Live Music In Memphis This Month: 15+ Shows to See in October

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1

The Avett Brothers with Drive-By Truckers at Grind City Amphitheater

Doors 5:30 p.m., Show 7 p.m. / $57+

It’s good to have some shows back at Grind City Amphitheater again after a month or two since their last one where Wilco played. Great show there. This time, we got The Avett Brothers bringing their folk rock tunes that have earned them one of the most devoted fanbases in the genre. More in my lane here is the Drive-By Truckers, which are legends to me (and many others) as one of the great Southern rock bands of the last 25 years. These are two awesome acts you need to catch at Grind City to open the month right.  

Umphrey's McGee at Satellite Music Hall 

Doors 7 p.m., Show 8 p.m. / $30+ 

Umphrey's McGee are one of the most technically impressive jam bands working today, but don’t let that make you think it’s just noodling around. They really are impressive performers that anyone, jam band fan or not, can love. No two shows are ever the same. Satellite Music Hall is a great room for them, and thirty bucks is a steal for what you are going to get. 

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2

Orion Financial Free Concert Series: Drivin N Cryin at Overton Park Shell 

Show 7 - 9 p.m. / FREE 

Atlanta roots rock institution Drivin N Cryin has been one of the South's most reliably great live acts since 1985. A free Friday night at the Shell with a band this good is just a fantastic thing for Memphis natives to enjoy.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3 

Xavier Wulf at Minglewood Hall 

Doors 7 p.m., Show 8 p.m. / $46+ 

Memphis rapper Xavier Wulf built his cult following from the ground up, releasing music independently through Hollow Squad and becoming one of the city's most distinctive voices in underground hip hop. His flow is hypnotic, drawing from Memphis's deep rap tradition while going in his own direction entirely. This is a hometown show for Xavier so go out and show some love. 

FRIDAY-SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9-11 

Mempho Music Festival at Radians Amphitheater 

3-day passes sold out / Single day tickets $189 each 

Mempho is back and the lineup this year is as strong as ever, even if it’s yet another retread of Widespread Panic 2x. Pretty Lights is genuinely an awesome get who just headlined Bonnaroo not too long ago and other major fests internationally. Widespread Panic takes the stage for two full nights of Southern jam band marathon sets, and Gary Clark Jr. closes the weekend with the kind of guitar playing that is just stunning for anyone who hasn’t seen him before (and even those who have seen him) If you can only make one day, Sunday's Gary Clark Jr. closing set would be my pick. Three-day passes are gone but single-day tickets are still available. 

Memphis Jazz Festival at Downtown Memphis (Main Street Mall, The Westin, Court Square Park & More)

October 9–11 / FREE (RSVP encouraged)

The Downtown Memphis Commission is launching its first-ever Memphis Jazz Festival the same weekend as Mempho, giving you a completely free jazz alternative right in the heart of downtown. The three-day event is stacked. Friday night kicks off with Jazz After Hours at The Westin Memphis Beale Street, with live music and cocktails hosted by Strictly Jazz. Saturday brings the Main Stage to the Main Street Mall between Peabody Place and Union Avenue from 1–8 p.m., with two stages of live entertainment and jazz workshops throughout the day. Saturday night continues at The Dame at Hotel Pontotoc with an intimate late-night jazz jam session hosted by Henry Conerway, the kind of after-hours musical exchange that's at the very heart of jazz culture. Sunday closes the weekend with the Sunset Jazz season finale at Court Square Park from 3–7 p.m. The lineup includes Theo Croker, the Memphis Jazz Orchestra, Hope Clayburn & The Memphis Manes, Joe Restivo 4, and over a dozen more local and national acts. 

MONDAY, OCTOBER 12

Modest Mouse at Satellite Music Hall 

Doors 7 p.m., Show 8 p.m. / $71.50+ 

 Modest Mouse are one of the great indie rock bands of their generation, full stop. I’ve been to many of their shows over the years and I have to admit that I think the ones in the past 4-5 years have gotten incredibly sharp, much sharper than some of the more booze-filled ones in the 2010s that may have gotten them a bad reputation live. Genuinely love their sets these days that have the classics all mixed in. And yes, that includes “Float On.” 

