Ohio Summer Concerts: 10 Must-See Shows

June 15: The Rolling Stones | Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland
Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ron Wood last made a tour stop in the Buckeye State in 2015 with a performance at Ohio Stadium. Their most recent show along the Lake Erie shore dates to 2002. After being scheduled for a Cleveland stadium show that got canceled due to the pandemic, The Rolling Stones have a Cleveland Browns Stadium stop as part of their 2024 tour in support of their new album “Hackney Diamonds.” Expect a selection of the legendary group’s greatest hits ranging from “Start Me Up” to “Paint It, Black.” Pittsburgh rock-and-blues band Ghost Hounds open the Cleveland show.  


June 22: Janet Jackson | Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati
Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Janet Jackson is a legend in her own right, but her pedigree as part of pop music’s most famous family, makes this tour stop along the Ohio River even more special. Known for a mountain of pop hits and endlessly watched MTV videos dating back to her 1986 debut album, “Control,” Jackson’s stop at Riverbend Music Center in Cincinnati provides the opportunity to see an icon of pop music. Jackson’s show spans selections from her nearly four-decades-deep catalog of music that includes hits like “Nasty” “That’s the Way Love Goes,” Escapade,” “Rhythm Nation” and many others.


June 22 & 23: Buckeye Country Superfest | Ohio Stadium, Columbus
Country music’s man of the moment, Zach Bryan, headlines our capital city’s annual go-big gathering that takes over Ohio Stadium each summer. The Grammy winner for his Kacey Musgraves duet “I Remember Everything” brings his catalog of personal and poetic songs to The Horseshoe for two nights of sing-alongs. Bryan is just the top name on the bill though. Billy Strings, Turnpike Troubadours, Charley Crockett, Charles Wesley Godwin (night 1), 49 Winchester (night 2) and Levi Turner will also take the stage. Night-one tickets went fast, but there are still night-two tickets available at face value. 

June 25: Dave Matthews Band | Blossom Music Center, Cuyahoga Falls
The Dave Matthews Band has made a stop at northeast Ohio’s Blossom Music Center a tradition, missing a summer show at the venue located within Cuyahoga Valley National Park just a handful of times over the last two decades. The DMB faithful turn out each year, but there are still tickets available in both the pavilion and on Blossom’s lawn for the group’s June 25 stop. If you’ve had Dave Matthews Band on your must-see list, 2024 is the time to do so, as the group is set for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame later this year.


July 5: Red Hot Chili Peppers | Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati 
If you’re looking for a surefire way to spice up your plans for this year’s extra-long Fourth of July weekend, grab tickets to see Rock & Roll Hall of Famers the Red Hot Chili Peppers at Cincinnati’s Riverbend Music Center on July 5. Part of the group’s Unlimited Love tour, the night is sure to dive through the group’s decades of hits. Known for their high-energy shows fueled by frenetic bassist Flea and charismatic frontman Anthony Kiedis, the Chili Peppers will bring the party and the fireworks to your holiday weekend. 

July 17: Alanis Morissette | Blossom Music Center, Cuyahoga Falls
Alanis Morissette’s “Jagged Little Pill” went on to sell over 30 million copies following its 1995 release, cementing itself as an angsty, alternative-pop masterpiece that was among the albums that ruled the decade. Songs like “You Oughta Know” and “One Hand in My Pocket” still hold up and remain among some of Morissette’s most beloved works. The artist brings her Triple Moon tour to Blossom Music Center this summer, with Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Joan Jett & The Blackhearts and country music singer Morgan Wade.


July 19: Chris Stapleton | The Schottenstein Center, Columbus
If there was anyone left who didn’t know who Chris Stapleton was, they learned once the singer opened Super Bowl LVII in 2023 with the most soulful and stirring rendition of our national anthem since Whitney Houston kicked off Super Bowl XXV with her unforgettable version in 1991. Stapleton’s All-American Road Show tour brings the singer’s growling vocals, great lyrics and earworm-worthy melodies of songs like “Tennessee Whiskey” and “Starting Over” to Columbus’ Schottenstein Center on July 19. 

July 30: Def Leppard and Journey | Progressive Field, Cleveland
Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Def Leppard and Journey, co-headline this show at Progressive Field, the home of the Cleveland Guardians. (Concerts are rare at the ballpark, with Elton John being the last to bring a tour there in 2022.) Journey catapulted to fame in the late 1970s behind a string of releases that dominated FM radio and filled arenas. Def Leppard hit it big with the album “Pyromania” in 1983 before becoming a juggernaut with the release of its follow-up “Hysteria” in 1987. To add even more star power to the lineup, Heart (also Rock & Roll Hall of Famers) opens the show.

Aug. 8: Kenny Chesney | Historic Crew Stadium, Columbus 
Wave your pirate flag and find your island girl as Kenny Chesney brings his Sun Goes Down tour to Columbus. Nothing says summertime quite like a Chesney show at the height of the season, and this Aug. 8 concert at Historic Crew Stadium is just that. Fellow country artist Megan Moroney will open the night and Uncle Kracker is also on the bill. Uncle Kracker and Chesney recorded the tour’s titular song, “When the Sun Goes Down,” in 2004, and Chesney has been riding a good-vibes wave with music that has captured that island spirit ever since.


Aug 23: New Kids on the Block with Paula Abdul | Nationwide Arena, Columbus
New Kids on the Block are still hanging tough, nearly four decades after their debut album and MTV launched them to superstardom among the tween and teen set. Joey, Jordan, Jonathan, Danny and Donnie are ready to rekindle those memories of bubblegum-pop bliss at Columbus’ Nationwide Arena on Aug. 23. But the ’80s and ’90s nostalgia trip doesn’t stop there. Multiplatinum-selling artist and former “American Idol” judge Paula Abdul opens the show, drawing from her slate of mega hits such as “Straight Up” and “Forever Your Girl.”