Suitcases of songs

June 13, 2007

Well, if you’re a dedicated live concerts fan, then chances are you’ve already got in a head start on this year’s summer music festivals and other touring events.  If you were lucky enough to be in Europe, then perhaps you swung by PinkPop (Landgraaf, Netherlands May 26th-28th) to catch Muse, the newly-reformed Smashing Pumpkins, Iggy Pop and the Stooges, and the Scissor Sisters;  or maybe you opted for the Primavera Sound Fest in Barcelona, Spain (May 31st-June 1st), where you soaked in the sounds of the White Stripes, Of Montreal, Sonic Youth and Wilco.  But - other than that non-optional passport - did you pack well for these fantastic once-a-year events, or were you woefully underprepared?  Fear not - we’ll get you geared up for the bulk of the summer music season that’s on the way over the next 3 1/2 months.
 
JUNE
 The first half of concert-busy June seems pretty evenly divided between the metalheads and the granola-lovers.  For those of you who dig your tunes a little harder, you’ll want to throw all your black clothing, vintage Ozzy tees, and hairspray into a duffel bag and start with the Gods of Metal Fest (Milan, Italy June 30th), where you’ll find the music loud and the bands some of the biggest in the metal world, including Ozzy Osbourne, Korn, Megadeth, and the Scorpions, plus a little nu-metal flavor from the likes of Velvet Revolver and Type O Negative.  Sweden’s Sweden Rock Festival (June 6th-9th) in Solvesborg offers up a more pop-metal approach, with the likes of Motorhead, Aerosmith, and Meat Loaf.  And on June 14th-16th, you’ll dig the Hultsfred Fest in (where else?) Hultsfred, Sweden, which features Ozzy again, plus Korn and a touch of rap with 50 Cent. 
 
Jam band fans, you’ll find that June may quickly become your favorite summer month, kicking off with the Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival (June 7th-10th) in Lawrence, Kansas.  A relative newbie to the festival scene (Wakarusa was founded in 2004), the event is held at the tree-filled Clinton State Park, and features 3 days of jammin’ and Birkenstocks, from the Yonder Mountain String Band, Les Claypool, Widespread Panic, and Ben Harper, and it’ll also include environmental speakers in its lineup, from wind farmer Pete Ferrell to Jeff Goodall, author of the book “Big Coal.”  “Adding speakers to our lineup was a natural next step,” says festival promoter Brett Mosiman, “we want to be a beacon for environmental discussion, information, and education.”  Now clear all those hay pieces, recyclable hot dog skewers, and dirty socks outta that backpack, and get set to repack everything for the grand master of jam band festivals - namely the Bonnaroo Music Festival (Manchester, Tennessee June 14th-17th) which stretches its appeal again this year by adding the likes of The Police and The Roots to their lineup.  Fans of old-skool Bonnaroo will be relieved to hear that for the most part, the rest of the lineup remains much the same as they’ve come to expect, from Widespread Panic and Wilco to the String Cheese Incident, Bob Weir and Ratdog, and Gov’t Mule.
 
As June moves on, the music starts leaning more towards the modern rockin’ side of things, starting with the Wireless Festival in England’s Hyde Park (June 14th-17th) and Barcelona, Spain’s Sonar Fest that same weekend.  Wireless presents the likes of Perry Farrell’s Satellite Party, Gotan Project, Air, Badly Drawn Boy, Kaiser Chiefs, and The White Stripes, while Sonar presents over 50 performers including Mogwai, Devo, Dizzee Rascal, and the Beastie Boys.
 
