Examining Who’s Playing What And Where During Summer 2000

Summertime is traditionally when the movie industry doles out its biggest hitters, but it’s also when music’s heavyweights hit the road.

In stark contrast to most of the 1990s, the large summer festival tours that once dominated the tour landscape, like the Lilith Fair, H.O.R.D.E. and Lollapalooza, are gone.

Those tours first appeared out of economic need: In the early ’90s and in the midst of a recesssion, who was going to shell out big bucks for a concert? The strategy of including several acts on the bill drew larger audiences to the event.

But like the economy and musical tastes, things have changed.

This year, only a few package tours, like Ozzfest, the Up in Smoke Tour and the Warped Tour, are still around. These tours have stayed together primarily because they’re marketed to a particular subculture that is well established.

Despite the changes, this year’s list of tours still has similarities to most other years, and boasts something for everyone. There are the older acts, the new sensations, reunited bands, bands planning their final tours and groups that said that they’d never tour again, but …

Here is a listing of a few of the top concerts that might be worth checking out this year (in no particular order):

Santana

Fresh off his multi-Grammy-winning, multi-platinum and multi-guest album, “Supernatural,” guitarist Carlos Santana and the latest incarnation of his band will bring their free-form show to all those record buyers.

Santana has been known to play songs from throughout his 30-year career in concert, and there’s little chance that this sojourn will feature only “Supernatural” tunes. Don’t you think he’s probably sick of hearing “Smooth” too? Pop sensation Macy Gray and ex-House of Pain rapper Everlast will open.

• July 20: West Palm Beach, Fla.
• July 21: Tampa, Fla.
• July 22: Atlanta
• July 23: Charlotte, N.C.
• July 25: Raleigh, N.C.
• July 26: Virginia Beach, Va.
• July 28: Bristow, Va.
• July 29-30: Wantagh, N.Y.
• Aug. 1-2: Mansfield, Mass.
• Aug. 4: Camden, N.J.
• Aug. 5: Holmdel, N.J.
• Aug. 6: Hartford, Conn.
• Aug. 8-9: Montreal
• Aug. 11: Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
• Aug. 12: Cincinnati
• Aug. 13-14: Clarkston, Mich.
• Aug. 16: Burgettstown, Pa.
• Aug. 18: Milwaukee
• Aug. 19: Tinley Park, Ill.
• Aug. 20: Noblesville, Ind.
• Aug. 22: Minneapolis

The Go-Go’s, the B-52’s, the Psychedelic Furs

Doesn’t this tour look like ’80s heaven?

After a nasty split almost two decades ago, The Go-Go’s
are back and are gunning to prove their claim that they were the greatest all-female punk band ever. Along for the ride are the B-52’s, who never broke up and never really went away (except from MTV). Rounding out the bill are the underappreciated Psychedelic Furs.

Although this outing is trademark nostalgia (do any of them have a new record out?), it also promises a real ’80s show that last year’s Culture Club reunion could only dream about.

• July 7: Detroit
• July 8: Pittsburgh
• July 10: Cincinnati
• July 11: Chicago
• July 12: Milwaukee
• July 13: Cleveland
• July 15: Baltimore
• July 16: Holmdel, N.J.
• July 17: Camden, N.J.
• July 19: Atlanta
• July 21: Wantaugh, N.Y.
• July 22: Boston
• July 25: Dallas
• July 26: Houston
• July 28: Denver
• July 30: Reno
• July 31: San Francisco
• Aug. 2: Concord, Calif.
• Aug. 3: Los Angeles
• Aug. 4: Irvine, Calif.
• Aug. 6: San Diego

‘N Sync

With a highly theatrical show and plenty of dancing, ‘N Sync looks to be the most expensive tour of the summer, but not because of ticket prices.

Instead, parents will have to reach deep into their wallets to buy all the T-shirts, posters, buttons, coffee mugs, official programs, Frisbees and bottles of ‘N Sync sweat that their kids want.

• June 5-6: Phoenix
• June 7: San Diego
• June 9: Pasadena, Calif.
• June 11: Oakland, Calif.
• June 13: Tacoma, Wash.
• June 14: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
• June 15: Portland, Ore.
• June 17: Salt Lake City
• June 20: Denver
• June 22: Kansas City, Mo.
• June 23: Minneapolis
• June 25: Joliet, Ill.
• June 26: Lexington, Ky.
• June 27: Columbus, Ohio
• June 28: St. Louis
• June 30-July 1: Cleveland
• July 2: Buffalo, N.Y.
• July 4: Greensboro, N.C.
• July 5: Raleigh, N.C.
• July 10: Washington, D.C.
• July 11-12: Albany, N.Y.
• July 14: Cincinnati
• July 16: Pittsburgh
• July 18: Pontiac, Mich.
• July 20-21: Philadelphia
• July 23: Foxboro, Mass.
• July 25-28: New York
• July 30: Hershey, Pa.

