Summer Rocks
The summer concert season officially kicks off this weekend — and Rolling Stone has the insider's guide to the biggest and best tours. Lady Gaga will bring the pop spectacle (plus a 40-foot-long sea monster), Green Day will unleash pyro and a 15-year catalog of hits, Phish are set to unveil new songs, and Tom Petty will get his 'Mojo' working with the Heartbreakers. Click through to get a lowdown on these 48 tours — including LCD Soundsystem and Crosby, Stills and Nash — plus a definitive guide to the season's hottest festivals.
Contributors: David Browne, Patrick Doyle, Josh Eells, Nicole Frehsée, David Fricke, Erica Futterman, Caryn Ganz, Andy Greene, Brian Hiatt, Christian Hoard, Chris Norris, Kevin O'Donnell, Brian Raftery, Austin Scaggs, Evan Serpick
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LCD Soundsystem
Through July 17th, Tickets: $25-$35 The benign dictatorship of disco-punk auteur James Murphy tends to bring ravelike bacchanalia wherever he goes. And on this tour, the band has upped its game even more. "Last time we were sort of underdogs," says keyboardist Nancy Whang. "Now we really have to do it right."
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MGMT
Through Aug. 21st Tickets: $28-$40 We were too jammy on our last tour, says guitarist Ben Goldwasser. "We're more focused now." Still, expect plenty of trippy moments: The band has commissioned a "very Eighties" light show and are prepping unexpected covers, like Til Tuesday's "Voices Carry."
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The Hold Steady
Through Aug. 27th Tickets: $16-$29 Adding a third guitarist to their lineup, the Hold Steady are even louder now. "Sonically, it's a bigger band," says guitarist Tad Kubler. And with five LPs to draw upon, expect some of their well-worn anthems to sound fresh.
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The Black Keys
Through Oct. 10th, Tickets: $22-$32 The Ohio-bred duo are touring straight through the fall, hitting big clubs and festivals in support of their latest album, Brothers, and opening for the Kings of Leon.
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The National
Through Sept. 11th, Tickets: $23-$35, In concert, the Brooklynites bring a noisy intensity to their elegantly bummed-out balladry. At a recent gig, singer Matthew Berninger jumped into the crowd and climbed a balcony. "Matt just starts roaming," says guitarist Bryce Dessner. "Sometimes he gets the crap beat out of him, and we've lost microphones."
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James Taylor and Carole King
Through July 20th, Tickets: $24-$154, This co-headlining tour puts Taylor and his one-time keyboard player together on the road for the first time since the 1970s. To make the arenas feel as intimate as the music for the nearly three-hour shows, each gig will feature video screens, an in-the-round stage, and clusters of tables and chairs to replicate a small club
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Jimmy Buffett
Through Oct. 23rd, Tickets: $24-$211, Buffett searched the archives for his yearly summer jaunt. "I worked harder on finding old tunes than I ever did on a term paper," he says, promising deep cuts, like 1977's "Tampico Trauma." But worry not, he won't skip the hits: "If I didn't do 'Margaritaville,' people'd think I was having a senior moment."
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Steve Miller Band
Through October 2, Tickets: $35-$85, "This tour is going to be a lot different than past ones," Steve Miller says. "We're adding a large acoustic section in the middle, and we're going to be doing a bunch of our greatest hits acoustically which will change them quite a bit." He's also going to play select tracks from Bingo, an upcoming album of blues covers — but the focus will be on the hits.
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Dave Matthews Band
May 28th-Sept. 15th, Tickets: $40-$75, Opener: Zac Brown Band, This summer will be the last time you'll get to see DMB for a while — the band just announced it's taking 2011 off. Good thing Dave and Co. are on a hot streak, says bassist Stefan Lessard: Expect a two-hour-plus set and maybe some jams with support act Zac Brown Band.
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50 Cent
May 28â??June 25, Tickets: $30-$81.50, 50 Cent's summer tour will be front-loaded with tracks from his most recent album, Before I Self Destruct,
and will include his hits, but the MC says he's careful to mix up the set list and lighting cues from night to night. "With YouTube, they've already had an opportunity to see my show on the computer," he says. "So I try to make the experience different every time." -
Pavement
May 30th-Oct. 1st, Tickets: $32-$40 Before the start of their reunion tour, the indie-rock legends practiced for two weeks straight: "We're playing better for sure," says Pavement guitarist Scott Kannberg, who hopes to add tunes like "Type Slowly" and "Newark Wilder" into the band's s
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Tom Petty
June 1st-Oct. 2nd, Tickets: $35-$200, Openers: My Morning Jacket, Drive-By Truckers, Crosby, Stills and Nash, "We're hot right now," says Petty. "It's coming easy â?? no struggle. If I didn't have a tour coming up, I'd probably just stay in the studio." But since Petty and the Heartbreakers do have their usual massive lap through arenas and sheds, they're set on playing plenty of songs from their blazing, live-in-the-studio new album, Mojo.
