Summer Concert Preview

17 can't-miss summer concerts in Dallas-Fort Worth, from BTS to Shakira

K-pop band BTS will headline the biggest summer concert of 2026 in Dallas-Fort Worth at AT&T Stadium on August 15 and 16.

Photo courtesy of HYBE

The end of school means that summer has officially begun, and while the Dallas area always has plenty to offer, the many different concerts it will host over the next three months are near the top of the list.

The big artists coming to town in June, July, and August represent multiple genres and eras, giving music fans plenty of options to rock out (or just gently sway to their favorite tunes).

Below are some of the most-anticipated concerts of the summer, listed in chronological order. While not a comprehensive list of every concert taking place, it should serve as a guide to the musicians people want to see the most. (For more listings, check our event calendar.)

Charlie Puth - June 12, The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
The musical polymath Charlie Puth has worked with a variety of well-known singers over the years, including Meghan Trainor, Selena Gomez, James Taylor, Elton John, and Sabrina Carpenter. He's known for his inventive sound-making, with his concerts as much of celebration of his past work as they are laboratories for whatever new things his brain comes up with. Puth is touring in support of his new album, Whatever's Clever!.

Don Toliver - June 13, American Airlines Center
Houston rapper Don Toliver made a big splash with his 2020 debut album, Heaven or Hell, a kind of apt title since it was released on the day COVID shut the world down. Since then, he's only gotten bigger, with his new album, Octane, marking the first No. 1 album of his career. At this concert, he'll be joined by SahBabii, SoFaygo, and Chase B.

A$AP Rocky - June 18, American Airlines Center
When not hanging out and raising children with his better half, Rihanna, A$AP Rocky is enjoying life as one of the biggest rappers in the industry. His new solo album, Don't Be Dumb, was his first release in almost eight years, but it turns out he wasn't dumb for waiting so long to put it out, as it was his third No. 1 album in four tries.

Shakira - June 23, American Airlines Center
Even though she may not look it, Colombian singer Shakira is on the brink of 50 and has been releasing music for 35 years. Her latest album, 2024's Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran, translates as "Women don't cry anymore," and she's certainly not crying since it went to No. 1 in multiple countries, including on Billboard's Top U.S. Latin Albums chart. She was also nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for the first time in 2026, and even though she didn't make it this time, it's likely only a matter of time.

Shakira Shakira will perform at American Airlines Center in Dallas on June 23, 2026. Photo by Chris Cornejo

Hilary Duff - June 30, The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
Raise your hand if you knew Hilary Duff was a Texas native. Born in Houston and raised both there and San Antonio, Duff rode the Disney train to success in the early 2000s after playing the titular role in Lizzie McGuire. Her music career has seen two big hiatuses - 2007-2015 and then another 11-year hiatus until her 2026 album, Luck... or Something - but fans clearly don't mind waiting for her, as the new album went to No. 3 on the Billboard 200.

Outlaw Music Festival - July 3, The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
There won't be a better collection of musicians together at one place this summer than at the Outlaw Music Festival, headlined by the 93-year-old Willie Nelson. Joining him at this pre-Fourth of July event will be stars like Wilco, Sheryl Crow, Lukas Nelson, Stephen Wilson Jr., Margo Price, and Lily Meola.

Sarah McLachlan - July 26, The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
There were few bigger female singers in the 1990s than Sarah McLachlan, who had a string of top 10 albums and was the driving force behind the Lilith Fair festival. This concert doesn't have the cachet of her last visit in 2024, which celebrated the 30th anniversary of her 1993 breakout album, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, but fans will still have a great time singing along to McLachlan's greatest hits, as well as enjoying songs from her 2025 album, Better Broken.

Lionel Richie and Earth, Wind & Fire - July 29, American Airlines Center
Most classic acts tend to play at relatively small venues, but when R&B icons Lionel Richie and Earth, Wind & Fire join forces, it demands an arena atmosphere. Richie, best known these days as a judge on American Idol, has released 10 solo albums in his career, most recently Tuskegee in 2012. Earth, Wind & Fire, who amazingly still boast three early members, have released 22 albums in their career, most recently Holiday in 2014.

Lionel Richie joins Earth, Wind & Fire in concert. Photo courtesy of Lionel Richie

Noah Kahan - July 30, Globe Life Field
Stadium concerts will be a rarity this summer in Dallas-Fort Worth, but folk-pop singer/songwriter Noah Kahan is one of the few big acts to demand such a venue. Kahan failed to gain traction with his first two albums, but Stick Season in 2022 gave him the breakthrough he was looking for, featuring hits like the title song, "Northern Attitude" (with Hozier), and "Dial Drunk" (with Post Malone). His new album, The Great Divide, is even bigger, going to No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

Kesha - August 7, Dos Equis Pavilion
Pop singer Kesha is putting her money where her mouth is, as her 2025 album, . (PERIOD), is her first release on her new independent music label, Kesha Records. And she's promising that this tour, aptly titled The Freedom Tour, will be a celebration for both her and her fans, featuring "surreal visuals, cathartic sing-alongs, and the kind of emotional release that transforms arenas into spiritual safe places."

Kesha Kesha will play Dos Equis Pavilion this summer. Photo courtesy of Kesha

Ne-Yo and Akon in concert - August 8, Dos Equis Pavilion
Just a week or so after a co-headlining concert from two R&B legends will come this concert featuring two big contemporary R&B acts. For the past 20 years, Ne-Yo and Akon have dominated the R&B charts and earned the respect of fellow artists and fans. Ne-Yo has released nine albums in his career, most recently Self Explanatory in 2022, while Akon has released five albums in his career, most recently Akonda in 2019.

