Beloved country crooner and activist Willie Nelson couldn’t have said it better than in his 1981 hit song: “Just can’t wait to get on the road again / The life I love is making music with my friends.” This Saturday, that dream becomes a reality once again, with 88-year-old Nelson returning to Shoreline Amphitheatre for the Outlaw Music Festival, a celebration of all things country. There, the Redheaded Stranger will be joined by other genre legends like North Carolina folk-rock group the Avett Brothers and Grammy Award-winning singer Lucinda Williams for a day of fun in the sun full of dancing and joy.

Willie Nelson + More
Sat, 4:25pm, $22+
Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mt View

Once dismissed as pop rockers with a gimmicky name, over their 51-year run, the hard working Doobie Brothers advanced a deep catalog of classics, from anthemic gems like “Listen to the Music,” to the folky “Black Water” and Michael McDonald’s yacht rock masterpieces. With McDonald rejoining Simmons, Tommy Johnston and John McFee for an anniversary victory lap, the Doobies land on home turf Wednesday, following their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year, the declaration of their San Jose house as a historical site this summer and the release of their 15th studio album this month.

Doobie Brothers
Wed, 7pm, $39+
Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mt View

Will she be loved? If Maroon 5 has any say in the matter, yes, she will. Since 2002’s Songs About Jane, the pro-love pop juggernauts led by The Voice and Proactiv infomercial star Adam Levine have had a never-ending run of pop hits, from the shimmying “This Love,” to the ubiquitous rooster strutting “Moves Like Jagger,” to this year’s trap-pop “Beautiful Mistakes” with Megan Thee Stallion. At Shoreline, they’re joined by “All About That Bass” and “Like I’m Gonna Lose You” singer Meghan Trainor.

Maroon 5
Thu, 7pm, $69+
Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mt View

For one brief evening this Sunday, Mr. Worldwide becomes Mr. Mountain View. It’s hard to remember the last time Pitbull wasn’t blowing up our radio stations with dance anthems. “Timber” is already stuck in my head just thinking about this show, that song pretty much was the entire year 2012 for me. On his first tour in four years, he brings along Iggy Azalea for what is sure to be an energetic affair: he makes his views on parties pretty clear in his hit song “Don’t Stop the Party.” No reason to start doubting him now.

Pitbull
Sun, 8pm, $65+
Shoreline Amphitheater, Mountain View

Forged in the fires of old Detroit, and tempered by relentlessly touring for most of the last 50 years, Bob Seger’s voice is an American treasure. Whether shouting or whispering, Seger’s authentic, road-tested rasp has the power to make listeners want things they never knew they needed—like a Chevrolet. “Like a Rock,” “Old Time Rock and Roll,” “Night Moves”… Seger has the song catalog fitting of a living legend. He has vowed that this Friday will be the final time he passes through Mountain View. At 74 he is tired of running “Against the Wind,” and he’s ready to “Turn the Page.”

Bob Seger
Thu, 7:30pm, $39+
Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View

A little bit of country, a little bit of rock & roll and a little bit of hip-hop swagger. For the second summer in a row, alt-rock hit-machine Cake joins forces with singer, songwriter and piano-pop powerhouse Ben Folds—hitting the road with guitars, trumpets and vibraslap in tow.

Cake was founded three decades ago in Sacramento and ascended the alternative rock charts with a bright and bubbly antidote to grunge’s dour and sour sounds. For every sludgy riff, Cake had a crisp and spritely rebuttal; to each downer lyric, Cake responded with wit.

“I want a girl with a short skirt and a looooooooooooonnng… jacket!” frontman John McCrea exclaimed, stretching his signature monotone for emphasis on “Short Skirt/Long Jacket” from the band’s 2001 Columbia Records debut, Comfort Eagle.

Ever since its first record, 1994’s Motorcade of Generosity, Cake has delivered consistently catchy melodies, driving basslines and poetic metaphors that are as clear as they are zany.