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Sting
June 2nd-July 31st, Tickets: $30-$300, Though he'll be backed by the Royal Philharmonic, Sting promises this run won't be stodgy — the set will mix Police hits and solo material "in a lush, dramatic fashion."
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Hole
June 3rd-July 16th, Tickets: $33-$55,
Courtney Love is revisiting fan favorites like "Violet" and "Miss World" along with a few deep cuts on the road this summer, but don't expect to hear anything from 2004's America's Sweetheart, which she calls "Le Disastre." -
Zac Brown Band
June 3rd-Sept. 6th, Tickets: $25-$70, The mellow country singer promises four-hour sets on the band's next trip, which includes dates with DMB and an inaugural "Sailing Southern Ground" cruise in September.
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Kings of Leon
June 5th-Sept. 23rd, Tickets: $31-$70, Openers: The Whigs, Built to Spill, the Black Keys, the Stills, The band's breakthrough, Only By the Night, is nearly two years old now, so KOL are itching to debut material from their next record, which is being recorded in New York. It's also the Tennessee rockers' first time on the outdoor-shed circuit. "I much prefer being outdoors," says singer Caleb Followill. "It's more of a party. Half of them are probably drunk before we hit the stage, which is always good for us."
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The Eagles
June 8th-26th, Tickets: $50-$895, The 1970s hitmakers will be joined by the Dixie Chicks and Keith Urban at select stadium dates. "We share some musical roots with both acts," says frontman Don Henley.
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Phish
June 11th-Aug. 18th, Tickets: $50 Frontman Trey Anastasio has been on a songwriting kick over the spring, so Phish plan to test out new tunes on their massive summer amphitheater tour. "It feels too early for another record," he says. "So my thought is to play the new songs on the road."
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Crosby, Stills and Nash
Through June 12th, Tickets: $20-$250 CSN are planning to debut cuts from their upcoming covers LP this summer. "My favorite is 'Behind Blue Eyes,'" says David Crosby. Beyond that, the trio don't plan to alter the set list much: "The rest is stuff you'd be pissed if you didn't hear," says Crosby, adding he was so blown away by Steely Dan's Aja shows last year that he's thinking about playing an entire LP in concert: "It would be fun to do Déjà Vu."
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Rob Thomas
June 15th-Aug. 28th, Tickets: $25-$110, "It will be just like when I was in my room with a guitar," says Thomas of his stripped-down, acoustic summer tour. The set list is ad hoc — audience requests will be encouraged — and he's working out lots of covers, from Tom Petty to the Cure.
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Justin Bieber
June 23-Sept. 4, Tickets: $30-$70, The Toronto tween heartthrob is bringing his immaculate bangs and cocksure pop to arenas across the U.S., including some songs he's never performed live. "I'm working with my choreographer, Jamaica, on some new stuff," Bieber says. "I want to give my fans the best show possible."
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Furthur
June 25th-July 30th, Tickets: $30-$40, "We want to take it further — it's that simple," jokes Phil Lesh of the band he formed last year with Dead bandmate Bob Weir and new players, including guitarist John Kadlecik, who spent 12 years imitating Jerry Garcia in the Dark Star Orchestra. On the summer tour, which includes a handful of festival gigs, the band will premiere new songs written with longtime Dead lyricist Robert Hunter.
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Widespread Panic
June 25th-July 31st, Tickets: $30-$60, Twenty-four years into their career, the Georgia road warriors are prepping for a big run, including three gigs at Red Rocks in Colorado. Sets will feature their new LP, Dirty Side Down, but covers are their specialty â?? a recent version of Tom Waits' "Goin' Out West" spiraled into a tribal jam.
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Lady Gaga
June 28th-Sept. 19th, Tickets: $45-$125, Opener: Semi Precious Weapons With its 40-foot-long sea monster and five rotating sets, the arena version of Lady Gaga's Monster Ball Tour makes the twisted costumes and arty video clips of 2009's theater run seem restrained.
