SUMMER OF SONG
9 must-sees plus many more - Donny and Marie!
Summer: School’s out; concerts are on.
Here are some of the best shows coming up in the next few months. JUNE
Highlight: Harry Styles and Kacey Musgraves
An inspired pairing — the former boy band singer Styles struck out in a New Direction and released one of the best pop solo albums of the decade last year. Opening act Musgraves is one of country’s brightest stars, though her marvelous new album “Golden Hour” hardly seems country at all — it’s drenched in spaced-out pop. Can’t wait to see what they perform together.
Date: Saturday, BB&T Center, Sunrise; ticketmaster.com
Highlight: Weezer and Pixies
Another brilliant pairing of indie rock giants. Weezer’s ’90s debut albums were clearly influenced by the hard-rock crunch of the Pixies in the ’80s, so they make sense together. And they kick off their summer tour here in West Palm Beach.
Date: June 22, Coral Sky Amphitheatre; LiveNation. com
Other June concerts: Monday — Mindi Abair, The Funky Biscuit, Boca Raton
Wednesday — Audra McDonald, Broward Center, Fort Lauderdale
Thursday — Keb’ Mo’, The Lyric Theater, Stuart
June 17 — Maroon 5, Julia Michaels — BB&T
June 21 — Luke Bryan, Coral Sky
June 23 — Charles Calello, Wick Theatre, Boca Raton
June 24 — Hall & Oates,
Train, BB&T
June 28 — Donny and Marie, Hard Rock Event Center, Hollywood
June 29 — Thirty Seconds To Mars, Coral Sky JULY
Highlight: Lauryn Hill This is the 20th-anniversary tour of her classic album, “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.” If you need any other prompting, watch her HBO appearance singing a tribute to Nina Simone at this year’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, where she proceeded to blow away every other act that evening. She’s still a powerhouse performer.
Date: July 31, Bayfront Park Amphitheater, Miami; LiveNation.com
Highlight: REO Speedwagon, Chicago
A chance to relive your high school years one more time. Why fight this feelin’ that is sure to make you smile?
Date: July 20, Coral Sky; LiveNation.com
Highlight: Panic! At The Disco
If the already released cuts off the band’s upcoming album, “Pray For The Wicked,” (especially the marvelous “Say Amen”) are any indication, this is going to be one of the best modern rock concerts of the summer.
Date: July 31, BB&T; ticketmaster.com Other July concerts:
July 1 — Poison, Cheap Trick, Hard Rock
July 1 — Boy George, Culture Club, B-52s, Pompano Beach Amphitheater, Pompano Beach
July 5 — Chris Brown, Coral Sky
July 6-29 — Palm Beach Chamber Music Festival, various venues
July 10 — Three Doors Down, Collective Soul, Soul Asylum, Mizner Park, Boca Raton
July 14 — Sam Smith, AmericanAirlines Arena, Miami
July 20 — KC and the Sunshine Band, Hard Rock
July 21 — Steve Miller Band, Peter Frampton, Hard Rock
July 21 — Rascal Flatts, Coral Sky
July 24 — Smashing Pumpkins, AmericanAirlines Arena
July 24 — Rod Stewart, Cyndi Lauper, Hard Rock
July 27 — Janelle Monae, Fillmore, Miami Beach
July 27-28 — Dave Matthews, Coral Sky
July 27-29 — Britney Spears, Hard Rock
July 28 — Shawn Mendes, AmericanAirlines Arena AUGUST
Highlight: Imagine Dragons
One of the most inventive of today’s rock bands, which is comfortable playing everywhere from world music festivals to performing on ice before a recent Stanley Cup final. To see them in the relative confines of Coral Sky should be a don’t-miss opportunity. Opener: Grace VanderWaal.
Date: Aug. 9, Coral Sky; LiveNation.com
Highlight: Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town
This is a double bill no country fan can turn down. Ignore all the gossip about her. Lambert remains one of mainstream country’s most artistic singers, and Little Big Town is every bit her equal.
Date: Aug. 4, Coral Sky; LiveNation.com
Highlight: Taylor Swift TayTay is touring on the strength of her latest album, “reputation,” which is the best Taylor Swift album since, well, the last Taylor Swift album. She always puts on a phenomenal show, and she’s got Camila Cabello and Charli XCX on the bill, too.
Date: Aug. 18, Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens; ticketmaster.com Highlight: Beyonce, Jay-Z Bey and Jay. Do we need to say more?
Date: Aug. 31, Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens; ticketmaster.com
Other August concerts: Aug. 1 — Counting Crows, Coral Sky
Aug. 3 — O.A.R., Pompano Beach
Aug. 3 — Kevin Hart, Coral Sky
Aug. 4 — Kesha, Macklemore, AmericanAirlines Arena
Aug. 5 — Janet Jackson, AAA Aug. 5 — Vans Warped Tour, with Reel Big Fish, Bowling For Soup, Coral Sky
Aug. 15, 17-18 — Shakira, BB&T/AmericanAirlines Arena
Aug. 17 — Def Leppard, Journey — BB&T
Aug. 17 — Wiz Khalifa, Rae Sremmurd, Coral Sky
Aug. 18 — Evanescence, Coral Sky
Aug. 25 — Jeff Beck, Paul Rodgers, Ann Wilson, Coral Sky
Aug. 31 — Amy Schumer, Hard Rock Event Center