Right behind barbecues and fireworks on your average Fourth of July to-do list is good live music, maybe on a park lawn with picnic blanket under foot or at a bar with a Maine-made beer in hand.

It’s been a few years since Portland’s Fourth of July celebration on the Eastern Prom has featured live music (although it will still have fireworks and food), but if hearing a band is essential to your star-spangled celebrating, there are plenty of other places that do have live music.

From jazz to folk to country, these concerts span the genres that make American music what it is.

The Portland Symphony Orchestra perform at the Seaside Pavilion in Old Orchard Beach. Courtesy of PSO

PSO STARS & STRIPES CELEBRATION 

While you won’t be able to see the Portland Symphony Orchestra perform with Casco Bay as its backdrop, you still can hear the orchestra’s setlist of America-themed classical pieces on Saturday at the Seaside Pavilion in Old Orchard Beach. From military marches to New England compositions to “America the Beautiful,” the 2:30 p.m. performance will get you in the spirit of Independence Day with a couple of days to spare. Tickets are $29 to $44. To purchase, and for more information, go to portlandsymphony.org.

The members of Wilderado lean against a trailer. The folk-indie band will headline L.L. Bean’s Independence Day concert. Photo by Felix

WILDERADO AT L.L. BEAN

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Hailing from Tulsa, Oklahoma, indie-folk trio Wilderado’s 7:30 p.m. performance will be the final event in a day full of festivities on L.L. Bean’s Freeport campus. Although the concert comes long after the 7:25 a.m. 10K race and the 10 a.m. parade, the venue for the free show will be the first thing to open at 6 a.m., when future concert-goers can start claiming their spots. In other words, be ready for a crowd.

Wilderado’s blend of folk-inspired sounds and upbeat tempos has garnered over a million monthly listeners on Spotify. The group’s Fourth of July concert also marks the beginning of L.L. Bean’s free concert series, which will run until the end of August. Learn more at llbean.com.  

BATH HERITAGE DAYS

Starting on Friday, Bath’s annual Independence Day festival will be anything but quiet.

The music begins on the opening day with the Bath Swing Band at 5 p.m. Over the next few days, highlights include Irish Celtic band Dromore Bay on Sunday, Boston-based funk group Band of Killers on Monday, and Pat Colwell & The Soul Sensations on the holiday, just to name a few. Alongside the music will be food trucks, carnival rides, games, a parade and fireworks. Find the full itinerary at visitbath.com

NATIONAL GUARD BAND AT SEASIDE PAVILION 

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If you want a classic, big-band style Independence Day concert, look no further than the 195th Army National Guard’s performance in Old Orchard Beach. The concert band promises a wide variety of tunes, from military marches to pieces written by local composers. The 7 p.m. concert will be sandwiched between a parade and a fireworks display. For more information about the day’s events, go to web.oldorchardbeachmaine.com/events.

The Soggy Po Boys pose with their instruments. The band of New Englanders specializes in New Orleans jazz. Photo by Michael Winters

SOGGY PO BOYS IN OGUNQUIT

Nothing says America quite like New Englanders playing New Orleans jazz in a pizzeria over Maine craft beers. The Soggy Po Boys are a jazz septet from New Hampshire. Although the group grew up far away from Bourbon Street and above-ground graves, you won’t be able to tell from its syncopated sound and its fervent horns. On the Fourth, they will be performing at Cornerstone Artisanal Pizza & Craft Beer in Ogunquit. Learn more at cornerstoneogunquit.com.

Folk group Elsie & Ethan play side-by-side for a photo. The duo is part of the line-up for Camden’s Fourth of July concert. Courtesy of Elsie & Ethan

CAMDEN CONCERTS

If you’re looking for a little bit of everything, Camden Rotary Club’s annual Fourth of July celebration is the place to be. Featuring Bay Chamber Concerts Jazz Ensemble, Midcoast Symphony Orchestra, folk duo Elsie & Ethan and The Right Track Rhythm and Blues, the event will have feet tapping (at a minimum) from noon to night. Find event details at camdenrockland.com.

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