Time it correctly and you could see some of your favorite bands and comedians while you vacation at the Delaware and Maryland beaches. The Freeman Arts Pavilion, formerly known as the Freeman Stage, in Selbyville, Delaware, hosts some of the same acts you see at Wolf Trap, Jiffy Lube Live, and The Birchmere.
Jerry Seinfeld’s comedy act comes to the intimate outdoor performance venue in lower Delaware, outside of Fenwick Island, in July, several weeks before his Wolf Trap shows.
Melissa Etheridge and Indigo Girls will be there right after their shows at Wolf Trap. And if you didn’t get tickets to the two sold-out July shows for the Bacon Brothers at The Birchmere, you can see them in Delaware.
Like the lawn at Wolf Trap, you can take a beach chair or a blanket and spread out to listen to the music. But unlike in Vienna, Freeman doesn’t allow outdoor food or drinks. It does have a clear-bag policy like other venues and is a cashless facility.
While some of the shows at the Freeman are cover bands, well-known acts do play there. Here’s a look at some of the better-known names playing this summer.
George Thorogood & The Destroyers
June 22, 7 p.m.
George Thorogood is a Delaware native. He and The Destroyers, also known as the Delaware Destroyers, are known for songs like “Bad to the Bone” and “I Drink Alone.” He’ll be at Freeman for his Bad All Over the World Tour: 50 Years of Rock.
Michael Franti & Spearhead with Trevor Hall & Bombargo
June 26, 5:30 p.m.
Michael Franti rocked Oceans Calling in Ocean City, Maryland, in 2023. His music was featured a couple of times on The Wire, the HBO cop show out of Baltimore, and on Showtime’s Weeds series, as well as other shows. He also plays at Seacrets in Ocean City on July 15. Trevor Hall, who will play the same night, also has a show at The Birchmere on August 11.
Lee Brice
July 6, 7 p.m.
The multi-platinum country superstar’s tour stops for one night in Delaware. Lee Brice is known for hits like “Memory I Don’t Mess With,” “Love Like Crazy,” and “One of Them Girls.”
UB40: Red Red Wine Tour
July 7, 7 p.m.
We can hear you singing “Red Red Wine.” At Freeman, you can raise a glass to the band celebrating its 45th anniversary. Uber-fans can take in a show the night before at Hollywood Casino in Charles Town, West Virginia.
Christopher Cross and Justin Hayward
July 10, 7 p.m.
The man behind the 1979 hit “Sailing” and 1981’s “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)” plays Hershey Theatre on July 9 and then in Delaware on July 10 before returning to DC for a show at the Warner Theatre on July 11.
Fitz and the Tantrums: Good Nights Tour
July 14, 7 p.m.
Known for playing a good live show, the indie pop group comes to the lower Delaware shore. Can’t make that show? Fitz and the Tantrums will perform at Merriweather Post Pavilion on July 27 with Maryland’s own O.A.R.
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue
July 15, 7 p.m.
A month after a show at Wolf Trap, you can catch Trombone Shorty’s eclectic show that will make you wish you were in New Orleans. But if you’re at the beach, that might be good enough.
Night Ranger: Live in Concert
July 16, 7 p.m.
This heavy rock band popular in the 1980s is known for the songs “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me” and “Sister Christian.” The latter, a 1984 hit, has surpassed 5 million radio plays, according to Broadcast Music, Inc.
Joe Bonamassa
July 17, 7:30 p.m.
Award-winning singer-songwriter and blues man Joe Bonamassa is known for his guitar playing and is one of the world’s most successful blues artists. He has the most No. 1 albums on the Billboard Blues Chart at 27. His new album with Black Country Communion drops June 14.
An Evening with Leslie Odom Jr.
July 19, 7:30 p.m.
This Tony- and Grammy Award–winner, best known for his role as Aaron Burr in Hamilton, takes the stage for an evening of jazz and Broadway songs. He also has concert dates set for later in the year at MGM National Harbor in Maryland on December 15 and Hershey Theatre in Pennsylvania on December 17.
Yächtley Crëw
July 20, 7 p.m.
Admit it. You love those soft “yacht rock” songs from the mid-1970s. This seven-member band dons captains’ outfits and is known to spice up the lyrics to classics like “Escape (The Piña Colada Song).” The band’s latest material includes some original songs. Yächtley Crëw plays in Annapolis at the Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts two days before Delaware and comes to The Birchmere on October 17.
The Bacon Brothers Freestanding Tour
July 21, 7 p.m.
If you couldn’t get tickets to see the two shows at The Birchmere that have sold out on July 19 and 20, you could head to the beach for the band’s show on July 21. Kevin and Michael Bacon play a mix of what they call “forosoco” or folk, rock, soul, and country. And, yes, Kevin is that Kevin Bacon from Hollywood.
Jerry Seinfeld
July 25, 8 p.m.
Prepare for a night of laughs as the standup comedian performs. You can bet there will be a few jokes about surfing — the 70-year-old native New Yorker loves it. Catch him again at Wolf Trap for two shows, August 19 and 20 or at The Hall at Live! in Hanover, Maryland, on October 25, where it will be a 21 and older event.
