TicketNetwork Blog

Summer starts Friday, and one of my favorite parts of the season (aside from beaches and warm weather) is the album and concert boom. Lots of artists go on tour over the summer, and to prep for those tours, they usually release a new album. Hot off the heels of Kanye's "Yeezus" (which came out yesterday!), here are seven albums to get hyped for, as well as the artist's latest single and tour info.

The history of the West’s relationship with music is a fascinating story and one that continues to be added to. The French horn, the double bass, the accordion, the saxophone and the guitar are all thought to have been invented in Europe. The same can be said for that most dramatic and diverse of instruments — the piano.

Invented by Cristofori Bartolomeo during the early years of the 18th century, the piano or ‘pianoforte’ as it was then known, has become one of the most essential, most enduring instruments of modern times. There’d be no Coldplay without Bartolomeo. No Bruno Mars either, but let’s not blame him — he couldn't have known. So, where did it come from and why was it invented in the first place?

Just how did the pianoforte grow to become as iconic as it is now?

My dad doesn't wear ties. His garage is already overflowing with tools. He's not big into golf, or basketball, and he has enough New England Patriots paraphernalia that he never asked for to decorate an entire house. (Hey, it's the one thing everyone knows he likes, so he gets it all the time.) Figuring out what to get him each Father's Day is, to put it lightly, a bit challenging.

If your dad is anything like mine, you probably feel like there's no way to get a decent gift — not even if you start thinking about it for months in advance (and I have!). And now it's just one week before Father's Day and if you don't already have something picked out, it's panic time. Lucky for you, TicketNetwork.com has put up a Father's Day Gift Guide so you can stop struggling to come up with something to buy dad.

The guide lists a bunch of events in sports, concerts, theater, and comedy, including The Eagles, MLB, Catch Me If You Can, and Daniel Tosh. I could tell you more, but then you'd have no reason to check it out for yourself! (Don't worry about tickets not arriving in time — we offer some pretty fun gift notes that you can stick in the card to Dad. He'll freak out and think you didn't get him a gift and then SURPRISE! HE'S ACTUALLY GOING TO SEE JIMMY BUFFETT. Or something like that. I don't know, you figure out the logistics, we just have the tickets.)

Any ideas what you're getting Dad this year?

Here in Connecticut, we can tell it's almost June because we're practically melting. After all, the general rule of thumb for New England weather is that if you're not shoveling your way out of several feet of snow, then you're probably baking in the sun.

That said, summer is totally the best time for events! Summer tours, sporting events, musical festivals, touring theater shows... it's a mecca, really. Here are a few things to look forward to in June.

Concerts

American Idol Live: Season 12 "American Idol" finalists hit the road June 29, with their first show in Saint Louis, MO.

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One Direction: 1D buzz in the U.S. calmed as the boys toured Europe and elsewhere. But they're back, kicking off their U.S. summer tour June 13 in Sunrise, FL.

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Bonnaroo: This year, Bonnaroo has more than 100 bands performing during the four-day event from June 13-16. The line-up includes Sir Paul McCartney, Mumford & Sons, and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers! (For tips on surviving summer music fests, click here.)

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Last time, Mike presented some of the craziest artist riders, which included Katy Perry, Iggy Pop, Van Halen, and the Foo Fighters.

While Katy Perry demanded "ABSOLUTELY NO CARNATIONS," the Foo Fighters took a lighter approach with odd and funny requests like "one bag of Pirate Booty (but not Johnny Depp's), 24 large bath towels (under threat of a wedgie), 75 pounds of ice, and vegetarian soup (lest there be flatulence among the road crew)."

Since it's public knowledge that some celebrities go a bit over-the-top when it comes to creating a list of requests, it should come as no surprise when I say here are five additional crazy artist riders, plus three of the most reasonable.

Beyonce

You know I love Beyonce. Given that she's kind of a big deal, I'd expect nothing more than extravagant requests for her tour. A few weeks back, the rider for Beyonce's Mrs. Carter Show World Tour supposedly leaked, and here are some of the items on it.

• Freshly painted white walls
• A new toilet seat
• Hand-carved ice balls — AKA ice cubes
• Red toilet paper
• No junk food
• 100% pure cotton clothes for her staff — obviously Queen Bey thinks of others
• Titanium drinking straws — a cool $935 each

I don't even know if these are true, but what Beyonce wants, Beyonce gets.