The northern Michigan venue so far has announced 10 high-profile shows with more to come, amid the state’s ever-more hectic summer concert and festival schedule.
Summer Stars: The Stray Cats, Jason Isbell and Emmylou all are on tap this year at Interlochen. (Photos/Local Spins)
SCROLL DOWN FOR CONCERT SCHEDULE
Support our coverage of
West Michigan's music scene
When it comes to high-caliber bookings, artists so far announced for the summer concert series at Interlochen Center for the Arts have racked up more than three dozen Grammy Awards between them.
Emmylou Harris, Graham Nash, David Foster, Jason Isbell and The Stray Cats are among the acclaimed performers set to play northern Michigan’s Kresge Auditorium in July and August, with 10 to 15 more concerts still to be revealed.
Keyboardist, producer and composer David Foster, who’s won 16 Grammys over the years, will play Interlochen on July 10 with his wife and ‘American Idol’ singer Katherine McPhee, followed by country-rock and Americana legend and 14-time Grammy winner Emmylou Harris and Graham Nash (Crosby Stills & Nash, The Hollies) on July 23.
Much-respected, five-time Grammy winner Jason Isbell and his band The 400 Unit make an Interlochen tour stop on July 24, followed by Brit Floyd (July 27), Jefferson Starship (July 29), The Stray Cats (Aug. 11), ‘Happy Together’ (Aug. 12), an ABBA tribute (Aug. 13), Joe Bonamassa & Gov’t Mule (Aug. 14) and The Rock Orchestra (Aug. 30).
Kresge Auditorium: The crowd at a 2025 concert. (Photo/Steve Baran)
The diverse lineup – ranging from classic rock to country, pop, rockabilly and blues – will expand further in coming weeks as Interlochen announces more concerts for the summer series. Tickets for all of the announced shows are on sale online at interlochen.org.
“The lineup continues to take shape and we’re excited about the mix of artists and genres we’ll be bringing to northern Michigan this summer,” said Brent Wrobel, executive director of Interlochen Presents.
“There are several artists who stand out this year, including Joe Bonamassa, Emmylou Harris and Graham Nash, and Jason Isbell. They represent a range of musical styles.”
With a capacity of slightly more than 3,900 people, Interlochen’s Kresge Auditorium is bigger than the amphitheater at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park outside Grand Rapids (1,900) but smaller than Meadow Brook Amphitheatre in Rochester Hills (7,701).
Harris and Nash also will play Meadow Brook on their summer tour, with that venue so far announcing 11 shows for the summer. Meijer Gardens plans to unveil its summer series lineup on April 9.
The flurry of Michigan’s summer concerts and festivals – and the competition for ticket buyers – is expected to grow this year with the addition of the 12,000-capacity Acrisure Amphitheater in downtown Grand Rapids, not to mention a revamped Warner Vineyards venue in Paw Paw (2,200 capacity) and outdoor concerts at places such as Mount Pleasant’s Soaring Eagle Casino (12,500 total capacity), which so far has announced shows by Sammy Hagar & Rick Springfield, Shinedown, Mary J. Blige and Kane Brown.
“The growth of venues in Michigan is really a double-edged sword,” conceded Wrobel, noting ticket prices have remained comparable to past seasons. “On one hand, it means audiences have more choices. On the other, it also creates more opportunities for artists touring the region to route through northern Michigan. We’re excited to see what possibilities emerge with the addition of the Acrisure Amphitheater.”
So what sets Interlochen apart? “The experience itself,” he said. “The combination of world-class artists, a beautiful natural setting, and an intimate listening environment makes our concerts something special. Many patrons tell us that seeing a show at Interlochen feels very different from a typical outdoor concert venue.”
Nostalgia acts are plentiful when it comes to 2026 summer tours, including the “Happy Together” tour that features 1960s acts The Association, The Troggs, Gary Puckett and The Cowsills, as well as the Pink Floyd tribute, Brit Floyd, and ABBA tribute, The Concert. Some of these tours are playing multiple Michigan venues.
The “Happy Together” tour also hits GLC Live at 20 Monroe in Grand Rapids on Aug. 11 and The Fillmore Detroit on Aug. 13, with Brit Floyd making an earlier Michigan run with shows at Detroit’s Fox Theatre on May 16 and Grand Rapids’ DeVos Performance Hall on May 19.
Copyright 2026, Spins on Music LLC
