It's the time of the season for concerts, so if music be the food of love, play on!
Central Ohio boasts a roster jam-packed with just about any genre you can imagine. Music fans are bound to find something that strikes a chord — from the swaggy R&B of Chris Brown, Donny Osmond's Vegas bombast and big blowouts like Buckeye Country Superfest and INKcarceration to throwbacks like The Temptations, Lionel Richie, New Kids on the Block and others.
Here is a list of artists coming to Columbus and nearby areas to help you tune up for the summer.
June 10: Chris Brown
Nationwide Arena, 200 W. Nationwide Blvd.
Known for hits including "Run It!," "Go Crazy," "Post to Be" and "Under the Influence," Brown is a 20-year music industry veteran at just 35 years old. The R&B star is touring in support of his 11th album, "11:11."
Tickets: Prices start at $109.50 at ticketmaster.com.
June 11: The Temptations, The Four Tops
7:30 p.m. at the McCoy Center for the Arts, 100 E. Dublin Granville Road, New Albany
With a combined 17 No. 1 songs on Billboard’s R&B charts, the two legendary Motown groups will get the crowd grooving with tunes such as the Tops’ “Baby, I Need Your Loving” and “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)” and the Temps’ “My Girl” and “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone.”
Tickets: Limited tickets remain, with prices starting at $122 at capa.com/events.
June 13: Melanie Martinez
7 p.m. at NationwideArena
Art-pop singer Martinez rose to fame following her appearance on season three of "The Voice." She has released three successful studio albums, "Cry Baby," "K-12" and last year's "Portals," each of which she gave a theme and tied the accompanying music videos together to create a larger story.
Tickets: Limited tickets remain, with prices starting at $343 at ticketmaster.com.
June 13: Lionel Richie, Earth, Wind & Fire
7:30 p.m. at the Schottenstein Center, West Lane Avenue and Olentangy River Road
R&B/pop hitmaker and "American Idol" judge Richie is joined by fellow Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Earth, Wind & Fire, whose unmistakable, horn-highlighted sound fuses R&B, soul, pop, jazz, funk, disco and other genres.
Tickets: Prices start at $25 at ticketmaster.com.
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June 14: Joey Fatone, AJ McLean
7:30 p.m. at Mershon Auditorium, 1871 N. High St.
Members of the '90s two most popular boy bands, Fatone (*NSYNC) and McLean (Backstreet Boys) originally intended their "A Legendary Night Tour" to be a limited-city run, but sellout concerts demanded the addition of 20 cities, including Dayton and Columbus.
Tickets: Prices start at $55 at ticketmaster.com.
June 19: Jenny Lewis
7 p.m. at Newport Music Hall, 1722 N. High St.
Lewis, a former child actor, is as prolific in her musical career as she was on-screen. Known for both her stint with indie rock's Rilo Kiley and her solo work, her latest album is "Joy'All," which was released in 2023 to favorable reviews.
Tickets: Prices start at $35 at promowestlive.com/columbus/newport-music-hall.
June 22-23: Buckeye Country Superfest
3 p.m. both days at Ohio Stadium, 411 Woody Hayes Drive
Two-night headliner Zach Bryan's supporting acts June 22 are Billy Strings, Turnpike Troubadours, Charley Crockett, Levi Turner and Charles Wesley Godwin. On June 23, the opening lineup features Strings, Turnpike Troubadours, Crockett, Turner and 49 Winchester.
Tickets: Limited tickets remain, with prices starting at $184.49 for June 22 and $64.49 for June 23 at ticketmaster.com.
June 22: Donny Osmond
7:30 p.m. at Mershon Auditorium
Osmond, who made his professional singing debut at age 5, performs his award-winning "Direct from Vegas" show, a collection of hits, stories, a Broadway-style production of his song “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” from Disney’s “Mulan" and song requests from the audience.
Tickets: Prices start at $67.50 at ticketmaster.com.
June 28: AJR
6:15 p.m. at NationwideArena
Made up of brothers Adam, Jack and Ryan Met, AJR is known for the Top 10 hit "Bang!" and other songs including "100 Bad Days," "World's Smallest Violin" and "Sober Up," featuring Weezer's Rivers Cuomo.
Tickets: Prices start at $54.50 at ticketmaster.com.
Rhythm and ribs:
July 6: Amos Lee
7:30 p.m. at the Southern Theatre, 21 E. Main St.
Lee's soulful, folksy voice and poignant lyrics have been heard on the soundtracks of numerous movies, as well as on TV shows including "Grey's Anatomy," "Private Practice" and "Six Feet Under."
Tickets: Prices start at $39 at capa.com/events.
July 19: Chris Stapleton
7 p.m. at the Schottenstein Center
Gravelly voiced "Tennessee Whiskey" belter Stapleton, who performed at last year's Buckeye Country Superfest, holds 10 Grammy Awards, 11 Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards and 15 Country Music Association (CMA) Awards.