Also in June is what’s called the largest field-based music festival in the world - namely the famed Glastonbury Festival (June 22nd-24th) which encompasses 900 acres and over 150,000 attendees, and features live sets from a plethora of today’s best performers and a ton of buzz bands, including Kasabian, The Magic Numbers, The Killers, The Who, Manic Street Preachers, Bjork, Rufus Wainwright, Editors, The Chemical Brothers, KT Tunstall, Fatboy Slim, and Bright Eyes.  (You’ll want to bring along some high rubber boots for Glastonbury, as it’s known for being prone to random deluges of rain.) Plus you’ll find the environmentally-friendly Hovefestivalen in Arendal, Norway (June 26th-30th), which will open its grounds to over 20,000 people who will groove to the likes of The Killers, My Chemical Romance, Bright Eyes, and Arcade Fire.
 
With a goal of spreading “diversity, solidarity, and understanding,” the high-minded and hip Peace and Love Festival (bring some flowers to wear in your hair) in Sweden (June 26th-30th) combines poetry and art with music performances from the likes of Iggy Pop and Babyshambles.  And all throughout the month of June and beyond, those visiting New York City can check out the 6th Annual River to River Festival, which kicks off on June 1st and continues right through September, with live performances in Manhattan venues (the South Street Seaport and Battery Park among them) from the likes of Menomena, Super Furry Animals, and Spoon.
 
JULY
 July is far more than fireworks and barbecues. The runner-up to Glastonbury in size, Denmark’s Roskilde Festival (July 5th-8th) welcomed 100,000 attendees last year, and this year, will tempt even larger crowds with the likes of The Killers, Muse, The Beastie Boys, The Who, Bjork, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.  Live Earth is next up on the VIP docket, with a whole series of concerts set to be held all on July 7th, with some of the biggest names in modern rock participating in this global effort to raise awareness about global warming.  The U.S. show - at Giants Stadium in New Jersey - will feature The Smashing Pumpkins, Fall Out Boy, and Bon Jovi, among others, while accompanying shows will offer up sets by Madonna, Keane, The Foo Fighters, and the Black Eyed Peas (London’s Wembley Stadium), plus more in such far-flung locales as Shanghai, Rio de Janeiro, Sydney, Tokyo, and Johannesburg.  Live Earth Founder and Executive Producer Kevin Wall foresees Live Earth as both a huge blockbuster of a show and a giant step for global warming awareness.  “Live Earth will be a monumental event both in terms of entertainment and in turning the tide against global warming,” Wall proclaims.  Also on the 7th (and 8th), County Kildare in Ireland plays host to the Oxegen Festival, which will feature camping, carnival rides, and six stages to hold up such bands as Bloc Party, Interpol, Air, Muse, Bright Eyes, and Daft Punk.
 
Several heavier fests take place in July, too.  So don’t forget those extra black eyeliner pens, metal fans - you’re getting not one, but four more excursions - one to Florence, Italy for the Evolution Festival, which will drag in the likes of Skid Row, Cynic, and Nevermore;  one to Zlin in the Czech Republic for the huge Masters of Rock Fest, which will welcome 30,000 to see Motorhead, Rage, and Sepultura, among others;  and one to the Family Values Tour, which will be overloaded with the luggage of Korn, Evanescence’s Amy Lee, Atreyu, Flyleaf, and Trivium.  And, of course, there’s the biggest summer metalfest of ‘em all - Ozzfest - with tour dates beginning July 12th, free tix for all, and everyone from Behemoth, Mondo Generator, Circus Diablo, and Ozzy  himself on stage.  “The day that Ozzfest comes to town is the best day of summer for hardcore fans of hard rock and metal music,” Sharon Osbourne claims.
 
For those wanting to wind their month up with a little tamer fare, pack up your messenger bags with some Tums to counter all of that Chicago-style pizza you’ll eat, and grab your Japanese phrasebook - it’s time to check out Chicago’s Pitchfork Music Festival (July 13th-15th) with Sonic Youth, Iron and Wine, GZA, and Of Montreal before you hop a plane to Europe for the Benicassim International Festival in Spain (July 19th-22nd), where you’ll likely spend just as much time reapplying your sunscreen and checking out the dance, art, fashion, and theater exhibitions as you will catching sets by Muse, Arctic Monkeys, Dinosaur Jr., and Camera Obscura.  And last, but not least, in July, it’s the only big Asian summer music festival, the Fuji Rock Festival (July 27th-29th), which this year is prepping for The Chemical Brothers, The Shins, and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, among others. 
 
