Kentucky fall music guide: Where to see Wynonna, Trombone Shorty, Backstreet Boys

Walter Tunis

The kids are back in school, Labor Day is around the corner and the outdoor pageantry that comes with summer is winding down. That must mean the glorious cool down of autumn is at hand.

Sure, the calendar says we still have nearly another month of summer to go, but fall, as we know, is already underway. And do we ever have a ton of live music coming our way to celebrate the seasonal shift.

Here is a guide with recommendations of concert events unfolding in three of Lexington’s most visible venues along with a roundup of picks from assorted regional theatres, clubs and festivals.

It’s fall, y’all. Celebrate with some of these sounds.

Trombone Shorty, who first wowed Lexington audiences in 2010, is returning in September.
Trombone Shorty, who first wowed Lexington audiences in 2010, is returning in September.

Lexington Opera House

One of the most active concert venues in the coming months will be the Opera House, 401 W. Short. What is especially curious about its plentiful lineup of live music is how heavily it will be leaning on veteran pop, rock and smooth jazz artists who still command sizable audiences.

Tickets for all shows are available at ticketmaster.com. Prices listed here do not include platinum/premium package seating or “verified resale tickets” (seats sold by patrons back through Ticketmaster above face value).

▪ Sept. 10: The Fixx/Jill Sobule (8 p.m.; $35-$39.50)

▪ Sept. 15: Christopher Cross (8 p.m.; $47.50-$57.50)

▪ Sept. 18: Gordon Lightfoot/Jake Wildhorn (8 p.m.; sold out)

▪ Sept. 21: Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue (8 p.m.; $49.50-$75)

▪ Oct. 6: Postmodern Jukebox (8 p.m.; $39.50-$59.50)

▪ Oct. 7: Little Feat (8 p.m.; $64.50-$109.50)

▪ Oct. 9: Jim Brickman (3 p.m.; $38.50-$68.50)

▪ Nov. 13: Boney James (8 p.m.; $49.50-$75)

Recommendations:

▪ British pop mainstay The Fixx, known for the post-new wave ’80s radio hits “One Way or Another” and “Saved by Zero,” last played Lexington in 2014 for the Christ the King Oktoberfest. Those expecting a perfunctory oldies outing, like me, were given a fresh, alert and surprisingly vital performance with all of the Fixx’s original lineup on hand.

▪ Another Lexington returnee, New Orleans funk, rock and jazz fave Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews, first wowed local audiences at an outdoor downtown show that proved an unexpected highlight of celebrations surrounding the 2010 World Equestrian Games. Andrews and his Orleans Avenue band also played the Opera House in 2018 and the Moontower Music Festival at Masterson Station Park in 2016.

The Backstreet Boys, including Kentucky natives Kevin Richardson and Brian Littrell, will be back in Rupp Arena soon.
The Backstreet Boys, including Kentucky natives Kevin Richardson and Brian Littrell, will be back in Rupp Arena soon.

Rupp Arena

Rupp Arena kicks back into gear this fall with a hearty lineup of – what else? – country music. Sure, there are a few pop and hip-hop entries on the calendar, as well. But once October rolls around, look out. That’s when Nash-Vegas really hits Lexington.

Tickets for all show are available through ticketmaster.com. Prices listed do not include platinum package seating or “verified resale tickets.”

▪ Sept. 6: Backstreet Boys (7:30 p.m.; $29.50-$129.50)

▪ Sept. 9: Alan Jackson (7 p.m.; $40.50-$210.50)

▪ Sept. 17: Lex Fest featuring Polo G/Moneybagg Yo/others (8 p.m.; $38.50-$128.50)

▪ Oct. 6: Keith Urban (7 p.m.; $29.50-$49.50)

Country star Carrie Underwood will bring her Denim and Rhinestones Tour to Lexington on Oct. 20.
Country star Carrie Underwood will bring her Denim and Rhinestones Tour to Lexington on Oct. 20.

▪ Oct. 20: Carrie Underwood (7:30 p.m.; $39.50-$150)

▪ Oct. 29: The Judds featuring Wynonna/Faith Hill/Martina McBride (7:30 p.m.; $73-$219.50)

▪ Nov. 12: Five Finger Death Punch/Brantley Gilbert (6:30 p.m.; $29.50-$129.50)

▪ Dec. 3: Casting Crowns (7 p.m.; $31-$105)

Wynonna will bring the final tour planned for The Judds to a close at Rupp Arena, with Faith Hill and Martina McBride helping to fill in after the death of her mother, Naomi.
Wynonna will bring the final tour planned for The Judds to a close at Rupp Arena, with Faith Hill and Martina McBride helping to fill in after the death of her mother, Naomi.

Recommendations:

▪ Crowning the country invasion will the final evening of the final tour credited to the Kentucky-bred mother/daughter duo The Judds. We say “credited” because mother Naomi died after plans for the tour were being set. The resulting tour has daughter Wynonna, the duo’s lead vocalist, carrying on with a variety of high-profile female guests, which in Lexington will be Faith Hill and Martina McBride.

▪ Rock ‘n’ roll at Rupp this fall is confined, so far, to the return of the Las Vegas metal brigade Five Finger Death Punch. But the band’s Rupp shows through the years have also been homecomings. Its longtime time bassist, Chris Kael, is a Lexington native, graduate of Lafayette High School and one-time DJ for WRFL-FM.

