Two of Cleveland’s most popular free outdoor concert series have announced their lineups, so you might want to grab your calendar to input the ones you don’t want to miss.
Wade Oval Wednesdays (5:30-8:30pm, June 17-August 19) are consistently one of the most popular and biggest drawing summer attractions, and they offer one of the most diverse lineups of music genres.
The area’s councilman Kevin Conwell and his light jazz/R&B group Footprints get things going on Wednesday June 17, with Line Dance Is my Therapy opening at 5:30 and roaming hula hoop entertainment. Soulful rockers Apostle Jones, one of the area’s biggest bands right now, headlines on June 24 on LGBTQ+ night with drag queens opening. And on July 1, Carlos Jones & the P.L.U.S. Band are bringing their sunny reggae back in the traditional pre-July 4 slot, with Nasir Wilson &the Afrofunk Revolution opening.
Future dates feature 1o1ón’s Latin Rap (July 8); covers by Old Skool (July 15); Hubb’s Groove’s smooth jazz/soul (July 22), hip hop/soul/gogo ensemble K. Shanéa & Kor4 Band (July 29; one of the rare non-local acts in this series — they hail from the D.C. area); Son Gitano’s Latin fusion orchestra (August 5); funk/rock/blues from the Quenton Rubon Band (August 12), and closing the series, the wildly entertaining Da Land Brass Band, bringing the horn-and-percussion-driven funk/hip hop/jazz with a touch of New Orleans on August 19. That evening will end the summer with a big BANG — the Shaw High School Marching Band opens.
Each WOW evening also features a of more than a dozen food vendors, special activities and tables hosted by area cultural organizations and nonprofits. Go here for a full rundown.
Also announcing a jam-packed schedule of free music at six of its locations is Cleveland Metroparks. And while cover bands (and even — ugh — tribute bands) are a big part of the schedule, they keep things mixed and you’ll find some really interesting music as well.
Two waterfront locations will host alternating Thursday night concerts—Euclid Beach Park and Edgewater Park—from 4-8pm with music starting at 5, multiple food offerings and a beer garden. The Euclid Beach nights feature gospel/soul/R&B bands, while the Edgewater highlight is the June 30 concert by Carlos Jones & the P.L.U.S. band.
There will also be weekly concerts at Merwin’s Wharf (Sundays @ 5-8pm, June 14-August 18), the Emerald Necklace Marina in Rocky River (Fridays @ 5-8pm, June 12-August 7), Huntington Beach in Bay Village (Wednesdays @ 5-8pm, June 10-August 5), and the new Parker Community Sailing Center at the East 55th Street Marina (Saturdays @ 5-8pm, June 13-August 17).
The Huntington Beach concerts at the Noshery should be the most low-key. They feature acoustic performers including singer-songwriters who share their own tunes along with favorite covers. The Emerald Necklace evenings are heavy on cover bands but there are some veteran artists on the lineup always worth a listen. Becky Boyd & Groove Train will perform jazz, soul and blues on June 17, and the powerful-voiced Boyd has a way of making every song her own. And Cats on Holiday will bring a little something different with zydeco/swamp rock-influenced music on June 24.
The evenings at East 55th Street are mostly cover bands but they wrap up on August 17 with one of the area’s most party-starting bands, Sammy DeLeon y Su Orquesta, playing Latin jazz and salsa. And if you really like cover bands, head for Merwin’s Wharf.
You can find the full Cleveland Metroparks schedule here.