Summer music heats up 2025

Summer is the time to kick back at concerts. Scroll through our gallery of some of 2025’s leading live acts, featuring images by CBS News photojournalist Jake Barlow and photographers Ed Spinelli and Kirstine Walton.  

Pictured: The Louisville rock band My Morning Jacket played at the Riverside Theater in Milwaukee, Wis., April 18, 2025. 

Teddy Swims

Singer-songwriter Teddy Swims played the Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island in Chicago, July 23, 2025, part of his “I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy” tour.

Teddy Swims

The crowd came out for Teddy Swims’ makeup concert at the Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island in Chicago, Ill., July 23, 2025. Earlier in the month, Teddy’s appearance at the same venue was swamped, as a thunderstorm and lightning caused flash flooding that forced the show to be postponed after just three songs – ironically, cut short right before the song “She Loves the Rain”(!).

Pantera

Zakk Wylde performs with the heavy metal band Pantera, at the Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre in Tinley Park, Ill., July 19, 2025 – part of the “Heaviest Tour of the Summer.”

Amon Amarth

Opening for Pantera was the Swedish death metal band Amon Amarth, at Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre in Tinley Park, Ill., July 19, 2025. (Pictured: Guitarist Olavi Mikkonen.)

Parkway Drive

The Summer of Loud tour, running across the country this summer, stopped by Tinley Park, Ill., on July 13, 2025, at the Credit 1 Union Amphitheatre. The tour’s lineup features a mix of rock, metalcore and hardcore bands.

In Illinois, the roster included the Australian band Parkway Drive (pictured: guitarists Luke Kilpatrick and Jeff Ling).

The Amity Affliction

Joel Birch, vocalist for Australia’s The Amity Affliction, didn’t let a broken foot get in the way of performing in the Summer of Loud tour, at the Credit 1 Union Amphitheatre in Tinley Park, Ill., July 13, 2025.

Kingdom of Giants

Dana Willax, lead vocalist of the Sacramento band Kingdom of Giants, performed as part of the Summer of Loud tour, at the Credit 1 Union Amphitheatre in Tinley Park, Ill., July 13, 2025. Their new EP, “Burning Chrome,” will be released in August.

I Prevail

The rock band I Prevail performs at Summer of Loud, at the Credit 1 Union Amphitheatre in Tinley Park, Ill., July 13, 2025. (Pictured: Dylan Bowman and Eric Vanlerberghe.) Their appearance comes ahead of their latest album release, “Violent Nature,” in September.

Alpha Wolf

The Australian band Alpha Wolf, fronted by lead vocalist Lochie Keogh, appeared as part of the Summer of Loud tour, at the Credit 1 Union Amphitheatre in Tinley Park, Ill., July 13, 2025.

Beartooth

Caleb Shomo goes airborne during a performance by the hardcore punk band Beartooth, at Summer of Loud tour in Tinley Park, Ill., July 13, 2025.

The Devil Wears Prada

Giuseppe Capolupo, drummer for the metalcore band The Devil Wears Prada, performs during the Summer of Loud tour, at the Credit 1 Union Amphitheatre in Tinley Park, Ill., July 13, 2025.

Killswitch Engage

Jesse Leach, lead singer for Killswitch Engage, performs on the Summer of Loud tour, at the Credit 1 Union Amphitheatre in Tinley Park, Ill., July 13, 2025. Their latest album, released in February, is “This Consequence.”

Summerfest

Summerfest was held over three weekends in Milwaukee. With 600 artists performing over nine days at 14 venues, it is billed as the world’s largest music festival.

The opening day lineup, on Thursday, June 19, 2025, featured a special ceremony commemorating both the festival and Juneteenth, with performances by Gary Clark Jr. (pictured), Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and The Isley Brothers.

More than 600 School of Rock students also participated in sound checks and artist workshops, reported CBS 58.

Aly & AJ

The sister pop duo Aly & AJ (Alyson and Amanda Joy Michalka) performed at Summerfest on June 19, 2025 in Milwaukee. Their most recent studio album, “Silver Deliverer,” was released in May.

