Summer Music Preview

Summer is almost here, and that means a lot of different things – baseball, cookouts, mosquito spray, and summer concerts. After checking out the schedules of a few cities for the coming months, I must say that there is little to look forward to. I’m particularly under-whelmed by the Summerfest lineup (headliners include Rush, Rascal Flatts, and Jonas Brothers), and will in all probability skip the annual music festival for the second straight year.

Here’s a preview of some of the artists that will be visiting Madison, Milwaukee, and Chicago this summer:

May 5
-Tokyo Police Club; Metro/Smart Bar, Chicago

May 8
-The Swell Season; Pabst Theater, Milwaukee

May 11
-Flight of the Conchords; Riverside Theatre, Milwaukee





May 14
-Flight of the Conchords; Chicago Theatre

May 23
-North Mississippi Allstars; House of Blues, Chicago

June 1
-B.B. King; House of Blues, Chicago

June 6
-Modest Mouse, The National, R.E.M.; United Center, Chicago

June 7
-Roy Haynes; University of Wisconsin, Madison

June 8
-B.B. King; Grant Park, Chicago





June 9
-B.B. King; Potawatomi Bingo Casino, Milwaukee

June 15
-The Swell Season; Chicago Theatre

June 16
-The Swell Season; Overture Center for the Arts, Madison

June 17, 18
-The Swell Season; Chicago Theatre

June 26
-Stevie Wonder; Summerfest, Marcus Amphitheater

June 28
-Orchestra Baobab; Millennium Park, Chicago

June 29
-Joe Cocker, Steve Miller Band; Summerfest, Marcus Amphitheater
-Orchestra Baobab; Barrymore Theatre, Madison

July 1
-Keller Williams; Summerfest

July 4
-Derek Trucks; Summerfest

July 19
-Vampire Weekend; Union Park, Chicago

July 25
-Elvis Costello, The Police; Marcus Amphitheater, Milwaukee

August 1
-Radiohead, The Black Keys, The Raconteurs, Cat Power; Lollapalooza, Grant Park, Chicago









August 23
-Robert Randolph & The Family Band; Charter One Pav. @ Northerly Isl., Chicago

August 28
-Sonny Rollins; Chicago Jazz Festival






August 31
-Ornette Coleman; Chicago Jazz Festival

Postscript:

While researching for this post, I came across an unbelievably large number of bands that will be touring this summer, that have no right to even still exist. At the end of this week I will post a list of those bands.