Opening Notes
Concert preview roundup
As temperatures rise, the music also heats up. And from indoor stages to waterside amphitheaters, local concertgoers have even more shows to choose from this year.
Here’s a sampling of some of the upcoming performances.
LIVE OAK BANK PAVILION
10 Cowan Street (Riverfront Park)
April 29: Walker Hayes – Walker Hayes brings his country-pop tunes to the riverfront amphitheater, with country singer-songwriter Ingrid Andress opening.
May 10: Robert Plant & Alison Krauss – The Led Zeppelin legend and bluegrass powerhouse team up on tour after their second collaboration album Raise the Roof was released in 2021.
May 30 and 31: Dave Matthews Band – Grammy-award-winning Dave Matthews Band plays two nights, bringing songs spanning from the 1990s to the band’s tenth studio album, Walk Around the Moon, set to be released in May.
June 22: Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue + Ziggy Marley – New Orleans icon Trombone Shorty stops in Wilmington for his summer tour, joined by co-headliner Ziggy Marley. Mavis Staples and Robert Randolph also perform.
July 14: Barenaked Ladies – More ’90s nostalgia hits take the stage with Canadian college rockers for their (now seventh) Last Summer on Earth tour.
July 18 and 19: Phish – Rock band Phish jams over two summer evenings. While founding member Trey Anastasio has performed in Wilmington before, this is the band’s first tour stop in the Port City.
GREENFIELD LAKE AMPHITHEATER
1941 Amphitheatre Drive (Greenfield Lake Park)
April 14: Indigo Girls – With sixteen albums under their belt, the folk-rock duo brings their songs spanning the decades to the lakeside amphitheater.
April 29: Ben Folds – Singer, songwriter, composer, author, podcast host, and arts advocate Ben Folds performs locally ahead of his first album in eight years – What Matters Most.
May 28: Sierra Ferrell – In 2021, Sierra Ferrell’s label debut album, Long Time Coming, was released to critical acclaim. She brings her eclectic style to Wilmington for her Long Time Going tour.
June 23: Rodrigo y Gabriela – The Mexican acoustic guitar duo returns to Greenfield Lake, with a new album out in April.
July 16: Michael Franti & Spearhead – Michael Franti also returns to the amphitheater, with his collection of feel-good and do-good singles.
NORTH CAROLINA AZALEA FESTIVAL
Live Oak Bank Pavilion, 10 Cowan Street (Riverfront Park)
A few of the main stage acts have been announced, as of press time, for the annual North Carolina Azalea Festival, which takes place April 12-16. More are expected to be added.
April 13: Carly Pearce – The country singer kicks off the festival’s main concert series. Carly Pearce won female artist of the year at the 2022 Academy of Country Music Awards.
April 14: Old Crow Medicine Show – The two-time Grammy Award-winning band brings its blend of Americana, old-time music, folk, and rock and roll to the Azalea Festival.
CFCC’s WILSON CENTER
703 North 3rd Street
June 23: Amy Grant – With a career spanning more than forty years and multi-platinum albums, six No. 1 hits, six Grammy awards, and more accolades, Amy Grant performs at the Wilson Center this summer.
THALIAN HALL
310 Chestnut Street
March 25: Bluegrass Bash – The fifth annual Bluegrass Bash features local bands The Brewer Brothers, Folkstone Stringband, and Massive Grass, along with barbecue food trucks and local beers.
UNCW KENAN AUDITORIUM
515 Wagoner Drive
March 23 and 24: JazzFest – Jazz vocal artist Kate McGarry is part of the lineup for the thirty-ninth annual JazzFest from UNCW’s music department. McGarry holds a master class on March 23, and the Kate McGarry Quartet performs March 24.
ODELL WILLIAMSON AUDITORIUM
150 College Road NW, Bolivia
April 15: The Kennedys – New York duo Maura and Pete Kennedy have traversed a broad musical landscape, including power pop, acoustic songwriting, and organic rock rooted in their early days in Austin.
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