Courtesy of Circus Flora
The Flying Wallendas
June 2–July 3 | Circus Flora
Circus Flora, turning 30 this summer, pays tribute to its home-base city with Pastime, a toast to St. Louis’ favorite sport. Set during the 1950s, the show follows the scrappy—and unbelievably acrobatic—Mound City Zephyrs. Big Top in Grand Center circusflora.org.
June 6 | Sara Silverman
Funny lady Silverman (who’s recently revealed herself as a fine dramatic actress, too), is arguably the top female comedian of her generation. See her brilliant—and often totally shocking—brand of standup this month. The Pageant, thepageant.com.
June 8 | Leon Bridges
The young Texas-born singer went viral on Spotify with “Coming Home,” his modern take on classic soul; he’s the 21st-century heir to Sam Cooke and Otis Redding. The Pageant, thepageant.com.
June 8–11 | Twangfest
Now in its second decade, Twangfest has become one of the country’s most respected roots music festivals. This year’s lineup includes Tommy Halloran’s Guerrilla Swing, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Wussy, and The Waco Brothers. Various times & venues, twangfest.com.
June 9 | The Avett Brothers
The San Francisco Chronicle described the Avett Brothers’ sound as having the “heavy sadness of Townes Van Zandt, the light pop concision of Buddy Holly, the tuneful jangle of the Beatles, the raw energy of the Ramones.” Chaifetz Arena, thechaifetzarena.com.
June 10 | BØRNS
The Scandinavian vowel might suggest otherwise, but BØRNS was a project born in Michigan—though some describe this starry space-pop as sounding like it came from some faraway corner of the cosmos. The Ready Room, thereadyroom.com.
June 13–22 | The Wizard of Oz
The Muny opens the 2016 season with the Technicolor dazzle of The Wizard of OZ, which continues to be the theater’s most popular musical ever. The Muny, Forest Park, muny.org.
June 15 | Terry McMillan
Left Bank Books brings McMillan to town to read from her new novel, I Almost Forgot About You, which follows Georgia, an optometrist who’s bored to death with her job and her life. She finally heads out into the world to follow her nose for adventure—and finds herself following her heart, too. June 15. Christ Church Cathedral, left-bank.com.
June 17 | Tribute to David Bowie
Now that every rock band in town has paid tribute to the legendary musician, it’s the St. Louis Symphony’s turn, with a full rock band accompanying the orchestra. Powell Symphony Hall, stlsymphony.org.
June 18 | A Prairie Home Companion
If you’ve ever been comforted by the woozy, homespun, snarky charm of A Prairie Home Companion, now’s your last chance to see Garrison Keillor host the show live from St. Louis. The Fox Theatre, fabulousfox.com.
