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We want to know which local concert, comedy show or theater experience stands out from last year.
Lorde, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Stevie Nicks, Renee Rapp, Kendrick Lamar and Sarah Sherman were live entertainment highlights in the Boston area this year. Free photo; Matthew Murphy; Ben Stas for The Boston Globe; Kelly Chan/Boston.com; Graham Dickie/The New York Times; Rosalind O’Connor/NBC
Let’s be honest: A look at Boston.com’s 2025 concert reviews shows that old people and people who appreciate old people had plenty of cool live concerts to choose from in Boston this year.
Stevie Nicks. David Byrne. James Taylor. Cyndi Lauper. Patty Smith. Heart. Elvis Costello (twice!). Everyone took a tour of the greater Boston area in 2025, much to the delight of the generation
But the over 60-year-olds were by no means the only highlights on Boston’s concert stages. Kendrick Lamar and Sza lit up Gillette. Noah Kahan stripped down (musically) for a charity show at MGM Music Hall. Lorde wowed TD Garden.
And, in a category all its own, the concert that made international headlines: Coldplay at Gillette Stadium, where a kiss-cam snafu captured the imagination of snarky memesters around the world (and sadly ended a few marriages and possibly a career or two).
Chris Martin sees and knows everything. – AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade, File
Add in country stars like Morgan Wallen and Thomas Rhett, millennial favorites like My Chemical Romance and the Jonas Brothers, and young people like Renee Rapp and Role Model, and it’s hard to pick a favorite. (And that’s before considering festivals like Boston Calling and the new, nearly rained-out Seisiún Irish Fest.) There were also great stage shows like “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” and Huntington’s “Fun Home,” as well as comedic brilliance from SNL favorites like Marcello Hernandez, Sarah Sherman and Andrew Dismukes.
We know we can’t pick a favorite, so that’s where you come in. Enter your favorite local concert, play, musical, lecture, comedy show, etc. (e.g. in Massachusetts) from 2025 in the form below or send an email [email protected]and if you feel like it, tell us what made it so great. We may include your response in a future article.
What was your favorite concert or live event in 2025?
Peter Chianca
Peter Chianca, general assignment editor at Boston.com since 2019, is a longtime news editor, columnist and music writer in the Boston area.
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