Soul — live concerts

17 upcoming concerts · 400 past

🎤 Upcoming concerts

Oct 20, 2026

19:00

Fat Freddy's Drop — O2 Academy Leeds

O2 Academy Leeds
Leeds, UK

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Oct 21, 2026

18:00

Lake Street Dive — O2 Academy Leeds

O2 Academy Leeds
Leeds, UK

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Oct 21, 2026

20:00

Tina Arena — CEPAC Silo

CEPAC Silo
Marseille, France

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Oct 23, 2026

19:00

Lake Street Dive — Eventim Apollo

Eventim Apollo
London, UK

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Oct 24, 2026

19:00

Tina Arena — Salle Pleyel

Salle Pleyel
Paris, France

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Oct 28, 2026

21:00

Jungle — Palau Sant Jordi

Palau Sant Jordi
Barcelona, Spain

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Oct 29, 2026

18:00

Lawrence — Brooklyn Paramount

Brooklyn Paramount
New York City, USA

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Oct 30, 2026

18:00

Lawrence — Brooklyn Paramount

Brooklyn Paramount
New York City, USA

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Oct 31, 2026

17:00

Lawrence — Brooklyn Paramount

Brooklyn Paramount
New York City, USA

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Oct 31, 2026

19:00

Treasure - Tribute Bruno Mars — AFAS Live

AFAS Live
Amsterdam, Netherland

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Nov 6, 2026

21:30

The Soulful Trio — Ocaña

Ocaña
Barcelona, Spain

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Nov 13, 2026

20:00

Christophe Mae — Le Dôme de Marseille

Le Dôme de Marseille
Marseille, France

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Nov 14, 2026

19:00

Edsilia Rombley — AFAS Live

AFAS Live
Amsterdam, Netherland

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Nov 14, 2026

20:30

DJ Koco aka Shimokita — Paral·lel 62

Paral·lel 62
Barcelona, Spain

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Nov 27, 2026

20:00

Christophe Mae — Zénith Arena Lille

Zénith Arena Lille
Lille, France

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Dec 7, 2026

20:00

Little Barrie — Aclam Club

Aclam Club
Barcelona, Spain

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Mar 29, 2027

20:00

Sienna Spiro — Paral·lel 62

Paral·lel 62
Barcelona, Spain

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About Soul

The Sound of the Soul: A Journey Through the Music That Changed Everything
Picture this: Memphis, 1962. The air inside a cramped studio is thick with the scent of stale coffee, cigarette smoke, and the electric hum of old amplifiers. Ray Charles, already blind but with a musical vision sharper than most, sits at his piano, fingers dancing over the keys as he records "I Can’t Stop Loving You." His voice—raspy yet tender, steeped in gospel fervor and bluesy pain—fills the room. He doesn’t know it yet, but he’s laying the foundation for what will soon be called soul music. This isn’t just a genre; it’s a spiritual and social revolution wrapped in melody.
Soul didn’t emerge from a vacuum. It was born in the Black churches of the American South, where congregations sang hymns until their voices cracked and the spirit moved them. That raw, emotional release—testifying—seeped into the clubs of Detroit and Memphis, merging with the pulse of rhythm and blues and the fire of rock & roll. It became something entirely new: music that doesn’t just play, but resonates in your bones. Soul is the voice of those who’ve loved, lost, and fought back. It’s the soundtrack of a people who, in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement, found in music both a weapon and a balm.