Britney Spears

I’ll say this for Britney Spears: She is a machine.

Her extensive tour of the U.S. is actually trying to reach every 13-year-old in America. In the process, Ms. Spears might sing and dance herself into a nervous breakdown, but she’ll at least have shown up all those neo-Dead bands that aspire to road-warrior status.

• June 20: Columbia, Md.
• June 21: Hartford, Conn.
• June 23: Darien Center, N.Y.
• June 24: Hershey, Pa.
• June 25: Scranton, Pa.
• June 27-29: Wantagh, N.Y.
• July 2-3: Holmdel, N.J.
• July 4: Bristow, Va.
• July 5: Camden, N.J.
• July 7: Tinley Park, Ill.
• July 8: Milwaukee
• July 9: Clarkston, Mich.
• July 16: Maryland Heights, Mo.
• July 17: Bonner Springs, Kan.
• July 19: Dallas
• July 20: San Antonio
• July 21-22: Woodlands, Texas
• July 26: Denver
• July 27: Albuquerque, N.M.
• July 28: Phoenix
• July 29: Irvine, Calif.
• July 31: Los Angeles
• Aug. 1: Concord, Calif.
• Aug. 3: San Diego
• Aug. 4: Las Vegas
• Aug. 5: San Bernardino, Calif.
• Aug. 6: Marysville, Calif.
• Aug. 8: Mountain View, Calif.
• Aug. 10: Portland, Ore.
• Aug. 11: George, Wash.
• Aug. 12: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
• Aug. 14: Salt Lake City
• Aug. 21: Burgettstown, Pa.
• Aug. 22: Toronto
• Aug. 23: Montreal
• Aug. 25: Atlantic City, N.J.
• Aug. 28: Mansfield, Mass.
• Aug. 30: Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
• Aug. 31: Cleveland
• Sept. 1: Knoxville, Tenn.
• Sept. 2: Noblesville, Ind.
• Sept. 3: Columbus, Ohio
• Sept. 9: Orlando, Fla.
• Sept. 10: West Palm Beach, Fla.
• Sept. 12: Raleigh, N.C.
• Sept. 13: Charlotte, N.C.
• Sept. 14: Virginia Beach, Va.
• Sept. 15: Burgettstown, Pa.
• Sept. 17: Antioch, Tenn.
• Sept. 18: Atlanta

Bob Dylan and Phil Lesh and Friends

For the majority of the last decade, Bob Dylan has been trying to make up for that eight-year period in the late ’60s and early ’70s when he refused to tour, and he’s really overdoing it.

On their so-called Never Ending Tour, Dylan and his wickedly tight backing group have been reinventing his song catalog onstage, and throwing in some covers of folk/country standards and Dead songs. No surprise then that the Grateful Dead’s bassist Phil Lesh is slipping into the shoes of Paul Simon, who co-headlined a tour with Dylan last summer. Lesh will tour with an assortment of musical friends, including members of Little Feat.

• June 16: Portland, Ore.
• June 17-18: George, Wash.
• June 20: Medford, Ore.
• June 21: Marysville, Calif.
• June 23: Concord, Calif.
• June 24: Mountain View, Calif.
• June 25: Reno, Nev.
• June 27: Las Vegas
• June 29: Irvine, Calif.
• June 30: Ventura, Calif.
• July 1: Del Mar, Calif.
• July 3: Albuquerque, N.M.
• July 6: Oklahoma City
• July 7: Bonner Springs, Kan.
• July 8: Maryland Heights, Mo.
• July 9: Noblesville, Ind.
• July 11: Cincinnati
• July 12: Moline, Ill.
• July 14: Minneapolis
• July 15: East Troy, Wis.
• July 16: Clarkston, Mich.
• July 18: Toronto
• July 19: Canandaigua, N.Y.
• July 21: Hartford, Conn.
• July 22: Mansfield, Mass.
• July 23: Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
• July 25: Scranton, Pa.
• July 26: Wantagh, N.Y.
• July 28: Camden, N.J.
• July 30: Stanhope, N.J.

The Up in Smoke Tour, featuring Dr. Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, M.C. Ren

The biggest hip-hop show of the summer is really the Dr. Dre show. All of the rappers here have benefited from Dre’s production genius and scored platinum sales as a result.

