You’ve been in this situation: It’s summer, the sweltering heat just won’t go away and you’re bored out of your skull. You want entertainment away from the pool or beach, but there’s nothing on television, and the thought of seeing yet another uninspired blockbuster on the big screen makes you want to retch. What do you do?
Fortunately, for those about to rock (or at least enjoy live music quietly, whatever works for you), there are a number of upcoming concert tours waiting to salute you.
Although most of these upcoming tours aren’t cheap (and the prices you’ll probably pay at concession stands make movie theaters seem reasonable by comparison), considering that this summer’s schedule includes some impressive touring lineups as well as a couple of “no-way-are-they-playing-together-again”-caliber reunion tours, you could do a lot worse.
If you want more bang for your buck, look no further than the Vans Warped Tour, which features bands that run the gamut from straight-up hardcore punk (Throwdown) to catchy emo-pop (Cute Is What We Aim For) to menacing metalcore (As I Lay Dying). This year’s lineup will be led by the likes of The Used, Hawthorne Heights and Underoath, although punk veterans such as Bad Religion and Pennywise will be on hand to show the Hot Topic crowd how it’s done.
Bottom line: You get to see dozens of bands for around $30. What’s not to love?
This year’s Warped Tour kicks off in Pomona June 29 and concludes at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles Aug. 25.
The Honda Civic Tour will also feature a number of bands that have either played on the Warped Tour in previous years or wouldn’t be out of place there, including Fall Out Boy, The Academy Is… and +44. Although this tour isn’t comparable to Warped in terms of the number of bands playing, the ticket prices ($22.50 – $37) are still reasonable when considering Fall Out Boy’s stature in the current pop music scene.
Best of all, you’ll get to see how the Pete Wentz worshippers in the crowd will react when Houston’s very own Paul Wall brings his chopped-and-screwed hip-hop stylings to the stage.
Yes, Paul Wall is actually performing on this tour. No, I don’t know why.
Either way, the tour comes to L.A. June 23 and stops in Anaheim July 2.
However, if you just want metal, metal and more metal, Ozzfest is waiting for you, although this year’s lineup isn’t exactly full of star power. Granted, Ozzy Osbourne will be back (it’s still called Ozzfest for a reason), but with a lineup spearheaded by Lamb of God, this year’s tour is a far cry from past Ozzfests that were headlined by the likes of Rob Zombie and System of a Down. Then again, the tickets are free if you sign up on the Ozzfest Web site.
If you’re a fan of bands such as Hatebreed or Static X, or simply want to rock out to some free metal, Ozzfest comes to San Bernardino July 21.
Linkin Park will return to the road with its Projekt Revolution tour, the first since 2004, although it will be bringing some serious firepower along for the ride. Among the bands that will be gracing the Projekt stage are My Chemical Romance, Taking Back Sunday and H.I.M. If you want a glimpse of the guitar-driven musical mayhem that is sure to take place when the tour comes to San Bernardino July 29, it’ll cost you between $24.50 and $70.
Korn will also return with its Family Values Tour, which will feature Evanescence and Atreyu, among other bands. Tickets range from $10 to $60, and Limp Bizkit front man Fred Durst probably won’t be anywhere in sight-not too shabby. The tour arrives in Irvine Sept. 2.
This summer will also feature a couple of big-ticket reunion tours, including the unexpected return of The Police, which is touring for the first time in over 20 years.
This historic tour hits L.A. June 20 and 23 (the latter date featuring Foo Fighters in an epic double-bill), with a stop in Anaheim on the 21st. It’s true that the tickets are pricey ($50-$250), and you’d be paying to watch Sting, but it’s Sting playing with the rest of The Police for the first time since the Reagan administration, which makes it nothing short of awesome.
The Smashing Pumpkins are also hitting the road for the first time since 2000, although they aren’t taking the traditional arena route when they arrive in California.
Instead, Billy Corgan and company will play 11 consecutive shows at the legendary Fillmore in San Francisco July 15 through Aug. 1. Not only that, but tickets are only $25 (if they’re still available by the time you read this, that is). Even if the Bald One walks offstage during one of the shows and decides to end the Pumpkins for good, it’s still a reasonably priced opportunity to witness rock history.
Morrissey will bring his sensitive stylings to SoCal when he comes to Riverside June 6 before heading to the Hollywood Bowl on the 8th.
Even if you aren’t a fan of his solo stuff, the Moz still performs a number of classics from his days with The Smiths, and the ticket prices ($20.75 – $75.25) are worth the beyond-remote chance of an impromptu onstage Smiths reunion. Then again, considering this is Morrissey, there’s a reason why I said “beyond-remote.”
Gwen Stefani will return home to the O.C. when she performs in Irvine June 22 and 23. Tickets range from $20.75 to $75.25. Hey, nobody said that being a “hollaback girl” (or rather, not being a “hollaback girl,” I guess) would be cheap.
Finally, this year’s OC Fair in Costa Mesa will actually feature some quality talent along with the usual suspects such as Kenny Loggins. Willie Nelson stops by for what’s sure to be a hell of a night July 13. She Wants Revenge and Louis XIV bring some much-needed style on the 14th. And some guy with a guitar named Bob Dylan is going to play some ditties on the 26th.
Tickets are only $5, and you also get into the Fair for free. It’s truly the best deal in town.
With all this in mind, feel free to beat the heat this summer by immersing yourself in some damn good live music.
