The busy summer concert season will end eventually — but not this month. September’s schedule is packed with superstar appearances at D.C.-area arenas, stadiums and amphitheaters, and there are several festivals with impressive lineups. At smaller venues, the hottest ticket is Angine de Poitrine, the French Canadian math-rock sensation whose two D.C. shows sold out immediately. Seeing that masked duo this time around is unlikely, but there are several other noteworthy gigs set for more intimate performance spaces.
Grupo Frontera
This Texas-based quintet plays norteña, an accordion-driven genre of northern Mexico that encompasses Latin and European dance music. While the group’s style is mostly traditional, it incorporates elements from well south of the border. The band’s biggest hits include the Bad Bunny collaboration “Un x100to” and a cover of “No Se Va,” originally by Morat, an accordion-free Colombian group. Sept. 4 at 8 p.m. at Eaglebank Arena, 4500 Patriot Circle, Fairfax. eaglebankarena.com. $51-$232.
Afro Plus Fest
Atlanta-born Nigerian singer-rapper Davido, best known for the lilting “Fall,” headlines this three-day event, which offers nearly 50 acts. The other top-billed performers — jazz-soul songstress Tems and Afrobeats crossover star Wizkid — are also Nigerian. The “Plus” comes from the likes of Jamaican dancehall toaster Alkaline and American rappers Lil Baby and Chief Keef. Sept. 4-6 at 1 p.m. at Northwest Stadium, 1600 Ring Rd., Landover. northweststadium.com. $168; three-day pass, $255-$735.
Robyn
Love and aloneness are the enduring topics of this Swedish synth-pop diva, whose concerts peak with an ironically communal audience sing-along of “Dancing on My Own,” her heartbroken 2010 hit. The themes are updated on the new “Sexistential,” Robyn’s first album in eight years (and her first since becoming a single mom). But her reworking of “Blow My Mind,” first recorded in 2002, is entirely apt: Even in more grown-up circumstances, the blithe spirit of Robyn’s early work survives. Sept. 8-9 at 8 p.m. at the Anthem, 901 Wharf St. SW. theanthem.com. $92-$238.
Babymetal
A goofy gimmick that became an institution, this Tokyo trio melds J-pop with full-bore heavy metal. The chirpy vocals are punctuated by guttural growls, the sing-along choruses are underpinned by thunderous instrumentation, and everything — including choreographed dancing, of course — is executed with machinelike precision. So what if the group sings of its fealty to chocolate rather than the devil? Sept. 12 at 7:20 p.m. at Jiffy Lube Live, 7800 Cellar Door Dr., Bristow. livenation.com. $36-$308.
Dominique Fils-Aimé
Often classified as a jazz performer, this bilingual Haitian-Quebecois singer also draws from blues and soul. On her latest album, “My World Is the Sun,” the instrumentation tends toward jazz. But Fils-Aimé’s warm and powerful alto recalls Motown girl-group sass, especially when it’s electronically multiplied into harmonic chorales. And Fils-Aimé can belt as elegantly as she croons. Sept. 16 at 8:30 p.m. at Bethesda Theater, 7719 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda. bethesdatheater.com. $53-$64, plus $20 minimum.
Pat Metheny
Probably best known for the gentle small-ensemble music he began playing in the late 1970s, Metheny redefined jazz guitar by emulating horn players. He’s collaborated with such diverse musicians as David Bowie, Steve Reich and Charlie Haden, and even ventured into noisy improvisation. This tour highlights Metheny’s acclaimed latest album, “Side-Eye III+,” which includes passages that recall his lyrical early work but also such unexpected additions as a gospel-style chorus. Sept. 17 at 8 p.m. at the Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. strathmore.com. $28-$98.
Perennial
This New England band’s songs are too hasty, spiky and insistent to be called anything but “punk.” But the guitar-organ-drums trio assembles its terse tunes from shards of soul and jazz as well as rock, and gnarls its arrangements with an ingenuity that recalls the Ramones less than Wire’s “Pink Flag” (and, more recently, Mclusky). The result is art music for headbangers. Sept. 18 at 10 p.m. at Comet Ping Pong, 5037 Connecticut Ave. NW. cometpingpong.com. $15 door; $18.87 online.
Cabaret Voltaire
Originally more an experimental project than a band, this influential British outfit gained an audience when its pioneering industrial music cross-pollinated with punk and, later, house and techno. The current four-person lineup, which features just one member of the original trio, is playing live in North America for the first time in more than 30 years — and for what’s billed as its farewell to the continent. Sept. 23 at 8 p.m. at the Howard Theatre, 620 T St. NW. thehowardtheatre.com. $49-$69.
All Things Go
Women dominate the lineup of this three-day festival, which brings almost 50 acts to Columbia. Friday’s headliner is eclectic Japanese American indie-rocker Mitski; Saturday’s is Hayley Williams, on leave from the pop-punk Paramore; and Sunday’s is country-tinged singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile. Among the many other attractions are British neo-soul singer Lola Young, dance-pop trio Muna and New Zealand indie-pop quartet the Beths. Sept. 25 at 3:25 p.m. and Sept. 26-27 at noon at Merriweather Post Pavilion, 10475 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia. merriweathermusic.com. $169-$398; three-day pass $398-$894.
Charli XCX
Among the most ambitious — and decidedly the most audacious — of the young women who’ve dominated mainstream pop for more than a decade, Charli XCX regularly claims new territory. She came of age in London’s rave scene, but she thinks “people can change” — as she intones on her new album, “Music, Fashion, Film.” So the record begins with a song titled “Rock Music,” though her version of rock is heavily electronic and designed for TikTok-conditioned attention spans. Her current live show is less minimalist, featuring just three backup musicians but some 20 dancers. Sept. 28 at 7:30 p.m. at Capital One Arena, 601 F St. NW. capitalonearena.com. $102-$528.
correctionIn a previous version of this article and its headline, the first name of Charli XCX was misspelled Charlie.
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