The kids are back at school, Labor Day is right around the corner, and the outdoor pageantry that comes with summer is winding down. It must mean that the glorious chill of autumn is at hand.

Of course, the calendar says we still have almost a month of summer left, but fall, as we know, is already underway. And do we already have a ton of live music coming to celebrate the seasonal change.

Here’s a guide with recommendations for concert events taking place at three of Lexington’s most visible venues, as well as a pick-and-choose roundup of various regional theaters, clubs and festivals.

It’s fall, y’all. Celebrate with some of these sounds.

Lexington Opera House

One of the busiest venues in the coming months will be the Opera House, 401 W. Short. What’s particularly curious about its bountiful lineup of live music is how heavily it will rely on veteran pop, rock and smooth jazz artists who still draw large audiences.

Tickets for all shows are available at ticketmaster.com. Prices listed here do not include Platinum/Premium package seats or “verified resale tickets” (seats resold by customers through Ticketmaster above face value).

▪ September 10: The Fixx/Jill Sobule (8 p.m.; $35-$39.50)

▪ September 15: Christopher Cross (8 p.m.; $47.50-$57.50)

▪ September 18: Gordon Lightfoot/Jake Wildhorn (8 p.m.; sold out)

▪ Sept. 21: Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue (8 p.m.; $49.50-$75)

▪ October 6: Postmodern Jukebox (8 p.m.; $39.50-$59.50)

▪ October 7: Small feat (8 p.m.; $64.50 – $109.50)

▪ October 9: Jim Brickman (3 p.m.; $38.50-$68.50)

▪ November 13: Boney James (8 p.m.; $49.50-$75)

Recommendations:

▪ British pop stalwart The Fixx, known for 80s post-new wave radio hits ‘One Way or Another’ and ‘Saved by Zero’, last performed in Lexington in 2014 for Christ’s Oktoberfest King. Those expecting an old-school fortuitous outing, like me, received a fresh, alert and surprisingly vital performance with the Fixx’s full original range at your fingertips.

▪ Another Lexington returnee, New Orleans funk, rock and jazz favorite, Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews first wowed local audiences at an outdoor show downtown proved an unexpected highlight of the celebrations surrounding the 2010 World Equestrian Games. Andrews and his Orleans Avenue band also performed at the Opera in 2018 and the Moontower Music Festival at Masterson Station Park in 2016.

Rupp Arena

Rupp Arena is kicking back into gear this fall with a hearty lineup of – what else? – country music. Of course, there are also some pop and hip-hop entries on the schedule. But once October rolls around, be careful. That’s when Nash-Vegas really hits Lexington.

Tickets for all shows are available at ticketmaster.com. Prices shown do not include Platinum package seats or “verified resale tickets”.

▪ September 6: Backstreet Boys (7:30 p.m.; $29.50 to $129.50)

▪ September 9: Alan Jackson (7 p.m.; $40.50-$210.50)

▪ September 17: Lex Fest with Polo G/Moneybagg Yo/others (8 p.m.; $38.50-$128.50)

▪ October 6: Keith Urban (7 p.m.; $29.50 – $49.50)

▪ October 20: Carrie Underwood (7:30 p.m.; $39.50-$150)

▪ October 29: The Judds with Wynonna/Faith Hill/Martina McBride (7:30 p.m.; $73-$219.50)

▪ Nov. 12: Five Finger Death Punch/Brantley Gilbert (6:30 p.m.; $29.50-$129.50)

▪ December 3: Throwing Wreaths (7 p.m.; $31 to $105)

Recommendations:

▪ Capping off the invasion of the country, the final night of the final tour will be credited to Kentucky mother/daughter duo, The Judds. We say “credited” because mother Naomi passed away after the tour plans were made. The resulting tour has his daughter Wynonna, the duo’s lead singer, continuing with a variety of high-profile female guests, who in Lexington will be Faith Hill and Martina McBride.

▪ Rock ‘n’ roll at Rupp this fall is confined, for now, to the return of Las Vegas metal brigade Five Finger Death Punch. But the group’s Rupp shows over the years have also been homecomings. Its longtime bassist, Chris Kael, is a Lexington native, a graduate of Lafayette High School and a former DJ for WRFL-FM.