AUGUST
For Midwesterns, the big deal of the entire summer is Chicago’s Lollapalooza Festival (August 3rd-5th).  The festival is known for an extremely wide range of music genres as well as plenty of surprises, all helmed by renaissance dude Perry Farrell, who this year will be appearing with his new band, Satellite Party.  Lollapalooza promoter Huston Powell expects plenty of out-of-the-box events, some from the old guard and some from the new.  “My Morning Jacket is going to perform with the Chicago Youth Symphony, which should be amazing,” Powell enthuses, “and I also expect big things from Daft Punk, Muse, Modest Mouse, and Interpol.  Plus, if history holds true, I would expect many bands to bring up guest performers to join their set.” In addition to these bands, Lolla this year is also welcoming the likes of Pearl Jam, Regina Spektor, Iggy Pop, LCD Soundsystem, Pete Yorn, The Roots, TV on the Radio, and many, many more;  Lolla publicist Brittany Pearce recommends snagging tickets early, as fans come from as far as Europe to see the rilly big shew, and she also mentions that in addition to the return of the Minefield - Lolla’s own text messaging scavenger hunt game - the fest will also introduce Green Street, the festival’s new visual center of environmental initiatives.  “We’ll be repeating our hugely popular recycling program, which offers incentives to patrons to participate,” Pearce explains, “all food vendors will be serving on biodegradable plates, we’re banning styrofoam, we’re using biodiesel in generators, and festival merchandise will include environmentally sustainable options.”  All making Lollapalooza the music festival that’s not only musically hip, but also environmentally friendly, so pack lightly and pick up after yourself.
Attempting to compete with Lolla is the V Fest in Baltimore, Maryland (also August 4th-5th), which will feature The Beastie Boys, The Police, and The Smashing Pumpkins, while the following weekend.  Up in Canada, the two-day Wolfe Island Musicfest is rarin’ to go (August 10th-11th) just outside of Kingston, Ontario;  the benefit event, now in its ninth year, with supply fans with tunes from Wolf Parade, Young Rival, the Sarah Harmer-fronted Weeping Tile, and Apostle of Hustle.  Overseas, the FM Frequency Festival hits Salzburg, Austria (August 15th-17th) for the country’s “largest alternative music celebration,” celebrating with The Good, The Bad, and The Queen as well as !!! and M.I.A.  Another big UK fest takes place in August, too - the Carling Leeds Weekend (August 24th-26th), which will feature headliners Smashing Pumpkins alongside Razorlight and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, as well as appearances by Ash, Interpol, Panic! at the Disco, Fall out Boy, and Klaxons, plus many more.  And also in the UK for the end of August is the Electric Picnic (August 31st-September 2nd) in Stradbally, Ireland, which offers up a mix of music (Modest Mouse, Sonic Youth, and the Beastie Boys are just a few), comedy, film, and silent disco, in which DJs will play music that isn’t broadcast over speakers, but is instead transmitted to headphones worn by concertgoers.

SEPTEMBER
And if you thought the summer concert season was over in September, well, you’d be wrong;  so it’s time once again to dump out that suitcase and start repacking for slightly cooler weather, ‘cause there are two fests left that you won’t want to miss.
In Seattle, you’d best remember your umbrella for the Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival ( ) at which you’ll find rockin’ sets from The Shins, Devendra Banhart, Panic! at the Disco, and tons of other bands, plus contemporary dance presentations and theater performances.  And over in Denver, Colorado, it’s the Red Rocks Amphitheater that will play host for the Monolite Festival (September 14th-15th), a great way to wind up the summer music season with live outdoor shows from Kings of Leon, Ghostland Observatory, and The Flaming Lips, and Spoon.