Ed Spinelli for CBS News
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.
The Black Keys
Ed Spinelli for CBS News
The Black Keys (guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney) played the Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island in Chicago, Sept. 3, 2025. The five-time Grammy-winning rock duo, currently on tour, performed "Tighten Up," "Howlin' For You," "Gold on the Ceiling," "Lo/Hi," and "Little Black Submarines."
They also played songs from their latest album, "No Rain No Flowers," including "Man on a Mission," "A Little Too High," and "Down to Nothing."
Avenged Sevenfold
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The heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold opened for System of a Down at Chicago's Soldier Field on August 31, 2025. Their set list included "So Far Away," "Hail to the King," and "Not Ready to Die." [Pictured, from left: Bassist Johnny Christ, lead guitarist Synyster Gates, and vocalist M. Shadows.]
System of a Down
Jake Barlow/CBS News
Guitarist Daron Malakian (left) and bassist Shavo Odadjian, of System of a Down, perform on August 31, 2025 in Chicago. Though the Armenian-American heavy metal band hadn't released a new album in 20 years, the Grammy-winning group sold out their two shows at Soldier Field.
Their set list included "Aerials," "Toxicity," "Chop Suey!," "B.Y.O.B," "Hypnotize," and "Sugar."
Oasis
Kirstine Walton for CBS News
On Thursday, August 28, 2025, the English band Oasis performed a sold-out show at Soldier Field in Chicago – one of only three U.S. cities on their global Oasis Live '25 tour.
Oasis
Kirstine Walton for CBS News
Oasis performing at Soldier Field in Chicago. (Clockwise from top left: guitarist Gem Archer; lead singer Liam Gallagher; bassist Andy Bell, vocalist Liam Gallagher and drummer Joey Waronker; guitarist Paul Arthurs; and lead guitarist Noel Gallagher.
Neil Young
Ed Spinelli for CBS News
Neil Young & The Chrome Hearts performed at Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island in Chicago, Aug. 27, 2025 – part of their Love Earth World Tour.
Young's set list included "Southern Man," "One Of These Days," "Singer Without a Song," "Like a Hurricane," and "Name of Love." He also premiered a new anti-fascist protest song, "Big Crime."
Don Felder
Jake Barlow/CBS News
Eagles legend Don Felder opened for Styx, as part of the Brotherhood of Rock Tour, Aug. 23, 2025, at the Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre, Tinley Park, Ill. Felder performed such Eagles songs as "One of These Nights," "The Long Run," "Take It Easy," and "Heartache Tonight."
Styx
Jake Barlow/CBS News
Styx performed at the Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre in Tinley Park, Ill., Aug. 23, 2025. Among their hits: "The Best of Times," "Too Much Time On My Hands," "Rockin' the Paradise," and "Mr. Roboto."
Styx
Jake Barlow/CBS News
James Young (left) and Tommy Shaw of Styx, at the Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre in Tinley Park, Ill., Aug. 23, 2025.
The group, founded in 1972, released their 18th studio album this summer, "Circling From Above."
Volbeat
Jake Barlow/CBS News
The Danish rock band Volbeat performed at Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre in Tinley Park, Ill., Aug. 22, 2025. Pictured: Touring guitarist Flemming Lund; bassist Kaspar Boye Larsen; and guitarist Michael Poulsen. "God of Angels Trust," their ninth album, was released in June, and featured the single "In the Barn of the Goat Giving Birth to Satan's Spawn in a Dying World of Doom."
Volbeat
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Volbeat was one young fan's first concert, in Tinley Park, Ill., Aug. 22, 2025.
Halestorm
Jake Barlow/CBS News
The Pennsylvania rock band Halestorm (featuring singer Lzzy Hale) opened for Volbeat at the Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre in Tinley Park, Ill., Aug. 22, 2025. Their setlist included songs from their new album, "Everest," including "Fallen Star," "Like a Woman Can," "Rain Your Blood on Me," "I Gave You Everything," and "Here's to Us."
David Lee Roth
Ed Spinelli for CBS News
Diamond Dave (a.k.a. David Lee Roth) performed some of Van Halen's biggest hits at the Hard Rock Casino in Gary, Ind., Aug. 19, 2025.
Wilco
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Chicago's own Wilco performed at their hometown's Salt Shed on Aug. 10, 2025, playing 34 songs, ending with a cover of the Grateful Dead's "U.S. Blues."
