The best (and biggest) concerts coming to Omaha in 2024
It’s going to be a great year.
How do I know? Because I’ve seen the whole year’s concert calendar, and it looks damn good.
This is your list. Bookmark it. (We’ll keep updating it all through 2024.) It has all the biggest shows — pop stars like Olivia Rodrigo, country stars such as Zach Bryan, farewell tours like The Eagles and Barry Manilow — and the very best that are touring this year — like Jason Isbell, Bleachers, Bowling For Soup and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard.
I pored over all the venue lists and every promoter website to select the best concerts coming to Omaha in 2024. These are the shows you want on your radar!
Ticket prices are listed below and do not include fees. Want to avoid Ticketmaster fees and maybe get tickets just a little bit cheaper? We can help!
May
Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit
with Jobi Riccio
May 1 | The Astro Amphitheater | $65-$125 at ticketmaster.com
If you’ve never seen Jason Isbell in person, know that it’s not a concert where you sit back and watch a person you like play songs you like. There are shows that are kind of like a live jukebox, and this is not that. An Isbell show is an experience. He’s living those songs — the ones about the addiction and the divorce and the recovery and the good times and the fist fights inside a Super 8 — and the crowd is living them right there with him. If you’re at all incline to enjoy his music, you have to go see it in person. And if that’s not enough, his latest album, Weathervanes, is fantastic, and he just won two Grammys for it. Now what are you waiting for. Go! Buy the tickets! Get the babysitter! … See you there.
Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors
with Donovan Woods
May 1 | Slowdown | $27 at seetickets.us
There’s something about Holcomb’s music that just brings joy. He sings about having a family. And being in love. And California. And all kinds of familiar and folky subjects that just flow fluidly from him and resonate in you. It’s a wonderful thing. Their new album’s pretty good, too, and Holcomb came on the Pops and Hisses podcast last year to talk about it. Check it out.
Amon Amarth
with Cannibal Corpse, Obituary, Frozen Soul
May 3 | Steelhouse Omaha | $47.50 and up at ticketmaster.com
It brings me great joy that such a pristine venue as Omaha Steelhouse will be absolutely rattled by the likes of Cannibal Corpse and Amon Amarth. What a wonderfully wild (and chaotic and noisy) show to bring into such a perfectly engineered space. Will it be able to handle the volume? We’ll find out!
Ty Segall
May 7 | The Waiting Room Lounge | $26 at etix.com
Segall’s 15th album, Three Bells, is getting lots of love. His last few albums have veered from his familiar garage rock into explorations of rock ‘n’ roll genres, and Pitchfork certainly enjoyed it, calling Three Bells “an ambitious, uncanny, joyously unpredictable album that invites you to get lost within its house-of-mirrors design.” So what will it sound like live? Should be a good — and noisy — time.
X Ambassadors
with New West, Rowan Drake
May 17 | Slowdown | $35 at seetickets.us
Look, we all dig Renegade, the X Ambassadors’ 2015 stompy, chanty singalong jam. But in the meantime, they’ve made tons of new music, produced tunes for Lizzo, made a sweet cover of Blinding Lights and made a song with Tom Morello. Now they’re teasing a new album, Townie, that’ll be out before they land here in Omaha.
Social Distortion
with The Lovebombs
May 22 | The Astro | $39-$65 at ticketmaster.com
It ain’t a bad time to be a fan of Social Distortion. They’re making a new record. Mike Ness beat cancer. And they’re spending the whole year on the road. Catch them when they come to town. It’s never a bad time.
Bleachers
May 22 | Steelhouse Omaha | $65 at ticketmaster.com
Look, I can’t get Modern Girl out of my damn head. Jack Antonoff has done it again. The man is a pop music savant, and as much fun as it is to listen him work with Taylor Swift, Lorde and The 1975 — music for which he has taken home a pile of Grammy Awards — his best stuff is what he does on his own in Bleachers. And the band is probably at their best on their latest, self-titled album. Man, it’s good.
Mr. Big
May 23 | Barnato | $55-$1,000 at ticketweb.com
Look, I really want to see this show just to hear them to To Be With You. I bet it’s incredible.
Wheatus
May 30 | Reverb Lounge | $20 at etix.com
How much has the success of Teenage Dirtbag, which has become a viral sensation recently, been fueling Wheatus’ touring? Not sure. But frontman Brendan B. Brown is on an acoustic tour that’ll see him playing Dirtbag and other songs.
June
Tim McGraw
with Carly Pearce
June 7 | CHI Health Center Omaha | $35.50 and up at ticketmaster.com
Tim McGraw’s never a bad time. He’s one of those people who has enough country hits to play for hours and hours and hours, but he’ll whittle that long list down to a tight two hours and hit you with everything he’s got. Not to mention he’s charismatic as can be and a helluva good singer to boot. Go see him. Thank me later.