This tour will feature solo sets by the rappers and possibly some collaboration onstage, including an occasional reunion of N.W.A., the godfather of gangsta rap, which featured Dre, Ice Cube, M.C. Ren, the late Eazy-E and D.J. Yella. (Snoop Dogg has agreed to slip into Eazy’s role in the reunion).

But it’s Dre’s latest protege, Eminem, who might be the hit of the tour. His new record is No. 1 in the country and he’s MTV’s new foul-mouthed darling.

• June 15: Chula Vista, Calif.
• June 16 and 18: Anaheim, Calif.
• June 19: San Jose, Calif.
• June 21: Sacramento, Calif.
• June 24: Portland, Ore.
• June 26: Nampa, Idaho
• June 30: Indianapolis
• July 1: Columbus, Ohio
• July 2: Cleveland
• July 3: Pittsburgh
• July 4: Toronto
• July 6: Detroit
• July 7: Auburn Hills, Mich.
• July 8: Des Plaines, Ill.

Pearl Jam

After years of being forced off the road because of its feud with Ticketmaster, Pearl Jam is now playing several albums’ worth of material live.

The Seattle band, with new drummer Matt Cameron (formerly of Soundgarden), is also older and wiser than when grunge was king. The long hair is gone but they prove that guitar rock is still kicking. Sonic Youth and Supergrass will open.

• Aug. 3: Virginia Beach, Va
• Aug. 4: Charlotte, N.C.
• Aug. 6: Greensboro, N.C.
• Aug. 7: Atlanta
• Aug. 9: West Palm Beach, Fla.
• Aug. 12: Tampa, Fla.
• Aug. 14: New Orleans
• Aug. 15: Memphis, Tenn.
• Aug. 17: Antioch, Tenn.
• Aug. 18: Noblesville, Ind.
• Aug. 20: Cincinnati
• Aug. 21: Columbus, Ohio
• Aug. 23-25: Wantagh, N.Y.
• Aug. 27: Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
• Aug. 29-30: Mansfield, Mass.
• Sept. 1-2: Camden, N.J.
• Sept. 4: Columbia, Md.
• Sept. 5: Burgettstown, Pa

Warped Tour

What can you expect from the sixth installment of the Warped Tour? Punk rock and skateboarding, of course. Throw some tattoos and body piercing in there too.

This year’s lineup includes Green Day, Long Beach Dub All-stars (formerly Sublime), NOFX, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Anti-Flag, Flogging Molly, Good Riddance, Hot Water Music, Jurassic 5, Lunachicks, Millencolin, MXPX, One Man Army, Snapcase, the Donnas, the Line, the Muffs, Suicide Machines and TSOL.

• June 23: Fresno, Calif.
• June 24: Chula Vista, Calif.
• June 25: Phoenix
• June 27: Las Vegas
• June 28: Ventura, Calif.
• June 29: Anaheim, Calif.
• June 30: Anaheim, Calif.
• July 1: San Francisco
• July 2: Lake Tahoe, Calif.
• July 3: Nampa, Idaho
• July 4: George, Wash.
• July 6: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
• July 7: Bozeman, Mont.
• July 8: Salt Lake City
• July 9: Brighton, Colo.
• July 11: Minneapolis
• July 12: Tinley Park, Ill.
• July 13: Cleveland
• July 14: Camden, N.J.
• July 15: New York
• July 16: Asbury Park, N.J.
• July 17: Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
• July 18: Pittsburgh
• July 19: Buffalo, N.Y.
• July 20: Boston
• July 21: Montreal
• July 22: Barrie, Ontario, Canada
• July 23: Pontiac, Mich.
• July 25: Bristow, Va.
• July 26: Hampton, Va.
• July 27: Knoxville, Tenn.
• July 28: Jacksonville, Fla.
• July 29: Miami
• July 20: Orlando, Fla.
• July 31: Panama City Beach, Fla.
• Aug. 1: Antioch, Tenn.
• Aug. 3: Houston
• Aug. 4: Dallas
• Aug. 5: San Antonio
• Aug. 6: El Paso, Texas

Metallica’s Summer Sanitarium Tour

For the first time since they hijacked Lollapalooza in 1996, Metallica is headlining a package tour, sort of.

By including bands like Korn, Kid Rock, Powerman 5000 and System of a Down on the tour, Metallica boasts a stronger bill than if they toured alone, especially with Ozzfest. And looking at the bands that both tours assembled, Metallica took a majority of the big names in metal.

And even if you’re not a fan, Metallica knows how to get your body shaking — with their amplifiers, if need be.

