Upstate New York runs on rock and roll. In any given week the region’s stages light up with arena headliners, reunited legends, rising indie acts, and the bar bands that turn a Tuesday into a night worth leaving the house for. The lawn at Saratoga Performing Arts Center, the amphitheaters at Darien Lake, CMAC, and Bethel Woods, the riverfront at Artpark, and club rooms like Empire Live in Albany give touring rock a home in every corner of the state.
This page is your live, always-current guide to every rock concert on our radar across Upstate NY — classic rock and arena anthems, hard rock and metal-leaning bills, alt and indie, jam, and everything in between. Shows are listed with the soonest dates first, so the next night out is always at the top.
We cover the whole region: the Capital Region and Saratoga, Western NY and Buffalo, the Hudson Valley, Central NY and Syracuse, the Finger Lakes, the Southern Tier, and the North Country. New tours, festival lineups, and on-sale dates land here as soon as they’re announced, and we flag presales and ticket links so you can lock in seats before they’re gone.
More guides: Country Concerts in Upstate New York · Comedy Shows in Upstate New York · Hip-Hop Concerts in Upstate New York
By region: Rock Concerts in Albany & the Capital Region · Rock Concerts in Buffalo & Western NY · Rock Concerts in the Hudson Valley · Rock Concerts in Syracuse & Central NY · Rock Concerts in the Finger Lakes
Aerosmith at Palace Theatre — March 5, 1978
Aerosmith on the Draw the Line tour at the Palace Theatre. This was the raw, dangerous, pre-comeback Aerosmith — Tyler and Perry still together but barely, the band running on…
U2 (w/ Mission of Burma) at JB Scott’s — March 5, 1981
U2 at JB Scott’s in Albany on the Boy tour — before they were the biggest band in the world. Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr. were…
Weezer at Recreation and Convocation Center (SUNYA) — March 6, 2001
Weezer on the Yahoo! Outloud Tour hit UAlbany’s Rec Center. Rivers Cuomo and company were back after a five-year hiatus, riding the massive comeback single “Hash Pipe.” The Green Album…
Shinedown (w/ Halestorm, Black Stone Cherry) at Northern Lights — March 6, 2009
Before Halestorm and Black Stone Cherry were headliners in their own right, they were opening for Shinedown at Northern Lights. The Sound of Madness tour packed the Clifton Park venue…
Eddie Money at Palace Theatre — March 7, 1987
Eddie Money on the Can’t Hold Back tour at the Palace Theatre — “Take Me Home Tonight” and “I Wanna Go Back” were all over the radio. The former NYPD…
Jane’s Addiction at Palace Theatre — March 2, 2012
Perry Farrell and Jane’s Addiction brought the Theatre of the Escapists tour to Albany’s Palace Theatre. The alt-rock pioneers who launched Lollapalooza delivered a career-spanning set in one of the…
The Young Rascals / The Association at RPI Field House — March 3, 1967
A double bill of 1960s hitmakers at the RPI Field House. The Rascals (“Good Lovin’,” “Groovin'”) and The Association (“Cherish,” “Along Comes Mary”) represented the best of mid-’60s pop-rock. College…
The Allman Brothers Band (w/ Wet Willie) at Palace Theatre — March 3, 1973
The Allman Brothers Band at the Palace Theatre in 1973 — the year they released “Brothers and Sisters” and became one of the biggest bands in America. With Wet Willie…
Warren Zevon at Page Hall — March 3, 1978
Warren Zevon at Page Hall in Albany — this was peak Zevon, right around the release of “Excitable Boy.” He was touring behind “Werewolves of London,” the biggest hit he’d…
Bon Jovi (w/ Skid Row) at Carrier Dome — March 3, 1989
Bon Jovi brought the New Jersey Syndicate tour to the Carrier Dome with Skid Row — featuring former Bon Jovi collaborator Sebastian Bach — opening. The Dome was one of…