Tickets: Prices start at $69.75 at ticketmaster.com.
July 19-21: INKcarceration Music & Tattoo Festival
Ohio State Reformatory, 100 Reformatory Road, Mansfield (Gate times to be announced)
Breaking Benjamin, Godsmack and Shinedown are this year's headliners, with nearly 70 other bands slated to play throughout the weekend. INKcarceration passes come with free admission to tour the reformatory and admission to Tattoo X, where more than 115 artists will be ready to ink festivalgoers.
Tickets: Three-day general-admission passes are $229.99; single-day general-admission passes are $109.99 at inkcarceration.com. Processing fees are added. VIP, camping and parking passes are also available. A layaway plan is offered.
July 20: Herb Alpert
8 p.m. at the Southern Theatre
Join renowned trumpeter Alpert and wife, vocalist Lani Hall, for a performance that is to include questions from the audience, stories about their lives and the artists they've collaborated with over the past 50 years, as well as a multimedia tribute featuring photos, videos and memorabilia.
Tickets: Prices start at $39 at capa.com/events.
July 24: Lyle Lovett and His Large Band
7 p.m. at Newport Music Hall
The “long, tall Texan," lauded for his wry humor and gift for lyrical storytelling, is to be accompanied by a king-sized ensemble of top-notch musicians and backup singers blending country, swing, jazz, gospel and blues.
Tickets: Prices start at $39.50 at promowestlive.com/columbus/newport-music-hall.
Aug. 2: Boney James
8 p.m. at the Southern Theatre
James, whose love of Motown and jazz saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. is reflected in his R&B-tinged playing on tenor, alto and soprano sax, is touring in support of his latest album, "Detour."
Tickets: Prices start at $54 at capa.com/events.
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Aug. 10: Future and Metro Boomin
8 p.m. at the Schottenstein Center
Prolific rapper Future, who came to Nationwide Arena last year, returns to town with hip-hop/trap producer Metro Boomin. The pair, notorious for their ongoing rap battle with Drake, released the diss track "Like That" in March with Kendrick Lamar.
Tickets: Prices start at $54 at ticketmaster.com.
Aug. 13: Blink-182
7 p.m. at the Schottenstein Center
Fans can expect at a 360-degree view of Blink, who are hitting the road in support of their latest album, "One More Time…," also the name of their tour. The band's hits include "What's My Age Again?" and "All the Small Things."
Tickets: Prices start at $50 at ticketmaster.com.
Aug. 15: Childish Gambino
8 p.m. at the Schottenstein Center
Gambino's powerful social commentary, "This is America," holds the Guinness World Record as the first hip-hop song to win the Grammy for song of the year and record of the year. In his spare time, he moonlights as Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actor, comedian, writer, director and producer Donald Glover.
Tickets: Prices start at $79.50 at ticketmaster.com.
Aug. 23: New Kids on the Block with Paula Abdul, DJ Jazzy Jeff
7 p.m. at Nationwide Arena
Prepare for an evening of '80s flashbacks as the original boy band predating *NSYNC and others of their ilk bring their synchronized dance moves to the stage. Abdul's hits include "Straight Up," "Forever Your Girl" and "Opposites Attract," and DJ Jazzy Jeff is best known from his days with rapper-turned-actor Will Smith.
Tickets: Prices start at $27 at ticketmaster.com.
Aug. 27: Tesla
7:30 p.m. at Mershon Auditorium
The West Coast rockers, whose songs include their biggest hit "Signs," recently completed a residence at the Las Vegas House of Blues and are set to headline the Monsters of Rock Cruise from Miami to the Bahamas next March.
Tickets: Prices start at $47.50 at ticketmaster.com.
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Aug. 27: ZZ Top
6:30 p.m. at KEMBA! Live, 405 Neil Ave.
With more than 50 years under their belts, ZZ Top was the longest-running band with an unchanged lineup in the history of popular music until the death of bassist Dusty Hill in 2021. Their numerous hits include "La Grange," "Sharp Dressed Man" and "Legs."
Tickets: Prices start at $64.50 for general-admission lawn spots at promowestlive.com/columbus/kemba-live.
Aug. 27: Jhené Aiko
7 p.m. at Nationwide Arena
The alternative R&B artist, who sang "America the Beautiful" before Super Bowl LVI in 2022, started her musical career as a backing vocalist for the R&B group B2K. Her mainstream breakthrough came with her team up with Lil Wayne on Big Sean's 2013 single "Beware," her first top 40 single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Tickets: Prices start at $49.50 at ticketmaster.com.
bpaschal@dispatch.com
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Concert season: A roundup of summer concerts in Columbus
