One of the best perks of living in a town nestled right outside one of the world’s major cities is that touring musicians are certain to want to come to our city to take part in the music scene here. The Philly 2010 summer concert lineup is especially dynamic and extraordinary. Some of the highlights are listed below according to venue; try to make it to at least one live show this summer!
Photo by Madeline Berger/Staff
The Mann Center
• June 27th – Passion Pit with Tokyo Police Club – Following the release of their debut album Manners, Passion Pit’s characteristic kaleidoscope songscapes have secured them a well-deserved and eager following.
• July 10th and 11th – Further – Phil Lesh and Bob Weir of The Grateful Dead have reunited one more to create Furthur. They’re certain to deliver a mindblowing show – complete with characteristic improvisations and lovingly recrafted Grateful Dead classics.
• August 15th – MGMT – This Grammy-nominated, Brooklyn based band is best known for their hits “Kids” and “Electric Feel” off their debut album Oracular Spectacular. They recently released a second album titled Congratulations.
• September 15 – CAKE – Best known for their hit “Short Skirt Long Jacket,” CAKE is an often snarky and satirical, always unique alternative rock favorite.
• August 19th – Pavement – Following years of speculation, veteran indie rock band Pavement is returning to the stage with a world tour.
The Susquehanna Bank Center
• June 24th and 25th – Phish – Phish is noted for their superextended grooves and improvisational creativity, as well as their devoted fan base. They’re sure to play at least one or two songs off their renowned newest album Joy.
• June 30th and July 1st – Dave Matthews Band – Known for feel-good, lengthy improvisational renditions of their songs, as well as for the hype that their annual summer tours generate, DMB is sure to deliver, yet again, an awesome show.
• July 11th – Jack Johnson – Touring with his newest album To the Sea, Jack Johnson is sure to perform in the style that dedicated fans have come to expect from him – soft-rock, acoustic, soothing.
• July 30th – John Mayer - Multi-platinum, Grammy-award winning, heartthrob. Emphasis on the heartthrob.
• August 3rd – Green Day with Special Guest AFI - Though best known for their 2004 album American Idiot, Grammy-award winning American rock trio Green Day released an album titled “21st Century Breakdown” in 2009.
• August 5th – Kings of Leon - Kings of Leon is a platinum-selling American “alternative” rock band, with an arena – rock sound. They are best known for their singles “Use Somebody,” “Sex on Fire,” and “Notion.”
• August 6th – KISS – KISS is a hard rock, Brooklyn-based American band that has been head-banging since the early seventies.
The Electric
Factory
•July 21st – SOJA – Soldiers of Jah Army is an American reggae band that’s been active since the late nineties. They’ve played frequently in Philadelphia in recent years, mostly opening for better known bands.
• July 24th – Deadmau5 – Pronounced “dead mouse,” and actually named Joel Zimmerman, Deadmau5 is an progressive house /neo-trance, electronic producer based in Canada – sure to be an exciting and progressive.
The TLA
• September 14th – Broken Social Scene – An indie-rock musical collective, including as many as nineteen and as few as six members, Broken Social Scene is characterized by a dynamic and varied musical style – including guitars, woodwinds, horns, and violins to create an often highly unconventional musical struture.
• July 13th – 311 with the Offspring and Pepper – 311 is alrock/ ska punk,/ jazz fusion; they have a Sublime/Slightly Stoopid-esque vibe to them.
• July 17th – Sublime with Rome, Matisyahu, and The Dirty Heads – Sublime, the legendary Long Beach based, ska-punk, alternative rock band, was officially disbanded following the tragic death of their lead singer, Bradley Nowell. They are now touring once again with all of their original members and a new lead singer, Rome Ramirez. They’ve already played a Philly show once this year and it was awesome. Matisyahu is an American Hasidic Jewish reggae musician. He found God at the age of 14 on a mushroom trip. Nuff said? Inventive, funky, totally one of a kind.
• July 24th – O.A.R. with Citizen Cope – Of a Revolution, or O.A.R., is a pop-rock American band with a huge college following. Citizen Cope is the pseudonym of the dreadlocked, alt-rock/ folk-rock musician Clarence Greenwood. If you’re not sure who he is, you’ve probably heard his song “Let the Drummer Kick.” He’s definitely feel-good music; the crowd should be pretty fun and the atmosphere pretty relaxed.
By Emily Shepard
Class of 2011
