Take your pick of hitmakers from Sarah McLachlan to Dierks Bentley to Lionel Richie this week in CT

Connecticut concert listings this week blend enduring chart success with younger scenes, led by major artists in venues across Hartford, New Haven, Old Saybrook, and Branford. At 58, Sarah McLachlan—who has had hit records in every decade since the early 1990s and released “Better Broken” in 2025—plays Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater on July 8 at 7:30 p.m., with tickets priced $61.50 to $455.65. Dierks Bentley, Buju Banton, and the pairing of Lionel Richie with Earth, Wind & Fire are also referenced as major acts, though specific event dates for them are not included in the excerpt. For emerging and local-heavy programming, idobi Radio Summer School returns July 5 at Toad’s Place in New Haven, featuring 30 bands and raising money for the Save the Music Foundation; tickets are listed at $61.25 and $50 in advance, with a two-ticket deal for $68. Elsewhere, Dogbite and Ken Atkins & the Honky Tonk Kind play July 5 at 7 p.m. at Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center in Old Saybrook for $26. Lettuce appears July 9 at 6 p.m. at New England Brewing in Branford, priced $51 to $111.