Concerts: this week’s guide – from Fontaines D.C. to Don Toliver and JazzMi
Live performances are scheduled from 26 October to 1 November 2026. The Irish band will be in Casalecchio, the US rapper in Assago, followed by Niall Horan and Richard Bona
Key points
What did you make of Dopamine Chamber, the highly anticipated new album by Fontaines D.C. released just a few days ago? If you’re a rock fan, you’ll most likely be keen to see how things pan out for the Irish band fronted by Grian Chatten and will be eagerly awaiting the album’s live performance. Well, the wait is over: on Monday 26 October, Fontaines D.C. will be performing at the Unipol Arena in Casalecchio di Reno for the only Italian date on their autumn tour. With 11.6 million monthly listeners on Spotify and a career that has seen them gain ground, moving from large venues to smaller ones – just as it used to be done – they are unquestionably the stars of this week’s concerts week, which begins on 26 October and ends on 1 November 2026.
Fontaines D.C. perform tracks from their new album
Their set is expected to range from old hits such as Boys in the Better Land, a track from 2019 with which they opened their show at the Roundhouse in London, to new songs such as Tongue, taken from Dopamine Chamber, from Nabokov, a tribute to the author of Lolita, to Jackie Down the Line and Marianne, before moving on to the unease of I love you and the ‘anthemic’ Starbuster, one of the tracks that brought them to the attention of the wider public. The Bologna concert has been sold out for some time: if you’ve got a ticket, you’re guaranteed a great time because the lads are brilliant live. If not, you could always fall back on the Rock in Roma and I-Days Milano dates in the summer of 2027.
Don Toliver’s ‘Urban’
This week also has plenty to offer on the urban music front, with a show by Don Toliver at the Forum in Assago (27 October). The Houston-based rapper will headline the only Italian date on the Nitrous – Octane World Tour Leg 2 world tour, performing the hits that have marked his global rise alongside tracks from his new album, *Octane*.
The return of Niall Horan, as well as FKJ and Ruel
If your tastes lean more towards pop, don’t miss Dinner Party Live On Tour by Niall Horan, another Irish artist and former member of One Direction. The show, which accompanies the album Dinner Party, released last spring, will stop off at the Unipol Forum in Assago (28 October) and the Unipol Arena in Casalecchio (29 October). On 26 October, Milan welcomes the sophisticated French producer FKJ to Fabrique, whilst the Australian Ruel performs at Magazzini Generali – two concerts that confirm the Lombard capital’s role as Italia’s leading hub for international music.
The jazz calendar: Richard Bona and Nate Smith
For jazz enthusiasts, Milan remains the place to be at the moment, where the 11th edition of JazzMi is taking place until 8 November. Among the most eagerly anticipated events is the concert by Rokia Traoré at Alcatraz (27 October), an artist who blends African tradition with contemporary styles. On 28 October, JazzMi presents one of its most prestigious shows featuring the Richard Bona Quintet at the Blue Note Milano, a rare opportunity to hear one of the world’s most influential jazz bassists perform live. The same evening will also feature a collaboration between Kjartan Sveinsson of Sigur Rós, Gyda Valtýsdóttir, Bert Cools and Indrė Jurgelevičiūtė at the Auditorium San Fedele – a project that blends jazz, contemporary music and Nordic electronic music.
