Music

With Allentown Fair opening its 173rd year today, music critic John J. Moser has 25 years of reviewing grandstand shows behind him. These are the best he's seen, ranked in order.

Heart will perform a grandstand show at 7 p.m. Aug. 27 on the opening night of Allentown Fair. Tickets remain available.

The new Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton Regional Music Awards has an official website, and is taking nominations for its first ceremony later this year.

The Struts performed Wednesday night at Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks. The focus of the concert was a celebration of the 10th anniversary U.S. release of their debut album, "Everybody Wants."

Cheap Trick, which had its first hit with “Surrender” in 1978 and 10 years later had its biggest hit with “The Flame,” will perform Oct. 22. And Jason Bonham, son of the late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, with his Led Zeppelin Evening will perform Nov. 15.

The Struts stop at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 20, at Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks for a paid-ticket show in which it will play the entire album, as well as other songs.

Emblem3, best known for the 2013 song "Chloe (You're the One I Want)," will perform in Archer's Arrow room at 7 p.m. Nov. 14, it was announced.

Neko Case, who has been nominated for three Grammy Awards and also is a member of the high-charting Canadian power pop super group The New Pornographers, will perform at 7 p.m. Jan. 17.

Singer Gladys Knight, who from 1967 to 1991 had nearly three-dozen Top 10 hits in the soul and R&B charts, will perform at Wind Creek Event Center at 8 p.m. Dec. 4. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 15.

Here's a breakdown of our rankings for the best main Steel Stage shows for the 11 nights of Musikfest 2025 in Bethlehem.

Duran Duran, which has 14 Top 25 hit songs including the No. 1 hits “Hungry Like the Wolf” in 1982, “The Reflex” in 1984 and “A View to a Kill” in 1985, on its Facebook page lists Allentown among seven cities in which it will announce shows "early next week."

One Earth ReggaeFest will take place at ArtsQuest's SteelStacks beginning at noon on Saturday, July 6.

Childish Major, who rose to fame as the producer of the 2013 Rocko single “U.O.E.N.O,” which peaked at number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100, will join the show by Ludacris at 7 p.m. Aug. 10, Musikfest’s penultimate night. Also, opening the show will be a Philadelphia rapper LG (Team Genius), best known for her song “YBM,” which also has 10 million views on Instagram.

Freedom High School grad Lilly Moss, 19, is making her way up the music and video streaming platforms with debut album title track, "Meet Me on Broadway"

Whether you're looking to side with safety to celebrate Independence Day this year, want a fun event or just don't want to deal with post-celebration clean-up, plenty of spots in the Lehigh Valley are offering free and purchase-required events.

Celtic Classic is scheduled Sept. 27-29 on the festival grounds near downtown Bethlehem.

Brooks & Dunn, the country music Hall of Fame duo who, after retiring in 2010 has reunited for a tour of 20 venues, made a stop Friday at Allentown's PPL Center.

Tony Trischka’s EarlJam: A Tribute to Earl Scruggs, featuring Michael Daves, Jared Engel and Duncan Wickel, will be at 7 p.m. Sunday, June 30, Godfrey Daniels, 7 E. 4th St., Bethlehem.

Pablo Batista, Hector Rosado and Luisito Rosario will headline ArtsQuest's ¡Sabor! Latin Festival on Saturday, June 29.

The Pointer Sisters, known for the gold hits "Fire" and "He's So Shy" and "Slow Hand," will perform a dual-headline show with Billy Ocean, best known for his hits "Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run)," "Loverboy" and "There'll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)," at 8 p.m. Oct. 24.

David Archuleta, who at 17 finished second behind David Cook on the seventh season of "American Idol" in 2008, will be the supporting act at the show, at 7 p.m. Aug. 31.

Singer Tom Jones, who has had more than two dozen Top 30 hits on pop, rock, R&B, country and dance charts, will perform at 8 p.m. Sept. 13 at Wind Creek Event Center in Bethehem.