The Best Concerts Coming to Brooklyn This Fall

By Michael Gonik

The summer may be over, but the action is as hot as ever in the borough—especially when it comes to the touring schedules of artists actually worth seeing, as they’re now freshly unlatched from festival season and all those damn radius clauses.

In fact, this fall—which technically began on September 22nd, but experientially has yet to really hit in subtropical New York—is arguably even more densely stacked with concerts and live music experiences of all sorts than its preceding season. So, to save you a few hours of thumbing through Instagram fliers and ticketing apps for R&D, we dove deep into the calendars of venues all over the borough and came back up with more than a dozen can’t-miss performances from some of the most brilliant, exciting, and celebrated musicians crossing into Kings County over the next few months (plus some honorable mentions for your consideration).

Below you’ll find our picks, which will very likely expand as new shows are announced, for the best concerts coming to Brooklyn this fall.

Scroll on to start building your itinerary.

Photo by Michael Loccisano via Getty Images

October

Stereolab
October 1 and October 2 @ Brooklyn Steel

The venerable British-rock-group-turned-early-trip-hop-royalty is hitting Brooklyn Steel for not one, but two nights this week. You can expect selections from a vast catalog spanning more than a dozen albums and over 30 years, but we hope you get to feel the kick in your chest from a live round of their classic stomper, “French Disko.”

Mndsgn
October 8 @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

It’s been a few years since Mndsgn, the nom de plume of producer Ringgo Ancheta, released a studio album proper. But that hasn’t kept him off the road. Here’s a chance to catch the Jersey-raised, LA-bound musician live and direct as the first of two one-man bands, sharing the stage and the bill with Pachyman on the Puerto Rican dub and reggae artist’s US tour.

Alex G
October 9 @ Kings Theater

The second of two Alex G appearances in the boroughs this week (following a night at Radio City Music Hall on October 8), is your last shot to experience the DIY rocker before he skips town for Philly and, soon after, Europe, touring his new album, Headlights, across the pond exclusively for the rest of the year, returning stateside only for a Coachella set in April 2026. And we promise you the plush seating and ornate details of the historic Kings Theater put your couch to shame in every conceivably relevant metric.

Air
October 10-October 12 @ Brooklyn Paramount

For the Sexy Boy and Cherry Blossom Girl in all of us, the French synth-pop wizards are posting up at Brooklyn Paramount for a three-night stay, on the heels of a particularly active festival season and a number of recently released deluxe reissues and remix projects.

Ravyn Lenae and keiyaA
October 13 @ Brooklyn Paramount

Another tempting double-header, this show not only welcomes Ravyn Lenae back to King’s County, but features an opening performance from keiyaA, the jazz-brained Brooklyn-based electronic musician and producer who will surely be previewing selections from her anxiously-awaited sophomore album, hooke’s law, ahead of its October 30 release.

Grizzly Bear
October 13-October 17 @ Brooklyn Steel

The indie rock foursome is hitting the stage for the first time since 2019, and it all starts with a massive five-show run at Brooklyn Steel. Despite the recent reissuing of their last four albums, it’s not entirely clear how long it’ll be until they tuck themselves away again after this brief bit of touring—so be sure to grab a ticket while you still can.

Yung Lean
October 15 @ Avant Gardner

As one of the dozens of performances initially scheduled for the Brooklyn Mirage season that never was, it’s still unclear just where this uncommon Yung Lean appearance will actually take place (though we can be sure where it isn’t happening). What we can and do know, however, is that the Scandinavian cloud rap pioneer will very likely be taking his show to one of the other Avant Gardner venues. Keep an eye on this space for updates in the days ahead.

Madison McFerrin
October 18 @ Elsewhere

By far one of the most playful and poised live performers on this list, Madison McFerrin will absolutely not be pulling punches in this return to her former borough of residence, lighting up The Hall at Elsewhere with just mountains of harmonies and two-step fodder.

Thundercat
October 25 @ Brooklyn Paramount

Don’t mean to be too hyperbolic, but there are precious few thrills greater, more intense, or gratifying than experiencing the full velocity of a live Thundercat show. And our luck, in at least this one very acute instance, is pretty damn good, as the prodigious Brainfeeder artist is making way to the borough, six-string strapped and loaded, for the first time since 2023, with more than a few new tunes in the chamber.

