Live Music In Memphis This Month: 18 Shows to See in September

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 

Alabama: Live at the Garden at Radians Amphitheater 

Gates 5:30 p.m., Show 8 p.m. / $87+ 

Originally scheduled for June, Alabama's Live at the Garden date got pushed to September and that's just fine. Country music royalty, plain and simple. Alabama racked up more number one hits than you can count on two hands and helped define what country music sounded like for a generation. Seeing them at Radians in the Botanic Garden is about as good a summer-to-fall evening as you can have in Memphis. Bring your lawn chairs. 

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4 & SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 

The Band Camino: Homecoming at Satellite Music Hall 

Doors 7 p.m., Show 8 p.m. / $83+ (both nights) 

This is the big one for Memphis music this month. Satellite Music Hall is a brand new 1,300-capacity venue at Crosstown Concourse, named as a direct nod to Satellite Records, the original name of Stax before it became Stax. It's a massive addition to the Memphis live music scene, and the honor of christening it goes to The Band Camino. Jeffery Jordan, Spencer Stewart, and Garrison Burgess are Memphis born and raised, and they've built one of modern rock's most exciting live acts out of this city. Two hometown shows to open the most significant new venue Memphis has seen in years. You should be at both of them, if you can somehow get a ticket. 

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 

JD Simo at Hernando's Hide-A-Way 

Doors 6 p.m., Show 8 p.m. / $23 

JD Simo is a Chicago-born, Nashville-based guitarist whose early obsession with Scotty Moore and Steve Cropper led him deep into Memphis soul, then Delta blues, then psychedelic rock. He has played with Jack White, been a member of Phil Lesh's (RIP) touring band, toured with the Allman Betts Band, and collaborated with Luther Dickinson. He is a guitarist's guitarist who plays with serious fire. One of the better guitar nights you'll have all year. 

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8 

Chance The Rapper: Coloring Book 10 Year Anniversary Tour at Satellite Music Hall 

Doors 7 p.m., Show 8 p.m. / $75+ 

Coloring Book turns ten this year and Chance is taking it on the road for a full anniversary run. The album made history at the 59th Grammy Awards as the first streaming-only project to ever win Best Rap Album, and Chance became the first unsigned independent artist to win a Grammy. A lot of people have made fun of Chance for his lackluster outputs since this record dropped, but luckily for those people, you can still revisit a 2010s standout live in concert with this one. Expect the full album plus a run through the hits. Satellite Music Hall going from The Band Camino to this will be a great start to this venue’s history. Chance, if you are reading this, please do an Acid Rap and 10 Day angled tour in the future for the mixtape heads like me. 

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 

Lunar Vacation at Minglewood Hall (1884 Lounge) 

Show 8 p.m. / $25+ 

People hate on algorithms on Spotify and other music streamers, but without them, I wouldn’t have heard Lunar Vacation prior to this. They have been on my Discovery Weekly playlists since COVID 2020. If you want an idea of their sound, they are basically an indie rock outfit that blends dreamy shoegaze textures with pop hooks like an Alvvays. The 1884 Lounge is a great size for this kind of music. Give them a chance.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10 

Booker T. Jones at Overton Park Shell (Shell Yeah! Benefit Series) 

Show 7 - 9 p.m. / $25 

The man behind some of the most iconic instrumental music ever recorded is coming to the Shell. Booker T. Jones and the MGs defined the sound of Stax Records and essentially invented what we think of as Memphis soul. "Green Onions" alone is one of the most recognizable pieces of music in American history. For twenty five bucks and the benefit of keeping the free concert series going, this is an absolute must. 

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11 

8Ball & MJG and Bun B feat. the Renaissance Orchestra at Cannon Center 

Show 8 p.m. / $122+ (Saturday September 12 — Friday September 11 is sold out) 

This is a monumental double bill. 8Ball & MJG are Memphis hip hop royalty who helped put Southern rap on the national map in the '90s, and they are still delivering. Bun B from UGK is one of the most respected lyricists in the entire history of the genre. The addition of the Renaissance Orchestra makes this something genuinely special and different. If you missed Friday's sold-out show (there may be some on the secondary market available), Saturday still has tickets. Note: this is a black tie event, so please dress fresh accordingly.  

Alvin Youngblood Hart's Muscle Theory at Hernando's Hide-A-Way 

Doors 6 p.m., Show 8 p.m. / $12+ 

Grammy-winning blues guitarist Alvin Youngblood Hart is one of the world's foremost practitioners of country blues, and Bob Dylan has called him "as good as you'll ever hear." Hart tutored Samuel L. Jackson on guitar for Black Snake Moan, and his music spans Delta and country blues all the way through psychedelic rock. At twelve bucks a ticket at Hernando's, this is one of the best value shows on this list.