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Carlos Santana and Steve Winwood
June 30th-Aug. 1st Tickets: $25-$125 Expect some wild collaborations on Carlos Santana and Steve Winwood's co-headlining tour. "I told him I wanted to do some African music with him or really obscure blues songs that are fun to play," says Santana, suggesting that Swamp Dog's "Total Destruction of the Mind" might be on the set list. "It's what I call black music for white people."
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Rihanna
July 2nd-Aug. 25th Tickets: $20-$140 Opener: Ke$ha Rihanna's first headlining arena tour brings her transformation from flirty R&B singer to provocative pop diva full circle: There are out-there costumes (catsuits, PVC bondage gear), PG-13 props (she grinds on a giant pink tank) and a hard-edged live band featuring ex-Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt.
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Sublime with Rome
July 7th-Aug. 15th
Tickets: $20-$50
Openers: Matisyahu, Dirty HeadsThe reunited ska-punk act — with Rome Ramirez replacing late frontman Brad Nowell — is hitting 18 outdoor venues this summer. Drummer Bud Gaugh says the gigs will vary, mixing trademark covers, like the Dead's "Scarlet Begonias" and Toots and the Maytals' "54-46."
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Jack Johnson
July 9th-Oct. 14th
Tickets: $27-$75
Openers: G. Love, ALOJack Johnson won't earn a single dime from his massive summer tour this year. That's because the singer is donating all of his profits to various education and eco charities. With To the Sea out in June, expect to hear new electric-guitar-heavy tunes ("At or With Me") alongside strummier fan favorites.
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Jackson Browne
July 18th-Sept. 24th
Tickets: $21-$200
Rejoined by stringed-instrument whiz David Lindley for their first full-band tour since the 1980s, Browne will stage shows that feature acoustic duets between the pair and then a band set with Lindley adding to "Before the Deluge" and "Take It Easy." -
Aerosmith
July 23rd-Sept. 4th
Tickets: $43-$190
Openers: Sammy Hagar and the Wabos, J. Geils BandAerosmith's summer '09 tour was one of the most ill-fated in the band's colorful career: the band was struck by severe injuries and nearly lost Steven Tyler. But the mended Rock and Roll Hall of Famers are taking their explosive show back on the road again this summer, including a sold-out homecoming show at Fenway with J. Geils Band.
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Jonas Brothers
July 27th-Oct. 17th
Tickets: $20-$90
They've already blasted fans with foam cannons and played in the round — so the JoBros' 2010 tour will feature acoustic versions of their hits, collaborations with Demi Lovato and songs from Camp Rock 2. -
Maroon 5
July 30th-Aug. 29th
Tickets: $22-$65
Openers: OneRepublic
Though Maroon 5's new album, the Mutt Lange-produced Hands All Over, is their shiniest pop package yet, their tour of American amphitheaters this summer will be back-to-basics. "No bells and whistles. No smoke and mirrors," singer Adam Levine says. "Everything we have to prove is musical." -
Green Day
Aug. 3rd-Sept. 2nd
Tickets: $35-$85Expect lots of pyro and fan participation — but fewer tunes from 21st Century Breakdown — on this summer tour, says drummer Tré Cool. One highlight? Headlining Lollapalooza. "When we played Lolla in 1994," Cool says, "we were openers."
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Alice in Chains
Sept. 16th-Oct. 16th
Tickets: $22-$80
Openers: Deftones, MastodonFresh off their successful comeback LP, Alice in Chains will play their hits, along with a few album cuts, like 1990's churning "Love, Hate, Love" and 1994's trippy "Rotten Apple." "I look to make it an event," says guitarist Jerry Cantrell, who hopes to jam with the band's openers.
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Muse
Sept. 22nd-Nov. 6th
Tickets: $39-$68The prog rockers' show is an Orwellian spectacle. The band performs on giant raised platforms, frontman Matt Bellamy bangs on a glowing piano, and lasers fill the arena.
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Mountain Jam
Hunter, NY
June 4th-6th
Tickets: $150-$180
Headliners: Gov't Mule, Levon Helm, Alison Krauss, Grace PotterAn old-school hippie vibe rules (think camping, barefoot children) at this Catskill Mountains fest, curated this year by Gov't Mule guitarist Warren Haynes. "I booked bands I personally like," says Haynes, who is especially psyched to play at Helm's special 70th-birthday jam session, which features Donald Fagen and Ray LaMontagne.
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Bonnaroo
Manchester, TN
June 10th-13th
Tickets: $210-$250
Headliners: Jay-Z, Stevie Wonder, DMB, Kings of LeonOver one weekend, a central-Tennessee farm becomes a self-contained nation of musical hedonism. "It's the closest America has to a European festival," says KOL's Caleb Followill. "Doesn't matter if it's sunny or raining, people are there to have a good time."
