Tucson's end-of-summer indicator? More live music, better touring acts

As Tucson temperatures begin to drop, bidding adieu to this year’s brutal summer season, the city’s concert venues are just starting to heat up.

Several high-profile and up-and-coming musical acts will grace stages across town this week.

Here are some shows you should consider.

Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul

@ The Rialto Theatre – Sunday, Sept. 15.

Steven Van Zandt has worn many hats in his 50-plus years in the entertainment industry, including his most well-known roles: Playing guitar in Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band and serving as Tony Soprano’s right-hand man, Silvio Dante in the HBO series “The Sopranos.”

Van Zandt has been just as prolific in his solo music efforts, releasing his latest album, “Summer of Sorcery,” earlier this year. The 12-track project is Van Zandt’s first studio album of all-original material in two decades.

Expect to hear a lot of the new stuff when his band, The Disciples, play the Rialto on Sunday, Sept. 15. The show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $42.30-$62.30 through the Rialto box office, 740-1000.

Jenny and the Mexicats

@The Rialto Theatre — Friday, Sept. 13.

With British vocalist and trumpeter Jenny Ball at the helm, Jenny and the Mexicats (formerly Pachucos y la Princesa) move effortlessly from upbeat cumbia to Latin pop to folk songs in English.

The group formed in Spain more than a decade ago, but has been based in Mexico since 2012. Their infectious music is known to lead to dancing.

Jenny and the Mexicats perform at 8 p.m. and tickets are $15-$18 through the Rialto box office.

Old Blind Dogs

@Berger Performing Arts Center — Saturday, Sept. 14.

The Old Blind Dogs have made Tucson a regular stop over the years, bringing their particular brand of Scottish roots revival music from its traditional home to cities across the U.S.

All four musicians — bouzouki player Aaron Jones, fiddler Jonny Hardie, whistle player Ali Hutton and percussionist Donald Hay — are accomplished performers with extensive resumes.

Hay, for example, has recorded with the likes of Sting, Eliza Carthy, Kate Rusby and The Battlefield Band.

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The Old Blind Dogs play at 8 p.m., Saturday at the Berger, 1200 W. Speedway. Tickets are $25 in advance with discounts available at inconcerttucson.com, Antigone Books and the Folk Shop. They are $28 at the door. 981-1475.

Del and Dawg

@Fox Tucson Theatre — Saturday, Sept. 14

Bluegrass guitarist Del McCoury and jazz fusion mandolinist David “Dawg” Grisman first met as young musicians in New York City’s folk-heavy Greenwich Village in 1963. They collaborated on their first gig three years later, and their paths have been crossing ever since.

The two don’t always perform together. McCoury spent time with Bill Monroe and is known best for fronting the Del McCoury Band. Grisman worked with Jerry Garcia on Grateful Dead projects and as part of the acoustic supergroup, Old & In The Way, with Garcia, Peter Rowan and Vassar Clements.

Both musicians bring years of expertise with them. Expect some finely tuned bluegrass fare, both traditional and contemporary, when Del and Dawg take the stage.

The show starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $29-$74 through the Fox box office, foxtucson.com or 547-3040.

Black Flag

@The Rialto Theatre — Monday, Sept. 16

Black Flag’s stop through the Rialto Monday comes amid a grueling 52-city tour that lasts until mid-December.

The group, led by founding member Greg Ginn, has been spreading the punk gospel since 1976, with a rotating list of musicians in its ranks, including actor Henry Rollins, who fronted Black Flag from 1981 to ’85.

The band recently returned to the road after a five-year hiatus.

The Rialto show begins at 8 p.m. and tickets are $22-$25 through the Rialto box office.

Kiana Ledé

@191 Toole — Monday, Sept. 16

Profiled as part of Billboard’s emerging artist series in April, Phoenix native Kiana Ledé has been reaching ears with her song, “Ex” and her repertoire of R&B tracks, delivered in the same vein as Canadian singer Alessia Cara.

Ledé has been honing her singing chops since she was a child, winning Kidz Bop’s Kidz Star USA talent contest in 2011. She is also an actress. Her credits include playing Zoe Vaughn on the MTV slasher program, “Scream” and as Veronica Washington on the short-lived Joseph “Rev Run” Simmons series, “All About the Washingtons” on Netflix.

The show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $18-$25 through the 191toole.com