Tesla

Tesla (the rock band, not the car) performed at Milwaukee’s Summerfest on June 19, 2025, as a special guest of the headliners Def Leppard.

The Sacramento band, currently on their Keepin’ It Real Tour, performed “Miles Away,” “Heaven’s Trail (No Way Out),” “Love Song,” “Signs,” and “Little Suzi.” 

Def Leppard

The heavy metal band Def Leppard (Pictured, from left: vocalist Joe Elliott, guitarist Phil Collen, bassist Rick Savage, drummer Rick Allen and guitarist Vivian Campbell) headlined the opening day of Summerfest in Milwaukee, June 19, 2025.

Their setlist include “Let’s Get Rocked,” “Armageddon It,” “Love Bites,” “Rocket,” “Photograph,” and “Rock of Ages.” 

Betty Who

Australian singer-musician Betty Who (Jessica Anne Newham) took to the stage at Summerfest on Friday, June 20, 2025, on the Aurora Health Care Stage. 

Gigi Perez

Singer-songwriter Gigi Perez performed at Summerfest on Friday, June 20, 2025. She released her first studio album, “At the Beach, in Every Life,” this past spring.

Dispatch

The indie band Dispatch played at Summerfest, June 20, 2025, on the Miller Light Stage. (Pictured: drummer Jon Reilly.)

Their setlist included “Painted Yellow Lines,” “Only the Wild Ones,” and “Circles Around the Sun.”

Paul Young

English singer-musician Paul Young performed at Summerfest on June 20, 2025 in Milwaukee.

Grand Funk Railroad

Drummer Don Brewer (left) and bassist Mel Schacher, of the rock band Grand Funk Railroad, on the ULINE Stage at Summerfest in Milwaukee, June 20, 2025.

Hozier

Irish musician Andrew John Hozier-Byrne, known as Hozier, was the headliner on Day Two of Summerfest, performing at the American Family Insurance Amphitheater in Milwaukee, June 20, 2025.  

He performed “Take Me to Church,” “From Eden,” “Work Song,” “Someone New,” “Almost (Sweet Music),” “Eat Your Young,” and his #1 hit, “Too Sweet.” 

James Taylor

James Taylor was the headline act on Day Three of Summerfest in Milwaukee, June 21, 2025. The six-time Grammy-winner performed “Carolina in My Mind,” “Up on the Roof,” “You’ve Got a Friend,” “Sweet Baby James,” “Fire and Rain,” “Shed a Little Light,” and “Your Smiling Face.”

Jason Mraz

Opening for James Taylor was Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Jason Mraz. He performed “The Remedy (I Won’t Worry),” “I’m Yours,’ Make It Mine,” and “I Won’t Give Up.”

Lainey Wilson

Lainey Wilson was a headliner on Day One of Summerfest’s second weekend, Thursday, June 26, 2025. The country singer-songwriter (currently on her Whirlwind World Tour) performed such hits as “Things a Man Oughta Know,” “Heart Like a Truck,” “Watermelon Moonshine,” “Wildflowers and Wild Horses,” and “4x4xU.”

Devo

Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo. The new wave band headlined the ULINE Stage on Day One of Summerfest’s second weekend, June 26, 2025.

Local H

The rock band Local H performed at Summerfest, Friday, June 27, 2025 in Milwaukee. Their setlist included “All the Kids Are Right,” “California Songs,” “‘Cha!’ Said the Kitty,” “Bound for the Floor,” and “Eddie Vedder.”

Cake

John McCrea, lead singer of the rock band Cake, which headlined Summerfest’s BMO Stage on Friday, June 27, 2025. The rock band from Sacramento performed “The Distance,” “Never There,” “Short Skirt/Long Jacket,” and “Sick of You,” as well as a cover of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs.”

Cold War Kids

Cold War Kids, an indie rock band from Long Beach, Calif., opened for The Killers at the American Family Insurance Amphitheater on Friday, June 27, 2025, at Milwaukee’s Summerfest.

