Summer concerts bringing a variety of performers to Atlanta
For the AJC
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Summer is traditionally concert season, with many top touring acts hitting the road to promote new albums and give fans another opportunity to see them perform. With dozens of rock, rap, country and R&B acts coming to town in the next few months, Atlantans have plenty of options to choose from. Here are few of the acts coming to town this summer that we recommend seeing if you can.
Adam Broach/BamaJam Music & Arts Festiva
Kid Rock performs at the BamaJam Music & Arts Festival Saturday June 6, 2009 in Enterprise, Ala.
After a recent sold-out performance at Variety Playhouse, this Chicago-based multi-instrumentalist returns to Atlanta for an encore performance at the Cobb Energy Centre. Known for playing several instruments at one time, pulling off complicated parts normally performed by an entire band on his own, Bird is truly a live wonder. And his latest release, “Noble Beast,” has been praised by fans and critics. Considering that he prides himself on his whistling skills, the irony of his surname isn’t lost on many of his fans. Folk and country-tinged indie rock act Calexico opens the show.
» Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre (John A. Williams Theatre). 8 p.m. June 15. $23.50-$33.50. www.andrewbird.net, www.cobbenergycentre.com.
Kid Rock, Detroit’s hip-hopper-turned-rocker-turned-country-star, is one of the contemporary rocks biggest crossover acts. But in recent years he seems to have settled into a more Southern rock sound and Americana persona. Lynyrd Skynyrd, one of the longest running acts in Southern rock, has been an obvious influence on Kid Rock’s sound, making the Rebels & Rock tour an obviously complimentary pairing. Both bands have made strong reputations on their live shows, so those looking to kick off the summer in rebellious fashion can park their Harleys in Lakewood’s parking lot for this show, with an opening set by Jonathan Tyler and The Northern Lights.
» Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood. 6 p.m. June 28. $20-$226. www.kidrock.com, www.livenation.com.
Jay-Z, one of contemporary hip-hops most respected lyricists and producers, teams up with chart-topping pop princess (and sometime Atlantan) Ciara for a double dose of rap and R&B showmanship. Less than two weeks after wife Beyonce headlines Philips Arena, music mogul Jay-Z hits the much more intimate (and somewhat unlikely) stage of Chastain Park Amphitheatre. And with the number of hits between them, these two will likely put on one of the summer’s most entertaining concerts.
» Chastain Park Amphitheatre. 7:30 p.m. July 12. $53-$253. www.rocafella.com, www.livenation.com.
This enigmatic piano songstress recently released her tenth album entitled “Abnormally Attracted to Sin,” another batch of introspective songs that challenge religious and social ideas. Both as a pianist and lyricist, Amos is one of the most talented and interesting acts of her generation. Always known for putting on a show that transcends the typical girl-and-her-piano formula, Amos returns to Atlanta with her Sinful Attraction Tour to bear her lyrical and musical soul once again for her ever adoring fans.
» Chastain Park Amphitheatre. Time TBD. July 27. Tickets on sale June 14 (price TBD), www.toriamos.com.
With most of its members having grown up in the Atlanta area, this electronic jam band normally does a string of shows around New Years Eve as a sort of homecoming. This year, however, STS9 is doing two summer dates that promise to be the band’s only Atlanta shows of the year. The first show takes place at the Tabernacle, where the band normally performs, while the second is a daylong outdoor festival featuring likeminded acts such as Ghostland Observatory, Lotus and Dubconscious.
» Tabernacle, 9 p.m. Aug. 21.
» Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park. 5 p.m. Aug. 22. $19.75-$65.50. www.sts9.com, www.vzwamp.com.
