21 NYC concerts, festivals, and music events you don’t want to miss this fall

From huge events by Roxy Music, Mary J. Blige, and Pavement to important showcases for rising stars like Rema, Kali Malone, Remi Wolf and Seth Parker Woods, here are the fall music events you don't want to miss.

Rema
Irving Plaza
Sept. 2 & 8

The West African genre Afrobeats has been slowly dripping into the American mainstream over the last couple of years: Burna Boy, Wizkid, and Tems are a few of the big names finding success with their homegrown sounds, and this year industry trade mag Billboard teamed up with the Afro Nation music festival to start tracking the 50 most popular Afrobeats songs in the U.S. Now, Nigerian newcomer Rema is set to perform two nights at Irving Plaza on his current U.S. tour behind his debut album, Rave & Roses, a collision of dancehall, Afropop, trap, and R&B influences. livenation.com (Precious Fondren)

Arlo Parks
Webster Hall, Brooklyn Steel
Sept. 8-9

London-based artist Arlo Parks carved out a larger space for Black women in indie pop with the success of her 2021 debut album, Collapsed in Sunbeams, which helped her nab nominations for Album of the Year, Best New Artist and Best British Female Solo Artist at the 2021 Brit Awards. The album won the 2021 Hyundai Mercury Prize, and was also nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at the Grammy Awards. Her Webster Hall show sold out in a hurry (though resale tickets are available), and tickets are on sale now for a second show at Brooklyn Steel. axs.com (Precious Fondren)

Afropunk Brooklyn 2022
Commodore Barry Park
Sept. 10-11

It’s been three years since Afropunk last turned Brooklyn's Commodore Barry Park into an Afrofutustic wonderland, but the festival is back in full force this year. In years past, attendees have gone all out with imaginative outfits, makeup, and hairstyles that have made the festival a favorite of fashionistas everywhere. This year’s lineup covers a wide range of Black artists, representing many parts of the diaspora: The Roots, Burna Boy, Isaiah Rashad, Lucky Daye, Freddie Gibbs, Earl Sweatshirt, and Tierra Whack are just a few performers poised to hit the stage. afropunk.com (Precious Fondren)

Roxy Music + St. Vincent
Madison Square Garden
Sept. 12

It’s been over a decade since pioneering art rock/glam rock band Roxy Music last reunited for a world tour. The debonair group is back together this year for a short arena tour in honor of their 50th anniversary. Here’s your opportunity to see the likes of “In Every Dream Home a Heartache,” “Love Is the Drug,” and “More Than This” performed live — you may not have many more chances in the future to catch Bryan Ferry, Andy Mackay, Phil Manzanera, and Paul Thompson together again. And bonus: nouveau art pop superstar St. Vincent, who released the Roxy-esque "Daddy’s Home" last year, will open the show. msg.com (Ben Yakas)

Rosalia
Radio City Music Hall
Sept. 18 & 19

Spanish singer/songwriter Rosalia is one of the most exciting artists to emerge in the last decade. After her international breakthrough "El Mal Querer" saw her deftly navigate flamenco and urbano, her latest album, "Motomami," goes a step further, boldly mixing a melange of genres — flamenco, industrial, bachata, reggaeton, hip-hop, and more — into unclassifiable, undeniable pop songs. You can look forward to a minimalist stage setup, a lot of leather motorcycle imagery, and dramatic backup dancers. And expect to be transfixed by Rosalia’s considerable vocal and musical talents. livenation.com (Ben Yakas)

Rolling Loud NYC
Citi Field
Sept. 23-25

The traveling hip-hop festival Rolling Loud is returning to Citi Field this year for a three-day circuit of rap music. Fans will enjoy New York natives Nicki Minaj and A$AP Rocky headlining on Friday and Saturday, respectively, while Atlanta’s Future tops the bill on Sunday night – and the festival announced last week that Playboi Carti will also rock the stage as a special guest. Apart from seeing live performances from some of rap's most colorful artists, like Lil Uzi Vert, Glorilla, and 21 Savage, those in attendance can take advantage of an amusement park-like setup as they shuffle from stage to stage. You’ll also find food and drink vendors, and plenty of opportunities to cash out on merchandise. rollingloud.com (Precious Fondren)

Kali Malone
First Unitarian Congregational Society in Brooklyn
Sept. 24

Swedish composer-performer Kali Malone, best known for her intense minimalist drone works for pipe organs, brass, and wind choirs, as well as other sonorous sources, will make First Unitarian Church rattle and hum with assistance from Sunn O))) guitarist Stephen O'Malley, a famous purveyor of low-end vibrations, in a show presented by Greenwich Village art-pop bastion Le Poisson Rouge. (The next night, O'Malley shares a more intimately scaled bill with fellow six-string avant-gardist Mick Barr at Saint Vitus.) lpr.com (Steve Smith)