Billy Corgan and the Machines of God

Billy Corgan (a co-founder of Smashing Pumpkins), touring this summer with The Machines of God, performed at Summerfest, Friday, June 27, 2025, in Milwaukee.

Their setlist of Smashing Pumpkins songs included music from the albums “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness,” “Machina/The Machine of God,” and “Machina II/The Friends and Enemies of Modern Music.”

Chuckyy

The rapper Chuckyy played the Summerfest Generac Stage, Saturday, June 28, 2025 in Milwaukee.

Smallpools

The indie pop band Smallpools opened for Young The Giant on the U.S. Cellular Stage at Summerfest, Saturday, June 28, 2025 in Milwaukee. Their most recent album was “Ghost Town Road.”

Young the Giant

The rock band Young The Giant headlined Summerfest’s U.S. Cellular Stage on Saturday, June 28, 2025 in Milwaukee. Their setlist included “My Body,” “Cough Syrup,” “Something to Believe In,” and “Superposition.”

The Fray

From Denver, the rock band The Fray headlined the Summerfest ULINE Warehouse Stage on Saturday, June 28, 2025 in Milwaukee.

The Mavericks

The Mavericks, the Grammy-winning band from Miami, were the headline act on the Miller Light Stage at Summerfest, Saturday, June 28, 2025 in Milwaukee.

Enuff Z’Nuff

With the third weekend of Summerfest in Milwaukee, Enuff Z’Nuff, a glam metal band, took to the ULINE Stage on Thursday, July 3, 2025. (Pictured: Chip Z’Nuff.)

This month marks the release of the band’s 18th album, “Xtra Cherries.”

Friko

The indie duo Friko (Bailey Minzenberger and Niko Kapetan) played Summerfest in Milwaukee on Thursday, July 3, 2025. 

Lovejoy

The British indie band Lovejoy headlined Summerfest’s Miller Lite Stage on Thursday, July 3, 2025 in Milwaukee.

Benson Boone

The singing and somersaulting superstar Benson Boone was headliner at the American Family Insurance Amphitheater on Thursday, July 3, 2025. With his latest album, “American Heart,” hitting #2 on the Billboard charts, Boone’s setlist included “Sorry I’m Here for Someone Else,” “Mr. Electric Blue,” “Mystical Magical,” “Momma Song,” “Take Me Home,” and “Young American Heart.”

The Aces

Supporting headliner Benson Boone at Summerfest were The Aces, an alternative pop group from Provo, Utah. (Pictured, clockwise from top left: vocalist Cristal Ramirez, guitarist Katie Henderson, drummer Alisa Ramirez, and bassist McKenna Petty.)

Plague Vendor

Brandon Blaine, lead singer of the band Plague Vendor, performs on the Miller Lite Stage (and helps out with sound for guitarist Jay Rogers, Friday, July 4, 2025 in Milwaukee.

Social Distortion

The punk band Social Distortion headlined the Miller Lite Stage at Summerfest on Friday, July 4, 2025. (Pictured: Guitarist Mike Ness, and drummer David Hidalgo Jr., son of David Hidalgo of the band Los Lobos.)

Alex Warren

Singer-songwriter Alex Warren brought his #1 hit “Ordinary” to the U.S. Cellular Stage at Summerfest on Friday, July 4, 2025. He also performed “Burning Down,” “Troubled Waters,” “Carry You Home” and “Before You Leave Me.”  

July marks the release of his first studio album, “You’ll Be Alright, Kid.”

Gary Lewis & the Playboys

Gary Lewis & the Playboys performed at Summerfest in Milwaukee on Friday, July 4, 2025. 

We Came as Romans

The Michigan metalcore band We Came as Romans was the opening act for Bad Omens at the American Family Insurance Amphitheater at Summerfest, July 4, 2025 in Milwaukee. Their latest album, “All Is Beautiful … Because We’re Doomed,” drops in August.

