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Back on the Bus:
Highlights of Summer Music 2000!
by Kristi Kates
You've seen the buses tooling down the highway - you know, the ones with
the mysteriously darkened windows and blank destination signs. You've seen
the people waiting in line at Ticketmaster. And you've heard the hype on
MTV, CNN, and your local radio stations. Yup, it's another summer concert
season - but what does that have to do with you? Well, if you're a rock
music fan, quite a bit - this year's got something for everyone, and we
wouldn't be surprised if there aren't even enough tour buses to go around -
but it's a proud tour bus indeed that carries some of today's best rock and
roll across the country.
Let's start with the bad boys, the ones whose tour bus interiors are
probably adorned with piles of ripped t-shirts, spiked leather accessories,
fast-food containers (oh, wait... that's every tour bus) and at least one
Polaroid photo of each band member wearing dark sunglasses and yelling at
the top of his drunken lungs. The likes of 311 and Incubus (Jones Beach NY
6/13, Philadelphia 6/16 and 6/17) spring to mind, as do the nudist-friendly
Blink 182 (with Bad Religion and Fenix TX Clarkston, MI 6/9, Chicago 6/10,
and the Vans Warped Boys (The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Green Day, and
Jurassic 5 (promoting their new disc, "Quality Control") - Chicago 7/12,
Detroit 7/23).
The Summer Sanitarium Tour Bus, with its occupants being the likes of
Metallica, Korn, System of a Down, and Powerman 5000 (all on the road
together beginning June 30th) must really be something to see, too - we
hear they've already got a strip of "Police Line: Do Not Cross" tape
wrapped around the bus itself.
Back on the calmer side of things (although we're not saying they can't party
with the best of 'em - they're just perhaps a little more...uh...shall we
say restrained?), Grammy Award-winning Carlos Santana is taking to the road
this year, with singer Macy Gray as his special guest (Detroit 8/13 and
8/14, and Chicago 8/19). Sister Hazel (Chicago 7/2,
promoting their new album "Fortress," which is due out June 27th, are on
the road, as well, as are Robert Smith and The Cure (Detroit 6/10, who are
promoting their latest disc,
"Bloodflowers"; Blues Traveler (Chicago 6/28, Milwaukee 6/29); ex-Split
Enz member Tim Finn (Chicago 6/16); Wilco, promoting their latest effort
with Billy Bragg, "Mermaid Avenue 2," with special guest Natalie Merchant
(on the road July 1st through 13th).
And swing ain't dead yet, either, as evidenced by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (
Chicago 7/1, Harris MI 8/25 and 8/26) and the Brian Setzer Orchestra
(Detroit 7/1, Chicago 7/5 and 7/6, bringing the lindy hop and their bus
full of zoot suits and hair pomade to a city near you.
And what of noodle-dancers and endless jammers Phish? Well, we know they're
on the road , but what we want to see is their bus - tie dye and leftover
Phish Food ice cream
containers, anyone? Retro-popsters Supergrass (Detroit 10/7, Chicago 10/9)
are likely to have a bit of a '60's bus theme going, as well - but we think
that the Counting Crows (with Live - Detroit 8/2 and 8/3) have probably
done up their bus in earth tones and Persian rugs.
Speaking of earth tones, one of the most down-to-earth performers out there
today, Dave Matthews, is taking his DMB on the road with Ben Harper
(Chicago 6/29 and 6/30, Detroit 7/5)... and another artist whom we can
easily see sporting Persian rugs (and yoga mats) on his tour bus floor is
Sting, who will be traversing the U.S. and Europe this summer (Detroit
7/14, Chicago 7/21).
Moving on over to our West Coast exports, how about a little
Californiastylin' with the Red Hot Chili Peppers (on the road with the Foo
Fighters - Chicago 7/1, Grand Rapids MI 7/5, Toronto 8/16) or perhaps the
pink-haired fashion sense of Gwen Stefani and No Doubt - playing tunes from
their latest disc, "Return of Saturn" (with Lit - Pontiac MI 7/3, Milwaukee
Summerfest 7/7). Fruity drinks are probably a staple on both buses, plus a
personal tattoo artist for the Peppers, and a henna artist for Gwen and the
boys.