Tartan Terrors
July 26, 7 p.m.
Mix punk rock, humor, and Celtic music and you have the Tartan Terrors, a group known to perform at Celtic festivals. With albums like Dress to Kilt and Who’s Your Paddy!, you know the Freeman Stage show will be fun.
Tyler Hubbard
July 28, 7 p.m.
Tyler Hubbard, half of Florida-Georgia Line for more than a decade, has been a solo act since 2021. His 13-track second album, Strong, came out in April. He’s described it as about self-discovery.
REO Speedwagon
July 29, 7 p.m.
These Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famers gained most of their traction in the 1980s with hits you know, like the No. 1 song “Can’t Fight This Feeling” and “Take It on the Run.” Some of the band’s songs came back on the rock charts after REO appeared on the Netflix series Ozark. In addition to Freeman Stage, the band will be at Jiffy Lube Live on August 6 and in Virginia Beach on August 7.
Kansas
July 31, 7 p.m.
It’s the 50th anniversary tour for this progressive rock band. Songs often heard on the radio include “Dust in the Wind,” which went to No. 6 on the record charts in 1978, and “Carry On Wayward Son.” Kansas also plays to a 21-plus crowd at the The Hall in Hanover, Maryland, on August 2.
SOJA
August 4, 6 p.m.
Arlington’s own reggae band brings its laid-back style to Delaware two days before a Virginia Beach appearance. SOJA started at Yorktown High School. The band won a Grammy Award for the 2021 album Beauty in the Silence.
Air Supply
August 6, 7 p.m.
Kick back for a mellow evening with the Australian soft-rockers known for hits that include “All Out of Love” and “The One that You Love.” Air Supply plays again in Hershey, Pennsylvania, on November 8 and at MGM National Harbor in Maryland on November 29.
Grace Potter
August 7, 7 p.m.
Expect this Vermont singer-songwriter to play some rock and folk-rock tunes from her album, Mother Road, that came out last year. Bandcamp describes the album as “Grace deconstructing her deepest fears and darkest regrets, charting the fallout with brutal honesty and emotional daring.” If you miss her in Delaware, Grace Potter will headline the Hot August Music Festival with Snarky Puppy at Oregon Ridge Park in Cockeysville, Maryland, on August 10.
Alabama
August 8, 7 p.m.
Over the last 50 years, the Grammy Award–winning band Alabama has had 43 singles hit No. 1 and has sold over 80 million albums. After the Delaware show, the Country Music Hall of Famers play on August 10 in Doswell at the Atlantic Union Bank After Hours at Servpro Pavilion, next to Kings Dominion.
Whiskey Myers
August 11, 7 p.m.
This Texas-based band brings its high energy to the stage in August. The band plays Southern rock and country and got a boost six years ago after appearing in the first season of Yellowstone. Whiskey Myers will be back in Charlottesville on October 25 at Ting Pavilion.
Cole Swindell
August 15, 7 p.m.
Country superstar Cole Swindell woos the Freeman Stage crowd with hits like “She Had Me at Heads Carolina” and “Single Saturday Night.” The next night, he’s in Solomons, Maryland, as part of the Calvert Marine Museum’s Waterside Music Series and then in Doswell on August 17.
Old Crow Medicine Show
August 18, 7 p.m.
Get ready for a lot of fiddle and banjo as this Americana string band performs. While Darius Rucker made “Wagon Wheel” a hit, you’ll love Old Crow Medicine Show’s version. Frontman Ketch Secor co-wrote it with Bob Dylan. Old Crow Medicine Show heads to Wolf Trap on August 30.
Gin Blossoms and Toad the Wet Sprocket with Special Guest Vertical Horizon
August 22, 6:30 p.m.
The lawn setting at Freeman is the perfect spot to see these alt-rock bands. Don’t be surprised if the crowd gets up and dances.
Melissa Etheridge and Indigo Girls
August 27, 6:30 p.m.
If you can’t make it to the Wolf Trap shows on August 24 and 25, here’s your next chance to see Melissa Etheridge and Indigo Girls — in a much smaller setting — at the Freeman Stage.
Little Feat: Can’t Be Satisfied Tour
August 30, 7 p.m.
Over the years, Little Feat has performed a number of genres to create its signature sound. It was 50 years ago on June 14 that the band recorded the album Feats Don’t Fail Me No, in Hunt Valley, Maryland, (and hung out at Emerson’s restaurant in Towson). It’s considered the band’s best studio album and is now being reissued as a three-CD or two-album set. On that June 14 anniversary date, Little Feat plays Baltimore’s Pier 6 Pavilion with the Wood Brothers. The band will be in Charlottesville with Duane Betts & Palmetto Motel on October 26 and in Virginia Beach on October 28.
Feature image of Leslie Odom Jr. courtesy Leslie Odom Jr./Freeman Arts Pavilion
For more stories like this, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine’s News newsletter.
