Artwork by Cap Blackard
With school letting out, the weather getting warmer, and daylight extending into the early evening, choices for how to spend your hard-earned dollars and precious time off have a lot of competition in 2015. There seem to be more summer music festivals than ever; meanwhile, online services like Airbnb and Uber make travel increasingly manageable. Needless to say, the Internet has made the world smaller and more accessible for many.
Summer concert tours remain a big attraction in the US and beyond, with many artists using festivals as springboards to connect with the rest of the country, plotting their stops between larger festivals and creating a bevy of options for fans looking to experience large arena gigs or more intimate club shows. In the pages that follow, we’ve collected some of the most notable artists to hit the road this summer, from huge rarities to some of music’s most exciting emerging talent.
Enjoy.
–Philip Cosores
Contributing Editor
AC/DC
Photo by Philip Cosores
With their original booking as a Coachella headliner, AC/DC turned some heads, prompting questions as to both their continued relevance and their drawing power. But if their huge ‘chella audience wasn’t a good enough indication, maybe their stadium tour this summer, beginning in Europe and then coming to the US, will convince naysayers. Playing both iconic football yards like the homes of the Patriots and the Giants (and Jets), and beloved baseball stadiums like the homes of the Cubs, Giants, and Dodgers, AC/DC will turn yards infrequently used for concerts into havens for rock ‘n’ roll. —Philip Cosores
AC/DC 2015 Tour Dates:
05/29 – Barcelona, ES @ Estadio Olympic
05/31 – Madrid, ES @ Estadio Vicente Calderon
06/02 – Madrid, ES @ Estadio Vicente Calderon
06/05 – Zurich, CH @ Letzigrund
06/07 – Zurich, CH @ Letzigrund
06/19 – Cologne, DE @ Jahnwiesen
06/21 – Hannover, DE @ Messe
06/25 – Berlin, DE @ Olympia Stadium
06/28 – Glasgow, UK @ Hampden Park
07/01 – Dublin, IE @ Aviva Stadium
07/04 – London, UK @ Wembley Stadium
07/06 – Dessel, BE @ Graspop Metal Meeting
07/09 – Imola, IT @ Autodromo
07/12 – Gelsenkirchen, DE @ Veltins Arena
07/15 – Roskilde, DK @ Roskilde Festival Site
07/17 – Oslo, NO @ Valle Hovin
07/19 – Stockholm, SE @ Friends Arena
07/22 – Hameenlinna, FI @ Open Air Park
07/25 – Warsaw, PL @ National Stadium
08/22 – Foxborough, MA @ Gillette Stadium
08/26 – E. Rutherford, NJ @ MetLife Stadium
08/28 – Quebec City, QC @ Plains Of Abraham
08/31 – Montreal, QC @ Olympic Stadium
09/03 – Ottawa, ON @ TD Place
09/05 – Moncton, NB @ Magnetic Hill
09/08 – Detroit, MI @ Ford Field
09/10 – Toronto, ON @ Downsview Park
09/15 – Chicago, IL @ Wrigley Field
09/17 – Winnipeg, MB @ Investors Group Field
09/20 – Edmonton, AB @ Commonwealth Stadium
09/22 – Vancouver, BC @ BC Place
09/25 – San Francisco, CA @ AT&T Park
09/28 – Los Angeles, CA @ Dodger Stadium
11/04 – Sydney, AU @ ANZ Stadium
11/12 – Brisbane, AU @ QSAC
11/21 – Adelaide, AU @ Oval
11/27 – Perth, AU @ Domain Stadium
12/06 – Melbourne, AU @ Etihad Stadium
Alabama Shakes
Photo by Philip Cosores
Now that Alabama Shakes’ sophomore album has reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts, maybe fans won’t mind the omission of the band’s signature tune from its setlist. Earlier this year when the quartet previewed Sound & Color at dates scattered across the US, including Coachella, “Hold On” didn’t make the cut. Pretty ballsy move for a group so young. If the Rolling Stones can dig up “Satisfaction” at every show over the last 40 years, the combustible Brittany Howard surely can’t squelch the Boys & Girls standout after only three. This tour, which takes a European detour before landing in North America just in time for Lollapalooza, finds the Shakes adding to its ranks with two additional instrumentalists and three backing singers fluent in gospel. Not that Howard needs the help, but the extra pipes intensify the multiple climaxes at the end of each song’s slow burn. —Janine Schaults
