Picking the right shows on which to spend hard-earned cash takes careful consideration. Our hip, vigilant NEWSWEEK summer interns, Curtis Harris and Vanessa Juares, compiled a quick list of approximately 50 pop, rap and rock tours that have just hit the road-or will do so this summer. The names range from Ja Rule to Jewel, Mark Anthony to Aerosmith, Alicia Keys to Elvis Costello.
I combed through the dense list, asking myself the following questions: Is this show worth the humiliation of having your Diesel jeans/cargo shorts/leisure suit (I love Neil Diamond) patted down during security checks at the door? Would I brave jammed parking lots and sweaty packs of woo-hooing college dudes (yes, Dave Matthews Band is touring this summer) for this artist? Was I willing to put up with stadium beer that tastes like garden-hose water for the thrill of watching The String Cheese Incident? (The quick answer to that one-NO.) This very scientific process took time, but I eventually came up with following list of recommended tours.
Smokin’ Grooves tour with OutKast, Lauryn Hill, The Roots, Jurrasic 5, Cee-Lo and Truth Hurts; 7/18-8/7. Price: $22-$70
This is my No. 1 pick for the summer. I’d go for OutKast alone. The eccentric hip-hop outfit’s last album was one of 2001’s most innovative, blending funk, soul, acid rock and hip-hop into a mind-blowing mix. It even got a Grammy nomination for album of the year. Add singer-songwriter Lauryn Hill, the freestyling Roots and those classic MCs Jurassic 5 to the tour and you have the most talented collection of artists around.
Eminem with Papa Roach, Ludacris, X-ecutioners, Xzibit; 7/18-9/13. Price: $15-56
This could be labeled The Juvey Hall Tour. Though its performers are well into their 20s, this event will surely attract detention-hall regulars from high schools across America. If that’s the sort of thing that thrills rather than repels you, I suggest you go. The lineup, sans Papa Roach, is great, particularly the turntable acrobatics of the X-ecutioners and the lyrical theatrics of Eminem. It’s the vent-your-angst show of the year.
Weezer with Dashboard Confessional and The Strokes; 7/6-8/10. Price: $23-$28
Dorky college rock fans rejoice! This tour, which just kicked off, is for you. The smart, sensitive and terminally dweeby band Weezer are performing in front of a giant “W” (there is actually a “W” hand sign that true fans flash one another to identify themselves as Weezer fanatics). They will be joined on some of the dates by Manhattan’s garage rock band The Strokes. The New York band’s raw energy and superhip garb should balance out Weezer’s defiantly unhip appeal, which will be a relief to some and perhaps a threat to others. The geeks meet NYC’s coolest kids-hold on to your thick-rimmed glasses.
Sprite Liquid Mix Tour featuring Jay-Z, Nappy Roots, 311 with Talib Kweli; 8/20-9/8. Price: $20-$48
The Sprite Liquid Mix Tour? Could they have come up with a slightly less embarrassing title? As much as I hate to support a tour with such a ridiculous sounding name, Jay-Z and Talib Kweli are worth seeing. Jay-Z will provide the showmanship and the Roc-a-Fella crew (including Beanie Sigel and Memphis Bleek) while Talib Kweli offers up socially conscious rhymes with a razor-sharp edge (he is an all-too-rare presence in pop and rap). This six-hour-long extravaganza of bass and beat is sure to put the H in your Izzo.
Down From the Mountain Tour with Ralph Stanley, Emmylou Harris and Alison Krauss; 6/25-8/1. Price: $17-$75
The crew behind the wildly successful “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” soundtrack hits the road again after selling out their spring tour. Mountain-music icon Ralph Stanley is a national treasure at this point, not to mention that he’s the guy who beat out those young upstarts this year with countless Grammy nominations and who won album of the year along with the “O Brother” crew. Then, of course there’s Harris, whose amazing harmonies seem to get better with age. This tour is a perfect slice of Americana.
Oasis; 8/2-8/21. Price: 19.50-$40
Once touted as the second coming of the Beatles, Oasis got bogged down in its own drama and have been off the radar for the last few years. But the supertalented songwriting duo are one of the more unpredictable, nonconformist entities in pop (you gotta love guys who diss Carson Daly during their “TRL” set). Oasis, a.k.a. the Gallagher Brothers, could be on the outs again by the time this tour rolls around, but if not, it should prove mighty entertaining. They’ll play numbers off their new album, “Heathen Chemistry.” And more importantly, there could be a sibling rumble onstage-and you don’t want to miss that.
Neil Diamond, 9/5-9/23. Price: $37.50-67.50
Technically this is a fall tour, but it’s Neil! The prolific songwriter and swarthy crooner is one of the most charismatic live performers around. He engages in that long-gone style of actually singing live (no prerecorded tracks required) and engages the audience with sweeping arm movements and gyrations that make ‘N Sync look like “Star Search” rejects. You’ll love his performances of perfect hits like “Red, Red Wine” and “Cherry, Cherry.” And really, would you ever want to miss his classic collection of beaded shirts? See ya there!
