thePULSESummer Sounds
The Anticipation, The Venues, The State of Mind
Whether you prefer the big outdoor arenas or the small local venues, or maybe somewhere in between, there’s just something sacred about the whole vibe. So choose the concert, pack the cooler, pull on your favorite rock-n-roll T-shirt and grab your friends – It’s time to hit the summer music scene!
Here’s just a taste of what’s going on this summer in Massachusetts:
Tweeter Center
Ask almost any New England music fan for a list of favorite summer venues and you’ll hear the name “Tweeter Center.” The Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts in Mansfield, MA is an open-air amphitheatre with a seating capacity of 19,900 ~ 7,000 covered pavilion seats, 7,000 open-air seats, and now double the space for general admission lawn seating. So if standard seating is your preference, you get to choose from covered or uncovered. And if you prefer to get closer to nature, to really take advantage of the outdoor experience, you’ll find the perfect set-up. “Our patrons are welcome to bring a blanket and enjoy their favorite performers under the stars. There are also five video screens facing the lawn providing close-up shots of your favorite performers,” explains the Center’s website.
Many of us remember when this great venue was still called Great Woods and gave us some of our best summer memories ever. Check out some of the performers scheduled for the coming months. You’ll see why, despite the name change, the Tweeter Center can remain proud of its reputation for being one of THE essential summer destinations for music lovers of all ages. Kiss, the Country 99.5 2005 Country Music Festival, Stevie Nicks and Don Henley, Judas Priest with Queensryche, Santana, Jimmy Buffet, the ZOOMA tour, John Mellencamp, James Taylor, The Anger Management Tour w/ Eminem, Avril Lavigne, Ozzfest 2005 are all on for this summer.
For tickets to the above and additional shows, you can call (617) 228-6000 or (617)/(508) 931-2000. Tickets are also available at all Ticketmaster outlets, on the web at www.ticketmaster.com, and at the Tweeter Center Box Office. Stop by tweetercenter.com/boston/ for the complete summer line-up and for additional information. This place KNOWS music!
Tanglewood
Tanglewood, located in Lenox, MA and part of the beautiful Berkshires, is another popular summer music destination, an alternative to the rock-n-roll scene. It is often the choice of a slightly older crowd and those looking for a more relaxing setting, calmer crowds, and music (and occasionally dance troupes and solo humorists) of a more classical nature. This venue is lauded not only for the caliber of its performers but also for nestling its outdoor stage in the inspiring natural setting of the Berkshire Mountains.
With artists like the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops, James Taylor and Tony Bennet often performing, Tanglewood attracts a more sophisticated crowd and maintains a tremendous appeal for families and couples. The venue enjoys a fan-base that rivals that of the biggest rock acts around. Says the Tanglewood website, “The summer home of the BSO has always stood for the finest classical and popular music,” says Tanglewood on their site. [We have] enjoyed generous support from the surrounding community and from its extensive audience of music lovers.”
Here’s just a sample of what Tanglewood is offering this summer: Boston Early Music Festival Production, the Mark Morris Dance Group, Juilliard String Quartet, A Prairie Home Companion at Tanglewood with Garrison Keillor, Beethoven Symphony No. 9, the Tanglewood Jazz Festival, Tony Bennett Head to www.bso.org for more information on all that Tanglewood has to offer, including the summer schedule, the Tanglewood café, and ticket reservations. For those of you have never been to Tanglewood, take our word for it, this is the summer to plan a day-trip. If you’ve never seen and heard a full symphony orchestra attack a classical piece of music while you’re breathing in the fresh air and energy of the Berkshires, you’ve been missing an experience like no other. For those of you who’ve already discovered this beautiful venue, we hope to see you out there on the lawn!