Duo The War and Treaty, husband and wife Michael and Tanya Trotter, will be at The Burl in Lexington.
Duo The War and Treaty, husband and wife Michael and Tanya Trotter, will be at The Burl in Lexington.

The Burl

Now in its seventh year of bringing local and national acts to the Distillery District, The Burl, 375 Thompson Rd., has become one of the busiest and most popular music venues in the region. As with its summer menu, the club’s fall calendar offers a mix of intimate indoor shows and larger outdoor concerts.

For tickets, go to theburlky.com/events.

▪ Aug. 27: A Concert for Eastern Kentucky Flood Relief (1:30 p.m, $25)

▪ Sept. 2: Keller Williams’ Grateful Grass (8 p.m.; $25)

▪ Sept. 8: John R. Miller (8 p.m., $17)

▪ Sept. 10: Expansion featuring The Black Angels/others (2:30 p.m.; $59-$120)

▪ Sept. 11: The War and Treaty (8 p.m., $25)

▪ Sept. 22: Dawes/Bahamas (8 p.m., $40)

▪ Sept. 24: Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears/Cedric Burnside (8 p.m., $15)

▪ Oct. 3: Nikki Lane (8 p.m., $20)

▪ Oct. 6: Town Mountain (8 p.m., $25)

▪ Oct. 11: Jon Spencer and the Hitmakers (8 p.m., $20)

▪ Oct. 14: Southern Culture on the Skids (9 p.m., $20)

Southern Culture on the Skids -- guitarist/vocalist Rick Miller, drummer Dave Hartman and bassist/vocalist Mary Huff -- will bring their fun take on Southern music back to Lexington on Oct. 14 at The Burl.
Southern Culture on the Skids -- guitarist/vocalist Rick Miller, drummer Dave Hartman and bassist/vocalist Mary Huff -- will bring their fun take on Southern music back to Lexington on Oct. 14 at The Burl.

Recommendations:

▪ One of the most important concerts events offered by any venue this fall takes place at The Burl this weekend. On Aug. 27, some 20 acts from Central Kentucky and beyond will come together for a performance designed to raise relief funds for EKY Mutual Aid to assist the Eastern Kentucky areas hit by last month’s devastating floods.

The lineup will include Aaron Boyd, Abby Hamilton, Brett & Donnie, Brit Taylor, Brother Smith, Cole Chaney, Darrin Hacquard, Ella Webster, Eric Bolander, Grayson Jenkins, Jeremy Short, John R. Miller, Jondra Nicole, Laid Back Country Picker, Logan Fox, Nari cq, Ryan Anderson, Sean Whiting, Slutpill and Wayne Graham.

Lucinda Williams will be at the Moonshiner’s Ball in Livingston in October.
Lucinda Williams will be at the Moonshiner’s Ball in Livingston in October.

More regional Kentucky live music

Eight more shows offered by eight additional venues and regional festivals.

▪ Sept. 2: The Steeldrivers (8 p.m., $25) – Manchester Music Hall, 899 Manchester St. (manchestermusichall.com)

▪ Sept. 9: Smash Mouth (TBA, free) - Christ the King Oktoberfest, 299 Colony Blvd. (ctkoktoberfest.com)

▪ Sept. 16: Asleep at the Wheel (7:30 p.m.: $35, $45) – Grand Theatre, 308 St. Clair St. in Frankfort (thegrandky.com)

▪ Sept. 20: Leo Kottke (7:30 p.m., $45) – Lyric Theatre and Cultural Arts Center, 300 E. Third.(tix.com)

▪ Oct. 6-9: Moonshiner’s Ball featuring Lucinda Williams, Ian Noe, S.G. Goodman and others (Times vary; $25-$150) – Rockcastle Riverside, 4211 Lower River Rd. in Livingston. (themoonshinersball.com)

▪ Nov. 11: The Del McCoury Band (7 p.m.; $25-$59.99) – Renfro Valley Entertainment Center, 2380 Richmond St. in Mount Vernon. (renfrovalley.com)

▪ Dec. 9: Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy (7:30 p.m.; $19-$75) - Norton Center for the Arts. 600 W. Walnut St. in Danville. (nortoncenter.com)

▪ Dec. 15: Leslie Odom, Jr. (7:30 p.m.; $55-$85) – EKU Center for the Arts in Richmond, 822 Hall Dr. in Richmond. (ekucenter.com)

Leslie Odom, Jr., will be at the EKU Center for the Arts in Richmond in December.
Leslie Odom, Jr., will be at the EKU Center for the Arts in Richmond in December.

Recommendations:

▪ The return of progressive bluegrass pros The Steeldrivers to Manchester Music Hall on Sept. 2 marks the regional debut of the band’s fourth and newest lead singer, Matt Dame. He replaced Berea native Kelvin Damrell who replaced Gary Nichols (the voice on 2015’s Grammy-winning “The Muscle Shoals Recordings” album) who replaced a then-little known Kentucky singer/songwriter by the name of Chris Stapleton.

▪ The Christ the King Oktoberfest is back in retro-rock mode this year. Its Sept. 9 headliner will be Southern California popsters Smash Mouth, whose parade of late ’90s hits include “Walkin’ on the Sun” and “All Star.” Only bassist Paul De Lisle remains from the original lineup. Longtime vocalist Steve Harwell bowed out earlier this year and was replaced by Zach Goode.

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