Music

The students from Freedom and Liberty high schools booked the bands for Plaza Tropical as part of a marketing class.

The two events hosted in Bethlehem's Rose Garden will bring the city food and drinks, live music, artisans and more.

Yung Gravy, whose most recent hit, last year's "Betty (Get Money)," was his biggest-selling, will perform Sept. 2 in Allentown. Opening the show will be Gravy's frequent hit collaborator, rapper bbno$, best known for his 2019 triple-platinum hit "Lalala."

Pennsylvania Youth Theatre has initiated a $1 million capital campaign as it searches for a future home. The organization will likely be displaced when the Banana Factory complex is demolished for a new cultural arts center.

Badfish: A Tribute to Sublime, will perform at 7 p.m. Sunday, June 11. The band recreates the music of late 1990s ska-punk godfathers Sublime.

Local H, best known for its 1996 Top 5 Modern Rock hit "Bound for the Floor," will take the stage before Live at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 1.

Accessorize your festing togs with a mug.

Muhlenberg College is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its radio station with a special concert on Thursday, May 4 at the Saengerbund.

The free summer concerts series returns in Bethlehem. The weekly events showcase a variety of genres and regional musicians every Thursday through July 20.

G-Eazy will headline Musikfest's main Steel Stage at the massive music festival in downtown and South Side Bethlehem at 7 p.m. Aug. 5.

The new state-of-the-art system replaces a public address system developed 25 years ago. It will "deliver improved sound quality, broader coverage and an enhanced experience overall for performers and audiences," ArtsQuest said.

CountryFest, a free festival set for Aug. 21-22, "will bring the heart and soul of country music to the Lehigh Valley with two full days of live performances, great food and high-energy fun," ArtsQuest said in a release.

The fourth annual No Planet B Jamboree, a free festival featuring music, sustainable vendors and more, will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 25, at the Town Square Community Stage outside ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks in Bethlehem.

Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Patty Griffin and Canadian singer Kathleen Edwards will perform a show July 16 at Musikfest Cafe at ArtsQuest Center in Bethlehem. Tickets fo on sale at noon Friday, April 17.

Now that Musikfest has completed the announcements of the headliners on its main Steel Stage, the festival still has to reveal the wide offerings on the festival's 15 free stages.

The Struts, whose style recalls bands such as The Rolling Stones and Queen and who has had the hits “Could Have Been Me” and “Kiss This,” will perform at 7 p.m. June 28 at Archer Music Hall, it was announced Monday.

Jesse Royal, a Jamaican who blends traditional roots reggae with modern influences and socially conscious lyrics, will perform at the July 11 festival on the SteelStacks campus. Royal will be among more than a dozen acts across three stages scheduled for the festival, set for noon-1:30 a.m.

Brian Regan, who has starred in several Comedy Central specials and refrains from profanity and off-color humor, will play State Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 25, the venue announced. And Lewis Black, known for his cantankerous comedic style and also as an author, playwright, social critic and actor, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 9.

Jessica Simpson, known for her 1999 platinum single "I Wanna Love You Forever," as well as for starring in the MTV reality show "Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica" with her husband, singer Nick Lachey, will perform at 8 p.m. June 11.

Zach Top, who in just two years has had four gold or platinum songs and is best known for his 2024 double-platinum hit "I Never Lie," will perform at 7 p.m. Aug. 21, the venue announced.

The May 22 show will kick off five monthly concerts in the second year of free, family-friendly series "with an expanded and diverse lineup designed to bring the community together through live music, culture and shared experiences in the heart of Allentown," presenter ArtsQuest said in a release.

Blues, Brews & Barbecue Festival will return, reimagined as Red, White & Blues for 2026, from noon-8 p.m. June 13 in downtown Allentown.