body.
Between summer am-
phitheaters such as Pine Knob
and Meadow Brook, festivals,
fairs and other seasonal ex-
travaganzas, the next 4 1/2
months are live music's peak
season. According to music in-
dustry estimates, anywhere
from 50 to 75 percent of con-
cert income is recorded during
the summer.
Why? In Michigan we un-
derstand the power of warm
weather all too well; it's an ap-
pealing thought to sit under a
warm, clear, star-filled sky and
hear some tunes — even if it's
an off-key Beach Boys perfor-
mance. Summer gives every-
one a chance to hit the road,
and the past few years of tour-
ing festivals (Lollapalooza, the
H.O.R.D.E., etc.) has given
even more acts —new and old
— an opportunity to play.
The summer of '97 is going
to be another abundantly busy
affair. There will be block-
buster names — U2 during
the early and late stretches,
possibly the Rolling Stones by
late summer. There will also
be more of the traveling festi-
vals than usual, with new en-
tries such as Summer Daze,
the R.O.A.R. tour and Sara
McLachlan's appealing Lilith
Fair.
And there will be plenty of
the classic rock standbys, such
as the Doobie Brothers,
Lynyrd Skynyrd and REO
Speedwagon.
Of course, the shows com-
pete with other summer ac-
tivities — swimming, golfing,
softball, biking, vacation. What
are the must-sees? Here's a
quick look at a dozen of the
summer's most intriguing
tours:
DE TR OI T J EW IS H NEW S
.
00
Horizons of Rock Developing
Everywhere — to become the
summer's must-see. Founding
act Blues Traveler is off the bill
this year, but Neil Young &
Crazy Horse will headline,
which has caused quite a bit of
excitement. "We had not
planned to participate," says
Widespread Panic's Dave
Schools. "But I've seen Neil
Young play twice in the last
five years; now I get to see him
play 30 times." Local date
TBA.
Frampton, Dave Mason,
Cream's Jack Bruce, Procol
Harum's Gary Brooker and
Bad Company/Free drummer
Simon Kirke. Expect to know
every single note played that
night. May 30 at Pine Knob.
THE WARPED TOUR: A
lower-key Lollapalooza that
combines punk, ska and skate-
boards. This year's lineup in-
cludes the Mighty Mighty
Bosstones, Helmet, Social Dis-
tortion, Pennywise, the De-
scendents, Face to
Face, the Vandals
and Detroit's Sui-
cide Machines. July
23 at Pine Knob.
Summer promises an
array of concerts.
- GARY GRAFF SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
LOLLAPALOOZA: The out-
ing that made festivals the
trend of the '90s retrenches
after a disappointing 1996
edition, returning to more tra-
ditional concert venues and
scaling back from last year's
superstars (Metallica,
Soundgarden). Tool, Korn
and Snoop Doggy Dogg are
this year's headliners, with
more acts to be confirmed
soon. Local date TBA.
072fest '97: Heaven or hell,
depending on your heavy met-
al orientation. Ozzy Osbourn
will play two sets at each date,
one on his own and one with a
reunited Black Sabbath. Also
on the bill: Pantera, Machine
Head, Type 0 Negative, Fear
Factory, Powerman 500,
downset, Neurosis, Slo-Burn
and others. June 12 at Pine
Knob.
FLEETWOOD MAC: The
celebrated "Rumours" lineup
—with Stevie Nicks and Lind-
sey Buckingham — is back to-
gether. It will record an "MTV
Unplugged" in mid-May, yield-
ing an album and a tour that
should start in late summer.
Local date TBA.
THE H.O.R.D.E.: Lolla-
palooza stumbled last sum-
mer, opening the a portal for RI GO STARR: The latest
this festival of improvisation- edition of the All-Starr band is
minded bands — it stands for a Britcentric affair with Peter
TEIE FURTHUR
FESTIVAL: It's
Round 2 for this
(Grateful) Deadhead celebra-
tion. The Black Crowes have
signed on to this year's bill,
joining former Dead members
Bob Weir and Mickey Hart,
Bruce Hornsby and Arlo
Guthrie. July 13 at Pine Knob.
LILITH FAIR: Canadian
songstress McLachlan intro-
duced this "girlapalooza" con-
cept with a few shows last
summer. This year it's a full-
on effort, featuring top female
talents such as Paula Cole,
Fiona Apple and the Cardi-
gans. July 18-19 at Pine Knob.
ROAR TOUR '97: The Rev-
olution of Alternative Rhythms
lives up to its acronym with a
lineup of Detroit-area natives
Iggy Pop and Sponge, Rev-
erend Horton Heat, the Blood-
hound Gang, Fun Lovin'
Criminals and Linda Perry.
The midway may be even
more fun, though, with its
jousting tournaments and
Sumo wrestling pits. June 5 at
Pine Knob.
JOHN FOGERTYVS. COS-
MO'S FACTORY: A Cree-
dence Clearwater rumble as
Above right: Neil Young will
headline the H.O.R.D.E. tour.
Right: The Counting Crows head
back to Michigan this summer.
PHOTO BY DENNIS KEELEY
W
ien it comes to
music, summer
tends to bring
out ... well, every-
• •
PHOTO BY MIKE HASHIMOTO
Tuning In
To The Music Scene .