A month or two ago, I wrote a column forecasting some of the changes in the current state of live music and the path the industry may take over the next year or two in natural response to the current state of the overarching music industry. In it, I claimed that touring out West could become too expensive and difficult for some bands, relegating groups to regional tours only (at best). Against my own advice — or soothsaying — I am about to embark on a roadtrip through America’s Southwest, complete with a number of live music dates thrown in the mix. Over the course of approximately 20 days, I will see over 20 bands and try not to burn myself out while on vacation.
I’ll warm up my rock and roll legs here in Chicago where I have a “solid fan base,” catching five or six shows up through next weekend. I imagine this is what a smart band would do before a major tour; try and make some quick money with as little cost to the group as possible. Then next weekend, “the band” (me and my three buddies) will meet in Denver for the Monolith Festival. After a weekend of too much of everything, we’ll get in a rented SUV and start driving across the southwestern part of the U.S. Again, we are doing this trip with the rock dream in mind, which will definitely result in us driving long distances and not sleeping enough.
The “tour” ends in the great city of Los Angeles, a place where dreams are made. The final outing will be a glorious My Morning Jacket concert at the infamous Greek Theater on a lazy Sunday night. Who else am I going to see, you ask?
Here are the lucky twenty. And I must say, if this were its own festival and I was copying the lineup, I’d be there in a heartbeat.
Andrew’s End of Summer Music Tour:
Andrew Bird, Mike Gordon, Benevento/Russo Duo, Lymbyc Systym, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Vampire Weekend, Cut Copy, Foals, Atmosphere, Holy Fuck, White Denim, Justice, TV on the Radio, Band of Horses, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, The National, Spiritualized, STS9, Cold War Kids, Man Man, and finally My Morning Jacket.