Alabama Shakes 2015 Tour Dates:
05/13 – Birmingham, UK @ O2 Academy Birmingham
05/15 – Brighton, UK @ The Great Escape
05/28 – St. Louis, MO @ The Fox Theatre $
05/29 – Kansas City, MO @ THe Starlight Theatre $
05/30 – Minneapolis, MN @ Hall’s Island $
06/02 – Indianapolis, IN @ The Farm Bureau Insurance Lawn at White River State Park $
06/03 – Detroit, MI @ Masonic Temple Theatre $
06/05 – Seaside Heights, NJ @ Gentlemen of the Road
06/06 – Toronto, ON @ Field Trip Music & Arts Festival
06/07 – Hunter Mountain, NY @ Mountain Jam Festival
06/09 – Charlottesville, VA @ nTelos Wireless Pavilion !
06/10 – Cary, NC @ Koka Booth Amphitheatre at Regency Park +
06/12 – Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival
06/24-28 – Pilton, UK @ Glastonbury
06/27 – Beuningen, NL @ Down the Rabbit Hole
06/28 – Werchter, BE @ Rock Werchter
06/30 – Leipzig, DE @ Conne Island
07/01 – Gdynia, PL @ Open’er Festival
07/04 – Dublin, IE @ Marlay Park
07/05 – Belfort, FR @ Les Eurockeennes
07/06 – Koln, DE @ Live Music Hall
07/08 – Lucca, IT @ Summer Festival Lucca
07/10 – Rotterdam, NL @ North Sea Jazz Fest
07/12 – Kinross, UK @ T in the Park
07/30 – Louisville, KY @ Iroquois Amphitheater
07/31 – Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza
08/01 – Council Bluffs, IA @ Harrah’s Council Bluffs Casino & Hotel
08/04 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Red Butte Harden
08/05 – Boise, ID @ Idaho Botanical Garden
08/07 – Troutdale, OR @ Edgefield *
08/08 – Redmond, VA @ Marymoor Park
08/09 – Squamish, BC @ Squamish Valley Music Festival
08/12 – San Diego, CA @ Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre *
08/13 – Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre *
08/14 – Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara Bowl
08/16 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Ampitheatre %
08/18 – Grand Prairie, TX @ Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie %
08/21 – Alpharetta, GA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
09/17 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Mann Center for the Performing Arts %
09/18 – Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion %
09/19 – Queens, NY @ Forest Hills Stadium %
09/22 – Lewiston, NY @ Artpark
09/25-27 – Boston, MA @ Boston Calling
10/02-04 – Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits Music Festival
11/18 – London, UK @ O2 Academy Brixton
11/19 – London, UK @ O2 Academy Brixton
% = w/ Drive-By Truckers
$ = w/ Father John Misty
! = w/ Strand of Oaks
+ = w/ Courtney Barnett
* = w/ Blake Mills
Joey Bada$$
The most meaningful live event of Brooklyn rapper and Pro Era leader Joey Bada$$’s summer won’t be a regular tour stop, but rather Steez Day, a festival that Joey and Pro Era are putting on to honor the fallen Capital Steez. You could say Joey has been honoring Steez (who committed suicide on Christmas Eve in 2012) with all his new music, too, most notably B4.DA.$$, his great debut album from January. Full of both heart and displays of technical skill, B4.DA.$$ is a statement of youthful intent, which partly explains the title of Joey’s summer tour, World Domination (also the name of a song on his breakthrough mixtape, 1999). Divided into West Coast shows (the “Westside Connection” phase) and international outings (“Worldly Festivities”), the tour will also feature Chicago’s Mick Jenkins and Florida’s Denzel Curry. –Michael Madden