Chicago

Headlining the BMO Stage on July 4, 2025 was Chicago, whose setlist included such hits as “Beginnings,” “Colour My World,” “Saturday in the Park,” “Just You ‘n’ Me,” “Old Days,” “If You Leave Me Now,” “Hard to Say I’m Sorry,” and “25 or 6 to 4.”

Sophie Hunter

Hailing from Brooklyn, Sophie Hunter (“I make alternative pop-rap”) performed on the final day of Summerfest, on the Aurora Health Care Stage, Saturday, July 5, 2025.

Babymetal

Babymetal, a Japanese “kawaii metal” band, headlined the ULINE Stage at Summerfest on Saturday, July 5, 2025.

Hippo Campus

The indie rock band Hippo Campus opened for the Lumineers on Saturday, July 5, 2025 at Summerfest. (Pictured: DeCarlo Jackson.)

The Lumineers

The Lumineers, an alternative folk band from Denver, were Summerfest’s closing night headliners at the American Family Insurance Amphitheater on Saturday, July 5, 2025. Their most recent album was “Automatic.”

Chris Stapleton

Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and musician Chris Stapleton played the Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre in Tinley Park, Ill., on Saturday, June 28, 2025, part of his “All-American Road Show.”

Queens of the Stone Age

Josh Homme, a founding member of the band Queens of the Stone Age, performs with the group at Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island in Chicago, June 21, 2025.

QOTSA’s set list included “I Sat By the Ocean,” “My God Is the Sun,” “Make It With Chu,” “No One Knows,” and “Little Sister.” 

The Kills

The rock duo The Kills (singer Alison Mosshart and guitarist Jamie Hince) were the opening act for Queens of the Stone Age at Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island in Chicago, June 21, 2025. Their setlist included “Future Starts Slow,” “U.R.A. Fever,” “Black Balloon,” and “Kissy Kissy.”

Pierce the Veil

The San Diego rock band Pierce the Veil brought their “I Can’t Hear You” world tour to the Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre in Tinley Park, Ill, on June 7, 2025. Pictured: Bassist Jaime Preciado.

Pierce the Veil

Lead guitarist Tony Perry of Pierce the Veil.

Among the songs they performed: “Pass the Nirvana,” “Emergency Contact,” “Death of an Executioner,” and “Bulls in the Bronx.” 

Pierce the Veil

Pierce the Veil said the 26,000 people who showed up for the sold-out show in Tinley Park, Ill., on June 7, was the band’s biggest show turnout ever. 

The Weeknd

Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (a.k.a. The Weeknd) brought his “After Hours til Dawn” tour (which began three years ago) to Chicago’s Soldier Field on Saturday, May 31, 2025. The singer, wearing a mask with glowing eyes, opened with “The Abyss,” from his recent film “Hurry Up Tomorrow,” about a singer having a mental breakdown. It was the first of almost 40 songs performed. 

The Weeknd

Dancers on stage with The Weeknd at Soldier Field in Chicago, May 31, 2025. 

Sessanta

The touring heavy metal concert “Sessanta” is a collaboration of the bands Puscifer, Primus, and A Perfect Circle. They performed at the American Family Insurance Amphitheatre in Milwaukee on May 31, 2025, before heading to St. Paul, Minn., Omaha, Neb., and Washington State.

Pictured, clockwise from top left: Vocalist Maynard James Keenan, of A Perfect Circle and Puscifer; A Perfect Circle lead guitarist Billy Howerdel; Primus’ Les Claypool (lead vocals and bass); beneath the poodle mask is Josh Freese, a recent alumni of Foo Fighters who has rejoined A Perfect Circle; Puscifer vocalist Carina Round; and drummer John Hoffman of Primus, in a Batman mask. 

AC/DC

The Australian rock band AC/DC performed at Soldier Field in Chicago, Saturday, May 24, 2025.  Their set list included some of their most famous songs, including “Highway to Hell,” “You Shook Me All Night Long,” “Back in Black,” “Thunderstruck,” and “Let There Be Rock,” as well as “Demon Fire,” from “Power Up,” their 17th studio album, which went to #1 around the world upon its release in November 2020.

Pictured: Lead singer Brian Johnson, and co-founder Angus Young. 

