Catch The Marcus King Band live in Gilford at BankNH Pavilion for a concert mixing southern rock, blues, soul and country. The show is part of an evening with Zach Top on August 28, 2026. Ticket sales are underway, so plan your visit and ticket purchase in advance
The Marcus King Band at BankNH Pavilion: southern rock, soul and country under the open sky
The Marcus King Band comes to Gilford at a time when the sound of a full band can once again be clearly heard around Marcus King. After several years in which King was simultaneously building his solo career, the current phase once again brings together his distinctive guitar tone, southern rock, blues, soul, country and Americana influences. For audiences who know him from songs such as "The Well", "Wildflowers & Wine" and "Goodbye Carolina", the concert at BankNH Pavilion offers an opportunity to hear how that older catalog meets newer material from the "Darling Blue" and "No Room For Blue" period.
An important detail when planning the evening is that this date was announced as part of Zach Top's "Cold Beer & Country Music Tour 2026". Zach Top is the headliner for the evening, while The Marcus King Band has been confirmed in the line-up. This means that it is not a standalone Marcus King Band concert, but a shared evening in which King's band brings its blues-rock and soul intensity to a program also aimed at a contemporary country audience. That combination is precisely what makes it interesting: Top's neotraditional country and King's considerably broader, guitar-oriented sound meet on the same stage without either genre needing to push the other aside.
Gilford also carries additional significance on the tour schedule. The announced summer extension of the "Cold Beer & Country Music Tour 2026" ends with the performance at BankNH Pavilion, so this date is not merely another stop between larger cities, but the final point of that part of the tour. Tickets for this event are currently on sale, and it is worth securing them in time if you want more choice regarding your position in the venue.
Marcus King between virtuoso guitar playing and songs that carry the entire band
Marcus King grew up in a musical family in Greenville, South Carolina, and began performing at a very young age. His reputation was built on the combination of a powerful, raspy vocal and guitar playing that moves equally naturally through blues, southern rock, soul and improvisational passages. The Marcus King Band was for years the main framework for that sound, before King released "El Dorado", "Young Blood" and "Mood Swings" under his own name.
"El Dorado" earned him a Grammy nomination in the Best Americana Album category, while concerts remained the place where his guitar playing and improvisation are given the most room.
The return of the full The Marcus King Band name on the 2025 album "Darling Blue" was therefore important. It was the band's first album since "Carolina Confessions" from 2018, and it was recorded at Capricorn Studios in Macon with producer Eddie Spear. The material connects country, folk, psychedelic rock and Motown-era R&B, but without losing King's distinctive southern rock foundation.
In May 2026, the story was expanded with the project "Darling Blue / No Room For Blue". The second part brought 12 additional songs, including "Shiver", "Falling For The Devil", "Good Run", "Lilac Wine", "Dirty Blow", "Angel", "Roses" and "Red Door", as well as a new version of "Dirt" and a cover of The Allman Brothers Band's "Ramblin' Man". That material moves the band between heavier rock, bluegrass, country, blues and Americana. For concert audiences, that matters more than the genre label itself: the band now has enough new material for the set to change color from song to song.
What recent performances say about the repertoire
There is no confirmed setlist for Gilford and it should not be invented in advance. Still, The Marcus King Band's concert at The Anthem in Washington on June 3, 2026, provides a good insight into the band's current live language. Songs from the newer period performed there included "On & On", "Honky Tonk Hell", "Carolina Honey", "Falling For The Devil", "Lilac Wine" and "Good Run". The same concert also included older songs "8 AM", "Goodbye Carolina" and "Homesick", then solo material such as "Delilah", "Lie Lie Lie" and "Wildflowers & Wine", as well as covers of Grand Funk Railroad and The Allman Brothers Band.
That does not mean Gilford will get the same selection. Since The Marcus King Band is not the headliner here, the available space in the program may differ from a standalone performance. But the previous concert shows what can be expected stylistically: a strong reliance on guitar, a mixture of new and older material, and a repertoire that moves easily from country-soul into harder southern rock or a jam moment.
The songs "Honky Tonk Hell" and "Heartlands" are particularly interesting. The first combines barroom energy, rock and roll and a country feel, while the second uses fiddle and banjo without turning the band into a pure country act. "Carolina Honey" and "No Room For Blue" emphasize the soul side of King's voice, while "Good Run" and "Falling For The Devil" show how ready the current material is for live expansion.
- Southern rock fans can expect King's powerful guitar playing and the Allman Brothers legacy that often appears in his live musical language.
- Blues and soul audiences get a raspy vocal, groove and room for instrumental passages.
- Country and Americana audiences can hear fiddle, banjo, pedal steel and a clearer Nashville influence in the newer songs.
- Longtime fans can count on a catalog stretching from the band's early albums through King's solo releases to the current "No Room For Blue" material, but the specific song selection for Gilford has not been confirmed in advance.
BankNH Pavilion: a large open-air amphitheater that still retains a feeling of intimacy
BankNH Pavilion is located in Gilford, New Hampshire, in the Lakes Region, an area whose natural center is Lake Winnipesaukee. The venue holds around 9,000 visitors and combines reserved seating under the pavilion roof with an open lawn behind it. That division itself changes the concert experience: in the covered section the focus is more directly on the stage, while the lawn provides a broader summer amphitheater feeling.