Pearl Jam ( Toronto 10/5, Detroit 10/7) is another West Coast fave,
although a little more northern in tone - although Eddie Vedder has finally
graduated from the plaid-shirted-grunge look, how much you wanna bet that
their tour bus is outfitted in a Northern-cabin comfortable theme?
A far cry from plaid shirts is probably where the B-52's - on the road with
the GoGos and the Psychedelic Furs (Detroit 7/7, Chicago 7/11) are with
their bus decor. Let's see - between those three bands, we see
dalmatian-print upholstery, neon shag throw rugs, and purple-tinted
windows. Or have they all matured and started shopping at Ikea? Only
their tour manager knows for sure.
Duran Duran, promoting their new album "Pop Trash," (Toronto 8/12, Detroit
8/17) and The Dandy Warhols (Detroit 7/25, Chicago 7/26) are also hitting
the tour trail this summer, with their respective tour buses probably
having an equally bright theme - D2's with an extra compartment just for
hairspray, and the Dandys with a U-Haul full of retro sunglasses and
t-shirts. Even Sonic Youth and Stereolab (Chicago 6/10, Pontiac MI 6/11)
are getting into the tour groove - with a bus probably full of amplifier
parts, mixing boards, and lighting worthy of a rave.
And how about those more understated groups, whose tour buses might read
late-90's Holiday Inn, at the best? They're probably more worried about
what the tour chef is doing than what the bus looks like - just ask Cracker
(Columbus OH 6/29, Chicago 7/4), Super Furry Animals (Chicago 6/9, Detroit
6/10, Tonic (Chicago 7/22), Sixpence None the Richer (Chicago 8/5, Suttons
Bay MI 8/24), and Sunny Day Real Estate, whose new disc "The Rising Tide"
hits stores late in June (Chicago 6/29, Detroit 7/2) what they think of the
decor, and they'll probably tell you that, in light of their respective
bands' accelerating popularity, they're just glad to have a private place
to sleep.
Once the buses get done making their rounds of the usual tour schedules,
festivals are often their next stop. And there are a bunch this year that
will do justice to the high tallies spent on outfitting the road homes to
the band's satisfaction.
In the U.K., bands and fans alike look forward to both the Reading and Leeds
Festival (featuring Oasis, Stereophonics, Muse, Pulp, Gomezm Placebo, and
more- Reading 8/25-27, Leeds 8/26-28) and the Glastonbury Festival
(featuring David Bowie, Paul McCartney, The Eurythmics, Travis, Air, Moby,
The Chemical Brothers, and more - 6/23, 24, and 25). In Denmark, the hot
ticket is the Roskilde Fest, featuring Oasis to Live, Bush, and the Pet
Shop Boys (6/24 through 7/2).
In Pennsylvania, it's Latrobe, Pennsylvania's Rolling Rock Town Fair,
featuring Filter, Fuel, Our Lady Peace, and Marcy Playground (8/5) - and,
in Wisconsin, it's the always-popular Milwaukee Summerfest, featuring
Sister Hazel, 3 Doors Down, Black Crowes, BoDeans, No Doubt, Red Hot Chili
Peppers, Foo Fighters, and more (6/29 through 7/9).
If there are enough tour buses for this very busy concert season, you can
count on all of the above bands - and more - to be hitting the road to
bring their respective brands of music to a city near you. So get your
tickets now, and remember - the bus you're helping pay for may someday be
recommissioned to Engelbert Humperdinck (and his polyester chair cushions)
or K.C. and the Sunshine Band (and their orange and pink flower-print
window
curtains).
Good tour buses don't die - they just get redecorated. Hey, it's a living.
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