Gershwin, Eagles, Buffett and the Blues: Your Jul 9–11 Weekend
Somebody forgot to tell Bonita Springs it's the off-season. While Fort Myers' big halls doze through July, this weekend hands us a genuine embarrassment of riches — six shows across three days, spread between two cities, ranging from a jazz pianist reading Gershwin to a touring bluesman to a stack of tribute acts who know exactly why you came. Here's how to spend it.
Thursday, Jul 9 — Zach Bartholomew: Music of George Gershwin, Center for Performing Arts, Bonita Springs. Start civilized. Pianist Zach Bartholomew opens the weekend with an evening built entirely around Gershwin — the "Rhapsody in Blue" American songbook that somehow sounds equally at home in a concert hall and a corner cocktail bar. The Bonita recital room has been the region's most reliable summer stage all season, running jazz, blues and Americana while everyone else is dark, and a Gershwin program is exactly the kind of thing it does best.
Friday, Jul 10 — Alter Eagles, The Stage, Bonita Springs. Take it easy — you knew that was coming. Eagles tribute Alter Eagles brings the harmonies and the hits to The Stage in Bonita Springs, and if there's a more summer-in-Florida proposition than "Hotel California" with the A/C cranked, I haven't found it. Tribute bands are the backbone of this season, and a good Eagles set is a guaranteed full room.
Friday, Jul 10 — Capt. Mike & The Shipwrecked, Mango Rita's, Fort Myers. Can't make Bonita? Point the car to 16440 S Tamiami Trail instead, where Buffett tribute Capt. Mike & The Shipwrecked play Mango Rita's — now the busiest tribute room on the calendar. Margaritas, "Fins," and a crowd that will absolutely do the shark arms. In a Southwest Florida July, a Buffett night isn't nostalgia; it's basically municipal policy.
Saturday, Jul 11 — Selwyn Birchwood, Center for Performing Arts, Bonita Springs. Here's the weekend's marquee touring act. Blues guitarist Selwyn Birchwood — a genuine road-tested name, not a tribute — brings his set back to the Bonita Springs hall, and this is the show for anyone who wants the real, sweaty, six-string article. If you only buy one ticket this weekend, I'd make it this one.
Saturday, Jul 11 — David Olivarez, The Ranch Concert Hall & Saloon, Fort Myers, 8pm. Meanwhile, the region's biggest room is very much open. David Olivarez takes the stage at The Ranch (2158 Colonial Blvd) at 8pm, part of the 25,000-square-foot saloon's busy summer slate. Big floor, big bar, big night.
Saturday, Jul 11 — Crazy of Heart, Mango Rita's, Fort Myers. And to close it out, Heart tribute Crazy of Heart lands at Mango Rita's in Fort Myers. "Barracuda," "Crazy on You," and the kind of vocal fireworks that separate the tribute contenders from the pretenders — a fitting last stop for a weekend that started with Gershwin and ends with a wall of guitars.
Two cities, three nights, six shows. The big theaters may be dark, but the scene clearly didn't get the memo. Pace yourself, tip your bartenders, and I'll see you somewhere between Bonita and the Trail.
Sources: July 2026 Event Calendar — Happenings Magazine; Arts Bonita; The Ranch upcoming events