The Best Live Music for Labor Day Weekend in NYC

Labor Day weekend means that the annual Electric Zoo festival is happening at Randall's Island Park. Marshmello, photographed above at Governors Ball 2017, will be among the headliners on Sunday. Electric Zoo announced at press time that all Friday performances were canceled, but that the Saturday and Sunday shows would continue as scheduled.

The Manhattan Beat regularly lists the best live music events coming to the New York City area. The twice-weekly guide also celebrates via photographs some of the musicians who have performed locally in the past few days.

Everynight Charley recommends the following 60+ concerts in the New York City area this Labor Day weekend. Contact the venue or the artists' social media to confirm ticket availability, show times, age restrictions, COVID compliance, and other updates.

X headlined at the Palladium Times Square on August 31, rescheduled from June

The Squirrel Nut Zippers at the Palladium Times Square on August 31

Local Natives at the Rooftop at Pier 17 on August 29

Annika Bennett at the Rooftop at Pier 17 on August 29

Friday, September 1

• Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band at MetLife Stadium

• RBD at Madison Square Garden

• Ivan Cornejo at Palladium Times Square

• Divine, Riar Saab at Terminal 5

• Galantis at Musica NYC

• Madeon at Marquee

• Griz at the Great Hall at Avant Gardner

• Adventure Club at Webster Hall

• The Blessed Madonna, Coco & Breezy, Devon James, Corinne at Superior Ingredients

• Fisher at the Brooklyn Mirage

• A Murder of Crows: Kaelan Mikla, Children on Stun, Nox Novacula, Golden Apes, Ashes Fallen at the Bowery Ballroom

• The Suicide Machines, Folly, the Homeless Gospel Choir at the Gramercy Theatre

• Speedy Ortiz at Rough Trade NYC

• Pearla, Miss Grit, Léna Bartels at Baby's All Right

• Weedeater, King Parrot, Rebreather at the Meadows

• Bleeding Through, Enox, Mouthbreather at the Brooklyn Monarch

• Belvedere at TV Eye

• Steele FC, Komodos, Julesy at the Knitting Factory NY at Baker Falls

• Catherine Russell at Birdland Jazz Club

• Kassi Valazza at Alphaville

• Kevin McDonald, Dave Foley, Dave Hill, Julie Klausner, Jean Grae, John Wlaysewski at the Bell House

• Felix Slim at Stitch Bar & Blues

• Blowdryers Nouveau, the Serotonians, Jules Daud at Otto's Shrunken Head

• Lorraine Leckie & Her Demons at Rockwood Music Hall, Stage 1

• The T Blues Band w. Doc French & Kelton Cooper at Terra Blues

• New Moon Acoustic Blues at Terra Blues

Shinyribs at City Winery NYC on August 28

Diane and the Gentle Men with guest Alejandro Escovedo at Mercury Lounge on August 30 (photograph by Alan Rand)

Tom Clark & the High Action Boys at Mercury Lounge on August 30 (photograph by Alan Rand)

Julia Haltigan at the 11th St. Bar on August 29 (photograph by Shelley Fromm)

Saturday, September 2

• Electric Zoo: Big Gigantic, Alison Wonderland, Gryffin, GRiZ, Zedd, NGHTMRE, Liquid Stranger, Camelphat at Randall's Island Park

• Banda MS at Madison Square Garden

• Ivan Cornejo at Palladium Times Square

• Deadmau5 at Musica

• Liquid Stranger, Rusko, Jantsen, Sharlitz Web, Charmae at the Great Hall at Avant Gardner

• A Murder of Crows: Ikon, Ausgang, Bestial Mouths, Neon Kross, Topographies at the Bowery Ballroom

• Ayra Starr, Bloody Civilian at Webster Hall

• Se So Neon at Irving Plaza

• The Q-Tip Bandits at Elsewhere

• Iris Dement at City Winery NYC

• Sinkane at Public Records

• The Smoking Popes, Teenage Halloween, Taking Meds at the Meadows

• Catherine Russell at Birdland Jazz Club

• Thus Love, Flossing, Robber Robber at the Knitting Factory NY at Baker Falls

• The Vibrojets, Trash Island, the Rhino Chasers at Otto's Shrunken Head

• Emy and the Epix at the Culture Lab LIC

• New Moon Acoustic Blues at Terra Blues

• The Clarence Spady Band at Terra Blues

• Ricky Stein at the Red Lion

Asly Toro at Rockwood Music Hall, Stage 1, on August 26

Campbell Moon at Rockwood Music Hall, Stage 1, on August 26

The Hipp Pipps at the Parkside Lounge on August 26

The Hudson City Rats at the Parkside Lounge on August 26

Sunday, September 3

• Electric Zoo: GRiZ, Major Lazer, Marshmello, Tiesto, Nora En Pure, Elderbrook at Randall's Island Park

• Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band at MetLife Stadium

• Ishay Ribo at Madison Square Garden

• TiËsto, TORREN FØØT, Nostalgix at ​Brooklyn Mirage

• Zeds Dead at Webster Hall

• Sofi Tukker at Summer Club

• 4 Amigos at Palladium Times Square

• Emicida, Goyo at SummerStage Central Park

• Walshy Fire at ​Somewhere Nowhere

• Musiq Soulchild at City Winery NYC

• Snõõper at TV Eye

• The Bum Babies, Drop Dead Gorgeous, Foul Pride, Untitled Noise Night at the Hart Bar

• Walshy Fire at Somewhere Nowhere

• Poison Ruin, Success at Union Pool

• School Drugs, Non-Residents, Fire Is Murder, Kartel, Dragons at Noon at the Bowery Electric

• The Pioneers at Terra Blues

• David "Doc" French (acoustic) at Terra BR

Frank Mirra & Mike Smith at Stitch Bar & Blues on August 30 (photograph by Seth Okrend)

Bill Popp at the Hard Swallow on August 29 (photograph by Shelley Fromm)

John Birge (left) with guest Sam Hariss at the Hard Swallow on August 29 (photograph by Shelley Fromm)

Trash Executioner at the Hard Swallow on August 29 (photograph by Shelley Fromm)

Monday, September 4 Labor Day

• Musiq Soulchild at City Winery NYC

• Big Ed's Blues Jam at the Red Lion

• New Moon Acoustic Blues at Terra Blues

• The T Blues Band w. SaRon Crenshaw & Junior Mack at Terra Blues

The Wyndham Baird Quartet at Ferns on August 30

Endea Owens from the house band of the Late Night with Stephen Colbert show led her band at Times Square on August 31

Fred Thomas, formerly of James Brown & the JBs, at Hugh Plaza on August 30

The Charlie Parker Jazz Festival in Tompkins Square Park on August 27

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The Manhattan Beat reports on New York City's live music circuit. All articles are written by Everynight Charley Crespo. All photographs are taken by Everynight Charley Crespo, except when noted otherwise.

For a list of Manhattan venues that are presenting live music regularly, swing the desktop cursor to the right of the The Manhattan Beat home page and click on the pop-up tab "Where to Find Live Music."

For a more complete listing of upcoming performances in the New York City area, visit The Manhattan Beat's September calendar.