DAVE MATTHEWS BAND
CURRENT TOURING WINDOW: Now through eternity
KEY CITIES: Cuyahoga Falls,
Ohio (June 29); Hershey, Pennsylvania
(July 10); Camden,
New Jersey (July 20, 21); West Palm Beach,
Florida (July 31, August 1);
Phoenix,
Arizona (August 24); George,
Washington (September 3, 4, 5)
CHECK:
www.dmband.com
James Brown? Springsteen? Your loser brother who once roadied for
Krokus? Forget 'em. The new hardest-working man in show biz is Dave
Matthews, who apparently will stop touring when he stops breathing.
For all this, the defy-all-labels jam-meister - the band's
often-grating radio hits don't do justice to their emotional,
virtuoso shows - hasn't worn out his welcome. According to Pollstar
editor in chief Gary Bongiovanni, "Dave Matthews is one of the
staples of summer. He'll be huge again."
ROCK THE MIC II
CURRENT TOURING WINDOW: last week of June-August
KEY CITIES: "All major cities" according to promoters (nothing
specific at press time)
CHECK: No official site yet. S'up, Google?
The most jewelry-laden hip-hop tour from last summer will be even
shinier this year. Headlined again by
Jay-Z and featuring Kanye
West, a nationwide Rock the Mic II tour is confirmed, but details
are thus far sketchy. Expect a big-name cast of playahs, minus the
one you might want most to see. Despite being courted for the DJ
extravaganza, at least one source close to the action says current
hip-hop royalty OutKast "doesn't want to tour."
ROD STEWART
CURRENT TOURING WINDOW: July 1-August 30
KEY CITIES:
Orlando,
Florida (July 1),
Atlantic City, New Jersey
(July 10),
Cleveland, Ohio (July 27),
Milwaukee,
Wisconsin (August
17)
CHECK:
www.rodstewart.com