Joey Bada$$ 2015 World Domination Tour Dates:
06/10 – Mesa, AZ @ Club Red *
06/11 – San Diego, CA @ Observatory *
06/12 – Santa Ana, CA @ Observatory *
06/13 – Los Angeles, CA @ Fonda *
06/14 – Ventura, CA @ Ventura Theatre ^
06/16 – Santa Cruz, CA @ Catalyst *
06/17 – San Francisco, CA @ Regency *
06/18 – Eugene, OR @ WOW Hall *
06/19 – Portland, OR @ Wonder ^
06/20 – Seattle, WA @ KUBE Radio Show *
06/25 – Norrköping, SE @ Bravalla Festival
06/26 – Seinäjoki, FI @ Provinnsrock Festival
06/27 – Odense, DK @ Tinderbox Festival
07/03 – London, UK @ Wireless Festival
07/04 – Tilburg, NL @ Woo Ha! Hip Hop Festival
07/05 – Brussels, BE @ Coloeur Café Festival
07/07 – New York, NY @ Steez Day Festival
07/09 – Zamárdi, HU @ Balaton Sound Festival
07/10 – Hamburg, DE @ Uebel & Gefaehrlich
07/11 – Berlin, DE @ Splash Festival
07/15 – Island of Pag, HR @ Fresh Island Festival
07/17- Tonsberg, NO @ Slottsfjell
07/18 – Stuttgart, DE @ Hip Hop Open
07/24 – Tokyo, JP @ Fuji Rock Festival
08/21-23 – Amsterdam, NL @ Lowlands Festival
* = w/ Mick Jenkins & Denzel Curry
^ = w/ Denzel Curry
J. Cole w/ Big Sean, Jeremih, and YG
Photo by Philip Cosores
The real is back, the ’ville is back. J. Cole released his underrated 2014 Forest Hills Drive with very little publicity before the record dropped at the end of last year, but the Roc Nation rapper is pulling out all the stops for this tour, which will hit up Madison Square Garden, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, and a home state gig at Charlotte’s PNC Music Pavilion. Jermaine will be assisted by YG, Jeremih, and Big Sean, whose Dark Side Paradise ranks as one of this year’s better hip-hop albums. —Killian Young
J. Cole w/ Big Sean, YG, and Jeremih Tour Dates:
07/12 – Seattle, WA @ White River Amphitheatre
07/14 – San Francisco, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
07/17 – San Diego, CA @ Sleep Train Amphitheatre
07/19 – Los Angeles, CA @ Staples Center
07/21 – Albuquerque, NM @ Isleta Amphitheater
07/24 – St. Louis, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
07/25 – Detroit, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre**
07/26 – Indianapolis, IN @ Klipsch Music Center
07/28 – Chicago, IL @ First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
07/30 – Pittsburgh, PA @ First Niagara Pavilion
07/31 – Camden, NJ @ Susquehanna Bank Center
08/03 – Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
08/04 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
08/06 – Boston, MA @ Xfinity Center
08/07 – Montreal, BC @ Bell Center
08/08 – Hartford, CT @ Xfinity Theatre
08/09 – Washington, DC @ Jiffy Lube Live
08/11 – Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend
08/12 – Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion
08/13 – Virginia Beach, VA @ Farm Bureau Live
08/15 – Atlanta, GA @ Aaron’s Amphitheatre
08/16 – Tampa, FL @ MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre
08/18 – West Palm Beach, FL @ Coral Sky Amphitheatre
08/21 – Houston, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
08/22 – Austin, TX @ Austin360 Amphitheater
08/23 – Dallas, TX @ Gexa Energy Pavilion
08/25 – Denver, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
08/29 – Fayetteville, NC @ Crown Colliseum
Toronto, ON @ TBA