Perhaps it is something about California’s Central Valley. In the same way that the Modesto-bred Grandaddy so expertly channeled the existential dread of internet-connected suburban sprawl with songs about robots working in the dark, Cake zeroed in on toxic masculinity through the prism of high-powered automobiles. “Race Car Ya-Yas” is a brilliant take-down of machismo, road rage and commuter culture, while “Going the Distance” is the tale of a man racing against himself in an empty arena as his lover languishes in the cold shadow of his ambition.

Though the band hasn’t released a full-length album since 2011’s Showroom of Compassion, there were hints of new music with the release of “Sinking Ship” last August, the lead single from their yet-to-be-released seventh studio album.

This summer’s tour also comes on the heels of Folds’ first major book release, a memoir titled A Dream About Lightning Bugs.

A North Carolina native, Folds first achieved national success as the frontman of Ben Folds Five. The band’s 1997 single “Brick,” from the album Whatever and Ever Amen, lit up alternative rock and pop radio all over the country with bouncy keys. As a solo artist, Folds has performed with William Shatner, Regina Spektor and even authors like Neil Gaiman. His impressive resume doesn’t stop there: Folds was a main contributor to the soundtracks of two of the mid-2000s most quirkiest films—Hoodwinked! and Over the Hedge—and even served as a judge on NBC’s a cappella competition show, The Sing Off.

Cake & Ben Folds
Sep 13, 7pm, $35+
Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View

We all know Dierks Bentley as a singer, songwriter and country music veteran…but it turns out he might also be a Burner. He’s currently on the road, pushing his 2018 LP, The Mountain, whose lead single, “Burning Man,” seems to pay homage to the weeklong party in Nevada’s Black Rock desert. The tune deals with struggles and triumphs, and conflicting urges for rambling and remaining grounded. The album—his ninth studio set in 15 years—mixes elements of bluegrass with straightforward rock & roll. Bentley’s label mate Jon Pardi and rising country singer Caylee Hammack open.

Dierks Bentley
Sat, 7pm, $40+
Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View

These hip-hop and R&B superstars first collaborated on their 1997 single “Love is All We Need,” topping the charts with wholesome verses sung by Blige in her trademark soulful tone. The duo linked up earlier this year on another single, “Thriving,” to announce their co-headlining summer “Royalty Tour.” Their vastly influential careers began in the ’90s, with legendary albums like Nas’ Illmatic and Blige’s What’s the 411? Today, the artists are still going strong. Nas’ 11th studio album, Nasir, was released in 2018, and Blige’s The Strength of Woman dropped in 2017.

Nas & Mary J. Blige
Wed, 8pm, $31+
Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View

Like a killer bee mid-swarm, time flies. As of this year it’s been a quarter-century since the release of Enter the 36 Chambers, Wu Tang’s mesmerizing first missive from Shaolin. To celebrate 25 years of Wu, the Staten Island crew have put together the appropriately titled “Gods of Rap” tour, an event so packed with hip-hop heavyweights, it’s difficult to fit them all in one blurb. On top of a nearly full Wu line-up (no Method Man), the night includes legends including Erik B & Rakim, De La Soul and Pharcyde.

Wu-Tang Clan
Sat, 7pm, $35+
Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View

“Every week has a weekend,” and with the late spring rain finally in the rearview, it’s time to get outdoors and crack open a few cold ones. Brad Paisley invites country lovers to crush some silver bullets with him in Mountain View—just months after the release of tear-jerking love ballad, “My Miracle,” and two years since his 2017 LP, Love and War. The Grand Ole Opry, one of country music’s most revered institutions, brought Paisley into the fold in 2001, just two years after he put out his platinum debut album, Who Needs Pictures. Makes sense, since his twangy tunes pair perfectly with his smooth baritone and fun-loving spirit.

Brad Paisley
Fri, 7pm, $24+
Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View