the Raccoon Motel, the always active venue in downtown Davenport. On Friday, July 26, they'll be hosting Harrison Gordon, an emo act from Bloomington-Normal that released one of last year's best DIY punk records with "The Yuppies Are Winning."

Gordon's lyricism pulls on imagery everywhere from anime to Super Smash Bros., and then uses it to craft emotionally eviscerating emo anthems. If you're into anything adjacent to pop-punk or hardcore music, you won't want to miss this show. It takes place the night before the Quad-City Times Bix 7, and if you need any last second jolt of guitar-rock energy before the big run, Harrison Gordon will deliver it.

Tickets are on sale now for $15.88.

August 1: T-Pain at the Mississippi Valley Fair in Davenport

It may not be a mansion in "Wiscansin" but Mississippi Valley Fair will certainly be a great venue for rap legend T-Pain. The crunk-hop crooner helped shape the genre's pivot to autotune in the 2000s with signature hits like "I'm 'n Luv (Wit a Stripper)," "Buy U A Drank (Shawty Snappin')," "Bartender" and "Can't Believe It." His resume as a featured artist is just as stacked, with appearances on hits by Lil Wayne, Kanye West, Akon and Pitbull.

Under all that electro-tinge, T-Pain is a massively talented vocalist, too. In 2019, he won reality show "The Masked Singer," and in 2023, he released "On Top of The Covers," a well-received covers record that features his take on rock and country songs like "Don't Stop Believin'," "Tennessee Whiskey" and "War Pigs."

T-Pain's fair performance will be on Thursday, August 1. Admission to the show can be bought with a Mississippi Valley Fair Fun Card for $105 or Pepsi One Card for $150. Both passes get you into each day of the fair, from July 30 to August 4, and every Grand Stand performance, too. Outside of T-Pain, the Grand Stand performers will be Thomas Rhett, Koe Wetzel, Priscilla Block, Bret Michaels, Alice Cooper and Scotty McCreery.

August 13: Ben Folds at Capitol Theatre in Davenport

You may not think you know a Ben Folds song, but you know a Ben Folds song. Whether it's the brutal late-nineties alt-ballad "Brick" or satirical nu-metal banger "Rockin' The Suburbs," one of Folds' many, many songs has certainly entered your life at some time or another. We're partial to "Fred Jones, Part 2," an everyman piano ballad about a tenured newspaper employee's last day before retirement. It's enough to get anyone inside or outside of a newsroom a little choked up.

Folds will be playing at the freshly renovated Capitol Theatre, a beautiful space that will provide ample acoustics for his crisp vocals. The best part about this tour? Folds is using a clever "Paper Airplane Requests" gimmick, where fans can write their favorite song on a sheet of paper, fold it up into an airplane and send it on stage for a chance to hear it live. The show starts at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, August 13, and tickets start at $46.

August 14: Joy Oladokun at Codfish Hollow in Maquoketa

If you can do one thing this summer as a music fan, it should be going to a show at Maquoketa barn venue Codfish Hollow. This place is one-of-a-kind, miles removed from other businesses and smack in the middle of a farm. You have to take a makeshift shuttle bus just to get from the parking lot to the stage. The venue itself has terrific sound and, on a clear night, the best view of the stars you'll ever get at an outdoor show.

Joy Oladokun is a perfect fit for the space, with her withering acoustics and pop hooks. The born-and-raised rural Arizonan has penned some of the catchiest folk songs of the last few years, with many of them pointed at social topics like systemic racism and the acceptance of queer identity. Her most recent album, 2023's "Proof Of Life," features Chris Stapleton, Manchester Orchestra, Mt. Joy and Noah Kahan. Oladokun is due for a Kahan-ish explosion from folk-pop underdog to festival headliner soon.

Tickets for the show are on sale for $31, and it starts at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, August 14.

August 15-18: Clover County at Alternating Currents

This killer week of local live music wraps up with the crown jewel, Alternating Currents, an annual arts and entertainment fest that takes over the entire Quad-Cities. There are over 40 acts already announced on the lineup, so it can be hard to parse through which ones to see. It's especially difficult when so many of them are coming from out of town. But if there's one touring act you should make sure to catch on AC weekend, it's Clover County.

The Georgia singer is at the ground level of a career that's sure to ascend quickly. She's got just two songs on streaming services, and a few more on Bandcamp, but they're all worth checking out. Start with last year's "Glass & Gold," an exultant Americana break-up ballad that will hit hard no matter which of the several stages it's played on at Alternating Currents. If you're a fan of acts like Adrianne Lenker, Ethel Cain or Leith Ross, don't miss this.

August 31: Einstein's Sister, QC Rock Academy & The Beaker Brothers Band at Credit Island in Davenport

It's been almost 50 years since the original Mississippi River Jamin 1978. But this summer, Credit Island will prove it can still rock and roll. As part of the Big 9 Summer Concert Series— a run of gigs co-hosted by music nonprofit Common Chord and the City of Davenport— Credit Island will get a rock show on Saturday, August 31.

The "Throwback Fest" will take place at 6 p.m., immediately after a community carnival and the River Ducky Derby, a rubber duck race with $1,500 and free concert tickets given away as prizes. You can buy a duck starting at $10, but the show itself will be free.

The signature band on the lineup is Einstein's Sister, a locally known power-pop group who has opened for Joan Jett and had an EP mixed at Abbey Road Studios. There will also be an Allman Brothers tribute performance by the Beaker Brothers Band and performances by Common Chord's QC Rock Academy youth bands.