The Hatch Shell
What could be better than spending the day outside in Boston with your best friends, enjoying summer sun while listening to live music from one of your favorite bands? There’s only one thing that could top that scenario ~ how about if the concert were FREE? At The Hatch Shell, located just a block away from Beacon Hill, you can check out well-known performers in what Mike Pesta, Director of Special Services and Events for the Department of Conservation and Recreation, proudly describes as “…the best place to watch a show in New England.” What sets the Shell apart from other concert venues in the area? For one thing, as Mike notes, “It’s free, and also you’ll pay five dollars for a soda at the Fleet Center and maybe two dollars at the Hatch Shell.” In addition to its you-can’t beat- it-price, the Hatch Shell offers the cool breeze right off the Charles River to keep the audience cool and comfy on those hot summer days and nights. It’s also a stone’s throw from great shopping options and a host of restaurants.
You can get into town early, hit up a few stores, check out a free concert, then grab some dinner before heading home. The Hatch Shell is best known for the Boston Pops’ Fourth of July performance, an event that has become synonymous nation-wide with that holiday. What you might not know is that – for over a decade – radio stations WODS Oldies and KISS 108 have sponsored free concerts during the hot months, and this year is no exception. “Oh, what a night” you’ll have if you check out Frankie Vallie’s concert on June 11th; don’t forget to come and “do a little dance” with K.C. and the Sunshine Band on August 20th. Kiss 108 hasn’t booked any bands yet for their two big concerts (July 16th and August 13th), but if their past performers – Ryan Cabrera, Kimberley Locke, Mis-Teeq, Jada and Stacie Orrico, Smash Mouth, BBMak, and Anastacia, to name but a few – are any indication, this summer’s concerts are sure to be awesome. For a complete schedule of Hatch Shell events, check out www.mass.gov/dcr/hatch_events.htm. As Mike puts it, “This is the full package experience” for summer concert-goers.
The EcoTarium
Are you looking for a more local summer concert series? Are you a big jazz fan? Are you looking for something a little off the beaten path to do on a Friday night? If you answered “yes” to these questions, then you need to check out what The EcoTarium’s website describes as “…one of Central Massachusetts’ best ideas for kicking off your weekend. For 10 weeks each summer, the EcoTarium is transformed into a concert venue unlike any other.” The Jazz at Sunset series, co-produced by the EcoTarium and WICN Public Radio, is one of Worcester’s most interesting outdoor summer destinations, set in and amongst the rocks and greenery. Young and old alike have their choice of chair seating or of finding an inviting-looking boulder or patch of grass. Sally Anne Giedrys, Communications Manager at the EcoTarium, wants the public to know that it is “not a serious jazz club.” When she and her fellow “jazz-heads” started planning for the summer line-up, a process they started last fall, they were looking for different types of music and, most importantly, “fun and lively bands.” The six shows they settled on for this year seem like they indeed meet Sally’s criteria. The series opens on June 24th with Roomful of Blues, a popular blues band that is sure to attract a younger crowd. On July 1, be sure to check out the Mardi Gras-themed C.J. Chenier and the Red Hot Louisiana Band featuring the man that Billboard Magazinecrowned “the heir to the zydeco throne.” For a full schedule and to find out more about the venue itself, visit www.ecotarium.org/events/jazz/index.html
Locobazooka
One of Worcester’s original and most exciting festivals is back again for Summer ‘05, only for the second year in a row the whole shebang has been moved out to the Fitchburg Airport, the only outdoor space around large enough (and brave enough!) to host an event like this. In past years, big-name acts like Limp Bizkit, Shinedown, Faith No More, Tesla, Saliva, and Kid Rock have shared the bill with bands like Gutta, Blind by Noon, Jaded, and a Breed Apart, all of whom are on the brink of exploding nationally. This year promises to be no different, giving music fans a chance to see their favorite bands and discover new ones. And as is the case with every good outdoor concert, there’s so much more than just the music – there are the pre- and post-parties, the contests, the street teams, the groupies…you know the drill, it’s a wild time for all! Keep checking www.locobazooka.com/ for updates on the line-up and schedule for this year. Make sure to mark the date on your calendar and get ready to ROCK!
