ROCK THE MIC II
CURRENT TOURING WINDOW: last week of June-August
KEY CITIES: "All major cities" according to promoters (nothing
specific at press time)
CHECK: No official site yet. S'up, Google?
The most jewelry-laden hip-hop tour from last summer will be even
shinier this year. Headlined again by Jay-Z and featuring Kanye
West, a nationwide Rock the Mic II tour is confirmed, but details
are thus far sketchy. Expect a big-name cast of playahs, minus the
one you might want most to see. Despite being courted for the DJ
extravaganza, at least one source close to the action says current
hip-hop royalty OutKast "doesn't want to tour."
ROD STEWART
CURRENT TOURING WINDOW: July 1-August 30
KEY CITIES: Orlando, Florida (July 1), Atlantic City, New Jersey
(July 10), Cleveland, Ohio (July 27), Milwaukee, Wisconsin (August
17)
CHECK:
www.rodstewart.com
Cringe if you must, Rod haters, but by embracing The Great American
Songbook, the man who almost single-handedly brought disco to its
knees has revitalized his career, earned a 2003 Grammy nomination,
and launched one of the hottest tours of 2004. Shows will feature
hits from the Mod Rod oeuvre - "Maggie May," "Tonight's the Night,"
and perhaps even "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?"- along with his latest
batch of martini-soaked love songs. Turns out all those critics who
said Stewart was a sellout were right.
RUSH
CURRENT TOURING WINDOW: June 23-August 15
KEY CITIES: Dallas, Texas (June 23); Los Angeles, California (July
6); Las Vegas, Nevada (July 17); Atlanta, Georgia (August 1);
Camden, New Jersey (August 4)
CHECK:
www.rush.com
You'd think a dinosaur awakening from its Canadian tar pit would be
a lumbering beast. But the Rush 30th anniversary tour - featuring
the original power trio Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart -
shot out of extinction as America's top-selling concert when
tickets went on sale back in March. There are still seats to snag
for the monster shows - at Canadian concerts last year, the band
was as tight and driven as ever - that feature a set list drawn
from all 17 albums.