Paul Simon

Paul Simon played the first of three shows at Chicago’s Symphony Center on May 23, 2025. Opening with songs from his most recent album, “Seven Psalms,” he performed selections with his wife, Edie Brickell. He also played songs from the Simon back catalog, from “Graceland” and “Homeward Bound,” to “Slip Slidin’ Away” and “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard.”

Rival Sons

The rock band Rival Sons (featuring lead singer Jay Buchanan and guitarist Scott Holiday) played at the Rialto Square Theatre in Joliet, Ill., on May 1, 2025, before heading off to Canada, and a European tour.

Their set list included “Nobody Wants to Die,” “Too Bad,” “Do Your Worst,” and “Shooting Stars.”

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds performed the first of two shows at the Salt Shed in Chicago on April 28, 2025 – stops on the group’s “The Wild God Tour.”

An actor and writer as well as a musician, Cave has recorded 18 studio albums with The Bad Seeds; their latest is “Wild God,” whose tracks include “Frogs,” “Joy,” “Song of the Lake” and “Long Dark Night.”  

Trivium

The heavy metal band Trivium performed at the Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom in Chicago on April 26, 2025. It was one stop on their “Poisoned Ascendancy Tour,” which they are co-headlining with Bullet For My Valentine.

Trivium

Matt Heafy of Trivium. The heavy metal band is marking the 20th anniversary of their album “Ascendancy” by performing its songs live – for the last time. Their set list included “The End of Everything,” “Pull Harder on the Strings of Your Martyr,” “A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation,” and “Like Light to the Flies.”  

OK Go

Originally formed in Chicago, the rock band OK Go returned to the Windy City for a performance at the Riviera Theater on April 25, 2025. Their latest album is “And the Adjacent Possible.” 

My Morning Jacket

 My Morning Jacket played at the Riverside Theater in Milwaukee, Wis., April 18, 2025. Pictured (clockwise from top left): Vocalist Jim James, bassist Tom Blankenship, drummer Patrick Hallahan, guitarist Carl Broemel, and keyboardist Bo Koster.

After launching their 2025 tour on April 1 in Chattanooga, the group added summer and fall dates across the U.S. through November 1. 

Geoff Tate

Geoff Tate, a founding singer from Seattle’s heavy metal band Queensrÿche, performed at the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, Ill., April 11, 2025.

Michael Monroe

Finnish singer Michael Monroe, who was a founding member of the ’80s rock band Hanoi Rocks, performed at the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, Ill., on April 6, 2025.  The leadoff song of his set list was “Dead, Jail or Rock ‘n’ Roll.”

He also sang several Hanoi Rocks songs, including “Motorvatin’,” “Up Around the Bend,” “Malibu Beach Nightmare,” and “Don’t You Ever Leave Me.”

Kylie Minogue

Australian singer-songwriter Kylie Minogue arrived at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill, on April 2, 2025. 

Kylie Minogue

Minogue’s set, stretched across five acts, included “last night I dreamt I fell in love,” “Lights, Camera, Action,” “Edge of Saturday Night,” “Tension,” “Padam Padam,” “Timebomb” and “Get Outta My Way.” She also sang covers of music by Carole King, Pandora, and Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds. 

Deftones

Chino Moreno, the lead singer of Deftones, an alternative metal band hailing from Sacramento, Calif., performed at the United Center in Chicago, March 31, 2025. Their set list included “Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away),” “Diamond Eyes,” “Hole in the Earth,” and “Swerve City.”

Bishop Briggs

The English singer-songwriter Bishop Briggs (touring for her new album, “Tell My Therapist I’m Fine”) stopped by Metro in Chicago on March 22, 2025. She performed “River,” “Wild Horses,” “Champion,” “White Flag,” and “My Seratonin.”

Deftones

A scintillating Deftones concert in Chicago.

      
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Photographer Jake Barlow (Instagram)

Photographer Ed Spinelli (Instagram)

Photographer Kirstine Walton (Instagram)

      
Edited by senior producer David Morgan.