• June 23: Seattle
• June 30: Foxboro, Mass.
• July 1: Rockingham, N.C.
• July 3: St. Louis
• July 4: Baltimore
• July 7: Atlanta
• July 8: Sparta, Ky.
• July 9: Irving, Texas
• July 12: Denver
• July 14: San Francisco
• July 15: Los Angeles
• July 16: Queen Creek, Ariz.
• July 22: Chicago

Ozzfest

Though Ozzy Osbourne is the ringmaster of this metal massacre, it is the headbanger-friendly theme and the stellar metal groups he assembles that keep fans coming.

Though there won’t be a Black Sabbath reunion this year, you can see Pantera, Soulfly, Godsmack, Static-X, Incubus, Tommy Lee’s new band Methods of Mayhem, Queens of the Stone Age, P.O.D., Kittie, Deadlights, Pitchshifter, Slaves on Dope, Pumpjack, Taproot, Primmer 55 and Crazy Town. (Ministry had been scheduled for this year but dropped out.)

There have been hints that Ozzy will pull the plug on the tour after this year.

• July 2: West Palm Beach, Fla.
• July 4: Atlanta
• July 6: Nashville, Tenn.
• July 8: Charlotte, N.C.
• July 10: Virginia Beach, Va.
• July 12: Detroit
• July 14: Washington
• July 16: Pittsburgh
• July 18: Columbus, Ohio
• July 20: Cleveland
• July 22: Philadelphia
• July 24: New York
• July 26: Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
• July 29-30: Boston
• Aug. 4: Chicago
• Aug. 6: Milwaukee
• Aug. 8: Cincinnati
• Aug. 10: Indianapolis
• Aug. 12: Minneapolis
• Aug. 14: St. Louis
• Aug. 16: Kansas City, Mo.
• Aug. 18: Dalllas
• Aug. 20: Baytown, Texas
• Aug. 24: Seattle
• Aug. 26: Mountain View, Calif.
• Aug. 28: Sacramento, Calif.
• Aug. 30: Phoenix
• Sept. 2: San Bernardino, Calif.

KISS

KISS has made themselves something of a road fixture since they reunited with Ace Frehley, Peter Criss and the makeup a couple of years ago.

Though this has been proclaimed as the band’s final outing, do they really mean that this is the end? Who knows? You can bank on the fact that you will get arena rock from one of the bands that invented it.

• June 6: Richmond, Va.
• June 9-10: Wantaugh, N.Y.
• June 12-13: Boston
• June 15: Portland, Maine
• June 16: Philadelphia
• June 19: Erie, Pa.
• June 20: Albany, N.Y.
• June 22: Montreal
• June 23: Toronto
• June 24: Buffalo, N.Y.
• June 27-28: East Rutherford, N.J.
• June 30: Raleigh, N.C.
• July 1: Manassas, Va.
• July 2: Virginia Beach, Va.
• July 5: Hershey, Pa.
• July 7: Scranton, Pa.
• July 8: Hartford, Conn.
• July 11: Madison, Wis.
• July 13: Minneapolis
• July 14: Fargo, N.D.
• July 16: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
• July 17: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
• July 20: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
• July 22: George, Wash.
• July 24: Portland, Ore.
• July 26: Boise, Idaho
• July 28: Mountain View, Calif.
• July 29: Sacramento, Calif.
• July 30: Concord, Calif.
• Aug. 1: Fresno, Calif.
• Aug. 2: Las Vegas

As you might expect, this list is far from comprehensive. Other acts planning to fill a club, bar, theater or stadium near you include the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Dave Matthews Band, No Doubt, Hanson, Limp Bizkit, Jimmy Buffett, the Dixie Chicks, Sting, ex-Pink Floyd mastermind Roger Waters, Phish, Marc Anthony and the Cure.

In double-bill news, you can check out the Counting Crows/Live tour this summer. But the real monster of dual headliners will be a tour featuring a reunited Who (yes, again) and Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page and the Black Crowes. According to reports, the acts will tour together, sharing their road crews, but will alternate the days — the Who playing one night, while Page, backed by the Black Crowes, plays the next.

And don’t forget about the latest American leg of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s tour (Bruce will wrap up things in New York City in early July). In other reunion news, Steely Dan and Yes are planning jaunts separately in June and July.

On the horizon, Prince has hinted that he might tour before summer’s end, as has the Fugees’ Wyclef Jean. The Furthur Festival, featuring some of Phil Lesh’s Grateful Dead bandmates, might also make an appearance.

The only problem is that with ticket prices hovering in the $30 range for most tours, you can’t see everything.

The good news is that other reviewers and I will be attending many of these shows, and we’ll keep you posted on what really is worth seeing and what tours really should be their last.

Note: David’s nationally syndicated music column, Soundbytes, appeared in the Entertainment section of all Internet Broadcasting websites. This column was originally published there.

©Copyright 2000 by David Hyland. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.