Lexington fall music guide: A major jazz festival, Eric Church and more
There is no more exciting time of year for concert offerings than the fall.
Summer is better, you say? Perhaps for more mainstream and commercially visible performances. But the fall is always when the meatier sounds come out by artists you know, artists you think you know and artists you don’t know at all.
Why the seasonal favoritism? Maybe it’s because regional colleges and universities are back in session, which always bolsters more adventurous programming. Or it could be weather that encourages bookings for indoor facilities big and small that are utilized less when amphitheaters and festivals grab summer attention.
Whatever the reason, the fall always brings a harvest of extraordinary live music. This autumn is no exception. Over the next three months, we will experience a major jazz festival at the Kentucky Theatre, the first half of a wildly diverse season at the Singletary Center for the Arts, separate outings by two champion Americana songsmiths at The Burl, the start of the Lexington Philharmonic’s next season and a two-night stand of progressive bluegrass at the Opera House. And more. A lot more.
Here are 16 picks from the bumper crop of recommended concert events in Lexington and around Central Kentucky that will provide plenty of fall color this season.
Sept 13: Mary Halvorson: Amaryllis. Singletary Center for the Arts Recital Hall, 405 Rose St.
One of the most critically lauded guitarists of her generation (the DownBeat Critics poll just named her Guitarist of the Year for the fifth time since 2017), MacArthur fellow Mary Halvorson kicks off an active fall season at the Singletary with her Amaryllis ensemble. (7:30 p.m., $13.34-$30.88). finearts.uky.edu/singletary-center
Sept. 17-21: Equinox Jazz Fest. Kentucky Theatre, 214 E. Main/The Melroy, 144 N. Broadway
250Lex heads into the home stretch by teaming with the Origins Jazz Series to bring in eight premier jazz shows — including Grammy-winning saxophonist Kenny Garrett and Grammy nominated drummer Nate Smith — under the umbrella of the Equinox Jazz Festival. (Showtimes/ticket prices vary for each show). originsjazz.org/equinox-jazz-festival
Sept. 19-20: The SteelDrivers. Lexington Opera House, 401 W. Short.
A profoundly progressive bluegrass-rooted unit, the Grammy-winning SteelDrivers have juggled lineups and stylistic references, but keep a solid string drive at the core of its music. Electric mingles with acoustic, blues informs bluegrass and the entire Americana brew that emerges is sublime. (8 p.m., $50.95-$61.50. ticketmaster.com
Sept. 23: Toad the Wet Sprocket/KT Tunstall/Vertical Horizon. Lexington Opera House, 401 W. Short.
It’s wild to view the two-decade pop music period of 1990-2010 with an air of nostalgia. Still, that’s where you’re heading with this triple bill of California alt-popsters Toad the Wet Sprocket, Scottish songstress KT Tunstall and Washington D.C. rockers Vertical Horizon. (7:30 p.m., $62-$154.65). ticketmaster.com
Oct. 3: Eric Church/The Marcus King Band. Rupp Arena, 430 W. Vine.
Church has been playing Rupp for over two decades and has chalked up several daring electric albums that challenge country music convention along the way. That doesn’t change the fact, though, that even with guitar great Marcus King as opener, tickets are shamefully overpriced. (7:30 p.m., $54.80-$744.30). ticketmaster.com
Oct. 4-5: Arlo McKinley. The Burl, 375 Thompson Rd.
How fond are Arlo McKinley and The Burl of each other? So much so that the Cincinnati songwriter’s new album is a live recording cut at the venue last year. The aptly titled “Live at The Burl” revisits much of the music from the debut album “Arlo McKinley and the Lonesome Sound.” (8 p.m., $20). theburlky.com
Oct. 11: Lexington Philharmonic: “The Witching Hour.” Singletary Center for the Arts Concert Hall, 405 Rose St.
For opening night of its 2025-2026 season, the Lexington Philharmonic gets in the Halloween spirit with a program featuring Anna Clyne’s “This Witching Hour,” Franz Liszt’s “Totentanz (Dance of Death)” and Hector Berlioz’s “Crucible”-come-to-life masterwork, “Symphonie Fantastique.” (7:30 p.m., $11-$78). lexphil.org
Oct. 14: Tommy Emmanuel. Kentucky Theatre, 214 E. Main.
Champion fingerpicking guitarist, Aussie native and longtime Lexington favorite Tommy Emmanuel returns on the crest of a prolific wave of recent recordings that include the all-star collaborative outing “Accomplice Two” and the concert set “Live at the Sydney Opera House.” (7:30 p.m., $65.50). kentuckytheatre.org/troubadour
Oct. 17: Peter Rowan with the Sam Grisman Project. EKU Center for the Arts in Richmond.
This cross-generational show will pair 83-year old progressive bluegrass journeyman Peter Rowan with 35-year-old bassist Sam Grisman. The latter’s father, mandolin great David Grisman, was Rowan’s bandmate, alongside the late Jerry Garcia, in the ‘70s string music collective Old and in the Way. (7:30 p.m., $22.14-$50.74). ekucenter.com
Oct. 24: “The Love Song of R. Buckminster Fuller” with Sam Green and Yo La Tengo. Singletary Center for the Arts Concert Hall.
A daring Singletary Center season hits its stride with filmmaker Sam Green’s documentary “The Love Song of R. Buckminster Fuller.” Green will attend and narrate his work about the revolutionary architect/futurist with vanguard indie rock troupe Yo La Tengo performing its original score live. (7:30 p.m., $23.69-$41.17). finearts.uky.edu/singletary-center
Nov. 2: Kathleen Edwards. The Burl, 375 Thompson Rd.
Canadian songstress Kathleen Edwards was one of the more critically lauded Americana stylists to emerge in the new millennium before stepping away from her music career completely in 2014. Her gradual re-emergence has been cemented on the extraordinary new “Billionaire” album. (8 p.m.; $25). theburlky.com
Nov. 4: The Infamous Stringdusters. Manchester Music Hall, 899 Manchester St.
Two decades on, The Infamous Stringdusters sound as comfortable digging into one of their own jam-savvy original tunes as they do designing acoustic re-wirings for rock staples like ZZ Top’s “Sharp Dressed Man.” Expect a preview tune or two here from their forthcoming 2026 album, “20/20.” (7 p.m.; $37.86). manchestermusichall.com
Nov. 12: Tortoise. Singletary Center for the Arts Concert Hall, 405 Rose St.
A blissfully uncategorizable instrumental ensemble, the heralded, Chicago-rooted Tortoise just issued its first new music in nearly a decade, a sleek single of prog-accented cool titled “Organesson.” This date is part of a brief eight-city tour that begins in Los Angeles and ends in London (England, that is). (7:30 p.m.; $23.69-$41.17). finearts.uky.edu/singletary-center
Nov. 21: Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives. Norton Center for the Arts Newlin Hall, 600 W. Walnut St. in Danville.
While roots music revivalist Stuart is a frequent flyer around the region, the regularity of his concerts shouldn’t deter you from attending. Top flight instrumentation, tireless vocal charm and a scholarly command of everything from multiple country music shades to surf make any Stuart show a must-see. (7:30 p.m.; $28-$255). nortoncenter.com
Nov. 22: Lexington Philharmonic: Heartsong. Singletary Center for the Arts Concert Hall, 405 Rose St.
LexPhil goes from Halloween to the heart with Mendelssohn’s “Violin Concerto” and Rachmaninoff’s “Symphony No. 2” along with “the sound where I came from” by China.50 born pianist and current University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music Assistant Professor Moni (Jasmine) Guo. (7:30 p.m., $11-$78). lexphil.org