Summer is in full swing and the only way to beat the heat is to stay hydrated — and see live music.
This month we’ve got the ‘60s pop-inspired sounds of Billy Bob Thornton and The Box Masters at Sellersville Theater, reggae revivalist Jesse Royal at the One Earth Reggae Festival, Still Surfin’ bringing the California vibes of the Beach Boys to Penn’s Peak, and so much more.
Read on for more top Lehigh Valley concerts this July.
Toad the Wet Sprocket performs Sunday, July 12, 2026, at Musikfest Cafe in Bethlehem. (Chris Orwig)
Crys Matthews performs Saturday, July 18, 2026, at Godfrey Daniels in Bethlehem. (Emily April Allen)
Billy Bob Thornton & The Box Masters perform Tuesday, July 21, 2026, at Sellersville Theater. (Jess Gaedicke)
Beach Boys tribute band Still Surfin’ performs Tuesday, July 28, 2026, at Penn’s Peak in Jim Thorpe. (Contributed photo)
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Toad the Wet Sprocket performs Sunday, July 12, 2026, at Musikfest Cafe in Bethlehem. (Chris Orwig)
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Jesse Royal
When: 8:30 p.m. July 11
Where: Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks, 789 E 1st Street, Bethlehem
How much: Free
Tickets: artsquest.org / 610-332-1300
Musical style: Reggae, dub, roots reggae
Known for hits like: “Modern Day Judas,” “Something I Said,” “The Kalling,” “LionOrder” and “Love That Don’t Change”
Meet the artist: An integral voice to the “Reggae Revival” that was shaking up Jamacia in the 2010s, Jesse Royal bridges soul, afrobeat and dancehall to create a modern roots reggae sound full of the consciousness, positivity, and messages of strength and hope of many of his predecessors. Royal released his first album, “Lilly of da Valley,” in 2017, topping the Billboard Reggae Albums chart, and his second studio album, the Grammy Award-nominated “Royal,” in 2021. He’ll be performing as part of the One Earth Reggae Festival.
Check him out if you like: Protoje, Peter Tosh, Iba Mahr, Bob Marley, Jah9, Jacob Miller, Kabaka Pyramid
A Flock of Seagulls
When: 8 p.m. July 11
Where: Sherman Theater, 524 Main St., Stroudsburg
How much: $45-$185.70
Tickets: shermantheater.com / 570-420-2808
Musical style: New wave, synth pop, new romantic
Known for hits like: “I Ran (So Far Away),” “Space Age Love Song,” “Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You),” “The More You Live The More You Love” and “Modern Love is Automatic”
Meet the band: Reaching the height of popularity in the U.S. during the second British Invasion in 1982, A Flock of Seagulls had a string of hits, including “I Ran,” which was in heavy rotation on MTV at the time. They won a Grammy for the instrumental track “D.N.A.” and are often noted as the face of New Wave — in part thanks to lead singer Mike Score’s “seagull wings” hair style, but also their synth pop sound. They’re playing as part of “I Love the 80s” with Bow Wow Wow and Animotion.
Check them out if you like: Duran Duran, The Human League, Wang Chung, New Order, The Romantics, Tears for Fears, Soft Cell
Toad the Wet Sprocket
When: 7 p.m. July 12
Where: Musikfest Cafe, 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem
How much: $75-$140
Tickets: artsquest.org / 610-332-1300
Musical style: Alternative, pop rock, folk pop
Known for hits like: “All I Want,” “Walk on the Ocean,” “Something’s Always Wrong,” “Fall Down” and “Good Intentions”
Meet the band: Taking their name from a Monty Python skit called “Rock Notes” about a fictional band, Toad the Wet Sprocket formed in 1986. They released a series of hits throughout the ‘90s then called it quits in 1998. They reformed in 2010 and have since toured and released several albums, including a bonus edition of “All I Want” and, in 2026, an acoustic album of their hits. Their 1991 album, “fear,” was RIAA-certified platinum, and included the two Top 20 Billboard Hot 100 hits, “All I Want” and “Walk on the Ocean.”
Check them out if you like: Better Than Ezra, Gin Blossoms, Cracker, The Verve Pipe, Collective Soul, The Wallflowers, Tonic
Crys Matthews
When: 8 p.m. July 18
Where: Godfrey Daniels, 7 E. 4th St., Bethlehem
How much: $28.71-$33.90
Tickets: godfreydaniels.org / 610-867-2390
Musical style: Folk, blues, Americana
Known for hits like: “Changemakers,” “Call Them In,” “Prodigal Son,” “Six Feet Apart” and “Exactly Where You Are”
Honors: Crys Matthews is an award-winning lyricist and composer spinning country, Americana, folk, blues and bluegrass into songs about social justice, love and modern life. She won the grand prize at the Lincoln Center’s 2017 New Song Music and Performance Competition. She also won the People’s Music Network’s Social Justice Songs contest at the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance. She’s performed at the Sundance Film Festival and Kerrville Folk Festival. She had previously been a drum major, and is also a classically trained clarinetist. She has a Ted Talk titled “Sing, Don’t Shout — An Alternative Approach,” about difficult conversations. Her latest album, “Reclamation,” was recorded at Sound Emporium Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, and produced by Levi Lowry (co-writer of the Zac Brown Band hit, “Colder Weather”).
