Summer’s almost gone: 8 Kentucky concerts to look forward to in Fall

We all want to cling onto summer as long as we can, especially since the calendar says it’s officially okay to do so for another few weeks. Still, the inevitable has begun. With the arrival of Labor Day weekend, summer as we normally view it is kaput.

Then again, what’s wrong with thinking about fall? With all the usual glories of autumn comes a batch of fresh new music events, ones less geared to the great outdoors as they were in summertime.

With that in mind, here are eight recommended fall concerts taking place in eight different venues. A bit blues, a touch of jazz and a great big dollop of country – all of it is heading our way as the seasons start to shift.

Here is what we have to look forward to.

Eric Church

8 p.m. Sept. 17, Rupp Arena, 430 W. Vine. $32-$169.

Country renegade Church must have a fondness for Lexington and especially Rupp Arena. He has played here consistently over the past 12 years, a period that seen his popularity skyrocket. A prolific recording artist (he released three separate albums back-to-back in the spring), Church’s return will serve as one of his biggest Lexington outings to date. It will serve as opening night for his fall tour. ticketmaster.com.

Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers

7:30 p.m., Sept. 21. Lexington Opera House, 401 W. Short.. $55.50-$65.50.

Let’s hope the third time is a charm for veteran song stylist Hornsby. Two previous Opera House dates were postponed due to COVID-19. With 35 years of recordings that have veered through pop, jazz, bluegrass and a brief tenure in the Grateful Dead, Hornsby continues to confound expectations. His last two albums, 2019’s “Absolute Zero” and 2020’s “Non-Secure Connection,” are among the best reviewed works of his career. ticketmaster.com.

Keith McCutchen’s Latin Jazz Experience

7 and 9:15 p.m., Oct. 15. Base249, 249 E. Main. $20-$30.

One of the more anticipated programs of the Origin Jazz Series’ third season was a headlining concert by longtime Kentucky pianist/educator McCutchen, who has been a staple of club gigs, sideman duties and classroom detail (as an instructor at Kentucky State University). The season was cut short by COVID, but now McCutchen gets to top the bill again with his new quintet, the Latin Jazz Experience. originsjazz.org.

Jimmie Vaughan

6:45 p.m., Oct. 18. Lyric Theatre and Cultural Arts Center, 300 E. Third, for the WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour. $10.

Texas has unleashed more than a few scholarly guitar stars on the rest of the world. Few, however, have such versed command of blues and roots music tradition - along with the ability to utilize such inspirations into fresh, original music - as Vaughan. From his ‘70s and ‘80s music with the Fabulous Thunderbirds to collaborations his late younger brother Stevie Ray Vaughan to a fine string of recent indie solo albums, Vaughan is a true Lone Star celeb. lexingtonlyric.tix.com.

Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn

7:30 p.m., Oct. 30. Grand Theatre, 308 St. Clair St. in Frankfort. $40-$55.

Banjo innovator, one-time Lexingtonian and 14-time Grammy winner Fleck will be spending most of the fall on the road with two different bands promoting his first all-bluegrass album in over two decades, “My Bluegrass Heart.” This Central Kentucky return, though, keeps things in the family. It’s part of an ongoing series of shows with wife and fellow banjo thrillseeker Abigail Washburn. thegrandky.com.

Christone “Kingfish” Ingram

8 p.m., Nov. 9. Manchester Music Hall, 899 Manchester St.. $25

At age 22, Ingram is the most talked about blues artist of his generation – a guitarist given the seal of approval by no less of a blues elder than Robert Cray when I spoke to him last month. Though he hails from one of the epicenters of the blues – Clarksdale, Miss. – Ingram’s two albums (the newest is named “662” after Clarksdale’s area code) – are tasty hybrids of blues, rock and aggressive soul inspirations. manchestermusichall.com.

Willie Watson

8 p.m., Nov. 10. The Burl, 375 Thompson Rd. $18.

An alumnus of Old Crow Medicine Show and an ongoing member of the Dave Rawlings Medicine, Watson is at heart a folk artist. His two “Folksinger” albums obviously reflect that, but so does some moonlighting on the silver screen. Watson played the singing gunslinger who sends Buster Scruggs to heaven in the Coen Brothers’ 2018 film anthology “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.” theburlky.com.

Dirk Powell and Friends featuring Nokosee Fields

7:30 p.m., Nov. 19. Weisiger Theatre of the Norton Center for the Arts, 300 Walnut, in Danville. (Tickets on sale Sept. 6.)

An Ohio native with Kentucky parentage and a thorough command of Appalachian musical tradition, Powell has been a jack-of-all-trades (composer, instrumentalist, producer and more) for such marquee names as Eric Clapton and Jack White as well as a host of Americana greats that include Rhiannon Giddens and Town Mountain. This Danville show teams Powell with Florida fiddler Nokosee Fields. nortoncenter.com.

Bonus concert pick of the weekend/week ahead:

The Baltimore ensemble Animal Collective, a longtime Lexington favorite, is heading our way again this weekend. With nearly two decades worth of pop mischief and exploration to show off, the band will play an outdoor show at The Burl, 375 Thompson Rd., on Sept. 8. Jamal Moore opens (8 p.m., $31). Tickets at theburlky.com.