The last couple of days have yielded a trio of announcements for downtown outdoor concert series that look to inject a note of civic pride into live-music fans’ autumn agendas. Showing up for one or more of the following shows is no longer simply a way of supporting the individual artists and vendors on hand, but an affirmation that the strategy devised for Super Bowl LIVE — top regional acts amply supported by local ringers — will continue to pay dividends. But it’s a little bit of a gamble, too; after all, these shows will have to go on without the benefit of all those people in town for the Big Game.

Frankly, that shouldn’t be much of an issue here. All three series happen to be among the most potent local musical brands in recent memory: Party On the Plaza, revived this past spring at Avenida Houston to great success; Discovery Green’s perennial Thursday Night Concerts; and the return of Canned Acoustica, the unplugged benefit/showcase that was an instant success but has been dormant since its third go-round in 2012. Taken together, almost right on top of one another, they represent a solid step up from the fare of past autumns; the fact that artists of this caliber will be performing without costing Houstonians one thin dime (save the requested Canned Acoustica donation) also speaks very well about the folks who are footing the bill.

Ah, yes. Underwriting these shows are sponsors like Green Mountain Energy and Houston First, the corporation that owns and manages nearly a dozen visitor-oriented properties across the city, including the Hilton Americas-Houston hotel around the corner from where these shows will be taking place. Much credit is also due to the man riding point on booking POTP and Canned Acoustica, Mark C. Austin of The Convoy Group; and Gulf Coast Entertainment for the Thursday series. Their investment in live music may only be part of the ambitious artistic/cultural fall programming on tap for this corner of downtown (see discoverygreen.com for more on that count), but it is also solid proof — or more solid proof — that right now is an excellent time to be a music fan in Houston, Texas.

PARTY ON THE PLAZA
6-10 p.m. Wednesdays, Avenida Houston

OCTOBER 4 (Americana)
Robert Ellis
The Texas Gentlemen

OCTOBER 18 (indie-rock/pop)
Ben Kweller
Wild Child

OCTOBER 25 (R&B-ish rock)
Bob Schneider
The Tontons

NOVEMBER 1 (party bands)
The Molly Ringwalds
ROXY ROCA

NOVEMBER 8 (rockin’ roots)
Old 97's
Seratones

NOVEMBER 15 (Holy Ghost revivalists)
Reverend Horton Heat
Jesse Dayton

DISCOVERY GREEN THURSDAY CONCERTS
7-10 p.m.

SEPTEMBER 7 (cheeky honky-tonk)
Charlie Robison
Charlie and the Regrets

SEPTEMBER 14 (Tex-Mex soul)
Los Texmaniacs
Amanda Cevallos and the High Hands Band

SEPTEMBER 21 (salty blues)
Peterson Brothers/Charley Crockett (co-headliners)

SEPTEMBER 28 (H-Town swells)
Paul Wall
Genesis Blu

OCTOBER 5 (country pride/local alt-rock)
Ty Herndon
The Band Hennessy

CANNED ACOUSTICA 2017
5-9 p.m., Grace Lawn, Discovery Green
Proceeds benefit Houston Food Bank and select other charities

SEPTEMBER 10
Los Skarnales
Gio Chamba
-Us
Genesis Blu
Romina Von Mohr

OCTOBER 1
Folk Family Revival
Another Run
Deep Cuts
Guilla
Boomtown Brass Band

NOVEMBER 12
30footFALL
Stephanie Rice (Colonial Blue)
Say Girl Say
Mind Shrine
Dead to the World