Downtown Ironwood Summer Concert Series 2026
The Downtown Ironwood Summer Concert Series is a series of musical performances on the first Friday of the month from June through September. Each month features a main performance at the Downtown Ironwood City Square Amphitheatre along with a farmers market, food trucks, and businesses open later. Grab a drink from one of Downtown Ironwood’s establishments and come down to the park. This event is for people of all ages and is a fun get together for all!
June
Tae & the Neighborly
Hailing from Green Bay, Wisconsin, TAE & The Neighborly seamlessly blends the best of soul, R&B, pop, and rock through vibrant instrumentation and TAE’s unforgettable vocals.
The band released their debut full-length record, Self Help, in 2024, showcasing lyrics and soul-inspired arrangements that shed the malaise of a world that grows ever more grim for the places of joy that are never more than a mindset away. New listeners invariably latch on to the depth of TAE’s singular voice, demonstrating a remarkable breadth of emotional highs and lows from the smoky speakeasy allure of “Carry On” to the gut-punching climactic peak of “Let It Rain”.
Having toured continuously since the release of Self Help, the band has already in 2025 graced stages from the beloved “Shitty Barn” in rural Wisconsin to the revered halls of the Kennedy Center for the Arts in Washington DC. Highlights yet to come for this year include performances at the Rochester Jazz Festival, Rhythm & Roots, People Fest, Mile of Music, Sisters Folk Festival, NPR Mountain Stage, and more!
If you are looking for a slice from the layer cake of self lovin’, soul searchin’, and world changin’, meet them where the music is made to be shared.
July
Zach Pietrini
Zach Pietrini’s Midwestern, indie americana songwriting aesthetic is the sonic embodiment of a well-worn denim jacket. At the forefront of the Americana resurgence, Pietrini—lead vocalist and guitarist for his namesake band—takes an everyman’s approach to the genre with a knack for honest storytelling and a wistfulness that comes across in both the music and lyrics. The band takes its cues from Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, and David Ramirez, reinterpreting and rejuvenating American roots styles through a contemporary lens. Pietrini’s songs “situate him at the confluence of all that an urban Millennial audience finds relatable” (Milwaukee Magazine), performing old-soul themes of ennui, regret, disappointment, and nostalgia with a modern twist.
Pietrini came up on the Chicago music scene before moving to Milwaukee, where he honed his signature “foot-tapping and pensive steel-guitar-driven” style (Milwaukee Magazine), making regular appearances at Summerfest, Mile of Music, Bastille Days, and other festivals. The band has also toured prolifically throughout the United States, including opening for Huey Lewis and the News (5,000 in attendance) and playing SXSW, returning home often to play at local venues like Anodyne and Colectivo Backroom as well as house shows in living rooms around Milwaukee.
Pietrini’s dynamic live performances are intimate, yet high-energy, and his “beguiling friendliness” (88Nine), “nearly confounding” versatility (Shepherd Express), and laid-back stage presence bring a very Wisconsin sense of Gemütlichkeit to his shows. Voted Best Live Act in Milwaukee by Milwaukee Magazine and regularly in the running for Best Band in Milwaukee by 88Nine, The Zach Pietrini Band is preparing for its 9th release in 2022- Rock & Roll is Dead, and will be hitting the road late September.
August
Midnight River Choir
The story of Midnight River Choir is proof that sometimes great bands just happen. One night, four strangers ended up on a late night float trip down the Guadalupe River. As they made their way down the river singing songs, the beautiful harmonies floated into the heads of sleeping campers. The next morning, the boys overheard a man telling a friend that he was “awakened by a midnight river choir.” That was all it took. The boys realized the magic of their combined talents and began writing and performing together under that River-God given name. The formation of Midnight River Choir was nothing short of a force of nature that now translates seamlessly during their live shows. This band needs no labels or comparisons. Their music speaks volumes about who and what they are. Their lives have been woven together by a strong thread of raw energy both on and off stage. They believe that what you get is what you give and they give everything they have to their crowds. When that kind of energy lands back at the feet of the boys it is something of supreme intensity. And no one ever forgets it.
September
On the Lash
In honor of Irish traditional music, On The Lash creates timeless sounds through original voices. With new takes on classic songs and original constructions of established standards, OTL aims to explore the inherent energy and versatility of the genre.