Gig Watch – August 2024
Shows not to miss in and around Boston for the month of August.
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Beat the heat (or ramp it up?) with an eclectic batch of late-summer gig options.
8/2 – Justice @ MGM Music Hall
French electro-house duo Justice are having a comeback year with April’s Hyperdrama, and they’re bringing what looks to be a dazzling stage show on the road for their first Boston show in well over a decade.
8/2 + 8/4 – Metallica @ Gillette Stadium
Thrash giants Metallica are in the midst of their big international run supporting last year’s serviceably solid 72 Seasons, promising two unique setlists across two nights in each city. You can rely on them for the hits and the spectacle, and ticket prices are hovering in the surprisingly-affordable zone (just do yourself a favor and skip either night’s openers…).
8/3 – Rat City Arts Festival
The Allston-celebrating Rat City fest takes over Aeronaut Brewing’s Western Ave outpost for a fun (and free!) local lineup featuring Paper Lady, Mint Green and more.
8/5 – Die Spitz @ O’Brien’s Pub
Austin punks Die Spitz left an impression with a killer set opening for Off! last year, and I can only imagine they rip even harder in a room the size of OB’s.
8/7 – Krallice @ Middle East Upstairs
Prolific metal experimentalists Krallice emerge from their NYC cave to make an exceedingly rare Boston appearance at the Mid East.
8/13 – Sapling / Dwelley / Minibeast @ Notch Brewing
Notch’s free music series welcomes an excellent triple bill of weird and wild local sounds for a noisy Tuesday at the beer hall.
8/13 – Future / Metro Boomin @ TD Garden
Trap phenom Future and producer extraordinaire Metro Boomin trust you, if no one else, as they hit the Garden this month for a tour on the heels of their two 2024 collaborations – March’s Drake-Kedrick-beef-igniting We Don’t Trust You and April’s sequel We Still Don’t Trust You.
8/18 – The Gaslight Anthem / Joyce Manor / Pinkshift @ MGM Music Hall
Three generations of emotive earworm rock bands unite under one bill as Jersey vets The Gaslight Anthem bring California favs Joyce Manor and Baltimore newcomers Pinkshift on the road.
8/19 – King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard @ The Stage at Suffolk Downs
The genre-bending Australian madmen of King Gizzard headline their biggest local stage to date at Suffolk Downs, promising their usual rollercoaster psych-rock on a grand scale.
8/20 – Thra @ O’Brien’s Pub
Phoenix’s gnarly death-sludge crew Thra roll through Allston, and a tiny room like this is the perfect scene to stare down their punishing sound.
8/22-24 – Somergloom
Somerville’s signature heavy music fest returns with another top-shelf lineup of local and touring highlights, ranging from Big Brave’s towering post-metal to Final Gasp’s punk-inflected deathrock and a duo set from Cave In’s Stephen Brodsky and Adam McGrath.