Tour Kick-Offs: Weezer, Kings of Leon and More
Check back every week for a rundown of summer festivals and tours kicking off in the coming days.
WEEZER
July 28th-September 3rd
Tickets: $33-$90
Last year’s Memories tour, where Weezer ran through their 1994 debut and 1996’s Pinkerton in full, went so well that they’re reprising the format at select dates this summer. “The fans are super into it, and it’s really fun for us,” says drummer Patrick Wilson, who pushed for the idea after seeing Rush play Moving Pictures in L.A. last summer. “We were shocked at how pain-free it was to revisit those songs, like we never stopped playing them.”
KINGS OF LEON
July 26th-September 12th
Tickets: $30-$60
“The set lists will be filled with lots of oldies,” says drummer Nathan Followill of the band‘s 29-date amphitheater tour, which will feature plenty of jams from 2003’s Youth & Young Manhood and 2004’s Aha Shake Heartbreak. “I predict I’ll drink some beers on the tour,” he adds. “And a couple of shots.”
BRIGHT EYES
July 27th-September 16th
Tickets: $20-$35
“Some people say it’s a little too crazy, but I like it,” singer Conor Oberst says of the intense visual effects on his band‘s latest tour, including strobe lights and huge video screens. Oberst and six musicians rehearsed 50 songs for the gigs, adding proggy guitars to 2005’s electro ballad “Arc of Time” and radically reimagining “Falling Out of Love At This Volume,” from Bright Eyes’ 1998 debut. “Now it sounds like a real rock song, with Cars-y keyboards and guitars,” he says. “It’s totally
transformed.”
NEWPORT FOLK FESTIVAL
Newport, Rhode Island
July 30th-31st
Top Acts: The Decemberists, Emmylou Harris, Elvis Costello, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Mavis Staples, Middle Brother, M. Ward
The event where Dylan legendarily went electric in 1965 – now held in Fort Adams State Park overlooking the Atlantic coast – is still the perfect place to see old-time folk troubadours and the younger acts they’ve inspired.
Related
• Photos: Rolling Stone’s Rockstar Weekend Kicks Off With Weezer
• Photos: At Home with the Kings of Leon
• Photos: The Week’s Hottest Live Shots
Previously:
• Tour Kick-Offs: Bon Iver, Ke$ha and More