The venue is known for good acoustics and is large enough for serious touring production without creating a stadium feel. For The Marcus King Band, it is a good setting for a concert that relies on guitar tone, band dynamics and transitions between quiet and powerful parts of a song.
Keep in mind that the lawn is uncovered, sloped and exposed to the weather. Concerts are held even in the rain, so good rainwear is more useful than an umbrella during the performance itself. Personal lawn chairs are not allowed, but blankets are permitted and are subject to inspection at the entrance.
If a better position or a covered part of the venue is important to you, it is worth securing tickets in time.
Evening schedule and what is currently confirmed
It is particularly important for visitors to check the current schedule. The latest BankNH Pavilion schedule for this evening lists the parking lot opening at 5:00 PM, doors opening at 6:30 PM and the main-stage program beginning at 8:00 PM. The schedule differs from an earlier listed timetable, so arrival planning should be based on the venue's currently published schedule.
Kevin James Graham is announced for the Hazy Little Stage near the entrance area at 6:30 PM. This means music can already be heard from the moment the doors open, before the program on the main stage begins. Separate performance times for The Marcus King Band and Zach Top are not currently listed, so there is no point in assuming in advance how long each set will last or exactly what time each artist will take the stage.
- Parking lot: opens at 5:00 PM.
- Doors: open at 6:30 PM.
- Hazy Little Stage: Kevin James Graham at 6:30 PM.
- Main program begins: 8:00 PM.
- Main line-up: Zach Top and Marcus King Band.
Getting there, parking and rules worth knowing before entering
BankNH Pavilion is a destination concert venue that most visitors reach by road, so parking organization is not a minor issue. For the concert's West Entrance, the venue directs drivers to 108 Kimball Road, Gilford, NH 03249. The main address of the complex is 72 Meadowbrook Lane, but when arriving for the event it is useful to follow the directions for the West Entrance unless your parking pass explicitly specifies a different entrance.
Every vehicle must have the appropriate parking or camping pass to enter the grounds. Since the venue is outside a dense urban center, it is recommended to arrive as close as possible to the parking lot opening time instead of leaving arrival until the final few minutes before the start. This reduces the risk of traffic on the access roads taking away part of the concert.
Entry rules are also strict. A small clutch bag up to 6 x 9 inches or a clear plastic bag up to 12 x 12 x 6 inches is permitted. The venue is cashless at points of sale, so a card or mobile payment is required. Identification is required to purchase alcoholic beverages regardless of age, and younger visitors may also be asked for an additional document.
For those who want to extend their stay, camping or RV parking is also listed as an option for this event. This can be practical for visitors traveling to Gilford from farther away, but such an option should be planned in advance together with the appropriate pass.
Gilford before and after the concert
Gilford is part of New Hampshire's Lakes Region, and Lake Winnipesaukee dominates the landscape and the area's tourist rhythm. Visitors arriving earlier can combine the concert with a shorter stay by the lake. Ellacoya State Park is located in Gilford and has a sandy beach, picnic area and views toward the mountains, offering a calmer contrast to the evening crowds at the amphitheater.
Such an outing only makes sense if you leave enough time for traffic and entry, because parking for the concert opens at 5:00 PM.
Who will find this evening especially interesting
This is not a concert only for audiences who follow one narrow scene. The Marcus King Band attracts guitarists and blues-rock fans, but the current material speaks just as clearly to audiences who listen to Americana and country. Zach Top, on the other hand, brings a more pronounced neotraditional country framework. That makes Gilford interesting even for visitors who might not buy a ticket for a standalone blues-rock concert, but want an evening in which different branches of American roots music meet without major genre compromises.
For longtime fans, "Darling Blue" and "No Room For Blue" bring fresh material, while for newer audiences this performance opens up a catalog ranging from "Carolina Confessions" and "El Dorado" to songs such as "Honky Tonk Hell", "Heartlands", "Carolina Honey" and "Good Run". Guitar-oriented listeners can pay particular attention to how King builds his solo passages and how much room he leaves for the rest of the band.
It is worth securing tickets in time and arranging parking at the same time, because at this venue logistics are part of the overall concert experience. Once entry, arrival and your position in the venue are sorted out in advance, what remains is the reason for coming: Marcus King's voice, the sound of his guitar and a band that is currently in one of the most interesting phases of its recent career.
Sources:
- BankNH Pavilion - details for the Zach Top / Marcus King Band event, current schedule, Hazy Little Stage performer, address and available add-ons for August 28, 2026.
- BankNH Pavilion - entry rules, lawn rules, cashless operations, bags, parking and directions for the West Entrance.
- Bank of New Hampshire - current information on BankNH Pavilion capacity.
- MusicRow - information on the releases "Darling Blue" and "Darling Blue / No Room For Blue", new songs and the current touring phase.
- Apple Music - release date and scope of "Darling Blue / No Room For Blue".
- GRAMMY.com - nomination of the album "El Dorado" for Best Americana Album.
- Parklife DC - report from The Marcus King Band's concert in Washington on June 3, 2026, and an overview of the repertoire performed there.
- JamBase - announcement of the summer extension of the "Cold Beer & Country Music Tour 2026" and the conclusion of that part of the tour in Gilford.
- Visit NH - context on Gilford, the Lakes Region, Lake Winnipesaukee and Ellacoya State Park.