Pop Goes the Fall, the Music Plays On
Pop and Rock Shows Continue to
Speckle the Music Landscape,
with No Letup This Fall
By Josef Woodard | September 17, 2026
Read more of our 2026 Fall Arts Preview here.
Come autumn, the concert calendar in town — in terms of classical music and other non-pop circles — perks up. But for pop and rock purposes, it’s like the party never ended, especially in a town where the music keeps playing. Yes, the outdoor Santa Barbara Bowl season comes to its annual finale in October, but life goes on in a bevy of other indoor venues, including the Lobero Theatre, the premiere showcase club haven that is SOhO, the Arlington, and, just an easy drive away in Ventura County, at Ojai’s Libbey Bowl, and the Ventura Theatre and Ventura Music Hall.
At the Bowl, for instance, we get a blast of middle-period “old-school” soul, with jazz colors splashed in, courtesy of the great American band Earth, Wind & Fire (Sept. 18). Typical of the equal opportunity genre-switching leanings of the Bowl, the next night turns to 16-year-old pop sensation Freya Skye. Other great reasons to visit on autumn nights are the return of Alabama Shakes (Sept. 25), Brandi Carlile (Sept. 20), and a two-night landing for Isla Vista – launched and now semi-Santa Barbaran pop star with a heart Jack Johnson (Oct. 3-4), on his SURFILMUSIC tour. (He gave hometowners a pre-tour taste at the Lobero in June. Verdict on his new documentary? Thumbs up, baby.)
You can’t go wrong seeking out music in the Lobero, the 100-year-plus epicenter of cultural power on Canon Perdido. The venue proudly hosts an array of musical genres, but pop and pop-adjacent items are always on the menu. This fall’s schedule features such taste treats as the Cowboy Junkies (Sept. 20), Rickie Lee Jones(Oct. 4), The Wallflowers(Oct. 14), Sarah Jarosz (Oct. 21), and John Craigie (Nov. 19).
Off to the side of pop-rock proper, the Lobero fall also boasts country classic Marty Stuart(Sept. 29) and juicy jazz stars Julian Lage (Oct. 22) and Charles Lloyd (Nov. 12).
The Arlington Theatre is a great spot with historic and kitschy palace cred to catch a concert (just ask Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age, who handpicked the venue for his band’s special cabaret-like “Catacombs Tour” project last year). But its pop-rock programming record is spotty, and the main pop attraction this fall is the always alluring Robert Plant (Oct. 1), who returns to town (thankfully, he seems to have S.B. on his regular touring map) with his latest band, an Americana unit called Saving Grace, with co-lead vocalist Suzi Dian. Opening the show is the band called Up the Sharp End, featuring singer Rosie Flores.
On the subject of Americana (and spots where Flores is known to play), the now 23-year-old “Tales from the Tavern” series is a seasoned tradition, rooted in the homey quarters of the Maverick Saloon on many Wednesday nights, in separate fall and spring seasons. Coming up are the classic team-up of Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock (Oct. 7), Kim Richey (Oct. 14), John Gorka, Michael Manring (Oct. 21), and John McEuen and his Circle Band (Nov. 11).
There’s also some fairly intensive festival action in the Carpinteria zone. The ongoing One805Live! event, a benefit for first responders taking over Kevin Costner’s Padaro Lane pad and compound, expands to a two-day affair this year, September 25 and 26. The lineup includes The Temptations, The Four Tops, Pat Benetar, Slightly Stoopid, and from the local crop of celebrity acts, Alan Parsons and Costner’s own band Modern West.
Then, almost across the freeway at the Polo and Racquet Club, the second annual local edition of the Palm Tree Festival — a franchise with a sister fest in Napa and elsewhere — takes over the posh field where a smooth jazz festival once lurked. Taking place on October 10 and 11, the festival has a roster including The Chainsmokers, Zedd, Kygo, and T-Pain.
As for the Ventura County scene, Libbey Bowl has been upping its game and regular flow of the good stuff recently. The fall highlights include Big Thief (Sept. 19-20), Deer Tick (Oct. 11), Jacob Collier (Oct. 14), and Rodrigo y Gabriella (Nov. 12).
That’s a for-starters list, subject to change and updating as we go. Enough to keep us on the beats and off the street.
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