Kenny or Kelly? Poison or Queensryche?

Good lord, there's a ton of crappy shows coming to Tampa Bay this summer. Il Divo? Rascal Flatts? Tim McGraw and Faith Hill making googly eyes at each other? (Someday I'll tell the story of Tim McGraw's fat, British tour manager trying to kick me out of the Richmond Coliseum.) Of course, there are some killer shows, too; that Robert Randolph/Drive-By Truckers/Black Crowes date is gonna be an air-guitaring, beer-spilling marvel. Maybe a fistfight will break out. That'd be cool.

Madonna and Ozzfest are skipping us. No sign of Buffett yet. Looks like Pearl Jam is avoiding the entire state of Florida. Oh well.

Anyway, make my job easier and PICK THREE SHOWS you'd want to see. That way I can gauge what I can weasel out of.

I know loyal blogger P-Train is gonna sign up for Queensryche. After all, this is the Operation: Mindcrime II: The Sequel tour. How will it all end?

So many minds, so many crimes.

JUNE
6/2 Tim McGraw/Faith Hill -- St. Pete Times Forum
6/3 Rascal Flatts -- Ford Amphitheatre
6/10 Dwight Yoakam -- Jannus Landing
6/13 Buddy Guy’s Bluesfest -- Ruth Eckerd Hall
6/14 New Cars & Blondie -- Ruth Eckerd Hall
6/16 Il Divo -- Ford Amphitheatre
6/17 Sammy Hagar -- Ford Amphitheatre
6/21 Panic! At the Disco -- Jannus Landing
6/23 Vans Warped Tour -- Vinoy Waterfront Park
6/30 Al Green -- Ruth Eckerd Hall

JULY
7/1 Kelly Clarkson -- Ford Amphitheatre
7/1 Kenny Chesney -- Raymond James Stadium
7/7 Robert Randolph, Black Crowes, Drive-By Truckers - Ford Amp
7/11 Def Leppard/Journey -- Ford Amphitheatre
7/23 John Fogerty/Willie Nelson -- Ford Amphitheatre
7/25 Pink -- Jannus Landing

AUGUST
8/6 American Idols Live -- St. Pete Times Forum
8/9 Dave Matthews Band -- Ford Amphitheatre
8/10 Steely Dan -- Ford Amphitheatre
8/18 Melissa Etheridge -- Ruth Eckerd Hall
8/19 Poison -- St. Pete Times Forum
8/27 James Gang Rides Again -- Ruth Eckerd Hall
8/31 Queensryche -- Ruth Eckerd Hall

Comments

[Allie!]

ya know seanie... if you want to take me to Panic!, i'd love to go. it'll be like the prom date you never had! i'm sure the FF won't mind. so ya know, nudge nudge, ya wanna get me in and let me meet them too? COME ON SEAN! i'd DIE for this. plus, i just really don't want to pay. i'd go to Panic!, Def Leppard,and warped, anyday. so ya know, if you have an extra ticket, wink wink, and no one to go with... this time i'll pay for the shirt and you can bring the porche.

[Sean Daly]

Hey, I totally had a prom date. The lovely and vastly talented Natalie. I just didn't spend very much time at prom. Dirty pillows, etc. Maybe I'll take you to the Panic! show. But it's gonna cost you some serious BB time...

[Sherrie]

My top three...The New Cars/Blondie: OK, who am I kidding? I already have 5th row tickets for this one. Todd Rundgren creeps me out, but I adore Kasim Sulton, who is playing bass on this tour (and doing the lead vocal on "Drive") so I'll be there with bells onJohn Fogerty and Willie Nelson: I didn't even know about this show, thanks! Fogerty is a big favorite of mine, and seeing him makes it worth sitting though Willie Nelson. The American Idols Tour: I will totally admit without shame to being a complete Idol geek. Hey, didja know that Meat Loaf is singing on the Idol finale? Yup.Sherrie

[Tonka]

Already have tickets for Hagar...for 10 bucks, you can't beat it. Also, the The Black Crowes show will be cool. My third concert, which you forgot to mention, is Ted Nugent in July at Ruth Eckerd Hall. My first time seeing the Motor City Madman!

