That winter frost is finally thawed and with it comes a year of music, concerts, and festivals. In this episode, I’m talking about all the live music that I would love to check out this year if I had an unlimited pass to see it all.
Listen to hear what artists are on my radar.
Show Notes and Full Show Transcript
Hey everyone welcome to the Eat Sleep Breathe Music podcast. I am your host Jeanette Kimszal. For those of you just joining us, this is the podcast where we talk about different music and all the things that make it great.
This week I’m doing something a little different. Instead of talking about an artist, I am going to talk a little bit about all the concerts that are coming down the pike that I am super excited about.
While concerts have been popping up a lot more lately. There is something special about the spring and summertime concerts.
Maybe it goes back to that summer vacation feel. When you’re out of school and you have all these great concerts to see and you’re planning your whole summer.
The warm weather is starting to creep in and winter is finally over. It’s also nice not to have to bring a coat to a concert and have it checked or hold it the whole time you are standing there if you don’t have seats.
Or if you do have seats you could put it on the seat. But I don’t know. So um, yeah, I mean, I’m probably not going to see all these concerts.
I still have a weird weirdness, about going to live shows and being around so many people.
There are a lot of shows that are in big venues. Where I’m kind of like “uh I don’t know do I really want to be around all these people?”
And I know things are getting better but at the same time I’m a little hesitant and I think maybe it’s my introvertism of being around a lot of people.
Though although even in the past. For my whole life, I’ve been like an introvert and very kind of shy and quiet. And going to see concerts was the only thing I didn’t care about being around a ton of people.
I remember being in high school going to assemblies and like freaking out about all the people sitting around me.
I would just be there thinking, “when is this going to be over because I hate it (laughing).”
(Laughing) I hated walking through the halls but for some reason going to concerts was no big deal. Even at large venues.
I remember we would go and see Limp Bizkit uh, like a ton. We were obsessed with Limp Bizkit (laughing).
We would go to. I don’t even know if the venue is open anymore. I think it was the Continental Airlines Arena. But it was called something before that.
It was across the street from where the Giants played. And for the life of me I can’t think of that right now (laughing). I don’t know what’s going on (laughing).
I remember going to shows like that and we would be on the floor and I would be stuck in a pit of people.
I don’t know it didn’t bother me and maybe it’s because you’re focusing on the band and you’re focusing on the music and there is the energy you get from seeing live music that just shuts out everything else.
Because during the show I would be really into and every other time in my life I hate being around too many people.
I don’t know. I feel like a weirdo but that’s me. The fact there are a lot more concerts going on now it’s, it’s so weird because there was nothing and there is all this stuff going on.
I was doing some google searches to see what is coming up and it’s funny like everyone is on tour.
And it’s you know because it’s been so long since people can go on tour and now it’s like everything.
And it’s almost overwhelming because there are all these bands. There’s a venue by me that opens in the summer, well early spring.
Whenever it gets warm enough to be outside. It’s an outdoor amphitheater and they have a ton of artists all these shows look really good but then it gets so expensive.
That’s the thing too now because ticket prices have gone up so much you have to really think about what you want to see. And you have to prioritize.
And you have to be like “ok well, who do I want to see?” There are some bands that you would be like oh I would see them but then you look at the ticket price and you are like “do I really want to see that?”
So you really have to pick and choose what you want to see. Because there is just too much to see.
One thing that is nice is there are a lot of festivals and the artists seem to overlap so you could pay one price and get 3 or 4 days’ worth of music.
Festivals are also great for finding new music that you might
And that’s why I guess the festivals are good too. I feel like there are so many festivals popping up all over the place.
We used to go. We used to travel. That was our trip. We would travel and go and see live music.
One thing that is nice is there are a lot of festivals happening. And it seems like every year there are a lot of new festivals popping up.
The festivals are good because it gives you some overlap sometimes. I’ve been looking to see what’s been happening with the festivals and what the lineups are.
And a lot of the bands are like overlapping. I saw Green Day is playing 4 different festivals this year. So you know the festivals are nice because you can pay one price and see 3 or 4 days of music.
You can see a lot more bands that are being on tour individually on tour. And you can also find new music when there are a ton of other bands that you might not even know.
So festivals can be a nice way to get a lot of music for your money (laughing). One festival by us is the Sea Here Now festival.
And Sea Hear Now is weird because I guess buying tickets before knowing the lineup is new to me but maybe it’s something that has been done before.
This year we decided to just get tickets because they were the cheapest before you knew the lineup so it’s almost like you are gambling a little bit because you’re like “uh is this gonna be good?”
And we were pleasantly surprised. The other bonus is that it’s super close and we can ride our bikes there. So that’s another festival I’m looking forward to seeing.
Music festivals are a great way to see a lot of bands.
There’s one in Kentucky that looked interesting. Nine Inch Nails is headlining that and also Slipknot and ugh Red Hot Chili Peppers.
