The SWIKest Summer Tours

Summer in the city means roof deck parties, picnics in the park, and, most importantly, live music!  After the great find last weekend (see Lovewhip), I realized that I needed to update my calendar, buy some tickets, and make some plans for the next few months before I miss all the good shows. I picked up Time Out New York's "Summer Concerts" issue and Billboard's "Summer Preview Issue" to get myself sorted. So, who's on tour and who's worth seeing? Too many for me to mention, but here are a few of the SWIKest summer tours.



I'm hoping to start my summer this week by checking out Swedish indie darling, Lykke Li, at the Highline Ballroom on Monday. You'll know if I get there in next weekend's blog. I've been into a remix of her song "Little Bit, " uncovered on the same sampler where I heard Little Boots.    

A few weeks later, on June 17 Regina Spektor is at the Beacon Theater. A friend put her song "Edit" on his annual Best of mix a few years ago.  She's a Russian born, piano-playing, singer-song writer who has drawn comparisons to Tori Amos and Fiona Apple. She first toured with The Strokes about five years ago. All the existing live video footage and new songs point to potential for a great live show. 

While most of my summer is spent in NYC, I'm fortunate enough to be able leave the sweltering heat every other weekend or so and spend time with family and friends at Sebago Lake in Maine. My brother introduced me to Madeleine Peyroux's album Careless Love several years ago and its been a staple in my collection ever since. She's a modern day Billie Holiday or Edith Piaf and makes you feel like you're in a Paris cafe. She's on tour this summer for her new album Bare Bones. She's in NYC on the 18th, but I'm planning to catch her at the L.L. Bean Summer Concert series in Freeport, ME on June 27.

If I'm in town for the weekend of July 4th, I'll be at Prospect Park on the 5th to see R&B African chanteuses, Les Nubians. Sisters hailing from France and Chad, their blend of catchy, soulful rhythms will be perfect under the stars. They have a limited tour schedule, but I highly recommend getting out to see them if they're in your city.

Later in July, Katy Perry is at the Hammerstein Ballroom. All appearances point to an enthralling and over-the-top live show. Anyone who has enough sense of humor to emerge on stage astride two giant cherries can't be all bad. Her hit "I Kissed a Girl" is catchy, but not the first song with that title.  Jill Sobule kissed a girl several years ago.  She's also on tour and may be the one to spend your money on. I missed her in NYC, but you can still catch her on the west coast in June.

While Gwen Stefani never claimed to have kissed a girl, she told us of the frustrations of being just a girl. I will never deny my love for pop music.  So this summer, I may try to make time for a big arena show or two. No Doubt is back together and on tour. They don't have a new album, but when you buy tickets apparently you can get free downloads of their back catalog (in case you haven't figured out how to download them for free yourself). You know they're hella good and if you don't know how good then check out a show.  

While we're onto pop music, for the disco diva's out there don't let the next few months pass without some Summer, Donna that is. While she's found Jesus and doesn't like to sing "Love to Love You, Baby," I'm sure "On the Radio" and "Last Dance" remain on her set list.

 



The high point of the summer, for any true SWIK, should be the Blondie/Pat Benatar Call Me Invincible tour with the Donna's. These women still kick butt and I'm sure they will not disappoint.  The Donna's make a perfect fit with these icons of pop and rock as they are clearly influenced by them.  While Debbie Harry hasn't wowed me with her recent Blondie tunes, I'm sure "Heart of Glass" and "One Way or Another" will remind us of her talent.  As for the rock goddess that is Pat Benatar, what can I say? A few months ago after digging up some old videos on the web, I picked up Pat Benatar's greatest hits CD. The last album of hers that I owned was on a cassette tape... um no way to listen to that these days. The woman can sing anything. A trained opera signer who moved to rock 'n roll, she even put out out a blues album, True Love, in 1991. So feather your hair, work on that shoulder shake from "Love is a Battlefield", download "Fire & Ice" or "Invincible," and don't miss this!  The NYC show is at Asser Levy Park and is FREE!  Great music, for free, and in the park, now that's what's summer is all about!

 

See and hear music in this blog
Lykke Li Little Bit
Regina Spektor Edit
Madeleine Peyroux I'm All Right
Les Nubians Makeda
Katy Perry I Kissed a Girl
Jill Sobule I Kissed a Girl
Donna Summer Love to Love You Baby, On the Radio
No Doubt Just A Girl, Hella Good
The Donna's  Get Rid of That Girl
Blondie Heart of Glass , One Way or Another, Call Me
Pat Benatar Love Is A Battlefield, Fire & Ice,  Invincible

Tour dates
Lykke Li
Regina Spektor
Madeleine Peyroux 
Katy Perry 
Jill Sobule 
Donna Summer 
No Doubt 
Blondie/Pat Benatar with the Donna's

Also on tour this summer: boys who put on a decent live show

Nine Inch Nails and Jane's Addiction (The NIN/JA tour, seriously guys?). I saw both of these bands when they first came out in the late '80's and probably don't need to see them again. I'm too old and would look silly (my god, what would I wear?). Those who know me have heard the story about the NIN show where I was leaning up against a tiny stage and singer Trent Reznor spilled beer on me and almost kicked me in the head. It was great. The mosh pit was right behind me and after leaning on the speaker all night I ended up with bruises on my arms. At the time, that made for a fun live show.  I saw Jane's Addiction on their Nothing Shocking tour and became a huge fan with all the other hippies, punks, metal-heads, and goths. Few bands have such a diverse following. Later, I saw both bands on the first Lollapalooza tour, apparently the inspiration for this NIN/JA reunion. If that's the case, then where's Siouxsie?
The Roots This band is incredible. You can catch them five nights a week on Jimmy Fallon's new late night show, and honestly, they make the show. They can create a song from anything on a moment's notice. They still manage to get out and perform full sets as well. They do a weekly jam session at the Highline Ballroom in NYC which I hope to check out soon. You can also catch them at festivals across the US this summer. If you haven't seen them yet, get out there!
The Big Daddy Project OK no official tour dates yet, but they're playing at Crash Mansion on June 5 and they usually play a European city as well. Yes, they're my friends so I always go to the show. I'm the 'merch chick' (I sell CDs and get people to sign up for the mailing list). They are really good guys and the music is fun. They regularly feature some cover tunes with Rebecca Haviland, who has an amazing voice and has her own band worth checking out. With songs like "The Girls of L.I.C." and "Polish Cappuccino Girl," you won't be disappointed after a night with the BDP.