Magnifying glass

Now in its seventh year of bringing local and national acts to the Distillery District, The Burl, 375 Thompson Rd., has become one of the area’s busiest and most popular music venues. As with its summer menu, the club’s fall schedule features a mix of intimate indoor shows and big outdoor concerts.

For tickets, go to theburlky.com/events.

▪ August 27: A Concert for Flood Relief in Eastern Kentucky (1:30 p.m., $25)

▪ September 2: Grateful Grass by Keller Williams (8 p.m.; $25)

▪ September 8: John R. Miller (8 p.m., $17)

▪ September 10: Expansion featuring The Black Angels/others (2:30 p.m.; $59-$120)

▪ September 11: The War and the Treaty (8 p.m., $25)

▪ September 22: Dawes/Bahamas (8 p.m., $40)

▪ September 24: Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears/Cedric Burnside (8 p.m., $15)

▪ October 3: Nikki Lane (8 p.m., $20)

▪ October 6: Town Mountain (8 p.m., $25)

▪ October 11: Jon Spencer and the Hitmakers (8 p.m., $20)

▪ Oct. 14: Southern Culture on the Skids (9 p.m., $20)

Recommendations:

▪ One of the biggest concert events offered by any venue this fall takes place at The Burl this weekend. On August 27, twenty acts from central Kentucky and beyond will come together for a performance designed to raise relief funds for EKY Mutual Aid to help areas of eastern Kentucky affected by the devastating floods. of last month.

Lineup will include Aaron Boyd, Abby Hamilton, Brett & Donnie, Brit Taylor, Brother Smith, Cole Chaney, Darrin Hacquard, Ella Webster, Eric Bolander, Grayson Jenkins, Jeremy Short, John R. Miller, Jondra Nicole, Laid Back Country Picker, Logan Fox, Nari cq, Ryan Anderson, Sean Whiting, Slutpill and Wayne Graham.

More regional Kentucky live music

Eight additional shows offered by eight additional venues and regional festivals.

▪ September 2: The Steeldrivers (8 p.m., $25) – Manchester Music Hall, 899 Manchester St. (manchestermusichall.com)

▪ September 9: Smash Mouth (TBD, free) – Christ the King Oktoberfest, 299 Colony Blvd. (ctkoktoberfest.com)

▪ September 16: Asleep at the Wheel (7:30 p.m.: $35, $45) – Grand Théâtre, 308 St. Clair Street in Frankfurt (thegrandky.com)

▪ September 20: Leo Kottke (7:30 p.m., $45) – Lyric Theater and Cultural Arts Center, 300 E. Third. (tix.com)

▪ Oct. 6-9: Moonshiner’s Ball with Lucinda Williams, Ian Noe, SG Goodman and others (times vary; $25-$150) – Rockcastle Riverside, 4211 Lower River Rd. in Livingstone. (themoonshinersball.com)

▪ Nov. 11: The Del McCoury Band (7 p.m.; $25-$59.99) – Renfro Valley Entertainment Center, 2380 Richmond St. in Mount Vernon. (renfrovalley.com)

▪ December 9: Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy (7:30 p.m.; $19 to $75) – Norton Center for the Arts. 600 W. Walnut St. in Danville. (nortoncenter.com)

▪ December 15: Leslie Odom, Jr. (7:30 p.m.; $55-$85) – EKU Center for the Arts in Richmond, 822 Hall Dr. in Richmond. (ekucenter.com)

Recommendations:

▪ The return of progressive bluegrass pros The Steeldrivers to Manchester Music Hall on September 2 marks the regional debut of the band’s fourth and new lead singer, Matt Dame. He replaced Berea native Kelvin Damrell, who replaced Gary Nichols (the vocals on the 2015 Grammy-winning album “The Muscle Shoals Recordings”), who replaced a then-Kentucky singer/songwriter. little known as Chris Stapleton.

▪ Christ the King’s Oktoberfest is back in retro-rock mode this year. Its September 9 headliner will be Southern California popsters Smash Mouth, whose parade of late ’90s hits includes “Walkin’ on the Sun” and “All Star.” Only bassist Paul De Lisle remains from the original line-up. Longtime singer Steve Harwell stepped down earlier this year and was replaced by Zach Goode.