So it’s really a 90’s palooza lately (laughing) I feel like there are so many bands from the ’90s who are touring. I mean it’s great.
It’s like nostalgia. I can see bands that I saw before that I didn’t get to see in high school. So that’s always a fun thing.
It’s called Louder Than Life and it’s in Kentucky. A lot of these festivals overlap or are within a few weeks of each other too.
The Sea Here Now is in September then there is that Louder than Life that’s in Kentucky that’s the week after. Then there is the firefly festival which is in Delaware.
And this lineup is pretty good too. They have Halsey and My Chemical Romance. My Chemcial Romance hasn’t played in quite a long time but they are also going on their own tour so if you want to see them that way it works too.
There are a lot of good artists at this Firefly festival. So that is one to definitely check out. Again this festival is in September too so it’s hard to make a choice. There are so many to choose from.
Lollapalooza announced their lineup this week. Lots of overlap Metallica, Green Day, Dua Lipa, Machine Gun Kelly. Those were the main headliners. There was another festival in Boston that the Foo Fighters were playing.
Then there is Riot Fest in September in Chicago with the Misfits and My Chemical Romance playing. The rest of the lineup hasn’t been announced yet.
I’ve always been intrigued with Riot Fest but have yet to go. The past lineups have always made it look like a fun show.
There are so many festivals it’s hard to count and keep up with them. I was looking at some articles online and I was reading some articles and there was a festival here and a festival there.
There are festivals on the east coast, west coast, in the middle, and the south. And it’s great there is so much music for everyone to see.
And alternatively, if you don’t want to see a festival there are a ton of artists that are touring that you can see.
March is almost over but if you’re in NJ there is a show this Friday featuring New England reggae artist Joe Samba and the NJ reggae group P-Funk North.
March is almost over but there is still a week or two with some shows. This Friday, March 25th there is a show featuring New England reggae artist Joe Samba and NJ reggae group P-Funk North. They are playing at the Saint in Asbury Park, NJ.
It’s a quaint, cozy venue, definitely one to check out.
I was looking into seeing what’ happening in April and there are about two shows that were interesting, actually 3 shows.
One was Walk the Moon and they are playing at Busch Gardens in Tampa. Now again this is a traveling trip but it would be great if we could see them.
The other bands that I saw are playing in April are this band Rivals. They’re playing in Brooklyn. So that’s another show I’m looking forward to seeing.
And then I came across this other band that’s playing and I listened to his music and I really liked it.
His name is Kenny Hoopla and he has a sound that I would describe as a mix of emo. You know kind of Blink182 meets block party.
Like that pop-punk. I mean, I was really taken with his music. And I enjoyed that. And I saw he was playing local and that would be fun to see.
In May we’re going to see Nightwish. My husband loves them. There is symphonic metal. Their music is very intense and powerful. A good live show.
Then in May the Offspring and Sum 41 and Simple Plan are playing locally. So that’s gonna be a busy month. We have a lot on the calendar that we want to see.
It’s all very nostalgic again. Like very ’90s and 2000s. Very exciting.
I also saw that Machine Gun Kelly is playing with Avril Lavigne in June. I don’t know if it’s just because he is working with Travis Barker but his music reminds me of Blink 182 with rap rhymes thrown in.
There is something about him that I’m curious about but at the same time it’s a huge venue and I’m not sure I want to to a huge venue.
I was scrolling through different venues and what is playing online. If you have that magic ticket and could see everything then it would be awesome.
I saw Alanis Morrisette is playing and I never saw her back in the day. I saw Dave Matthews on tour. I saw that band Haim is playing Madison Square Garden which is awesome. They have gotten so big over the last couple of years.
I saw New Kids on the Block are playing and I just don’t know there is this. There is something about New Kids on the Block. They are always just so good.
Even though I feel super embarrassed to say that I like them still. But they are fun and again it’s nostalgia. It’s taking you back to that time when you are younger and so fun.
There is just so much music happening this summer and I feel like it’s a little overwhelming. And only if we could see everything but we have to pick and choose.
I hope to see some of these bands. I also saw the Used is playing. They haven’t played in forever. They’re playing with Rise Against at a local venue by me.
It’s definitely going to be a summer of music and its exciting things are back and we can go and see live music.
You know, hopefully, things will continue to be good and we can see the live music this summer that we want to see.
I”m looking to seeing as much music as I possibly can see this year. And I’d love to know what music you’re looking forward to and what concerts you are super excited about as well.
You can leave a comment on the podcast web page or leave an audio comment at the link in the show summary.
Thanks so much for listening. If you are looking for more new music be sure to subscribe to our podcast so you will get the latest updates on our artist features.
You can also find more music features on our website at www.EatSleepBreatheMusic.com. That is E-a-t-S-l-e-e-p-B-r-e-a-t-h-e-M-u-s-i-c dot com.
Thanks for listening. See you in the next episode!
More Podcast Episodes
If you’re interested in finding new music please check out our other podcast episodes.