Eugene may be a small city compared to Portland but it holds its own in the live music scene. Some of Oregon's favorite music venues are in Eugene and those concert halls host some pretty big headliners. Plenty of Eugene music lovers have stories of the time they saw an unexpected band play a cozy venue in town and were able to get much closer to the music than they would anywhere else.
Make memories this summer with this list of the top concerts not to miss in Eugene. Be sure to check venue websites for a full list of shows.
Arranged by date.Special Events and Concert Series
One way to enjoy summer concerts in the Eugene area is to check out these special events.
10x10 Series at Hult Center
This fun summer series brings up-and-coming artists to audiences at only $10 per ticket. These shows are incredible and we love that they are so accessible to the community. If you want to enjoy live music but don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on a festival pass, this is a great way to do it. Take the whole family and discover your new favorite artist with the 10x10 series!
Oregon Bach Festival
Oregon Bach Festival has its roots in education and was started at the University of Oregon back in 1970. Since then, it has grown and includes music by more than just the composer it was named for. Performances happen in different locations around the Eugene area from June 28 to July 14. Attendees can choose the event that speaks to them from listening to concerts in the planetarium with lights and a self-guided scavenger hunt to Mozart in University of Oregon concert halls to Big Band sound with Rebirth Brass Band at PK Park baseball field.
Oregon Festival of American Music
OFAM Summer 24 is going to be exceptional. From July 31 through August 10, enjoy a celebration of the words and music by the poets of the jazzy Broadway musical Tin Pan Alley. Each night of the festival has a slightly different theme. This festival takes place at the John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts, a music school and concert hall. The Shedd also offers hearing loops in most of their spaces, making the venue accessible for those with hearing loss.
Oregon Country Fair
The Oregon Country Fair takes place just outside of Eugene in Veneta every July. This fun weekend-long event is a place to enjoy art, community and innovation in the woods. The event campus has 28 different stages with entertaining and informative performances happening all the time. If your idea of a good time is following a jolly parade of costumed fairgoers from a small vaudeville show, past fresh fruit stands and vegan ice cream shops and through the belly of a dragon art piece to see The California Honeydrops on the Main Stage, then OCF is for you!
Our Top Picks
Blind Pilot
WOW Hall is hosting Blind Pilot with Angela Autumn as opener this summer. WOW is the perfect venue for seeing an Oregon band. Blind Pilot is mellow folk that is best enjoyed in an intimate venue like WOW where you're close enough to the performers to feel like they are singing just to you.
Wednesday, June 26, 2024. Show starts at 8 p.m.
Shaggy
Nostalgia and reggae rhythm is the perfect recipe for summer concerts. With Jamaican-born artist Shaggy, you get both along with some new surprises. This summer you can say it wasn't you at the Lane County Fair.
Friday, July 26, 2024. Show starts at 7:30 p.m.
Norah Jones
Maybe your idea of the perfect summer concert is an outdoor venue with a grassy lawn you can lay down in while you look up at the clouds turning sunset colors and fading into stars with an angelic voice and soft jazzy piano as the dreamy soundtrack. If so, then you probably already have Norah Jones at Cuthbert Theater marked on your calendar and circled twice.
Thursday, August 1, 2024. Show starts at 7:30 p.m.
Blitzen Trapper
Okay, so there is more than one great Portland, Oregon born band coming to Eugene this summer. Oregonians love when a band makes music that sounds the way the Pacific Northwest feels. Blitzen Trapper does that so well. This summer you can see them at the beautiful Soreng Theater at the Hult Center in downtown Eugene.
Friday, August 9, 2024. Show starts at 8 p.m.
The Beach Boys
The sound of California in the 1960's is coming to the Cuthbert Theater this summer. You definitely know these songs so you might as well pull up a blanket in the grass and have an ice cream or a beer while you sing along in the sunshine.
Sunday, August 25, 2024. Show starts at 7:30 p.m.
Rodrigo Y Gabriela
The sounds that Rodrigo Y Gabriela can make with two guitars and the way those sounds make your body want to move is incredible. See them in September at the McDonald Theater in downtown Eugene. All ages show with 21+ only in balcony seats.
Friday, September 6, 2024. Show starts at 8 p.m.