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Warped Tour
June 25th-Aug. 15th
Tickets: $24-$42
Now in its 15th year, the punk festival is split between its 1990s roots and the various mutations of emo. Vets like the Dropkick Murphys and Pennywise co-exist with upstarts like acoustic crooner Never Shout Never, electro-pop act Breathe Carolina and mainstream rockers All-American Rejects. "It's a big pissing contest — everyone wants to show that they're the best," says Rejects frontman Tyson Ritter. "You can't fuck around." -
Lilith Fair
June 27th-Aug. 16th
Tickets: $20-$125
Female artists ruling the charts again is the inspiration for the relaunch of Lilith, which originally ran from 1997 to 1999. "It's an interesting time to return," says co-founder Sarah McLachlan, the only artist on all 36 dates. The rest of the bill will change nightly with sets from Sheryl Crow, Mary J. Blige, Kelly Clarkson, Cat Power and others. -
Nateva
Oxford, ME
July 2nd-4th
Tickets: $89-$249
Headliners: Furthur, Flaming Lips, moe., STS9
This first-time fest in the woods aims to be an intimate, family-friendly, jammy paradise. "You might be used to seeing these guys at Bonnaroo with 80,000 people," says promoter Frank Chandler. "We're going to cut it off at 14,999 tickets." -
Pitchfork Music Festival
Chicago
July 16th-18th
Tickets: $40 per day
Headliners: Pavement, Modest Mouse, LCD SoundsystemThe tastemaking website programs three days (41 acts in all) of indie rock, hip-hop, DJs and out-there sounds.
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Lollapalooza
Chicago
Aug. 6th-8th
Tickets $175-$215
Headliners: Lady Gaga, the Strokes, Arcade Fire, Soundgarden, Green Day
The largest urban festival — 145 acts in a sweet lakeside setting — scored big by getting Soundgarden's first reunion show and Gaga's only summer festival date. "She feels like we gave her a break when she played in 2007," says fest founder Perry Farrell. "She wanted to pay us back." -
Ozzfest
Aug. 14th-24th
Tickets: $40-$160
For Ozzy Osbourne, the return of Ozzfest — with acts including Mötley Crüe and Rob Halford — is mostly a chance to see old friends. "It'll be good to see Mötley again," Osbourne says. For his wife and manager, Sharon Osbourne, the six-date minitour is a chance to check on the festival's viability for a new decade. "It's just testing the waters," she says. -
Outside Lands
San Francisco
Aug. 14th-15th
Tickets: $75-$140
Headliners: Furthur, Kings of Leon, Phoenix, Al Green
"Food is such a huge part of San Francisco culture," says promoter Allen Scott. That's why the festival brings in locavore vendors — organic s'mores, Napa Valley wine — to stunning Golden Gate Park. -
Mile High Music Festival
Denver
August 14th-15th
Tickets: $97-$200
Headliners: Dave Matthews Band, Jack Johnson, Steve Miller, Weezer"Jack Johnson and Dave Matthews are larger-than-life here in Colorado," says promoter Chuck Morris, explaining the easygoing, bro-friendly vibe of Mile High, which features 42 acts on a patch of 14 soccer fields nine miles from downtown Denver.
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All Tomorrow’s Parties
Monticello, NY
Sept. 3rd-5th
Tickets: $110-$250
Headliners: The Stooges, Sonic Youth, the Breeders
Rock geeks take over a borscht belt resort for a supercasual weekend of underground rock including the Stooges playing Raw Power. Bonus activities: ping-pong, pool lounging, movie screenings and poker with indie icon Steve Albini. -
Bumbershoot
Seattle
Sept. 4th-6th
Tickets: $40-$110
Headliners: Bob Dylan, Weezer, Hole, Mary J. BligeA headlining performance by Dylan is a highlight of the 40th edition of this nonprofit event, which features about 115 musical acts, plus comedians, dance troupes and film screenings. The three-day festival is also easily accessible by public transportation (it's located on the grounds of the 1962 World's Fair) and is one of the best values of the season â?? a day pass costs only $40.
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Austin City Limits
Austin
Oct. 8th-10th
Tickets: $85 per day
Headliners: The Eagles, Phish, Muse, the Strokes, M.I.A.The ACL festival — which shares its name with the long-running PBS roots-music TV series – is a monster, drawing 65,000 fans a day to a 46-acre field near downtown Austin. Still, it primarily appeals to a local crowd — three-day passes sold out a month before the lineup was ever announced.