Monochromatic Light (Afterlife)
Park Avenue Armory
Sept. 27-Oct. 8

Composer and multi-instrumentalist Tyshawn Sorey originally created "Monochromatic Light (Afterlife)," an homage to composer Morton Feldman and his 1971 piece "Rothko Chapel," for a concert in the Houston art sanctuary of the same name. The work now comes to the Park Avenue Armory with the same performers — violist Kim Kashkashian, pianist Sarah Rothenberg, percussionist Steven Schick, bass-baritone Davóne Tines, and the Choir of Trinity Wall Street — now joined by maverick director Peter Sellars, with fresh canvases by painter Julie Mehretu and choreography by Reggie "Regg Roc" Gray. armoryonpark.org (Steve Smith)

Muna
Irving Plaza
Sept. 30-Oct. 2

Naomi McPherson, Josette Maskin, and Katie Gavin have been performing together as Muna since 2013, and have experienced both the highs and lows of the music business. Early in the pandemic, Muna was dropped from its major-label deal, only to find success online with its TikTok viral song, “Silk Chiffon,” featuring Phoebe Bridgers, who heads the trio's new label. Critics have said Muna's new self-titled album marks a turn into poppier fare than what was found on the band's first two efforts, "About U" and "Saves the World." livenation.com (Precious Fondren)

Pavement
Kings Theatre
Sept. 30-Oct. 3

After reuniting for a wildly successful world tour back in 2010, Pavement have come together once again for another go-around at spreading the holy gospel of ‘90s indie rock. The band — fronted by Stephen Malkmus, the Dorian Gray of indie rock — has understandably mellowed over the years, but its live sets have only gotten tighter and more joyous in the face of the effusive public reception. Pavement has added a bunch of songs not played during the last reunion tour — including unexpected hit “Harness Your Hopes” and several tunes from neglected swan song "Terror Twilight" — to its setlists as well. The band will be joined by an eclectic and exciting group of openers, including Horsegirl, 75 Dollar Bill, Steve Gunn, and Water From Your Eyes. kingstheatre.com (Ben Yakas)

Yeah Yeah Yeahs + Japanese Breakfast + The Linda Lindas
Forest Hills Stadium
Oct. 1

Queens outdoor venue Forest Hills Stadium is one of the city’s concert gems, and here’s a great reason to take a trip out there: NYC legends the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are coming back this fall with "Cool It Down," their first new album in almost a decade. The group is famous for ferocious and physical live performances, which makes this triumphant hometown return at the start of October a can’t-miss show. They’ll be joined by the equally brilliant Japanese Breakfast and teen pop-punkers The Linda Lindas. foresthillsstadium.com (Ben Yakas)

San Juan Hill: A New York Story
Wu Tsai Theater, David Geffen Hall
Oct. 8

The New York Philharmonic officially opens its fall season on Oct. 12, with a series of concerts that includes the world premiere of "Oyá," which Marcos Balter composed not only for the orchestra, but for the lighting and sound qualities of the newly renovated concert hall now known as Wu Tsai Theater. But pride of place belongs to another world premiere: "San Juan Hill: A New York Story," composed by jazz trumpeter Etienne Charles, illuminates the story of the predominantly Black and Latino Midtown neighborhood that was razed to make way for Lincoln Center — which commissioned the work jointly with the Phil. nyphil.org (Steve Smith)

Stereolab
Brooklyn Steel
Oct. 10 & 11

Throughout the ‘90s and ‘00s, nobody was better at melding avant-garde sounds with pop sensibilities than Stereolab. The band stood at the intersection of krautrock, lounge music, the Velvet Underground and Steve Reich — too idiosyncratic for the mainstream, and too unabashedly melodic to be relegated to the experimental margins. Since returning from a decade-long hiatus in 2019, the group has been touring relentlessly while reissuing much of its brilliant back catalog, and is arguably an even better live group now than it was at its ’90s peak. bowerypresents.com (Ben Yakas)

Remi Wolf
Terminal 5
Oct. 11 & 12

A year after the release of her debut studio album, "June," bedroom-pop singer Remi Wolf is coming to New York City. On Oct. 11 and 12, fans will pack Terminal 5 to see the California songstress belt out her catchy songs, like “Photo ID” and “Liz.” Wolf appeared as a contestant during the audition rounds on the singing competition show American Idol in 2014. Years later, after pursuing a career in professional songwriting, she released three EPs – "You’re A Dog!," "I’m Allergic to Dogs!" and "We Love Dogs!" – in 2019, 2020, and 2021, respectively. terminal5nyc.com (Precious Fondren)