Check her out if you like: Dar Williams, Ani DiFranco, Woody Guthrie, Lucy Wainwright Roche, Lilli Lewis, Amy Speace
Billy Bob Thornton & The Box Masters
When: 8 p.m. July 21
Where: Sellersville Theater, 24 W. Temple Ave.
How much: $59.50-$112
Tickets: st94.com / 215-257-5808
Musical style: Neo ‘60s pop, pop rock, country rock
Known for hits like: “The Poor House,” “I’m Not Like Everybody Else,” “Don’t Count the Days,” “Fall into Me” and “Pepper Tree Hill”
Meet the band: You may know Billy Bob Thornton as the Academy Award-winning writer, director and actor of the movie “Sling Blade,” or any other number of films he’s been in (“Bad Santa,” “Armageddon,” “Tombstone,” “Dead Man”), but did you know he’s also been playing in a band with Grammy Award-winning recording engineer J.D. Andrew for close to 20 years? The band takes inspiration from their love of the ‘60s British Invasion and have recorded 21 albums full of originals, and a few covers sprinkled in, putting their own twist on the classic sound. Their latest album, “In The Bay,” is heavily inspired by Brian Wilson and “Pet Sounds” in particular, borrowing from some of the instrumentation techniques Wilson mastered listening to groups like The Ronettes and The Crystals.
Check them out if you like: Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, The Kinks, The Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Byrds, John Prince, Kris Kristofferson
The Used
When: 8 p.m. July 22
Where: Wind Creek Event Center, 77 Wind Creek Blvd., Bethlehem
How much: $49.50-$79.50
Tickets: ticketmaster.com / 610-297-7414
Musical style: Emo, pop punk, alternative
Known for hits like: “The Taste of Ink,” “Pretty Handsome Awkward,” “All That I’ve Got,” “Buried Myself Alive” and “The Bird and the Worm”
Meet the band: Formed in Utah in 2000, The Used started out making demos in drummer Branden Steineckert’s (current drummer of Rancid) bedroom while panhandling for change to buy food. They mailed off their demo to John Feldmann of the band Goldfinger, who then flew the band to LA, where they ultimately scored a record deal. They released their now-certified platinum, self-titled album in 2002 on Reprise Records while also performing at The Warped Tour and Ozzfest, and opening for Box Car Racer on their one and only tour. Since then, they’ve released nine studio albums, two live albums, a compilation of B-sides, and a CD/DVD of live, rare and unreleased tracks.
Check them out if you like: Taking Back Sunday, AFI, Hawthorne Heights. Rise Against, My Chemical Romance, Jimmy Eat World, Fall Out Boy
John Waite
When: 8 p.m. July 25
Where: Penn’s Peak, 325 Maury Rd., Jim Thorpe
How much: $27.50-$36.50
Tickets: pennspeak.com / 866-605-7325
Musical style: Pop, rock, country
Known for hits like: “Missing You,” “Act of Love,” “Every Step of the Way,” “Tears,” “These Time Are Hard For Lovers” and “In Dreams”
Honors: John Waite was the lead singer of the bands The Babys and Bad English, and in 1984 had a hit with the song “Missing You” as a solo artist. The song went to No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and was the only hit in 1984 to spend a full week topping the charts. The following year it was nominated for a Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. In 2007 he re-recorded the song with Alison Krauss for her album, “A Hundred Miles or More: A Collection,” and it was nominated for a CMA Award for Musical Event of the Year. His music’s appeared on numerous soundtracks including “Days of Thunder” alongside artists like Cher, Tina Turner, Elton John and Joan Jett.
Check him out if you like: Cutting Crew, Mr. Mister, Rick Springfield, Loverboy, Bad English, The Babys, Steve Perry
Still Surfin’: A Tribute to The Beach Boys
When: 1 p.m. July 28
Where: Penn’s Peak, 325 Maury Rd., Jim Thorpe
How much: $29.50-$53
Tickets: pennspeak.com / 866-605-7325
Musical style: Surf rock, pop rock, progressive pop
Known for hits like: Covers of Beach Boys classics, like, “Good Vibrations,” “Little GTO,” “Surfin’ Safari,” “409” and “Sloop John B”
Meet the band: Based in Washington, D.C., Still Surfin’ bring the harmonies, guitar licks, surfing sounds and retro style of The Beach Boys live to stages everywhere. From the earliest catchy hits to the more experimental tracks of “Pet Sounds,” Surfin’ Safari does the Beach Boys proud.
Check them out if you like: The Beach Boys, The Beatles, Jan and Dean, Chuck Berry, The Kinks, The Turtles, The Byrds
Jay Honstetter is a freelance writer.