Lionel Richie and Earth, Wind & Fire
June 9 | CHI Health Center Omaha | $56.50 and up at ticketmaster.com
Look, I love Earth, Wind & Fire as much as the next guy, but the draw here is Lionel Richie. He’s a legend, both wiht the Commodores and on his own. He’s written songs for, produced albums, written for and performed with just about everyone you can think of. (Watch The Greatest Night in Pop on Netflix for just one example.) The only question is how does he make a setlist? There’s just too much I’d want him to perform.
The Mars Volta
with Teri Gender Bender
June 10 | The Admiral Theater | $45 to $150 at ticketmaster.com
Since reuniting in 2019, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Bixler-Zavala released a new, self-titled album and then re-recorded an acoustic version of the same set of songs. And this summer, the band is playing six total shows. One of them is here. If you want to see them, this is your chance.
Taking Back Sunday
with Citizen
June 14 | Stir Cove | $39.50 and up at ticketmaster.com
After their last record, it took a while for Taking Back Sunday to regroup and make another. But they’re seeing it as a reinvention or reintroduction. “For a long time it felt like we were trying to get invited into other people’s worlds. But with this [album], we realized that we’d built this incredible thing, so this is more of an invitation into our world,” Adam Lazzara told Kerrang.
MC Chris
with Crunk Witch
June 18 | Reverb Lounge | $16 at etix.com
The rapper’s last tour was supposed to be his last tour. Right? But when is a farewell tour really a farewell? MC Chris is back on the road for The “I Thought the Last Tour Was the Last Tour” Tour. I for one am glad it wasn’t a permanent goodbye. The world needs MC Chris’ nerdy raps.
Black Pumas
with Crunk Witch
June 20 | Stir Cove | $31 and up at ticketmaster.com
At first, Eric Burton and Adrian Quesada didn’t know each other. Quesada had won Grammys. Burton was a busker. They hooked up in Austin and started playing shows, and those became the hottest thing happening in the Texas capital. Now they’ve put out two excellent records, including last year’s Chronicles of a Diamond, and become beloved by lovers of rock, soul and funk. Black Pumas talked about the formation of the band on the Pops and Hisses podcast, and I can definitely recommend seeing the live considering Black Pumas played a helluva show on the streets of Omaha.
Lyle Lovett and His Large Band
June 25 | The Astro Amphitheater | $59 to $150 at etix.com
Easily one of the best concerts I’ve ever seen was an evening with Lyle Lovett and His Large Band. They brought in a choir from a local Baptist church. They played every song you’d want to hear and more. And when Lovett took a short break, the guys in his band played their songs. It was incredible from start to finish. You should go see this so you can remember it and talk about it and think about it for years after. It’s that good.
July
X
July 7 | The Waiting Room Lounge | Tickets, $35 to $40, go on sale Friday.
The punk band is coming to The Waiting Room, which is an ideal of a place as I can think of to see them. The original lineup in a tight space? Sign me up.
The Baseball Project
July 8 | The Waiting Room Lounge | $25 at etix.com
If you’re a fan of good music or baseball, you should know the Baseball Project. They make great music that just happens to be about America’s Pastime. And they have an amazing lineup including REM’s Peter Buck, Scott McCaughey and Mike Mills as well as Linda Pitmon and Steve Wynn. (For the record, my favorite Baseball Project song is Ted Fucking Williams.)
The Wallflowers
July 11 | The Astro | $45 and up at ticketmaster.com
While the Wallflowers has always been a band, the core has always been Jakob Dylan. Though he’s always surrounding himself with great musicians — past members include Rami Jaffe, Jack Irons and others — the constant has always been Dylan. That’s pretty apparent on the New West-released Exit Wounds.
Andrew Bird and Nickel Creek
July 12 | The Astro Amphitheater | $50-$99 at ticketmaster.com
What a wonderfully weird and fun and folky lineup. That’s all I got. This will be a musically fascinating outdoor summer show. Go see it!
Slash
with Keb’ Mo’, ZZ Ward and Jackie Venson
July 19 | The Astro Amphitheater | $60 to $176 at ticketmaster.com
Dubbed “A celebration of the blues,” this evening will feature Guns N Roses guitar legend Slash teaming up with blues legend Keb’ Mo’ and guitarists/singer-songwriters ZZ Ward and Jackie Venson. It’s a heckuva way to celebrate Slash’s latest album, Orgy of the Damned, which features his own take on some blues classics and featuring guest vocals from a few folks — maybe you’ve heard of them? — including Gary Clark Jr., Billy Gibbons, Chris Stapleton, Iggy Pop, Paul Rodgers, Demi Lovato, Brian Johnson, Chris Robinson and others.
