After the 2022 summer concert season continued into the fall, 2023 is on track to be another year of big-name artists. Major tour announcements are still being made. But local dates with these hometown heroes, controversial country stars and certified pop icons are the most anticipated concerts of 2023, which are now booked.
Bruce Springsteen
At the age of 73, the sultan of comfy jeans released Only the Strong Survive in November. It’s an all-around solid record from a late career we didn’t necessarily need for a rock ‘n’ roll icon, but it puts a fun wrinkle on the classic rock Captain America canon. Long a man of the people’s music, Springsteen warmed to demand-driven ticket prices for his first post-lockout show, which brought the Boss and his E Street Band back to Seattle in nearly four years. The response to the marathon in 2016 is understandable. As of this writing, some of the remaining tickets started at around $380 for a nosebleed. February 27; Climate Pledge Arena:; $379.50-$795.50; klimapledgearena.com
SZA:
They say absence makes the heart grow fonder (or something like that). So when SZA unleashed her long-awaited follow-up to the modern R&B classic “Ctrl,” fans drank it like a bottle of Dasani in the desert. The singer’s sophomore album, released in December, featured an expansive mastery of sound, with tangled pop-punk dalliances (“F2F”), cerebral pop-head floaters and acoustic emotional outpourings (“Nobody Gets Me”) that showed the genre’s walls couldn’t hold her back. : . In her first appearance on the bona fide scene, SZA tapped alt-R&B frontman Omar Apollo for support. March 16; Climate Pledge Arena:, tickets remaining as of this writing start at $255.50; klimapledgearena.com
Echoes through the canyon
Expanding from one night to three, Brandi Carlile’s annual Pilgrimage to the Canyon is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated concert weekends Washington has seen in years, thanks to her legendary friend Joni Mitchell and the Joni Jam Band on Saturday night. The dream-come-true addition follows Mitchell’s first public performance in years, sharing the stage with Carlyle and friends for a semi-surprise set at the 2022 Newport Folk Festival. Although Friday and Saturday are sold out, tickets remain for Sunday’s rare performance with Carlile’s country supergroup The Highwomen and special guest Tanya Tucker. June 9-11; Canyon amphitheater; Sunday tickets start at $55; liveation.com
George Strait
Seattle country fans are in luck with the King of Country’s spring/summer six-hour set, which puts our local ballpark on its 2023 limited draw as the 70-year-old star, who boasts an incredible 33 platinum albums, is off to a flying start. do mega shows on major tours these days. Joining the big country of the era, the modern star is in old-soul Chris Stapleton, along with the harmoniously upbeat quartet Little Big City. The rest of the nosebleeds start at a ridiculous $255. June 17; Lumen field; $255-$2840; lumenfield.com
Janet Jackson
The youngest performer in pop royalty has a lot to celebrate in her first post-pandemic campaign. Jackson’s Together Again tour looks to be a career-long 50-year toast to the music industry, with a special focus on iconic ’90s albums. and “Velvet Rope” in honor of important anniversaries. Announcing the tour, which ends in Seattle, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer also teased new music, hinting at what will be his first studio album since 2015’s Unbreakable . June 21; Climate Pledge Arena:; $45.45-$504.50; klimapledgearena.com
Dead & Company
This official Grateful Dead line-up, featuring heyday members Bob Weir, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann with the surprisingly well-received John Mayer, is calling it quits after seven years of satisfying appreciative Deadheads. But not without one last lucrative summer run. At the end of their farewell tour, the jam-rock gods are rocking the Canyons in the Northwest over the weekend before hitting the dance floor in their hometown of San Francisco for three nights. At the time of this writing, only the precious “Official Platinum” tickets remain. July 7-8; Canyon amphitheater; $429.50; liveation.com
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift’s universe is at the center of two of the music industry’s biggest fights, between Ticketmaster’s fallout from the failure of her Eras tour and Swift’s continued recording of her back catalog in one of the music business’s all-time best middle fingers. (Somewhere, Prince slowly claps his plate.) Seismic Swift’s act often has a little drama, but don’t let it overshadow the flawless dreamy synth-pop she blessed us with on her fall LP Midnights. On the album Grammy. A candidate of the year for headlining the prolific Pandemic studio, he’s coming off of with this stadium tour. Soft rocking sisters HAIM and rising bedroom pop singer Gracie Abrams open. July 22-23; Lumen field; sold
Ed Sheeran
Looks like the British boy-next-door pop juggernaut has grown up. Ed Sheeran’s latest album, 2021’s = , is peppered with the hard-hitting musings of a new father and husband north of 30. One thing that hasn’t changed is the mass appeal of the innocuous Epopsmith, with his mathematical tour de force over. Lumen Field this summer with the support of Khalid and Maisie Peters. August 23; Lumen field; $79-$139; lumenfield.com
Bumbershoot
Seattle’s Labor Day weekend festival looks set to return from a three-year hiatus under new organizers New Rising Sun, who have promised to revive Bumbershoot’s bohemian magic while slashing ticket prices and moving away from giant headliners. A cadre of local music/arts/nightlife impresarios have yet to release details. But for opinionated music fans and longtime Seattleites, the return of the beloved Seattle Center festival is sure to be the most anticipated (and scrutinized) concert event of the year. Labor Day weekend; ticket details not yet announced; Seattle Center
Postal Service and Death Cabin for Cutie
Twenty years ago, Ben Gibbard’s most famous bands released two certified classics that captured a generation of breakups and college road trips. 2000s indie kids who’ve been putting their Give Up and Transatlanticism CDs on repeat (or stealing them from Napster) will get a chance to see a reunited Postal Service and Death Cab perform their era-defining albums in their entirety during a joint meeting. – a headlining run that includes two sold-out Seattle dates. While Death Cab’s remained indie rock and released one of their best albums in years, this marks the first time The Postal Service’s Jimmy Tamborello, Jenny Lewis and Gibbard have reunited since their 2013 solo album tour. On the 10th anniversary. Pop’s second biggest seller. October 6-7; Climate Pledge Arena:; sold
Morgan Wallen
The scrappy country star has been a commercial steamroller since the release of his 2021 double-album “Dangerous,” when his dominance wasn’t hindered (or perhaps bolstered) by Wallen’s racial slur video. No matter how you feel about the raging lightning rod, Wallen has remained Nashville’s hottest star for the past few years. In December, Wallen became the first artist to have three top-10 songs on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart with a trio of singles that previewed his upcoming album. After headlining the Watershed in 2022, Wallen returns to Washington, D.C. this fall for sold-out dates on his One Night tour. ERNEST and BAILEY ZIMMERMAN open up. October 7; Tacoma Dome; sold