Mary J. Blige
Barclays Center
Oct. 20

This has shaped up to be a great year for the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul. Decades into her career, Bronx-born Mary J. Blige has been on a high all year — she's released her latest album, "Good Morning Gorgeous;" performed at the Super Bowl with Kendrick Lamar and Snoop Dogg; and received numerous honors. A month after receiving the Icon Award at the Billboard Music Awards, Blige announced she was going on tour with new-age R&B talent Ella Mai and Queen Naija. New Yorkers will get a chance to dance the night away to Blige hits like “Real Love” and “I Can Love You” when the tour hits Brooklyn in October. barclayscenter.com (Precious Fondren)

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall
Oct. 22

One of England's most prestigious ensembles, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra has also been a proving ground for some of the world's most prominent conductors, including Simon Rattle, Sakari Oramo, and Andris Nelsons. Making its first Carnegie Hall appearance in 30 years, the orchestra is led by its rising-star music director, Mirga Gražinyte-Tyla, in a program that includes a Thomas Adès premiere and a featured performance by young cello superstar Sheku Kanneh-Mason in Elgar's Cello Concerto. carnegiehall.org (Steve Smith)

Alex G + Hatchie
Brooklyn Steel
Nov. 10, 11 & 12

Indie darling Alex G has spent the last decade nurturing a cult following via his ultra-melodic, Elliott Smith-inspired experimental home recordings. For his latest album, "God Save The Animals," he challenged himself to record everything in proper studios, resulting in genre-confounding singles like “Blessing” and “Cross The Sea,” as well as one as majestic and breezy as “Runner.” For at least two dates, Alex G and his band are joined by opener Hatchie, whose blend of effervescent dream pop places her somewhere between the Cocteau Twins and Chairlift. bowerypresents.com (Ben Yakas)

Plains + MJ Lenderman
Webster Hall, White Eagle Hall
Nov. 11 & 12

Plains is a brand new collaboration between Katie Crutchfield of Waxahatchee and Jess Williamson, a pair of artists who each masterfully straddle the fence between indie rock and country. Together, they conjure the determined spirit of Lucinda Williams on first single “Problem With It,” ahead of their debut album, "I Walked With You a Ways." Opener MJ Lenderman, a member of country-grunge band Wednesday, released his knockout solo album, "Boat Songs," earlier this year; it marries his Neil Young-inflected voice to some Dinosaur Jr./Built to Spill-worthy guitar tones, to excellent effect. plainsband.com (Ben Yakas)

Difficult Grace
92NY
Nov. 19

Already known as one of the finest young cellists of his generation, Seth Parker Woods reveals himself to be considerably more in this original multidisciplinary performance piece. Taking the Great Migration as his theme, Woods serves as soloist, narrator, and motion artist in a program comprising poetry by Amiri Baraka and Dudley Randall, choreography by dancer Roderick George, film, and contemporary pieces created by a wide variety of composers — including, in this newest iteration, new music by Ted Hearne and Devonté Hynes (a.k.a. Blood Orange). 92ny.org (Steve Smith)

The Smile
King’s Theater, Hammerstein Ballroom
Nov. 18-20

Radiohead fans are used to the band going on long hiatuses at this point — it’s been over six years since its last record and four years since its last live performance — but The Smile has turned out to be a more-than-worthy placeholder. During the pandemic, a restless Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood (aided by longtime Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich) teamed up with Sons of Kemet drummer Tom Skinner to form The Smile and record a debut: "A Light For Attracting Attention." Unsurprisingly, the band’s songs sound a whole lot like classic, knotty Radiohead jams, just with a touch more looseness and spontaneity. The Smile is apparently not a one-and-done deal either; the band is already performing five or six new songs on tour currently. kingstheatre.com, axs.com (Ben Yakas)

“The Hours”
Metropolitan Opera House, Lincoln Center
Nov. 22-Dec. 15

Composer Kevin Puts won a Pulitzer Prize for his 2011 debut opera, "Silent Night," and has continued to gain momentum since then. His newest work, an adaptation of Michael Cunningham’s celebrated novel (and the Oscar-winning 2002 film it spawned), is tailored to an extraordinary constellation of operatic superstars: Renée Fleming, Kelli O’Hara and Joyce DiDonato. metopera.org (Steve Smith)