AJR
July 21 | CHI Health Center Omaha | $45.50 and up at ticketmaster.com
Adam, Jack and Ryan Met were playing theaters a couple years ago, but they’ve moved on up to arenas now. No surprise. They were building up a fanbase and a list of hits before they released The Maybe Man last year, and now things are getting bigger and better all the time. New songs from the album including Yes, I’m a Mess are as popular as World’s Smallest Violin.
Bowling for Soup
with Keep Flying, Eternal Boy
July 21 | Slowdown | $37 at seetickets.us
If I got to choose my ideal Bowling For Soup setlist, I’d have a helluva hard time. Do I lean into having them play songs I really like? What about the hits? (Can’t let them leave without playing 1985.) What about all the TV and movie themes? (The Phineas and Ferb theme song?) What about their many awesome covers? (I am in love with their version of Mathew Sweet’s Sick of Myself.) You really can’t go wrong.
The Offspring
with The Urge, Save Ferris, Stratejacket
July 23 | The Astro Amphitheater | $45 to $125 at ticketmaster.com
I still have a CD player in my car. And I don’t change the CD that much. In fact, for the last several months, The Offspring’s Greatest Hits has been spinning in there nonstop. And you know what? Not a bad track on it. In fact, it’s fucking excellent from beginning to end.
A Day to Remember
with A Story So Far, Scowl
July 24 | The Astro Amphitheater | $59.50 to $99.50 at ticketmaster.com
Combining pop-punk and metalcore is an interesting idea. When sitting in my teenage bedroom dreaming of the pop-punk band I would never join, I would have not thought to make it harder. And then add metal to it. Don’t get me wrong. I love all of those things. But dumping all three in a blender? Wouldn’t have thought of it. A Day to Remember pulled it off. They’re still pulling it off.
Primus & Coheed and Cambria
with Too Many ZooZ
July 28 | The Astro Amphitheater | $49 to $164 and up at ticketmaster.com
While I love both of these bands, this is a weird pairing. Right? I’m not wrong there am I? I don’t think so. But nonetheless what a fun show this is going to be. One minute, you’re listening to John the Fisherman. The next, you get The Suffering. You can’t leave this show angry.
Tedeschi Trucks Band
with Margo Price
July 29 | The Astro Amphitheater | $49 to $155 and up at ticketmaster.com
The last time I talked to Tedeschi Trucks Band, they were getting ready to release a new album. Now it’s here. I Am the Moon is a quadruple album about star-crossed lovers, and it’s quite the epic.
Barry Manilow
July 30 | CHI Health Center Omaha | Tickets go on sale soon at ticketmaster.com
Dubbed The Last Omaha Concert, this one is part of Manilow’s farewell tour. So all you Fanilows out there need to buckle up for one last Manilow experience. And no joke, the guy’s got a great show. He tells stories. He sings. It’s a delight.
August
Gin Blossoms & Toad the Wet Sprocket
with Vertical Horizon
Aug. 2 | The Astro Amphitheater | $45 to $99 at ticketmaster.com
Not gonna lie, one of the most fun concerts I’ve seen in the last decade involved the Gin Blossoms. They have fantastic songs. They gin up that ’90s nostalgia. And the addition of Toad and Vertical Horizon will just bring that all together. Sounds like a fun summer night!
Melissa Etheridge and Jewel
Aug. 7 | The Astro Amphitheater | $64 to $154 at ticketmaster.com
I’m not sure who put this tour together, but this is a great double bill. Nicely done.
Outlandia Music Festival featuring The Flaming Lips, The Head & The Heart, Men I Trust, The Revivalists, Dinosaur Jr., DeVotchka, The Faint and more
Aug. 9 and 10 | Falconwood Park | outlandiafestival.com
Helluva lineup for the two-day festival. And you should know Outlandia is a fantastic time. You know that ideal music festival you have in your head where you favorite bands play in a green clearing surrounded by forest? That’s Outlandia. So enjoy some beverages and see your favorite bands — Flaming Lips, The Head & The Heart, Dinosaur Jr., etc. — in the perfect environment.
Wanna know what it’s like? Check out last year’s wrap-ups of Omaha’s premier two-day indie rock fest that included bands like Jimmy Eat World, Lord Huron, Manchester Orchestra and Modest Mouse.
Mastodon & Lamb of God
with Kerry King, Malevolance
Aug. 31 | Falconwood Park | $50 to $150 at ticketmaster.com
Make sure to bring your earplugs. Mastodon is a fucking blast. Lamb of God will thunder. And then you get Slayer’s Kerry King, too. You’ll be tired after this show, but any metalhead will know it was worth it.
September
Shadow Ridge Music Festival featuring O.A.R., Big Head Todd and the Monsters, Freddy Jones Band, The Nadas
Sept. 6 | Shadow Ridge Country Club | $68 and up at etix.com
Relive the heady days of your youth when your favorite ’90s alternative rock radio team up for a fun night in the sun.
