Popular music moves dazzlingly fast in the airlessness of digital space, but out in the three-dimensional heat of summer, it takes its time. Having so thoroughly dominated last year’s pop discourse, both Kendrick Lamar and Beyoncé are finally taking their respective 2024 albums on the road, hoping that last summer’s frothy online blab translates into filled stadium seats. See you there? If not, a slew of local festivals — Seventh Stanine Festival, ZAP Outdoorz, DC Jazz Fest — are, surprisingly, offering something like the opposite: intimacy.

There’s a flood of talent funneling into Washington for various WorldPride 2025 celebrations this month, and if you’re looking for its highest concentration, here goes. Grace Jones made herself a cultural hero in the 1980s by pushing pop in the direction of high art, and her severe stylishness remains uncompromised. Janelle Monáe is, in some ways, her heir — a polymath singer and dynamo dancer whose conjoined powers make her one of the most exciting stage performers currently drawing breath. June 5. The Anthem, 901 Wharf St. SW. theanthemdc.com.

The mere idea of a “music festival” implies a certain bigness, but what if instead of inviting audiences into a treasure vault, organizers offered a glimpse into a jewel box? That seems to be the idea behind the annual Seventh Stanine Festival, co-hosted by District indie band the Caribbean and the radio show “Essential Tremors.” This year’s day-long gathering includes a co-headlining set from avant composers Tyondai Braxton and Ben Vida, as well as sets from guitarist-improviser Wendy Eisenberg, Deakin of the stalwart psych troupe Animal Collective and more. June 14. Rhizome, 6950 Maple St. NW. rhizomedc.org.

The music of rapper Kendrick Lamar and the R&B singer SZA covers such a vast terrain of moods, modes, feels and styles that addressing their altitude might be beside the point. But both artists on this blockbuster tour seem to be standing atop the twin peaks of fame and artistry right now — mere months after they gave a thoughtfully splashy Super Bowl halftime show performance. Does it get any higher? How much? June 18. Northwest Stadium, 1600 Ring Rd., Landover, Maryland. northweststadium.com.

It’s been roughly 15 months since Beyoncé dropped “Cowboy Carter,” but it’s felt longer and rougher. Here’s an attempt at a quick refresher: This was a statement album that pivoted toward country music, but remained flexible enough for a Beatles cover, a Post Malone cameo, plus some griping about how one of the defining artists of her generation had never won a Grammy for album of the year. Swirl all of those things together and voilà, “Cowboy Carter” won said prize at the Grammys in February. Now Beyoncé is finally touring behind these songs, seemingly with nothing to prove. July 4 and 7. Northwest Stadium, 1600 Ring Rd., Landover, Maryland. northweststadium.com.

A funny thing about country music’s obsession with its past: As time pushes us forward, our past gets bigger, meaning there’s more behind us to feel nostalgic for — and if that idea doesn’t make you dizzy, it might help to explain the magnetism of Zach Top, a rising country star whose outstanding new album, “Cold Beer and Country Music,” pines for a more recent yesteryear, channeling the ’80s-’90s heydays of Keith Whitley, Randy Travis and Alan Jackson. “It sounds like the radio,” Top sings of his sound, “back in ’94, you know.” At this show, he opens for Dierks Bentley. July 11. Jiffy Lube Live, 7800 Cellar Door Dr., Bristow, Virginia. jiffylubelive.com.

In rap music, things can change in the blink of an eyelid — but at the outset of the summer, Playboi Carti’s “Music” is in the lead for album of the year, and without too many challengers in sight. That’s because Carti is an expressionist whose tweaky timbres and zigzag phrasings feels as vivid and variegated as life itself. (Is that what he’s expressing? Life?) The rhymes on “Music” are nihilistic on paper, but still manage to sound extremely alive. The album’s only true dull spot is a duet with soggy R&B sad guy the Weeknd — who, either ironically or tragically, is headlining this very concert. Aug. 2. Northwest Stadium, 1600 Ring Rd., Landover, Maryland. northweststadium.com.

With the lineup for this annual, multi-venue jazz extravaganza feeling stacked and starry, maybe it’s best to orient yourself with the help of these four cardinal points: Latin jazz titan Eddie Palmieri is slated to perform at this year’s DC Jazz Fest with his Afro-Caribbean Jazz Octet; the vivid and nimble French American vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant promises to dazzle; Ron Carter is sure to prove why he’s one of the most recorded and decorated bassists jazz music will ever know; and the Sun Ra Arkestra, as ever, will be aiming for deep space. Aug. 27-31. At various area venues. dcjazzfest.org.

The performers might be announced by the time you’re reading this, but either way, know that since 2023, this annual music-festival-slash-campout in leafy Appalachia has hosted some of the DMV’s most visionary electronic and punk acts: Nativesun, Soso Tharpa, Angel Dust, Clear Channel, Dreamcast Moe, Jackson Ryland, Model Home and so many more. If you’re eager to experience some of the most exciting music our city has to offer — but without all the city — pack bug spray and dancing shoes. Aug. 29-31. Camp Tall Timbers, 1115 Reflection Lane, High View, West Virginia. zapoutdoorz.com.

How does that adage go? You can take the pop star out of country music but you can’t take the country music out of the pop star? When Taylor Swift abandoned the Nashville establishment more than a decade back, she ended up eating the entire planet. Years later, Kacey Musgraves left country to make homeopathic folk music. Now, Maren Morris has officially relocated from country to pop, but on her sleek new album, “Dreamsicle,” her roots still show. For Morris, “pop” means everything from playful synth-funk (“Push Me Over”) to austere power-balladry (“Holy Smoke”), but her songs remain anchored in legible storytelling sung with more than a hint of twang. Sept. 12. Wolf Trap, 1551 Trap Rd., Vienna, Virginia. wolftrap.org.

It’s so cool when living legends just keep on living. Bob Dylan, an icon and a Nobel Prize winner, turned 84 this year. Willie Nelson, whose songs might even be better, turned 92. Yes, these twin giants of American music have been touring together for decades, and yes, they’re doing it again this summer under the banner of the Outlaw Music Festival — but, crucially, with another 12 months of life on earth under each of their belts. They clearly aren’t running victory laps. The older Nelson and Dylan grow, the more their respective experiences broaden, the more their music has to teach us. Sept. 14. Merriweather Post Pavilion, 10475 Little Patuxent Pkwy., Columbia, Maryland. merriweathermusic.com.