[chilledbongo]

dwight yoakum bec the dude never tours, never mind stopping in this backwater. plus, hes good, really good. i might go to that one, really.after that, none of them float my boat.what you will review:american idols bec you cant help yrself.panic bec you think its trendyand, oh, i dunno, dave matthews bec its your professional doodee.

[allie]

bring it on big papa, bring. it. on! you want serious BB time? For Panic!, you can have MY ENTIRE SUMMER. ok, well not the entire summer, i'm hanging out with Peter Pan and praying that i won't drool on him whilst we're talking. But my point is, i will be your slave for Panic!. This means you and the FF MUST go out, so i can Panic! it up. oh and p.s. i did NOT want to know about dirty pillows at prom. cause that's just NASTY thinking about seanie boy daly, my age, rolling around in a car with some.. ew. excuse me while i hurl....

[Janet K. Keeler]

Pink. Ånd then apply for a food writing job. That slate of a concert stinks.

[Chase Squires]

Uh ... anything at Old Lady Hall ... I mean "Ruth Ack!ard Hall" could prolly be skipped .. like, I think you hafta be sorta dead to play there ... hey look, Pat Boone's opening for Springsteen!

[Sparky]

You have to put Hagar at the top Daly. What you failed to mention about that show is that he's touring with Michael Anthony and the show is tabbed as Sammy & the Wabos and The Other Half. The Wabos are actually an opener for Mike & Sammy. 1/2 the show is Sammy Solo stuff and 1/2 the show is going to be Van Hagar. I'm sure Eddie isn't too happy about this but oh well, he can go cry on Valerie's shoulder. Oh, I forgot he screwed that up too.For all you 80's hair metal fans go see the Poison show. They are touring with Cinderella and the last time I saw this combo it was a great show and the audience wasn't bad to look at either. When I saw them last it was: Faster Pussycat, Winger, Cinderella and Poison. Great show and tremendous mini-skirt action. And lots of LEATHER!

[Sean Daly]

Whoa, a Chase Squires sighting. Excellent.Dude, you got out of here just in time. The alligators are taking over. Something like four fatal attacks in a couple days -- a new record. Sure, one lady was found without arms next to a crack pipe, and another lady was snorkeling in gator-infested waters that were marked "Warning: Gator-Infested Waters."Nevertheless, for 35 years living in the Northeast, fear of gators never entered my mind. Snipers, terrorists? Sure. Gators? Not so much. Now I have to add hurricanes and gators to the list. Great.

[Sparky]

Daly, remember when being chased by Gators, don't run in a straight line do a zig zag motion, or just show them a picture of Bobby Bowden.

[Sean Daly]

Doodie is right, CB. I'll weasel out of Dave Matthews if I can. I'll try to assign most of the country stuff.Altho Dwight is a must. Same goes for Pink. Both shows are at Jannus Landing, the best venue around.I'll do Panic!, Robert Randolph, Steely Dan, John Fogerty. Idol, of course -- you know how I love that Mandisa.I'm trying to set up something with a certain hair-metal band, maybe travel around Florida -- aka Spinalia -- with them. I'm fascinated by the metal community. Plus suburban dirtballs love me.

[Sherrie]

Sean,Don't let your blind lust for the chunky but funky diva make you do anything rash! (And don't GET a rash if you travel with "a certain hair-metal band') Sherrie

[Guy]

This is a rhetorical question, right? Kenny Chesney is nothing more than a poor man's Jimmy Buffett - his first two CDs were great, but he's sucked ever since. Go to Clarkson instead.Hagar's a no-brainer, as is Poison-Cinderella. Someone's gotta keep the metal alive at the SPT, Daly.My final vote: Guns n' Roses. Can't believe they're actually playing the Bay area.Actually, it's Yoakam & Journey/Def Leppard. Then, go home, take your ca. 1988 dirty pillows out of storage, and work on another grandchild for Mama Daly.

[Steve Spears]

I'm going to have to give the nod to Journey, even though I could go, but still won't go.Unless you want to go, Sean, and then I can be talked into it.

