By Emily Davis, ’27
Entertainment Editor
From Fenway park to Gillette Stadium and the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, the Boston area was packed with concerts this summer. Some of the biggest names came to Massachusetts, giving fans plenty of chances to see major acts without traveling far from home.
One of the biggest concert stories from the summer was Noah Kahan’s four-night run at Fenway Park. The Vermont singer performed July 7, 8, 10 and 11, bringing more than 150,000 fans to the ballpark. Kahan also became the first artist to sell out four consecutive shows at Fenway. His connection to New England made shows especially exciting for local fans.
Outside Boston, BTS brought one of summer’s largest events to Gillette Stadium in Foxborough. The K-pop group performed two shows on August 5th and 6th as part of the BTS World Tour. According to Pollstar, the two Gillette shows sold 132,943 tickets combined. The concerts also created huge demands for transportation, with the special MBTA trains selling out within minutes.
Meanwhile, some big concerts at the TD Garden were Shakira’s Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour and Ariana Grande’s Eternal Sunshine Tour. On July 10 and 11, Shakira returned to Boston for her first show in over 20 years. Her return attracted longtime fans who have been waiting literally decades to see her. On Grande’s Eternal Sunshine Tour, she also returned to Boston after several years, bringing out fans for the three nights in July she performed.
Back at Fenway, another popular concert was Zac Brown Band on August 2nd. The country group continued its long history at Fenway by selling out the stadium for the 15th consecutive time. The concert gave country music fans a chance to see the band perform some of its biggest hits in one of Boston’s most famous locations.
Meanwhile the Xfinity Center in Mansfeild gave fans a different mix of music. Dave Matthews Band, Kid Cudi, Muse, Kesha, TLC, Salt-N-Pepa, and Pitbull were among the artists who performed there over the summer.
With huge crowds at stadiums, packed shows at Fenway, and a busy schedule at the Xfinity Center, the Boston area had a concert-filled summer. Whether fans were there for pop, country, rock, hip-hop or K-pop, there was no shortage of major artists to see. For many local music fans, the summer of 2026 will be remembered for the unusually large number of major concerts that came to the area.