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18

Mastodon at Satellite Music Hall 

Doors 6 p.m., Show 7 p.m. / $56.50+

Mastodon rules and are metal royalty at this point. I think their set at this venue is going to be absolutely electric. If you’re wanting to try out this new venue with a harder sound than anything (besides GWAR) have done to this point, you gotta do this. 

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23

Choir Boy / Optic Sink / Decoration Policy at Hi-Tone Cafe (Small Room - Downstairs) 

Doors 7 p.m., Show 8 p.m. / $20+ 

Choir Boy are a Salt Lake City synth-pop and dream pop band whose sound sits comfortably between New Order, The Cure, and The Smiths. I really got into them when doing research for this blog. Highly recommend. 
 

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24

Cash Money & No Limit Tour with Master P, Birdman, Juvenile & More at FedExForum 

Show 8 p.m. / $102+ 

Two of the most influential rap labels in history sharing one stage at FedExForum. Cash Money and No Limit Records defined Southern rap in the late '90s and their catalogs are untouchable. Master P, Birdman, Juvenile, and the rest of the roster coming together for a night of pure nostalgia and hits is going to be an event. "Back That Azz Up," "Make Em Say Uhh," "Bling Bling" it's all in there. 

Joshua Ray Walker: Ain't Dead Yet Tour at Hernando's Hide-A-Way 

Doors 7 p.m., Show 8 p.m. / $25 

One of the most moving country music stories of the year. Joshua Ray Walker is a Dallas singer-songwriter who built his reputation from classic Texas country tradition. His new album Ain't Dead Yet was written before, during, and after his diagnosis with stage 3 colon cancer and his recovery.  

Ole 60 with Arcy Drive at Grind City Amphitheater 

Doors 5:30 p.m., Show 7 p.m. / $63.73+ 

Ole 60 are a six-piece from Hawesville, Kentucky who have built one of the fastest-growing fanbases in country and Southern rock. I mean seriously, I can’t scroll on TikTok without hearing one of their tunes on a video.They've racked up over 700 million streams and their hit "Thoughts of You" topped TikTok's all-genre Viral 50 chart. Grind City is a great outdoor space for a band with this kind of momentum. 

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25

Knifeback, The Red Mountain, Ruined God & +3 Against Undead at Growlers 

Doors 6 p.m., Show 7 p.m. / $17.53+

A Sunday night deathcore and heavy metal showcase at Growlers with four bands for under twenty bucks. That price for a four-band heavy music night is an easy call. 

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29

Buddy Guy at Graceland Soundstage 

Show 7:30 p.m. / $75+ 

Buddy Guy is 90 years old and he is still doing it. The Chicago blues legend and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer is one of the last living direct links to the great era of electric blues, having mentored and influenced Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and virtually every major guitar player of the last 60 years. Keith Richards once called him the greatest guitar player alive. 

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31

Blac Youngsta Presents: The Sammie Krueger Fest at Minglewood Hall 

Doors 7 p.m., Show 8 p.m. / $66+ 

Blac Youngsta is spending Halloween as Sammie Krueger, which is exactly the kind of unhinged creative decision that makes Memphis rap what it is. The CMG rapper is one of Memphis's biggest names. If you are looking for a big Halloween night in a proper venue with live rap, this is the one. 

Pestilence Presents: Memphis Hardcore Halloween at Hi-Tone Cafe (Small Room - Downstairs) 

Doors 7:30 p.m., Show 8 p.m. / $13.50 

Thirteen bucks gets you into a Halloween hardcore show at Hi-Tone's downstairs room and this one is a special one. The bands are going to embody the Halloween spirit and emulate Korn, Slayer, Ramones, and System of a Down. And who the hell doesn’t love all those bands? Come in costume, come ready to move, and support the local underground scene.