As summer begins, many Tufts students scatter to the nether regions of the world for internships, jobs and, occasionally, just for fun. But for those who choose to stay in the United States, there is still plenty to do - especially in the way of music.
Over the past few years, the prominence of large-scale music festivals has grown dramatically in the United States, a phenomenon that had already come to the fore in Europe and beyond. Germany has the Rock am Ring and Rock im Park festivals (kudos to all those who know what the names mean), Australia has Big Day Out and Big Day In, and England has Reading Festival, among others.
Perhaps the biggest name of all the U.S. summer festivals, Bonnaroo, started out in a similar vein to the original Woodstock, bringing jam-rock aficionados from across the country together in Tennessee, of all places. This year, Bonnaroo takes a turn toward the harder rock genres with the addition of Metallica as the headlining act. Yes, that's right, the doom-and-gloom metal gods of Metallica are this year's big name at the holiest of hippie get-togethers.
Other notables at Bonnaroo this year include the perennially classic Pearl Jam, Hawaiian crooner Jack Johnson, Les Claypool, O.A.R and, just to mix things up, new metal phenom Mastodon and hip-hop superstar Kanye West. Bonnaroo is definitely trying to push its limits this year by adding new acts that draw a completely different crowd than the usual dead-head, Phil Lesh-loving community. The four-day festival begins on June 12.
Another of the classic festivals is Lollapalooza, brainchild of former Jane's Addiction frontman Perry Farrell. Originally conceived in the early '90s as an outlet for alternative rock (back when that name still meant something), the festival has seen a new explosion of support in the past few years after being retooled in 2005 by the Capital Sports Entertainment company (also known as "the man").
This year sees Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine, Wilco, Gnarls Barkley and Kanye West (again), amongst others. The festival takes place Aug. 1 through Aug. 3 at Grant Park in Chicago. Here's a tip for the younger-looking crowd: Children under 10 get in free!
Besides the two giants of the summer concert-festival world, there are numerous smaller shows that are just beginning to bud into what may become the next big thing. The Pitchfork Music Festival takes place in Chicago's Union Park July 18 through July 20, bringing smaller acts, such as The Hold Steady, Animal Collective and Vampire Weekend, together with diverse acts including Public Enemy.
The All Points West festival, which ironically takes place in Jersey City, N.J., brings even more indie-rock power to the east coast with acts including Cat Power, Radiohead and The Roots. All Points West takes place on Aug. 8 through Aug. 10 at Liberty State Park in Jersey City.
Heading to the West Coast for a moment, the Bumbershoot Festival in Seattle, in addition to having an excellent name, plays host to a multi-sensory artistic experience from Aug. 30 to Sept. 1. This year's musical guests include Beck, a recently reunited Stone Temple Pilots and, for some reason, Ludacris.
Shooting back across the nation, Baltimore's Pimlico Race Course will host the Virgin Mobile Festival on Aug. 9-10. This year's Virgin Festival highlights include The Foo Fighters, Paramore, Iggy Pop and The Stooges, Bob Dylan and a seemingly obligatory performance by Kanye West.
Finishing off the summer in late September, Austin City Limits ends the music season on a high note. Featuring just about every musical act one could possibly think of, the Texas-based festival contrasts the classics, such as Robert Plant, John Fogerty and David Byrne, with the progressives, namely The Mars Volta, The Raconteurs, Gogol Bordello and The Black Keys. From Sept. 26 to Sept. 28, Zilker Park in Austin will come alive with 130 bands.
As if the aforementioned festivals were not enough, there are many, many smaller (or even equally-sized) festivals going on across the nation, so wherever students find themselves this summer, they're guaranteed to find a rockin' good time within a few hours' drive.
