Catching your favorite summer concerts

Local and statewide entertainment for all

By: Erin Edwards

Posted: 7/9/08

Summer is one of the prime times of the year to catch your favorite artist or band touring around the country. Whether it's a small acoustic show at a local venue or a sold-out arena concert, students are guaranteed to find some form of musical entertainment across the state.

Pollstar, a concert industry trade magazine, reports that while the average ticket for a show has doubled within the past 10 years, ticket sales have continued to rise, topping $3.9 billion in 2007.

While gas prices peak at a nationwide all-time high, it is not stopping some music fans from seeing choice bands on summer tours.

ECU student Stephen Mason is one of many students checking out his favorite artists on tour this year. Mason, who has already seen Radiohead and Dave Matthews Band this summer and also plans to check out Coheed and Cambria and the Black Keys before school starts, doesn't let high gas prices ruin his music experience.

"I really like music and if it's a group I want to see, I'm willing to travel the miles to see them," said Mason. "I carpool with friends and split gas money. I enjoy the live music experience, so I try to make it out to as many shows as I can without breaking the bank."

For Adesola Ogunleye, local shows are the best bet when it comes to saving money and witnessing great entertainment.

"For me, gas is a huge factor for not traveling to other cities for shows, and because prices are so high, it has cut down on the far travels of seeing that band that you know will never come to your small town," said Ogunleye. "I think it's better to go out and support local music, because they will be the next big thing you see in the mainstream, but if I have a chance to see one of my favorite bands and I have the funds, I will rally up my friends and head out."

For fans not willing to venture much farther than Raleigh, there is still time toward the end of July and early August to catch great acts at the Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek. Maroon 5, Counting Crows and Sara Bareilles will all stop by July 29, followed by the Jonas Brothers and Avril Lavigne July 30. Country group Rascal Flatts will perform Aug. 2 as well as Journey with Heart and Cheap Trick Aug. 10. Acoustic acts such as Jack Johnson (Aug. 12) and John Mayer (Aug. 27) will finish out the summer concert lineup in Raleigh.

Dedicated fans willing to travel far and wide are sure to head to Charlotte to catch new tours as well as classic favorites. Trekking into its 14th year, the Vans Warped Tour will be stopping by Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Charlotte on July 14. The all-day festival will boast such acts as Anberlin, Gym Class Heroes, Jack's Mannequin, Katy Perry and many more. This is shortly followed by Projekt Revolution on July 30, headlined by Linkin Park, The Bravery, Busta Rhymes, Ashes Divide and Chris Cornell along with supporting acts Atreyu, Hawthorne Heights and Armor for Sleep.

Also at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre will be 311 and Snoop Dogg July 24, followed by a double feature of Widespread Panic on July 25 and 26. For a flashback to the classics, Bryan Adams and Foreigner stop by on July 19, along with Rush on July 20.

If large arenas and stadiums are too over the top for a concert experience, music fans can enjoy intimate and stripped-down shows at smaller venues across the state, including Cat's Cradle in Carrboro. Indie rock duo She and Him, featuring actress Zooey Deschanel and singer/songwriter M. Ward, will play July 28, as well as such acts as the Hold Steady, the Faint and the Melvins who stop by at the end of July and early August.

For those looking to stay in the Greenville area, local entertainment shows typically cost less than most concerts across the state and require little to no driving to get to.

The Spazzatorium Galleria, The Corner, 21 Eleven Beer and Wine and Tavern on 4th are just a few of the many venues in Greenville where many area artists will play throughout the rest of the summer.

So whether you decide to travel across the state to catch that sold-out tour or walk around downtown Greenville for a night out with friends, there is sure to be a variety of musical entertainment just waiting to be discovered.

This writer can be contacted at features@theeastcarolinian.com.