Columbus concert calendar: June to December 2022
Here's a slew of Columbus shows in the coming days, weeks and months

Every week since I started at Alive six years ago, I compiled a list of noteworthy concerts coming to Columbus in the next several days, along with recently announced shows. It wasn't comprehensive; we never claimed to list every concert. We passed on happy hours and open mic nights, and we didn't include repeating weekly events (sorry Hoodoo Soul Band). The goal was to list the main shows Alive readers might care about. (During the pandemic, we listed local livestreams instead.)
Even with all those caveats, that curated weekly list took forever — the closest my job came to data entry. Honestly, I won't miss it. But I do think people used it. In its absence, I highly recommend heading to Joel Treadway's Cringe.com for info on upcoming shows.
I also maintained a doc full of forthcoming concerts, which I'm now sharing with you as my last bit of Alive dataentry service journalism. Here are all the shows I managed to write down, spanning June to mid-December (dates are subject to change in the coming months, of course). Enjoy, and please, as you prepare to rawk, hold onto your beer, pipe down during the quiet songs, and don't do the "Freebird" thing.
June
Destroy Boys at Ace of Cups on June 1
Action/Adventure, Palette Knife at Big Room Bar on June 2
Walk Off the Earth at Newport Music Hall on June 3
Eric Hutchinson at Natalie's Grandview on June 3
Cavalera Conspiracy at King of Clubs on June 3
Wallows at Kemba Live on June 3
Jay Joseph at the Basement on June 4
Post Animal at Ace of Cups on June 4
Chris Trapper at Natalie’s Worthington on June 4
Damn the Witch Siren at Newport Music Hall on June 4
JP Saxe at Newport Music Hall on June 5
Limbs at Big Room Bar on June 6
Benee at Newport Music Hall on June 7
Bob Log III at Natalie's Grandview on June 7
De'wayne at the Basement on June 8
Tomberlin, Jana Horn at Natalie’s Grandview on June 8
Mansionair at A&R Bar on June 8
Marlon Craft at the Basement on June 9
Spirit of the Bear at A&R Bar on June 9
Voivod at Ace of Cups on June 9
Truslow album release at Ace of Cups on June 10
Columbus Arts Festival June 10-12
Wingtip at Rumba Cafe on June 11
We Were Promised Jetpacks at Columbus Arts Festival on June 11
Cut Worms, John Andrews & The Yawns at A&R Bar on June 13
Bent Knee at Rumba Cafe on June 13
Lord Huron at Kemba Live on June 14
Blacklite District at the Basement on June 14
The Unlikely Candidates at Rumba Cafe on June 14
Claud at the Basement on June 15
Vundabar at Ace of Cups on June 16
Charlie Puth, Ava Max at Kemba Live on June 16
Almost Monday at the Basement on June 16
Bastille at Kemba Live on June 17
Teenage Wrist at Ace of Cups on June 17
Colatura at Rumba Cafe on June 17
Creekside Blues Festival June 17-19
Selwyn Birchwood at Creekside Blues & Jazz Festival on June 18
!!! at Rumba Cafe on June 18
Ambar Lucid at A&R Bar on June 18
Patty Griffin at Stuart's Opera House on June 18
Poliça at the Basement on June 19
John Fullbright at Natalie's Grandview on June 19
Purity Ring at Newport Music Hall on June 19
Rex Orange County at Kemba Live on June 20
Diane Coffee at Rumba Cafe on June 20
Roosevelt at Newport Music Hall on June 22
The Band Camino at Kemba Live on June 23
Maren Morris, Brent Cobb at Kemba Live on June 24
Lunar Vacation at Big Room Bar June 24
Municipal Waste, Integrity, Bewitcher at Skully's on June 24
Hebdo album release at Natalie’s Grandview on June 24
ComFest June 24-26
New Kids on the Block, Salt N Pepa, Rick Astley, En Vogue at Schott on June 25
Flogging Molly, The Interrupters, Tiger Army at Kemba Live on June 25
Mt. Joy, Madison Cunningham at Kemba Live on June 26
The Wrecks at A&R Bar on June 28
Avett Brothers at Kings Island on June 28
My Morning Jacket, Indigo de Souza at Kemba Live on June 29
Billy Howerdel (A Perfect Circle) at Newport Music Hall on June 29
Sarah Borges at Natalie's Grandview on June 30
As I Lay Dying at Kemba Live on June 30
***
July
Huntingtons, Lustkill at Rumba Cafe on July 2
Aaron Lewis and the Stateliners at the Bluestone on July 2
Bowling For Soup, Less Than Jake, the Aquabats at Kemba Live on July 3
Rett Madison, Liv Green at Rumba Cafe on July 7
Josh A at A&R Bar on July 8
Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears at Bicentennial Park on July 8