Isaiah Rashad: Lil Sunny's Awful Road Trip at Satellite Music Hall 

Doors 7 p.m., Show 8 p.m. / $39.50+ 

Same night, different room at Minglewood. I actually love when they do that because I love the switch up of the vibes in crowds and how the sound bleeds a tiny bit and just feels like music is happening everywhere. Dirt Monkey is a Boulder-born bass music DJ and producer who has played Electric Forest, Lost Lands, and Bonnaroo, and consistently brings the kind of heavy, genre-crossing sets that keep the floor moving from start to finish. His sound spans dubstep, drum and bass, and trap. If that sounds good to you, you’ll love this. 

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 

Dopethrone at Hi-Tone Cafe (Big Room - Upstairs) 

Doors 7 p.m., Show 8 p.m. / $23+ 

I want to be honest, I thought this was Electric Wizard at first, a stoner-metal band who has an amazing song called, “Dopethrone,” but honestly this band is also sick, too. I learned about them from looking at some new stuff for this blog, and Montreal's Dopethrone really caught my ear. They play what they call "Slutch" metal, which is their own word for a filthy blend of sludge, doom, and stoner metal that sounds exactly as heavy as you want it to. They have been compared to Sleep and Eyehategod, and that is accurate. They tour DIY, they are relentless. Bring earplugs. Or don’t. Whatever. 

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 

Valerie June at Satellite Music Hall 

Doors 7 p.m., Show 8 p.m. / $49.75 

A Memphis homecoming at the city's newest stage. Valerie June started performing in Memphis coffee houses at nineteen, built her sound from gospel, blues, folk, and soul, and has since earned a Grammy nomination and gotten name-checked by Bob Dylan. Seeing her on Satellite Music Hall's new stage in the city that made her will be a pretty cool thing.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 

Kool & The Gang and Patti LaBelle: Live at the Garden at Radians Amphitheater 

Gates 5:30 p.m., Show 8 p.m. / $81+ 

Two funk and R&B legends on the same outdoor stage at the Botanic Garden. Kool & The Gang have "Celebration," "Get Down on It," "Jungle Boogie," and a catalog of essential party music stretching back decades. Plus Patti LaBelle bringing it as one of the most powerful vocalists in her own right. Should be a fun September night.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 

Houndmouth at Satellite Music Hall 

Doors 7 p.m., Show 8 p.m. / $41+ 

Houndmouth are a roots rock and Americana band from New Albany, Indiana who have been making great music since 2011. Their song "Sedona" is one of those indie folk anthems that even if you don’t know it, you have 100% heard it. I’ve seen ‘em a few times and enjoyed them each time. 

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 

YVNG $ICK at Growlers 

Show 8 p.m. / $15+ 

Yvng $ick is a Mississippi-based underground rapper doing a dark, horrorcore-adjacent blend of phonk and Memphis rap that channels the gritty DIY spirit of the original '90s underground scene. I really like what this guy is doing in blending some of those classic hip hop sounds but making it fresh for a new era.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 - SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27 

Gonerfest 23 at Wiseacre Brewing (Broad Ave) and Overton Park Shell (Sunday only) 

Shows 5 - 9:30 p.m. daily / $60+ daily, $175 weekend pass (Sunday at Overton Park Shell) 

The wildest party of the year is back for its 23rd edition. Gonerfest returns to Wiseacre Brewing Company on Broad Avenue for Thursday through Saturday, with Sunday closing things out at Overton Park Shell. If you don't know Gonerfest, it's a four-day underground music festival organized by Goner Records that draws garage rock, punk, and experimental acts from around the world. It's one of the most genuinely fun music experiences Memphis has to offer every year. Grab a weekend pass and drink some awesome Wiseacre beers on tap. I highly recommend seeing Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band, Horsegirl, and Powerplant. 

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 

American Aquarium at Minglewood Hall (1884 Lounge) 

Doors 7 p.m., Show 8 p.m. / $33+ 

American Aquarium is a North Carolina roots rock band led by BJ Barham, one of the more underrated songwriters working in the Americana space right now. They tour constantly and their live shows are incredible. The 1884 Lounge will be an awesome, intimate setting for one of the best acts around. 

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 

Built to Spill at Minglewood Hall 

Doors 7 p.m., Show 8 p.m. / $46+ 

Built to Spill, or BTS, (not to be confused with BTS, the South Korean boyband) are one of the great indie rock bands of the last 30 years. They are still touring and still delivering, and seeing them in Minglewood's main room is a proper way to close out the month. If you have never been to a Built to Spill show, this is the one. Wait, how have you not been to a Built to Spill show? 

Indigo Girls at Overton Park Shell (Shell Yeah! Benefit Series) 

Linda Perry opener 6:30 p.m., Indigo Girls 7:45 p.m. / $42 

A Tuesday night at the Shell with the Indigo Girls and Linda Perry as the opener is a genuinely special bill. Amy Ray and Emily Saliers have been making their unique brand of folk rock and political songwriting for over four decades, and they remain one of the best live acts you will ever see. Linda Perry wrote some of the biggest pop songs of the 2000s and is an incredible musician in her own right. This is a night worth rearranging your schedule for.