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
with GEESE
Sept. 6 | The Astro Amphitheater | $50-$95 at ticketmaster.com
The best band name in rock ‘n’ roll is coming back to Omaha. And look, they’re not just a band name that I like to repeat as many times out loud as I possibly can. They actually produce some pretty good music, and they’re wildly prolific. They released two separate full-length albums last year, and I bet more are on the way.
Gary Clark Jr.
Sept. 9 | The Astro Amphitheater | $45 to $90 at ticketmaster.com
Put out an album. Blow everyone away. Win a Grammy (or three). Repeat. That’s been the Gary Clark Jr. formula. But know that the music has followed no formula. No, the man keeps blowing us away with something new. And he did it again with his latest album, JPEG Raw, which dropped earlier this year, features an eclectic group of songs and includes guest appearances from George Clinton, Stevie Wonder and others. Sounds like Clark’s done it again. Now we’re just waiting on the Grammy.
Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band
Sept. 13 | The Astro Amphitheater | $79 to $255 at ticketmaster.com
This is unlike any show you’ve seen. First of all, it’s Ringo. That unto itself is excellent. But know that the man doesn’t tour with a great band of session players. No, he gets his friends, who are all stars in their own right. So the evening is like a jukebox where you hear tunes from The Beatles and Starr’s solo catalog, of course, but also from Toto, Edgar Winter Band, Men At Work and the Average White Band, among others.
Crowded House
Sept. 13 | The Astro | $49 to $150 at ticketmaster.com
Look, you certainly know Don’t Dream It’s Over. But Crowded House has released eight total albums including a brand new record, Gravity Stairs, which Neil Finn worked on primarily with his sons, who joined the band when they reformed in 2020.
Built to Spill
Sept. 21 | The Waiting Room Lounge | $27 at etix.com
As if you needed a reason to see another Built to Spill show, this time the indie rock band will celebrate its second album, There’s Nothing Wrong with Love, by performing the album in its entirety. Doug Martsch is even bringing the album’s cello player, John McMahon, on tour to make sure they get it just right.
Dashboard Confessional
Sept. 24 | Steelhouse Omaha | $47 and up at ticketmaster.com
Chris Carrabba always gives it his all, and his passion for his music, what he’s singing about, his performance and everything simply bursts out of him. It’s really something to see when he performs. No one is more excited for Dashboard Confessional show than he is. And he’s puring that into his new music, too. If you thought he strummed your inner emotional strings with Screaming Infidelities when you were a teenager, he’ll do the same for your middle-aged self with All The Truth That I Can Tell, his latest record.
October
American Aquarium
Oct. 6 | The Waiting Room Lounge | $25 at etix.com
BJ Barham does not stand still. Since 2020, American Aquarium has released five albums including three studio records and two fan-freaking-tastic covers records. Their latest is Fear of Standing Still, out in July, which sounds like a return to form for the band. And look, I freaking love Chicomacomico, and Barham came on the Pops and Hisses podcast to talk about it. But it was a more understated record, and this one sounds more like their boisterous, rockin’ live show.
Cody Jinks
Oct. 11 | Liberty First Credit Union Arena | $35-$325 at libertyfirstcreditunion.com
Starting out as a thrash metal guitarist in a Texas metal band, thank goodness Cody Jinks made the switch to country. He’s a good songwriter and an even better singer, and his string of independent country releases and relentless touring has earned him a dedicated fanbase. (But of course you won’t hear him on your favorite country radio station because they don’t play this kind of outlaw country there.) He has an especially big fanbase here in Omaha because he’s been playing local dives like Buck’s since before anybody knew his name or his songs.
Superchunk
Oct. 17 | The Waiting Room Lounge | $25 etix.com
This might be the show of the year. Superchunk. In a small venue. Playing songs from Foolish (in celebration of the album’s 30th anniversary) plus their regular set. They haven’t been here in years, and the last time was playing a festival. You should get ticket snow before they sell out.
Cold War Kids
Oct. 21 | The Admiral Theater | $32 to $45 etix.com
“What I set out to do was put all the sides of Cold War Kids into one album. That means lyrically, stylistically, emotionally. So yes, I wanted there to be the Pretenders, Black Crowes, the Clash, George Michael, Happy Mondays, the Jam, Peter Gabriel, Sam Cooke, Oasis, Bowie, Sly. A touch of everything we love,” Nathan Willett told Alternative Press. Epic. Let’s see how they do it live.
November
Lainey Wilson
with Jackson Dean, Zach Top
Nov. 8 | CHI Health Center Omaha | $45.95 and up at ticketmaster.com
She just took home a Grammy for Bell Bottom Country, and she’s the first woman to win the Country Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year award since Taylor Swift took it home nearly a decade and a half ago. She’s got hot country hits. She appeared on Yellowstone. Everybody loves her. It should be packed in that arena come November.
