2025 Pollstar Staff Picks & Predictions

FAVORITE SHOWS OF 2025

Ryan Borba
Melvins
Strummers | Fresno, Ca
March 2
The Melvins delivered a set of new and old favorites ranging from the helter-skelter “The Bloated Pope” – aided by a dual-drummer attack from Melvins co-founder Dale Crover, joined by relative newcomer but still metal veteran Coady Wills — to the moshable, grunge-adjacent “Honey Bucket” to stoner sludge anthem “Night Goat.” As always, the star of the show was the one and only frontman King Buzzo, decked out in full tunic and wild, shaggy mane of hair as triumphant as ever. The oddball outfit remains an example of how to make a long-term career within the rock club circuit, thanks to reliably excellent performances and a strong catalog.

Sarah Pittman
Social Cig
Milwaukee | Falcon Hall
June 24
As part of NIVA 2025’s post-panel evening programming, NIVA member venues across Milwaukee hosted shows and parties. Social Cig – which is the music project of Filipino American Parker Schultz and describes their sound as “Midwest indie skate rock” – had the honor of headlining the NIVA Local Showcase on June 24, joined by Diet Lite and Bug Moment. The all-ages, free show held in the event space Falcon Hall of Falcon Bowl, a historic bar and bowling alley dating back to 1885, was a reminder of the joy of discovering rad bands and venues while embracing your inner “Teenager” and letting loose with some indie rock.

J.R. Lind
Gracie Abrams
The Kia Forum | Inglewood, Ca
August 7
After nearly four years of constant touring — from the 250-capacity Constellation Room at Santa Ana, California’s Observatory to opening for Taylor Swift in stadiums around the world — Gracie Abrams took what her team called a “victory lap” with shows at prestige venues in the U.S. squeezed between prime spots at major festivals. The L.A. native’s show at the Forum demonstrated why she’s become a Gen Z favorite. All the singing along from her hairbowed fans was evidence that she’s struck the right chord with her songs — relatable, wise and vulnerable in perfect proportion.

Ariel King
Nine Inch Nails
Barclays Center | Brooklyn, NY
Sept. 3
The night really began when Boys Noize took the opposite stage. Billed as a supporting act, his techno-industrial sound blended seamlessly into Nine Inch Nails’ “Peel It Back Tour,” and that became even more apparent when he joined Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross on stage at various points of the show. The night proved a celebration of Reznor and Atticus Ross’ versatility, the pair seamlessly weaving between their more ambient soundscapes best known within their film scores, their industrial electronic, and their harder rock with guitarist Robin Finck, bassist Alessandro Cortini and drummer Josh Freese. The performance was a masterclass in production, unsurprising from a mastermind much like Trent Reznor.

Wendy Pearl
Stevie Nicks
PeoplesBank Arena | Hartford, Ct
Oct. 25
Stevie Nicks captivated the sold-out audience at the reopening of PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford, Connecticut, on Oct. 25 with a velvet landslide of hits and studio stories about her life and encounters with like-minded icons Prince and Tom Petty. The personal accounts felt confessional, like intimate conversations over a glass of wine. At 5-foot-1-inch and 77 years, her presence filled the room with authentic vocal power over production. Nicks exuded a mystical feminism that transcended her impressive catalog of hits as a member of Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist – from “Gypsy” to “Edge of Seventeen,” she soared.

Oscar Aréliz
Caifanes
YouTube Theater | Inglewood, CA
Nov. 1
It has to be Caifanes at YouTube Theater in Inglewood Nov. 1, the same night as Game 7 of the World Series. Thousands of fans were on pins and needles, glued to screens around the venue. The band delayed the show as long as it could to allow attendees to watch their beloved Dodgers, who defeated the Blue Jays in one of the most incredible World Series finales baseball has ever seen. Celebrating the extraordinary comeback with strangers and then watching one of Mexico’s greatest rock bands is a night I will never forget. Honorable mention: taking my mum to her first concert in decades to see José María Napoleon at YouTube Theater.

Andy Gensler
So many great ones!
1/11 Body & Soul, Musica; 1/24 Jamie xx, Shrine; 1/30 Fire Aid, Forum/Intuit Dome; 2/8, FlyLo, Alice Coltrane exhibit, Hammer Museum; 2/13 MJ Lenderman, Fonda; 2/20 Tyler, The Creator, Crypto.com Arena; 4/4 Bob Mould, Teragram; 4/11 Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso; Coachella; 5/8 Janis Mann, Baked Potato; 6/28 (Very Nice) Plants, Gowanus Wharf; 7/19 George Strait/Chris Stapleton, SoFi: 8/9 2 Hollis, Outside Lands; 9/19 The Who/Offspring, Hollywood Bowl; 9/21 Air, Bowl; 9/25 Pulp/LCD, Bowl; 9/29 Paul McCartney, Acrisure Arena; 10/19 Devo/B52s, Bowl; 10/20 Chance The Rapper, Palladium; 10/30 Geese, Fonda; 11/2 Sombr, Fonda; 11/15 Alabama Shakes, Corona Capital Fest; 11/20 David Byrne, Dolby Theater; 11/24 Patti Smith, Anthe

2026 PREDICTIONS

OSCAR ARÉLIZ
Latin To Dominate Touring In 2026
Latin music dominated headlines this year, but not the box office charts. That
will change in 2026 with stars like Rosalía, Karol G and Peso Pluma dropping new music and artists having had more time for their visas to be processed and approved. And Bad Bunny will likely have another surprise up his sleeve. La revolución will continue.

GIDEON GOTTFRIED
A Two-Class Music Society
The experience-led event will continue to thrive, but the costs associated with it will be affordable to fewer and fewer people. At the same time, the grassroots will find ways to survive and thrive as they always have – leading to a pretty obvious two-class music society.

J.R. LIND
Sphere To Keep Expanding
Sphere fills its genre bingo card, following up the debut of country acts at the futuristic Vegas venue in 2025 by bringing in R&B and hip-hop shows in 2026.

WENDY PEARL
Look Out For A ‘Dome Run’ The trend in NFL stadium design is moving away from open-air stadiums in favor of fixed roofs to facilitate year-round use, which could be a “dome run” for the future of touring. In addition to retractable roofs, venues are investing in retractable playing surfaces to increase the number and types of events they can host.
Multi-use facilities are becoming the default option for many projects waiting in the tunnel.