The Golden Age: When Soul Ruled the World
If there’s a place that embodies the essence of soul, it’s Stax Records in Memphis. A modest building at 926 East McLemore Avenue, where in the 1960s, magic was made. There, a ragtag group of musicians—Black and white, something unheard of at the time—crafted the sound that would define a generation. Otis Redding, with his voice like gravel and honey, recorded "Try a Little Tenderness" while the Memphis Horns answered with sharp, punchy blasts. Wilson Pickett growled "In the Midnight Hour," and the world danced to the funky guitar and swirling Hammond organ. Stax didn’t have the polish of Motown, but it had raw, unfiltered authenticity.
Meanwhile, in Detroit, Berry Gordy was building an empire: Motown. With one eye on the charts and the other on perfection, Gordy refined soul into something shiny and irresistible. The Supremes, led by Diana Ross, brought glamour and impeccable harmonies to white television screens. Marvin Gaye went from crooning love songs to recording "What’s Going On," an album that tackled war, poverty, and environmentalism when no one else dared. Stevie Wonder, a blind prodigy, proved that soul could be both innocent and profound, his music evolving from child star hits to the socially conscious masterpieces of "Innervisions" and "Songs in the Key of Life."
But soul wasn’t just about hits. It was defiance. In 1964, Sam Cooke recorded "A Change Is Gonna Come" after being turned away from a whites-only motel. The song, with its sweeping orchestration and heart-wrenching lyrics, became an anthem for the Civil Rights Movement. James Brown, the hardest-working man in show business, didn’t just invent funk with "Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag"—he declared "Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud" in 1968, a year after racial unrest tore through American cities. Soul wasn’t just music; it was a battle cry.

The Titans: Voices That Defined an Era
You can’t talk about soul without talking about Aretha Franklin. When she walked into FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, in 1967 and recorded "Respect," she wasn’t just covering an Otis Redding song—she was reclaiming it. That spellbinding "R-E-S-P-E-C-T" wasn’t a request; it was a demand. Aretha’s voice, capable of whispering and roaring in the same breath, embodied soul: strength and vulnerability in equal measure. No wonder she was crowned the "Queen of Soul."
Then there was Al Green, the reverend of love. With "Let’s Stay Together," he brought soul into bedrooms and churches alike, his ethereal falsetto and Willie Mitchell’s pristine production creating a sound that was both sacred and sensual.
And let’s not forget Curtis Mayfield, whose group The Impressions sang "People Get Ready" like it was a train to freedom. Mayfield, with his falsetto guitar and poetic lyrics, tied soul to activism in a way few have matched.

Soul Today: A Legacy That Never Fades
Classic soul may no longer top the charts, but its DNA is everywhere. In the 1990s, D’Angelo and Erykah Badu revived it as neosoul, blending it with hip-hop and jazz. Amy Winehouse channeled the spirit of the ’60s divas on "Back to Black," a record that sounded like 1962 but was pure 2006. Today, artists like Anderson .Paak, H.E.R., and even Beyoncé (especially on "Lemonade") carry the torch, proving that soul’s power to move and provoke is as strong as ever.
In an age of autotune and digital beats, soul remains the sound of the human experience. It’s the echo of those voices from the ’60s that shouted to the world: We are here. We suffer. We love. And thankfully, that echo never fades.

Essential Soul Albums & Songs
To truly understand soul, you need to listen. Here’s where to start:

Albums:
Ray Charles – Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music (1962)
Aretha Franklin – I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You (1967)
Marvin Gaye – What’s Going On (1971)
Otis Redding – Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul (1965)
James Brown – Live at the Apollo (1963)
Stevie Wonder – Innervisions (1973)
Al Green – Let’s Stay Together (1972)
Sam Cooke – Ain’t That Good News (1964)
The Temptations – Anthology (1964-1972)
Curtis Mayfield – Super Fly (1972)

Songs:
"A Change Is Gonna Come" – Sam Cooke
"Respect" – Aretha Franklin
"I Heard It Through the Grapevine" – Gladys Knight & the Pips (or Marvin Gaye’s version)
"Dock of the Bay" – Otis Redding
"What’s Going On" – Marvin Gaye
"Let’s Stay Together" – Al Green
"People Get Ready" – The Impressions
"Try a Little Tenderness" – Otis Redding
"Superstition" – Stevie Wonder
"I’ll Take You There" – The Staple Singers

📜 Past concerts

PAST

Anastacia — Jahrhunderthalle

Oct 3, 2026 · 20:00

Jahrhunderthalle — Frankfurt, Germany

Soul — live concerts

🎤 Upcoming concerts

🎸 Artists in Soul