Train - August 15, Dos Equis Pavilion
Like many groups of their age, pop/rock band Train has reached the point of looking back with The Drops of Jupiter: 25 Years in The Atmosphere Tour. The tour will feature Train’s most iconic, chart-topping hits, including “Hey, Soul Sister,” “Drops of Jupiter,” “Drive By,” and more from their catalog spanning three decades. The band has released 11 albums in their career, most recently AM Gold in 2022.

BTS - August 15 and 16, AT&T Stadium
We have to get almost to the end of summer to have the biggest concert(s) of the summer featuring K-pop band BTS. The group is making their big comeback after a scheduled hiatus that allowed the young band members to complete their compulsory military service in South Korea. Now they're ready to conquer the world again, starting with their new album, Arirang, and a world tour that will include these two shows at Jerryworld in Arlington.

Benson Boone - August 21, American Airlines Center
It's been a busy few years for breakout star Benson Boone, as his 2024 debut album, Fireworks & Rollerblades, featured the hit "Beautiful Things" and earned him three Grammy nominations, including Best New Artist. The unrepentant flipper came back quickly with his second album, American Heart, in 2025, going even higher on the Billboard 200 to No. 2, and scoring with another hit, "Mystical Magical."

Benson Boone will be in concert August 21. Photo by Justin Campbell

Santana and The Doobie Brothers - August 22, American Airlines Center
The Latin rock of Carlos Santana and his band and the yacht rock of The Doobie Brothers wouldn't seem to be a natural fit together, but this is the second time they've toured together in the last decade. Maybe it's their ability to know what it's like to have a long history, as both of their careers date back to the early 1970s. And yet they're each still "current" acts, as Santana is touring in support of his 2025 album, Sentient, while The Doobie Brothers are touring in support of their 2025 album, Walk This Road.

Jack Johnson - August 30, Dos Equis Pavilion
With all of the boisterous and loud acts out playing today, there's something to be said for the gentle and pleasant music of Jack Johnson. The laidback singer who surfs almost every day in his native Hawaii is touring in support of his new album, SURFILMUSIC, the soundtrack for the forthcoming documentary chronicling Johnson’s evolution from surfer to filmmaker to world-renowned musician.

Buddy Guy - August 30, Majestic Theatre
The summer concert season comes to a close with one of the most legendary musicians still alive today, Blues guitarist Buddy Guy. Lest you think the 89-year-old is a relic of the past, Guy made a rare acting appearance in the 2025 blockbuster film, Sinners, and he also released the 20th album of his long career that same year, featuring the perfect title of Ain't Done with the Blues.

charlie puth concerts hilary duff music outlaw music festival shakira summer concerts

Movie Review

Eye-popping I Love Boosters takes aim at fashion and social issues

Photo courtesy of Neon

Naomi Ackie, Keke Palmer, Poppy Liu, and Taylour Paige in I Love Boosters.

Boots Riley’s first feature film, 2018’s Sorry to Bother You, was an auspicious and audacious debut that challenged viewers both with its subject matter and the visuals it contained. Even though it took eight years for him to put out his second film, Riley hasn’t lost his knack for outrageousness in the almost inexplicable I Love Boosters.

At its core, the movie is about three women - Corvette (Keke Palmer), Mariah (Taylour Paige), and Sade (Naomi Ackie) - who survive in the world by boosting (aka stealing) high-end fashion and reselling it for more affordable prices. In the surreal world in which the film takes place, their primary target is Metro Designers, a shop that deals in monochromatic clothes and is led by the eccentric CEO Christie Smith (Demi Moore).

The women’s felonious-but-low-stakes mission is up-ended by the appearance of Jianhu (Poppy Liu), who possesses a machine that shoplifts much better than they ever could. The only difference is that Jianhu is looking to expose the shoddy working conditions in the Chinese factories where Metro Designers’ clothes are made. Inspired, the women join forces on a quest that is as bizarre as it is righteous.

Riley, who both wrote and directed the film, loves his over-the-top visuals. There are eye-popping elements in almost every scene of the film, from the clothes in the Metro Designers stores to the oddly-slanted floors of Smith’s office to the bold masks worn by the group during one heist. Every weird thing on screen serves a purpose, though, even the transformation of Pinky Ring Guy (LaKeith Stanfield) from an object of Corvette’s desire into a soul-sucker with an unusual method.

While not quite as pointed as Sorry to Bother You, which had Black characters affecting “white” voices to be more appealing to the general public, the film does take aim at a variety of different social issues. The idea of wealth inequality is front-and-center, with Corvette and her friends forced to squat in an abandoned restaurant. The treatment of Chinese factory workers, fashion industry practices and excesses, and more crop up over the course of the film.

The latter half of the film gets crazier, if that’s even possible. Jianhu’s machine introduces sci-fi elements into the story, with the same circular contraption able to transport, disintegrate, and transform objects or people. Combined with the visuals and storyline, the film becomes something that is both wildly entertaining and also somewhat incomprehensible.

While the movie has a large cast, Palmer is inarguably the star. With her effervescent acting style and an overall inviting demeanor, she sells every bonkers turn the film takes. Each of the supporting actors gets a moment to shine, but Paige, Ackie, and Moore have the most impact. Stanfield is memorable in a creepy kind of way, but he’s been better in other films.

I Love Boosters is one of the more outlandish and interesting films to come out in 2026, a long-awaited return from Riley that demonstrates his strong storytelling and filmmaking voice. Even if it’s not clear exactly what’s happening at every turn, the acting and the audacity of the visuals keeps the film extremely watchable.

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I Love Boosters is now playing in theaters.

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