At long last, spring is tomorrow! Of course, we here are having a difficult time believing that every time we look out the windows in our office, but officially it is arriving tomorrow at 11:02 UTC, or 7:02 AM EDT/4:02 AM PDT in the United States.
As with sports, spring is a great time to attend a concert, especially in smaller, amphitheater-like settings. With the back walls open, you can grab a lawn seat and, if it's not an actual seat, spread out a little and enjoy the show.
It is in this environment that a group like the Dave Matthews Band thrives. The band knows exactly how to keep its fans entertained: good grooves, creativity and improvisation, and an intimate atmosphere provided by the amphitheater setting (though they sometimes play arenas, too). These are just a few reasons their annual summer tours tend to be very popular. Anyone who's experienced the major traffic jams whenever they come to Hartford, CT, could tell you that.
As luck would have it, almost every concert on their upcoming summer tour is in an amphitheater; the ones that are not are in theaters or festival grounds, which are usually similarly intimate settings. The tour begins May 17 in Spring, TX, and ends September 8 in Mountain View, CA. DMB also has a couple remaining shows from the winter tour coming up on April 6 in Birmingham, AL, and April 27 in Southaven, MS. Finally, the band will be performing at the New Orleans Jazz Fest on April 28.
So, maybe we forgot to do an events preview last month. Whoops! Now we’re back, though, and looking ahead to spring because – quite frankly – we are sick of this cold, snowy New England weather.
With new weather on its way here, here are a few March events we’re looking forward to:
Concerts
Taylor Swift: Taylor Swift has been on fire with her latest album, "Red," and its first few singles. The country singer’s latest tour finally kicks off March 13.
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Kenny Chesney: Kenney Chesney’s 2013 tour starts March 12. Chesney will tour with Zac Brown Band, Eli Young Band, Kacey Musgraves, and Eric Church, although the lineup in each city is different.
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Rihanna: Her 2013 Diamonds World Tour with ASAP Rocky begins in Buffalo, NY, on March 8. It’s scheduled to end July 20 in France.
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Other Concerts in March:
- Allman Brothers Band begins their Beacon Theater run on Friday.
- Alicia Keys begins a tour on March 7.
- Eric Clapton begins a tour on March 14.
- Elton John begins a brief tour on March 15.
- Shania Twain’s Las Vegas run begins on March 19.
- Def Leppard begins a tour on March 22.
- The Ultra Music Festival runs from March 15 to 17 and then again March 23 to 25. The two weekends do have different lineups and schedules (albeit with some of the same performers at each one).
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If you're not attending a party or heading to Times Square on New Years Eve, then you're probably looking for something else to do besides sit around and wait for midnight to arrive. If so, you're in luck, because a number of artists and bands have concerts that night. In what's become something of a tradition, many of them schedule three or four day runs, usually in the same city. Below see some of the bands who have New Years runs.
- Phish - The jam band will have four dates at Madison Square Garden from December 28-31.
- Coldplay - Coldplay will play one concert at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT, on December 29, followed by two shows at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY, on December 30 and 31.
- Furthur - Furthur will perform three shows at San Francisco's Bill Graham Civic Auditorium from December 29-31.
- Zac Brown Band - Zac Brown Band's run is a little different than the rest. The country band will play the dates as part of their ongoing tour. The first is December 29 in Birmingham, AL; the second on December 30 in Cincinnati, OH; and the last on December 31 in Detroit, MI.
- My Morning Jacket - My Morning Jacket will play three shows at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY, from December 27-29. They'll then head to Boston for a December 31 show at Agganis Arena.
- Willie Nelson - The country singer-songwriter will play two shows on December 30 and 31 at the Moody Theater in Austin, TX, as part of his ongoing tour.
In addition to the multi-day runs, there are several bands playing only on New Years Eve. Click here for a list of all the bands and comedians with performances on New Years Eve for whom we have tickets.
If you haven't yet gotten tickets for a radio station-sponsored holiday concert near you, then act quickly as the concerts will wrap up this week and weekend. Here are the shows that are coming up:
- Star 94 Jingle Jam: Tonight - Duluth, GA - The Arena Gwinnett Center - This concert features Daughtry, Big Time Rush, Matt Nathanson, Parachute, and The Script. - View Tickets»
- Z90's Jingle Jam: Wednesday - San Diego, CA - Calley View Casino Center - This concert features Pitbull, Wiz Khalifa, Big Sean, Flo Rida, New Boyz, Nayer, and Ryan Beatty. - View Tickets»
- Power 106's Cali Christmas: Friday - Universal City, CA - Gibson Amphitheatre - This concert features Drake, J. Cole, and Big Sean. - View Tickets»
- Star 101.3 Jingle Ball: Friday - San Francisco, CA - Nob Hill Masonic Center - This concert features Daughtry and Plain White T's. - View Tickets»
- B96 Jingle Bash: Saturday - Rosemont, IL - Allstate Arena - This concert features Enrique Iglesias, Selena Gomez, Joe Jonas, LMFAO, Jason Derulo, Cobra Starship, Karmin, Kevin Cahill, and Sammy Adams. - View Tickets»
- KISS FM Jingle Bell Bash: Sunday - Seattle, WA - WAMU Theater - This concert features Selena Gomez, OneRepublic, Cobra Starship, Hot Chelle Rae, Tinie Temprah, and Karmin. - View Tickets»
- Wild Jam 2011: Sunday - San Jose, CA - HP Pavilion - This concert features Drake, B.O.B, J. Cole, Taio Cruz, New Boyz, and Tyga. - View Tickets»
If you're looking for a different kind of holiday-themed concert, don't fret, because there are other options! Check out our holiday concert guide for more information.
The holiday season is quickly approaching and soon a lot of people will be looking to get into the spirit by visiting spectacular displays of lights and decorations like those in New York's Rockefeller Center, watching classic Christmas movies, and planning all kinds of other activities with a holiday theme.
Why not add a theater show or concert to your list? There are plenty of great productions coming up, so if you're looking to get out of the house (or the cold), you have plenty of options. Here are ten of the best: five concerts and five theater shows.
Concerts
Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Christmas songs played in a rock opera style with a laser light show. Can you really ask for more? I don't think you can. TSO has become an annual holiday tradition like no other. It's well worth it to see them, and there are two tours running simultaneously, so there's plenty of opportunity to do so. TSO runs until December 30.
Mannheim Steamroller
Originally known for their new age-inspired instrumentals, Mannheim Steamroller is now better known for their Christmas music. So if you're looking for Christmas classics with a new age twist, Mannheim is your band! Like TSO, Mannheim is running two tours at the same time and also plays until December 30.
Boston Pops
Made up of members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Pops play a series of Holiday Pops shows every year. This year the Holiday Pops shows run from December 7 – 11. There are also pops orchestras with holiday shows in many other cities, so if you're not from or traveling to Boston, be sure to find one near you.
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