Little Simz
October 30 @ Brooklyn Paramount

Listen, there are gonna be a lot of competing events and interests this Halloween. Just know: It’s not your fault, this is what always happens (and we’re not going to make it any easier with the next entry). But one thing that rarely takes any dreaded deliberation or intricate social-emotional navigation is what to do on the eve of Hallow’s Eve. And, as it happens, this Fright Night warm-up with one of the mightiest forces in rap is very considerately booked, no fuss needed.

Pinkpantheress
October 31 @ Brooklyn Monarch

It didn’t take long for Pinkpantheress to announce the tour in support of her new, arguably most complete, album, Fancy That. We imagine that’s because the sophomore outing (disguised as a mixtape) almost demands to be heard from a dance floor, shoulder-to-shoulder with someone sweating, shuffling, and quietly contemplating whether they did too much or just enough of their stimulant of choice in the bathroom. And that’s just the opportunity you get this month, with not one or two, but three shots to see the brilliant Brit—first, for a two-night affair at King’s Theater, then at this very enticing Halloween show at Brooklyn Monarch with a wild line-up of DJs in tow.

November

Justice and Kaytranada
November 8 and November 9 @ Barclays Center

This co-headlining bill from Justice and Kaytranada is promising to be two very fun nights of very programmed, precise, and punchy kick drums shaking the columns at Barclays. After all, seeing Justice, the stalwart duo of exceedingly funky Frenchman at least partially responsible for the electrified state of modern dance music and pop, should be something of a hajj for house heads. Add in Kay, the consummate floor-filler, and you’ve got one helluva party on Atlantic Avenue.

Blood Orange
November 29-December 5 @ Brooklyn Steel

Dev Hynes is coming back from the holidays and installing himself for seven consecutive nights at Brooklyn Steel to bring his new album Essex Honey to life in whatever we’re calling the area north of east Williamsburg and east of Greenpoint these days. In all seriousness, though, Hynes’ first album as Blood Orange since, stunningly, 2019 is some of his most tender, mournful, and spacious work to date, and we anticipate a live component every bit as thoughtful, resonant, and meticulously composed.

Boldy James
November 29 @ Crown Hill Theater

Crown Heights is getting blessed with a performance from Boldy James, the categorically prolific Detroit rapper whose recent collaborators include The Alchemist, Chuck Strangers, and Nicholas Craven, and who’s been averaging about an album per eight or so weeks for over two years now. Honestly, I might just pull up to see how someone with this much quality material structures a live set. Like, how do you even choose which part of your catalog to focus on?

Photo by Bryan Bedder via Getty Images

December

Dijon
December 1 and December 2 @ Brooklyn Paramount

After dropping an album (Baby) so unilaterally adored by critics and pedestrians alike, Dijon’s taking his victory lap to the Paramount stage for back-to-back nights of mind-melting fuzz, manically catchy hooks, and liberal reverb application.

Erykah Badu
December 5 and December 6 @ Kings Theater

Honestly, any opportunity to see Erykah Badu perform a single album or a catalog retrospective is one you shouldn’t pass on without some deep, harrowing soul-searching. But this pair of shows is conspicuously placed at the tail-end of the 25th anniversary year of Mama’s Gun, and what could be the beginning of a new album cycle, as her collaborative project with The Alchemist (performed on tour with the producer over the summer), remains without a date. So it’s hard to say what’s actually waiting for us through those palatial doors in Flatbush, but we’ll sure as hell be there to find out.

Lorde
December 16 and December 17 @ Barclays Center

If you’re looking for a not-so-little jolt of damn-near perfect pop ahead of the holiday break (truly in the 11th hour of what any reasonable New Yorker would consider “the fall”), there will be no shortage of hits and anthems from the Australian chart-topper at her two-night stop in Barclays, which might be worth the cost just to hear “Royal” through an arena-grade system.

And now, just a few more shows for your consideration: 

October 3–October 5: MGMT, Gordo, Ellerbrook, Carl Cox, and more @ Greenpoint Terminal
October 8: Delicate Steve, Pinc Louds, and Katy Pinke @ Xanadu
October 12: Carl Craig and DJ Minx @ Public Records
October 16: Kota The Friend @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
October 17 and October 18: Chief Adjuah, Adrian Younge, Nubya Garcia, Karriem Riggins, and more @ BRIC House
October 19: Saul Williams and Carlos Niño @ The Sultan Room
October 21: Princess Nokia @ Baby’s All Right
October 24: Yves Tumor @ Elsewhere
October 24: Peggy Gou @ Avant Gardner
October 29: Na-Kel Smith @ Market Hotel
October 31: Egyptian Lover, Byrell The Great, and more @ Paragon