Monday, 6/23/97 Variety of old, new acts fill summer concert
lineup MUSIC: Several festivals, bands hit road in time for big
touring season
By Kristin Fiore Daily Bruin Staff Is there life after Popmart?
U2 may be here and gone, but there are plenty of great (and not so
great) summer shows for those of us who are sticking around Los
Angeles, from the myriad festivals like H.O.R.D.E. and the Lilith
Fair to club gigs like the Dickies and Ben Harper. The shows most
likely to draw a big turnout and bring more bang for your
entertainment buck are the festivals (all at Irvine Meadows,
unfortunately), which seem to multiply every summer. In recent
years, Lollapalooza has been joined by the Warped Tour, the Further
Festival and H.O.R.D.E., all of which return this year with more
diverse rosters. The newest addition is the Lilith Fair (July 9),
featuring performances by rock and pop’s less adventurous ladies –
Sarah McLachlan, Tracy Chapman, Jewel, Natalie Cole and dark horse
Suzanne Vega. Those who dare can catch Ozzy Ozborne, Black Sabbath,
Marylin Manson, Pantera and Type O Negative under one roof – the
Glen Helen Blockbuster Pavillion – on June 29. With the lack of
metal and hardcore shows around, this one seems well worth the
drive for fans. The Warped Tour (July 3) promises as much mayhem,
but for the punk/ ska crowd, with Social Distortion, the Mighty
Mighty Bosstones, Pennywise and Sick of It All, among others, at
the Olympic Velodrome in Cal State Dominguez Hills. For more
traditional rock fans, the Further Festival (Aug. 3), emceed by
Arlo Guthrie, offers the Black Crowes, Rat Dog, Mickey Hart, Bruce
Hornsby, Moe and Sherry Jackson. The H.O.R.D.E. show (July 17) is a
mix of folk-inspired acts you’d expect, like Neil Young and Crazy
Horse, Toad the Wet Sprocket and Big Head Todd and the Monsters and
newer, more experimental groups like Ben Folds Five, Primus and
Morphene. Leftover Salmon and the Squirrel Nut Zippers round out
the bill. Aside from the festivals, the biggest shows of the summer
will probably be Dave Matthews (with Los Lobos on July 5) and
Queensryche (June 25), both at Irvine Meadows, the Indigo Girls, at
the Greek on July 2, and the Wallflowers (with the exquisite Fiona
Apple opening), who play the Universal Amphitheater on June 28.
Except for Queensryche, all of the bands fall into that Triple A/
folk rock category, and their shows will undoubtedly be packed with
STAR 98.7 listeners. The best reason to see any of them is that
they tend to be better live than on record. Though they lack the
live following of Phish and Blues Traveler, they’ve all built a fan
base from live shows and are in their element when performing –
especially Dave Matthews. As usual, most of the must-see shows are
happening at the clubs. The House of Blues has booked quite a
summer, with the Spin Doctors (June 27), reggae mainstay Yellow Man
(July 18), amazing and highly recommended flamenco guitarist Ottmar
Liebert (July 22), ska veterans The Specials (Aug. 7) and Latin
master Tito Puente (Sept. 5-6). Versatile folk guitarist Ben
Harper, who plays the Palace on July 29 and 30, always gives a
great performance and is definitely one of the club highlights of
the season. A scary trend this summer in amphitheaters and clubs is
the proliferation of ’80s (and earlier) acts that have been raised
from the dead (or may as well have been). Though there are some
welcome comebacks – New Edition at the Universal Amphitheater (July
5), The Pretenders (Aug. 16) and Ziggy Marley (Sept. 5), both at
the Greek Theatre – there are blasts from the past you wouldn’t
expect. Pat Benetar, Motley Crue, Hall and Oates, the Bret Michaels
Band (that guy from Poison?), Chicago and Susanna Hoffs represent
the ’80s, while Steve Winwood, Styx, Santana, Lynard Skynard, the
Village People, Steve Miller and Supertramp revive the ’70s. Those
of you who have parents with summer birthdays can get them tickets
to Natalie Cole (July 12) or Peter, Paul and Mary (Aug. 22), both
at the Greek, or Tony Bennett (Aug. 27) at the Hollywood Bowl. Of
course, the fashionably late booking policies of L.A. clubs ensure
that there will be many more shows than those currently listed. But
there are more than enough bands already signed on to keep your
nights full and your wallet close to empty. CONCERTS: Consult the
venue or Ticketmaster at (213) 480-3232 or
http://www.ticketmaster.com for more information.