Outdoor concerts heat up summer

Live music fills the calendar, so make your plans

Summer starts on Sunday, June 21, which means ... outdoor concerts!

Summer means voices and instruments entertaining folks from Troutdale to Portland to the fairs and places beyond.

Here’s a rundown of some of the summer’s hottest onstage action:

McMenamins Edgefield 2126 S.W. Halsey St., Troutdale

It’s the 10th year of Concerts on the Lawn, and it’s already begun. There are tickets remaining to a slew of events, including: Sheryl Crow, Lera Lynn, July 7; Morrissey, July 23; Steve Miller Band, Aug. 4; Pink Martini, Aug. 28-29.

Many events have sold out on the spectacular schedule, including Willie Nelson and Alison Krauss, Wilco and Brandi Carlile. The Decemberists also likely will be sold out, organizers say — but, hey, maybe you know someone with tickets (although Edgefield warns against buying tickets off Craigslist).

Edgefield’s lawn holds

about 5,000 rumps. For info: www.edgefieldconcerts.com.

Main Street fun

Southwest Main Street, between Broadway and Park avenues

Each Wednesday, on the street next to the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, there’ll be a stage set up with entertainers doing their thing at noon and then more at 5 p.m., free to the public.

The Summer Arts on Main Street and Noontime Showcase and the Music on Main Street summer outdoor concert series present:

July 8 — noon Kate Power and Mark Einhorn (quality folk); 5 p.m. The Minus 5

July 15 — noon Unit Souzou Drummers; 5 p.m. Joey Porter’s Tribute to Stevie Wonder

July 22 — noon Pendulum Aerial Arts; 5 p.m. The Shanghai Woolies

July 29 — noon Marti Mendenhall (jazz); 5 p.m., 3 Leg Torso

Aug. 5 — noon Hot Club of Hawthorne (jazz/swing); 5 p.m. Melao de Cuba

Aug. 12 — noon JT Wise Band; 5 p.m. Freak Mountain Ramblers

Aug. 19 — no noon or 5 p.m. shows

Aug. 26 — noon The Beat Goes On (marching band); 5 p.m. Brothers and Sisters

Sept. 2 — noon Beacock Music Swing Band; 5 p.m. Jujuba

For more: www.portland5.com.

Noon Tunes

Pioneer Courthouse Square

The 24th season of free concerts, curated by 101.9 KINK-FM, doesn’t start until mid-July, but plan to hear any of the following during the lunch hour (noon to 1 p.m.): Jeremy Wilson, July 15; Shoebox Letters, July 17; Lilla, July 22; Matt Brown, July 24; Ashleigh Flynn, July 29; John Thayer, July 31; Lincoln’s Beard, Aug. 5; Dresses, Aug. 7; Jared Evers, Aug. 12; Hawks Do Not Share, Aug. 14.

For info: www.thesquarepdx.org.

Concerts in the Park

Portland parks

The sheer number of concerts and the variety of performers make the Portland Parks & Recreation annual concert series one of the city’s must-do activities. It’s part of the parks’ Summer Free For All, and all concert info can be found at www.PortlandParks.org.

All concerts begin at 6:30 p.m.

Here’s an educated guess on some of the better concerts at each park:

Sellwood Riverfront — Chervona, July 6; Mount Tabor — Lisa Mann and Her Really Good Band, July 28; Columbia Park Annex — The Quadraphonnes, July 21; Kenton — Norman Sylvester Band, Aug. 4; McCoy — Andy Stokes, Aug. 25; Dawson — Pilon D’Azucar Band, July 29; Willamette — Darrell Grant, July 8; Ventura — Obo Addy Legacy Project: Okropong, Aug. 26; Wallace — Karen Lovely, July 16; Glenhaven — Vagabond Opera, July 16; Berrydale — Tony Starlight, Aug. 6; Couch — Lloyd Jones, Aug. 13; Fernhill — Hank Shreve Band, July 10; Lovejoy Fountain — Curtis Salgado, Aug. 14; Unthank — Melao De Cuba, July 12.

There’ll also be independent concerts by the Portland Festival Symphony, 6 p.m. July 25 (Cathedral), Aug. 1 (Laurelhurst), Aug. 2 (Peninsula) and Aug. 8 (Grant).

The big park event is the Washington Park Summer Festival, featuring: Brass Ops, Aug. 7; Operarama in the Park, Aug. 8; Portland Festival Symphony, Aug. 9; Reggie Houston’s Crescent City Connection, Aug. 10; Johnny Limbo & The Lugnuts, Aug. 11; The Many Colors of Edna Vazquez, Aug. 12; Tizer Quartet, Aug. 13; “Grease” the movie, Aug. 14.

Oregon State Fair

Salem

Musical lineup for the 150th Oregon State Fair: Everclear, Aug. 28; Gary Allan, Aug. 29; Becky G, Aug. 30; Gabriel Iglesias, Aug. 31; Vince Gill, Sept. 1; Casting Crowns, Sept. 2; Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, Sept. 3; Jerrod Nieman, Sept. 4; Eric Burdon & The Animals, Sept. 5; Dan & Shay, and Kelsea Ballerini, Sept. 7.

For more: www.oregonstatefair.org.

Among other fair concert highlights: Flo Rida will be at the Washington County Fair,

July 31 (bigfairfun.com); Kansas (Aug. 7) and Montgomery Gentry (Aug. 9) are two acts at the Clark County Fair (www.clarkcofair.com).

Oregon Zoo

4001 S.W. Canyon Road

There are some sold-out shows, including Chicago on June 21 and “Weird Al” Yankovic in September, but there are tickets available for most shows: The B-52s, June 27; Indigo Girls, July 11; Bruce Hornsby and The Noisemakers, July 24; Mavis Staples (and others), July 25; John Butler Trio, July 26; Emmylou Harris/Rodney Crowell, July 31; Ziggy Marley, Aug. 8; Trampled By Turtles, Aug. 15; Chris Isaak, Aug. 22; Peter Frampton/Cheap Trick, Aug. 27; “A Prairie Home Companion,” Aug. 28; Huey Lewis and the News, Aug. 29.

For info: www.zooconcerts.com.

Maryhill Winery

9774 Highway 14, Goldendale, Wash.

It’s a popular out-of-the-city destination — and it also has wine! The venue books free concerts, 1-5 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday through September. Upcoming shows: Brian Copeland Band, June 28; Sara Jackson Holman, July 19; Karen Lovely Band, Aug. 1 and 28. For info: www.maryhillwinery.com.

Amphitheater Northwest

17200 N.E. Delfel Road, Ridgefield, Wash.

Technically it’s outdoors, but it can be indoors during bad weather. This year promises another stellar summer lineup, including: Van Halen, July 7; Zac Brown Band, July 12; Train, July 24; Aerosmith, July 28; Fall Out Boy/Wiz Khalifa, Aug. 1; Kid Rock, Sept. 4; Tim McGraw, Sept. 5; Def Leppard, Sept. 17.

For info: www.sleepcountryamphitheater.com.

Waterfront Blues Festival

Waterfront Park

And we can’t forget about the Waterfront Blues Festival, maybe Portland’s ultimate summer concert. It’ll feature the likes of Buddy Guy, Gregg Allman and Macy Gray, July 2-5 (www.waterfrontbluesfest.com).