As the weather gets warmer and the mini-skirts-with-ugg-boots gradually turn into mini-skirts-with-flip-flops, college students will begin searching for ways to spend their spring days and nights. Perhaps one of the favorite pastimes of college folk is attending concerts, and in preparation for the spring tour season, the Daily is here to give you a look at what rock acts are coming through Boston in the next two months. Let it be noted that there are many groups on tour besides rock groups, but one article was barely big enough to hold this genre alone.
The rock world has apparently united and mobilized for the spring of 2008, as it seems that nearly every popular rock act in existence has set out on the road. Perhaps the most important tour this spring is the Honda Civic Tour, headlined by the band that scenesters love to hate, Panic at the Disco (now without exclamation point). The Honda Civic Tour stops in Boston on May 11 at the Bank of America Pavillion.
Also featured on the tour are perennial classics Motion City Soundtrack, The Hush Sound and indie rockers Phantom Planet. If any of these acts sound interesting, they all have new albums that are definitely worth a listen.
Panic at the Disco's highly anticipated sophomore release, entitled "Pretty. Odd." is dropping on March 25, with the first single "Nine in the Afternoon" already a staple on Total Request Live (TRL) and MySpace.com pages all over the Internet. The Hush Sound, labelmates of Panic at the Disco on Fueled by Ramen Records, will release their third album, "Goodbye Blues," on March 18. Phantom Planet, who most will remember as "those guys who did 'The OC' theme," are touring to drum up support for their forthcoming album "Raise the Dead," which will be on Fueled by Ramen as well. Motion City Soundtrack's "Even if It Kills Me" came out last fall on Epitaph Records to reasonably positive reviews.
Jumping on the Fueled by Ramen bandwagon, Paramore will embark on a co-headlining tour this spring with their admitted idols and superiors, the un-cool uncles of emo, Jimmy Eat World. While Paramore's "Riot!" was released last summer to mediocre reviews, it managed to rocket the band to unheard-of levels of popularity, with flame-haired frontwoman Hayley Williams at the helm.
Jimmy Eat World's latest effort, "Chase This Light," released in October 2007, is full of arena-rocking, up-tempo numbers that should be most enjoyable to hear live. The possibility of the bands swapping tunes and joining each other on stage is also motivation enough for even moderate fans to grab a ticket. Jimmy Eat World and Paramore will be at Tsongas Arena on April 30.
Saves the Day will also be hitting the pavement with friends Armor for Sleep, Metro Station and Set Your Goals on the Bamboozle Roadshow 2008 tour. Bamboozle, a two-day rock extravaganza in New Jersey, and its sibling Bamboozle West in Irvine, California, feature hundreds of bands - but this year, the sponsors decided to give the rest of the country a taste of the fun and put some of the acts on wheels. The Bamboozle Roadshow will stop at the Palladium in Worcester on May 4.
The Rocket Summer, All Time Low, The Matches, Charlotte Sometimes and Forever the Sickest Kids will also be on the road for the Alternative Press Tour 2008, which stops at the Palladium on April 8. The bristling enthusiasm of Rocket Summer frontman Bryce Avary alone is definitely worth the ticket price. If you're enticed but need more convincing, stop by the AP Tour website for a free playlist of tour artists, including a fantastic pop-punk cover of the "Men In Black" theme.
One tour was apparently not enough for Rockstar Energy Drink, so they're also sponsoring the inaugural Get a Life Tour, featuring headlining act The Used, supported by Straylight Run, Army of Me and Street Drum Corps. Just last month The Used released the "Shallow Believer" EP, featuring B-sides and secret tracks from all three of their major label efforts. The Get a Life tour stops at the Palladium on April 11.
For those who would prefer to up the intensity, the fifth annual Rockstar Taste of Chaos tour features Avenged Sevenfold, Atreyu, Bullet for My Valentine and IdiotPilot.
Avenged Sevenfold's latest self-titled album cranked the southern-inspired rock up to 11, while Atreyu's melodic brand of '80s-esque metal is on display on "Lead Sails Paper Anchor," their newest for Hollywood Records. The Taste of Chaos tour rolls into Tsongas Arena on March 21.
With this many shows in the next two months, Tuftonians officially have no reason to complain about a lack of music in their lives. So stock up on hair product, slap on your fake tattoos and head out to any of these fresh rock shows.
