This summer, music fans are expecting some hot summer tours from legendary performers like the Dave Matthews Band and 60’s pop icons the Beach Boys.
Matthews and his group, who last year headlined their own “Caravan” festivals in select U.S. cities, take their act on the road this year, playing over 40 dates nationwide throughout the spring and summer of 2012.
The tour kicks off on May 18 at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in Houston, TX, and will visit outdoor arenas and amphitheaters all across the country, including the famous Nikon at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, N.Y. on June 12 and 13. The tour is scheduled to wrap on September 9 at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, CA. Fan club tickets went on presale last week, with Citibank credit or debit card holders eligible to buy presale tickets beginning March 5 through the company’s Private Pass program. Public onsales for the tour begin on March 9.
In 2011 and 2012, the band released several live albums, as well as a number of live recordings that were available only as digital downloads, as part of their Live Trax series.
Opening acts for the Dave Matthews Band this go-round will include blues artist Gary Clarke, Jr., folk rockers the Avett Brothers, and legendary R & B band Tower of Power.
Also returning to the stage this summer are the three surviving members of the original Beach Boys. The Beach Boys will perform together for the first time in over twenty years as the group celebrates their 50th anniversary with a tour making stops across both the United States and Europe.
Brian Wilson, Mike Love and Al Jardine will hit the road this summer alongside band members David Marks and Bruce Johnston on a 37 date U.S. tour in support of their yet-to-be-released album of new material, produced by Brian Wilson.
The Beach Boys started their anniversary celebration early with a performance of their smash hit, “Good Vibrations,” on the 54th Annual Grammy Awards on February 12, 2012.
As for the official tour, opening night isn’t until April 24 at the Anselmo Valencia Tori Amphitheatre in Tucson, AZ. Other stops include a few festival dates, such as the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on April 27, the very popular Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival on June 10, and Milwaukee’s Summerfest on July 1. The Beach Boys will wrap up the U.S. leg of the tour July 15 at Harveys Outdoor Arena at Lake Tahoe, which is located in Stateline, NV. Following the show at Lake Tahoe, the group will cross the Atlantic Ocean to continue their golden anniversary celebration in Europe.
As the Dave Matthews Band and the Beach Boys join a number of other crowd favorites on the concert scene this summer, the season promises to be busy, and hopefully profitable. For now promoters seem to be crossing their fingers that the summer of 2012 will build off summer of 2011’s positive revenue trend, rather than revert back to the devastating 2010 summer filled with numerous tour cancellations and postponements.