The Newport Jazz Festival
If you’re looking for a different type of summer music experience, head to Newport, R.I. for a Gatsby- inspired weekend and some of the best jazz in the world. Pack a picnic, eat along the Castlewalk by some of Newport’s glorious mansions, then head to the Newport Jazz Festival. Founded in 1954 as the first outdoor concert series entirely dedicated to jazz, this festival features some of the biggest names in the genre as well as some upand- coming artists. The 50th anniversary festival last year featured the likes of Harry Connick, Jr., Dave Brubeck, and Herbie Hancock. This year’s festival will be held August 12-14, 2005. Tickets are available at newport.citysearch.com/
The Dunkin Donuts’ Newport Folk Festival 2005
Fort Adams State Park, August 5, 6, & 7. This summer tradition has a power-house legacy of stars that includes Bob Dylan (who made his switch to electric guitar in 1965 right there are the festival!), Joan Baez, James Taylor, Arlo Guthrie, Joni Mitchell, Muddy Waters ~ need we say more?! The byday schedule and lineup for this year will be announced soon so if folk and roots musicians are your thing, consider your first weekend in August spoken for and stay tuned to www.newportfolk.com/ for the details.
Vans Warped Tour
They say to save the best for last, and once again the Vans Warped Tour’s path of destruction finishes up in Massachusetts. On August 15th, one of the summer’s hottest concert events – with booths, food, contests, fashion, and yes, even a strong sense of social conscience woven into a full day of moshing, sweating, and rocking – comes to Northampton’s Three County Fairgrounds. The line-up for this year is as impressive as always and we can see why this tour – billed as “The Tour that Won’t Die” – has such faithful followers ~ The Dropkick Murphys, My Chemical Romance, Starting Line, the inimitable Offspring, and tons of other punk rock bands will be performing. For a full listing of scheduled acts, visit www.warpedtour.com/index2.html. The feel of this
tour is even more intense than most and it truly defies description – so bring lots of water and lots of energy and get ready to show off your tattoos and your stamina!
Lowell Folk Festival
July 29-31 – The Festival is the largest free folk festival in the United States and it’s chock-full of music (on six different outdoor stages), dance, ethnic foods, street parades and dance parties. Although this year’s musical act line-up has not yet been posted, past years have been a crowd-pleasing balance of familiar local and national acts and some new faces and sounds. For more information, contact the festival site, Lowell National Historical Park, at (978-970-5000), or keep an eye on www.lowellfolkfestival.org/
Why We Love Summer Concerts
“Outdoor concerts are a great way for you to listen to your favorite band, while at the same time enjoying the beautiful summer weather. Indoor concerts can be crowded and stuffy and being outside just makes it that much more of a pleasurable experience.”
~ Ethan, Age 23, Westminster MA
“There’s something so exhilarating about the warmth, the air, the dark sky above, the sounds and looking around the stadium when the spotlight scans the crowd. Just thinking about it fills me with the type of eager anticipation for the next show that I can only compare to what I felt as a kid on Christmas Eve. Whenever I go to a show, I always think carefully about whom I invite and I can be quite particular. My invites are usually exclusive to true fans only (anyone who wants to go because they like the “radio songs” is generally not on my list). The invitee also has to be someone I know will fully enjoy the experience, meaning they will get up and dance and not care if I spill my beer on them.”
~ Jenny, 28, Brighton MA
“There’s just something indescribable about the outdoor concert experience. It’s a sacred thing, that hot summer day
devoted to nothing but music and friends and making memories. All of your senses are heightened and you get to be young
and carefree. It’s like something out of a movie. Everyone should make sure to see at least one show outdoors this summer, no matter what kind of music they like.”
~Steve, Oxford, 37
Warm weather, great music, fresh air, good friends, parties that last into the night…outdoor summer concerts. When we look back on our lives, these are the carefree moments that will make us smile and say, “Good times, good times.”