Lollapalooza 2025
Jake Barlow/CBS News
Chicago's Grant Park hosted Lollapalooza 2025, with 170 artists performing at 11 venues over four days. Mild weather for the festival, which regularly attracts more than 100,000 visitors a day, was counterbalanced by poor air quality owing to smoke from Canadian wildfires blanketing Chicago, leading to unhealthy conditions outdoors.
But Lollapalooza-goers were undeterred. "I would rather have bad air quality and, like, cooler weather," one fan told WBBM.
Sierra Ferrell
Jake Barlow/CBS News
Sierra Ferrell, on her Shoot for the Moon Tour, stopped at Lollapalooza on Thursday, July 31, 2025, in Chicago. The West Virginian musician, whose latest album is the genre-crossing "Trail of Flowers," performed "I Could Drive You Crazy," "Why'd Ya Do It," "American Dreaming," and "Dollar Bill Bar." She also covered Kris Kristofferson's "Me and Bobby McGee," and a bit of Black Sabbath's "Iron Man."
Cage the Elephant
Jake Barlow/CBS News
Matt Shultz, the lead singer of the rock band Cage the Elephant, tested gravity on the stage of Lollapalooza, Thursday, July 31, 2025, in Chicago's Grant Park. Their setlist included "Shake Me Down," "Come a Little Closer," "Mess Around," and "Ready to Let Go."
Sunami
Jake Barlow/CBS News
Vocalist Josef Alfonso, of the San Jose, Calif., hardcore band Sunami, performed at Lollapalooza on Thursday, July 31, 2025, in Chicago.
Role Model
Jake Barlow/CBS News
Singer-songwriter Role Model (Tucker Harrington Pillsbury) performed on the first day of Lollapalooza in Chicago's Grant Park, Thursday, July 31, 2025. His setlist included "Sally, When the Wine Runs Out," from his latest release, "Kansas Anymore (The Longest Goodbye)."
Xdinary Heroes
Ed Spinelli for CBS News
The South Korean rock band Xdinary Heroes performed at Lollapalooza in Chicago, Thursday, July 31, 2025.
Mark Ambor
Ed Spinelli for CBS News
Singer-songwriter Mark Ambor performed on Day 1 of Lollapalooza in Chicago, Thursday, July 31, 2025. His setlist included "Belong Together," "Good to Be," and "I Hope It All Works Out."
Fcukers
Jake Barlow/CBS News
The band Fcukers (Shannon Wise and Jackson Walker Lewis), whose debut EP, "Baggy$$," was released in 2024, performed at Lollapalooza in Chicago on Thursday, July 31, 2025.
Luke Combs
Ed Spinelli for CBS News
Country singer Luke Combs was a headliner for Day 1 of Lollapalooza in Chicago's Grant Park, Thursday, July 31, 2025. The two-time Entertainer of the Year-winner from the Country Music Association performed "Where the Wild Things Are," "Going, Going, Gone," "Cold As You," "The Kind of Love We Make," "Forever After All," "Better Together," and "Beer Never Broke My Heart."
Lollapalooza
Jake Barlow/CBS News
A festival spokesperson told WBBM that attendance figures for this year's Lollapalooza totaled about 115,000 people each day, on par with last year. What was down this year: Items turned into the lost-and-found.
Chance the Rapper
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Chance the Rapper made a surprise appearance at Lollapalooza on Saturday, August 2, 2025, in advance of a new album release in August.
Charlotte Lawrence
Jake Barlow/CBS News
Singer-songwriter Charlotte Lawrence, who released her debut studio album, "Somewhere," earlier this summer, played Lollapalooza in Chicago on Saturday, August 2, 2025.
Hey, Nothing
Ed Spinelli for CBS News
The folk duo Hey, Nothing (Harlow Phillips and Tyler Mabry) are photographed backstage at their appearance at Lollapalooza on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, in Chicago.
The Dare
Ed Spinelli for CBS News
Singer Harrison Patrick Smith, who works under the stage name The Dare, appeared at Lollapalooza in Chicago on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025. His latest release, "Freakquencies: Volume 1," is dropping later in August.
Djo
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Actor and musician Joe Keery, who performs as Djo, appeared at Lollapalooza in Chicago on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025. His latest album, "The Crux," was released in April.
T-Pain
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The rapper T-Pain (Faheem Rashad Najm) performed at Lollapalooza in Chicago on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025.
Olivia Rodrigo
Ed Spinelli for CBS News
Three-time Grammy-winner Olivia Rodrigo was headliner on Day 2 of Lollapalooza in Chicago, Friday, Aug. 1, 2025. Her setlist included "Obsessed," "Vampire," "Bad Idea Right?," "Traitor," "Good 4 U," and "Drivers License."
Naomi Scott