[Sean Daly]

How about a podcast from the parking lot of the Journey show? We can totally score with the 50-year-old divorcess in the faded Steve Perry tees!

[sparky]

I remember all the hot girls in my 9th grade biology class going gaga over Super Steve Perry. So I think you'd have to lower the podcast demo.

[Squirll]

I would like a more diverse selection please... hummm. so far... maybe panic, pink would be fun,robert randolph, and Journey. (saw journey last time - the opening act for journey sucked. it was journey without the notsteveperry guy). anyone else very very much dislike the fordamp?

[Sean Daly]

Regarding the Ford Amp: It'll be interesting to see what the "noise barrier" does to the sound quality.Last time I was there, the multi-million dollar barrier looked more like a rusty chain-link fence with Hefty bags stapled to it.

[Squirll]

The 'sound proofing' still looks that way. and dont forget, for coldplay, half of the field had no sound...

[Rick Gershman]

Yoakam definitely. Randolph/Truckers/Crowes in a heartbeat. Otherwise I'm underwhelmed. Maybe Fogerty and Willie in a pinch.Meanwhile, you'll be thrilled, seanie: the managing editor of this new local music mag, Reax, calls The Best of the Doors one of the most overappreciated "classic" albums of all time.Also getting dogged: Sgt. Pepper's, Marley's Legend, Dark Side of the Moon and all Led Zep, for (Stairway to) heaven's sake.We're taking turns nodding along and lighting the torches over at the Ill Literate. Come by and sit a spell.

[ClayFan]

My First (and Only Choice): Billy Ray Cyrus at Ruth Ekerd Hall. I hope Billy is still sportin' that Mullet, you know rocker in the back - all business in the front a/k/a The Tenesse Top-Hat, The Seven, The Achy Breaky Mistaky.By the way, whoever thinks Dark Side and all of Led Zep are overapprecaited must be smokin' crack!

[Rick Gershman]

Come tell it at the blog, clayfan. Come tell it at the blog.seanie never appreciated you anyway. ask CB.(and I recall Chase saying something about a "bad touch" just before he left the paper. I'm just sayin...)

[Anonymous]

6/3 Rascal Flatts -- Ford Amphitheatre7/25 Pink -- Jannus Landing8/10 Steely Dan -- Ford Amphitheatre8/18 Melissa Etheridge -- Ruth Eckerd Hall

[Uncle Crappy]

Yikes. Tampa looks as bleak as Pittsburgh does this summer. Up this way the best bet of the listed stuff -- it's pretty much the same in both places -- is the Crowes/Randolph/Truckers show, but a scheduling problem will keep The Wife and me from that one. We've been saved, however, by the annual Three Rivers Arts Festival lineup, which puts two weeks' worth of amazing shows in Point State Park -- that's where the Allegheny and the Mon meet to start the Ohio -- all for free. In the past, we've seen everyone from Wilco or Cowboy Junkies to Sonic Youth and the Truckers. This summer we get to pick from Gov't Mule, English Beat, moe., Roseanne Cash, Soulive, Steel Pulse ... Actually, there may not be much picking involved; we may just camp out down there for two weeks.

[Uncle Crappy]

And I totally want to hear that podcast from the parking lot at the Journey show...

[Squirll]

I want to hear the Journey Podcast! heck. id possibly even sign up for it. hey wait... can you do a podcast from inside the fordamp secretly? that could be better. there was quite a mixed crowd last time, from the O.C. teens to to the diehard fans. and everyone inbetween. We sat in the back heckling the crowd... lots of fun. and it was a bargain at $15 bucks (+12 service fee).

[Guy]

Plus, Steve Augeri (Journey's lead singer) sounds exactly like Perry, albeit a less charismatic (and bloated) Perry.

[Squirll]

notsteveperry's name is really steve. how appropriate.

[Steve Spears]

The Journey "podcast from the parking lot" idea is well on its way to becoming reality. We got word this morning that from a technical standpoint, it's totally doable.

[dancoprod]

Queensryche - the thinking man's heavy metal band