Live Music In Memphis This Month: 13 Shows to See in May

THURSDAY–SATURDAY, MAY 1–3

Riverbeat Music Festival (Dave Matthews Band, Wu-Tang Clan, Red Clay Strays & more) at Tom Lee Park

Show Gates open daily / Single-day and 3-day passes available

Riverbeat is back for year three and this lineup might be the best one yet. Dave Matthews Band closes it out on Sunday, Wu-Tang Clan headlines Saturday, and The Red Clay Strays kick things off on Friday. But that is really just the tip of it. Also on the bill are Lord Huron, Ice Cube, St. Vincent, T-Pain, Salt-N-Pepa, De La Soul, Marshmello, Phantogram, Wale, and a Saturday showcase of Memphis rap veterans hosted by Al Kapone. Plus a Royal Studios Jam on Sunday with The Hi Rhythm Section. Three stages, a Ferris wheel, fireworks, and the Mississippi River as your backdrop. This is the festival. You already know.

FRIDAY, MAY 1

David Lee Roth at Graceland Soundstage

Show 8 p.m. / $85+

Okay yes, Riverbeat starts tonight too, but if you want to cap your evening with something truly one of a kind, David Lee Roth is doing a solo show at Graceland Soundstage on the very same night. Diamond Dave, the original Van Halen frontman and all-time rock showman, doing a night of his own thing in an intimate reserved seat venue. This is a genuinely wild concert to have on the Memphis calendar and I have a feeling it is going to be absolutely unhinged in the best possible way.

SATURDAY, MAY 2

Brenn! at Growlers

Doors 7 p.m., Show 8 p.m. / $25+

 Brenn! is a Tuscaloosa, AL turned Nashville singer and songwriter who has been quietly building something really special. The songs are really good and I have a feeling you’ll never see him play a venue this small for the rest of your life. He reminds me of Noah Kahan if Noah Kahan actually wrote good songs.

MONDAY, MAY 5

Blues Traveler with Pernikoff Brothers at Graceland Soundstage

Show 7:30 p.m. / $56.50+

 Blues Traveler has been one of the most reliable live acts in American music for close to four decades. John Popper is one of the all-time great harmonica players and the band just locks in live in a way that never gets old. Run-Around and Hook are seriously some of the best songs of all time. Go see them - true legends.

FRIDAY, MAY 8

moe. at Minglewood Hall

Doors 7 p.m., Show 8 p.m. / $44+

 If you know, you know. moe. is one of the great American jam bands. They have been doing this for over 30 years and their live show is still as deep and unpredictable as ever. Every set is its own thing. If you are a fan of extended improvisation and face-melting guitar, moe. at Minglewood is going to be a fantastic Friday night. Also worth noting: $1 from every ticket sold goes to Eddie's Hugs, a mental health nonprofit. So you are doing good and going to a great show.

SATURDAY, MAY 9

Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Evening at Graceland Soundstage

Show 8 p.m. / $52.25+

 Jason Bonham is the son of the legendary John Bonham and he has spent his career doing one of the hardest things imaginable: honoring his father's legacy without ever feeling like a gimmick. Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Evening is exactly what it sounds like and it is genuinely spectacular for any Zeppelin fan. Whole Lotta Love, Kashmir, Stairway, the works. All played by people who love the music as much as you do.

SATURDAY, MAY 9

Trouble No More (Allman Brothers Tribute Showcase) at Overton Park Shell

Show 7:30 p.m. / FREE (Orion Free Concert Series)

This one is genuinely special. On May 9, 1971, the original Allman Brothers Band played a legendary concert at this very venue. Exactly 55 years later to the day, Memphis tribute band Trouble No More is going to recreate that set list note for note, complete with an era-correct psychedelic light show using old-school oil and water projection effects. Several of the band members actually attended the original 1971 concert, so this is a full-circle moment in the truest sense. And it is free. Bring a blanket, bring your people, and soak up one of the most thoughtfully put-together shows the Shell has ever hosted as part of their 90th anniversary celebration.

MONDAY, MAY 11

Mac Saturn at Hernando's Hide-A-Way

Doors 7 p.m., Show 8 p.m. / $17+

Mac Saturn sounds like they crawled out of an alternate timeline where glam rock and garage rock never stopped being the most exciting thing happening. Fuzzy, melodic, and totally their own thing. A Monday night show at Hernando's with a band this fun sounds like exactly the right cure for the beginning of the week.

TUESDAY, MAY 12

SpiritWorld w/ Roman Candle, Doomsday & Rules of Engagement at Hernando's Hide-A-Way

Doors 6 p.m., Show 7 p.m. / $28+

SpiritWorld is a heavy metal band from Las Vegas with a sound they have dubbed deathwestern, which is exactly as cool and chaotic as it sounds. Picture Slayer meets a spaghetti western and you are somewhere in the ballpark. Their latest album Helldorado is described as “a ripping, blood-soaked ride through a hellscape version of the American West.” How cool does that sound? Hernando's is going to be a perfect dark little room for this kind of music. Earplugs recommended, obviously.

FRIDAY, MAY 15

Juvenile's with The 400 Degreez Band at Minglewood Hall

Doors 7 p.m., Show 8 p.m. / $75+

 Slow Motion. Back That Azz Up. You already know every word. Juvenile is a Cash Money legend and one of the architects of the sound that defined late 90s hip-hop, and he is coming to Minglewood to celebrate the one that made him a superstar. There’s no way this can keep getting pushed back and rescheduled.

FRIDAY, MAY 22

Zoë Dominguez w/ Mary Hatley and Lina Beach at Growlers

Doors 7 p.m., Show 8 p.m. / TBD

Zoë Dominguez has been one of the most exciting names coming out of the Memphis music scene and this is a headlining show that is very much deserved. Queue her up on Spotify and see how great she is and you’ll be hooked. Recommended if you like: Veruca Salt, Beach Bunny, and Lucy Dacus. Sam shack

SATURDAY, MAY 23

Sam Shackleton at Hernando's Hide-A-Way

Doors 7 p.m., Show 8 p.m. / $12+

I had no idea who this guy was until I looked up all the shows this month for the blog. This guy rules. He is a Scottish singer-songwriter who is "inspired by the rich inter-connected musical oral traditions of Scotland.” And his music has a real spirit about it, I can’t really explain it other than it’s traditional but rich and familiar. Like a Scottish Bob Dylan sort of thing. I really enjoy it.

THURSDAY, MAY 28

Eddie 9V at Overton Park Shell

Show 7:30 p.m. / FREE (Orion Free Concert Series)

Eddie 9V has had one of the more exciting rises in the blues and soul world over the last couple of years. Fun fact, he is now signed to Easy Eye Sound, the label run by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys. A free show at the Shell right as he is about to release his next album? That sounds awesome to me.