Starset at Kemba Live on July 9
Third Eye Blind, Taking Back Sunday, Hockey Dad at Kemba Live on July 12
Thelma & The Sleaze, The Worn Flints at Rumba Cafe on July 15
Savannah Conley at the Basement on July 15
Bettye LaVette at Bicentennial Park on July 15
Werk Out Festival July 14-16
Collective Soul, Switchfoot at Kemba Live on July 20
Foxing at A&R Bar on July 22
Talib Kweli, Cloud Nothings at WYSO benefit in Dayton on July 22
3 Doors Down, Candelbox at Kings Island on July 22
Buckeye Country Superfest at Schottenstein Center on July 23
The Blue Stones & Des Rocs at Skully's on July 23
PJ Morton at Kemba Live on July 23
Boney James at Jazz & Rib Fest on July 23
Kidz Bop at Ohio State Fair on July 26
Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum at Athenaeum Theatre on July 27
Shamir at the Basement on July 28
Sarah Shook & The Disarmers at Rumba Cafe on July 28
Toby Keith at Ohio State Fair on July 28
Foreigner at Ohio State Fair on July 29
mewithoutyou at Athenaeum Theatre on July 29
The Stews, 87 Nights at the Basement on July 29
Nelly at Ohio State Fair on July 30
Dru Hill, Raheem DeVaughn at Ohio State Fair on July 31
Chris Brown, Lil Baby at Nationwide Arena on July 31
***
August
Zach Williams at Ohio State Fair on Aug. 1
Scotty McCreery at Ohio State Fair on Aug. 2
Muna at Newport Music Hall on Aug. 2
Shawn James at Skully's on Aug. 4
Northlane at Athenaeum Theatre on Aug. 4
Ice Cube at Ohio State Fair on Aug. 4
Willie Nelson at Ohio State Fair on Aug. 5
Daniel Champagne at Natalie's Grandview on Aug. 5
Beartooth, Silverstein, The Devil Wears Prada at Kemba Live on Aug. 6
Dispatch, O.A.R., Robert Randolph Band at Kemba Live on Aug. 7
Trevor Hall at Newport Music Hall on Aug. 7
Stephen Day at the Basement on Aug. 7
Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, Dashboard Confessional at Kemba Live on Aug. 8
Andrew Bird, Iron & Wine, Meshell Ndegeocello at Kemba Live on Aug. 9
The Driver Era at Kemba Live on Aug. 10
Roger Waters at Nationwide Arena on Aug. 10
Ted Nugent at Kemba Live on Aug. 12
Dirty Dozen Brass Band at Bicentennial Park on Aug. 12
Kenny Chesney at Historic Crew Stadium on Aug. 18
Leon Bridges at Kemba Live on Aug. 21
Lauv, Hayley Kiyoko at Kemba Live on Aug. 23
WonderBus Music & Arts Festival: Lorde, Duran Duran, Lumineers and more on the Lawn at CAS Aug. 26-28
Interpol, Spoon at Kemba Live on Aug. 30
Wiz Khalifa at Kemba Live on Aug. 31
***
September
The Beths at A&R Bar on Sept. 1
311 at Kemba Live on Sept. 2
Nelsonville Music Festival Sept. 2-4
The Shins at Kemba Live on Sept. 4
Built to Spill at Athenaeum Theatre on Sept. 6
Rainbow Kitten Surprise at Kemba Live on Sept. 8
Jamey Johnson, Blackberry Smoke at Kemba Live on Sept. 11
Jungle, Paul Cherry at Newport Music Hall on Sept. 11
Shadowgraphs at Cafe Bourbon St. on Sept. 11
Father John Misty at Kemba Live on Sept. 12
Clint Black at Knox County Memorial Theater (Mount Vernon) on Sept. 15
Briston Maroney at Newport Music Hall on Sept. 16
Old 97's at the Bluestone on Sept. 21
Keith Urban at Nationwide Arena on Sept. 23
The Head and the Heart, Shakey Graves at Kemba Live on Sept. 23
Iceage, Earth at Skully's on Sept. 25
Death Cab for Cutie, Low at Kemba Live on Sept. 26
***
October
Sales at Newport Music Hall on Oct. 1
Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets at Palace Theatre on Oct. 1
Wolf Alice at Newport Music Hall on Oct. 3
Superorganism at Skully’s on Oct. 5
Iron Maiden at Nationwide Arena on Oct. 7
flor at Newport Music Hall on Oct. 7
Doobie at Kemba Live on Oct. 8
The Who at Schottenstein Center on Oct. 9
John Moreland, Caroline Spence at Skully's on Oct. 9
Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers, Zac Wilkerson at Rumba Cafe on Oct. 11
Rare Americans at the Basement on Oct. 13
L7 at Newport Music Hall on Oct. 13
Awolnation at Kemba Live on Oct. 14
Black Midi at Athenaeum Theatre on Oct. 14
Kid Bloom at the Basement on Oct. 15
Charlotte Sands at the Basement on Oct. 20
Here Come The Mummies, Saxsquatch at the Bluestone on Oct. 23
***
November/December
The Record Company at Newport Music Hall on Nov. 3
Wheatus at the Basement on Nov. 4
Sun Room at A&R Bar on Nov. 10
Godspeed You! Black Emperor at Stuart's Opera House on Nov. 12
Anne-Marie at Newport Music Hall on Dec. 3
Peach Pit at Newport Music Hall on Dec. 9