Summer is a time of recreation and what better way to spend your time than going to a concert with your friends?
Whether you are into rock, hip-hop, country or pop, there’s a concert out there for everyone. This summer, a plethora of popular bands and musical artists are flocking to South Florida to rock our socks.
To help you decide what show is worth your time and money, here are the top ten upcoming summer concerts.
10. Sade and John Legend
July 16 – American Airlines Arena
Not exactly a raging concert like the rest of the acts on the list, but Sade and John Legend know how to put on a jazzy soulful R&B concert. With each artist promoting new albums, you can bet the American Airlines Arena will be jam packed. What would make it more of a concert to remember is if Sade and Legend did a duet.
9. Def Leppard and Heart
June 15 – Cruzan Amphitheatre
Classic rock fans get your wallets ready. This is just one of the awesome classic concerts happening this summer. We actually might be a little more excited to see the crowd than the actual show. Def Leppard concerts are notorious for drugged out fans. Of course we would never condone doing drugs, but we do condone rock and roll and everything that comes with it.
8. ZZ Top
June 8: Hard Rock Live
They may be old, but they can still rock. ZZ Top is known for their crazy long beards, spinning guitars and awesome solos. Last time ZZ Top was in South Florida was for Sun Fest 2010. They would have been back in 2009 with Aerosmith, but Steve Tyler fell off the stage in South Dakota and broke his hip screwing up the whole tour for everyone. But finally, the blues rock masters will return with all their bearded goodness.
7. Britney Spears
July 22 – American Airlines Arena
The pop princess is back on tour with a brand new album. Her single Till the World Ends peaked at number three on the Billboard 100. You either love her or hate her. If anything, she’s the celebrity people love to hate, but can’t we just “leave Britney alone” as the Youtube sensation Chris Crocker said? Whether you like her or not, Spears is known for putting on glamorous concerts. So stop pretending you hate her and admit she’s still hot.
6. Rihanna and Cee Lo Green
July 14 – Bank Atlantic Center
Rihanna is probably more popular now than she ever was before with her single S&M hit number one on Billboard. There’s no doubt that her musical career is going more smoothly than her ex Chris Brown’s. Brown went AWOL on the Today Show, ripping his shirt off, screaming at employees and throwing a chair through a window…yikes. Joining her on the tour is Cee Lo Green, who has become a national craze with his single F**k You. So going to this concert means even if it Cee Lo turns out to be a one hit wonder, you can at least say you were there.
5. Katy Perry
June 11 – Bank Atlantic Center
Katy Perry has been on fire on the Billboard charts. Her single E.T., featuring Kanye West, peaked at number one over the course of May. Bottom line: Perry is hot right now. She seems to be rolling out the hits with no end in sight. If you’re a fan, this is a must see concert.
4. Mötley Crüe
July 5 – Hard Rock Live
Yes. They are still alive. Mötley Crüe is back and on tour. And what better place is there to put on a hard rock show than the Hard Rock? Alright, so the majority of this concert’s crowd may be over the age of forty, but dude…it’s Mötley Crüe, one of the great hair metal bands of the eighties. They may not be able to move around on stage very much anymore, but they still know how to rock hard.
3. U2
June 29 – Sun Life Stadium
U2 is said to be the world’s most famous and popular band. The fact that they booked Sun Life Stadium, with over 75,000 seats available for the taking, proves their popularity. Last person to pack the stadium was Paul McCartney last year in April. If you don’t know who U2 is, you should. Their music is a world influence of love and peace. How could you hate that?
2. Taylor Swift
June 2 – Bank Atlantic Center
U2, we’re really happy for you, and we’re gonna let you finish, but Taylor Swift is the second greatest summer concert of 2011. The fact that she can book a place like the Bank Atlantic Center proves that she has become quite the mega star. Swift’s latest album Speak Now is essentially filled with her middle finger anthems to her ex-boyfriends. It’s highly entertaining, extremely catchy and we can’t wait to see it live.
1. Vans Warped Tour
July 30 – Cruzan Amphitheatre
Vans Warped Tour is the largest concert of the year with over 40 plus rock bands gathering in one place to put on an all day, nonstop, heart pounding, ear bleeding, punk-pop hardcore music spectacle. It’s a time to catch up on all the concerts you may have missed throughout the year. And even if you aren’t a big fan of any band on the show list, the crowd alone is enough to entertain you for an entire day. From people with multicolored mohawks to women flashing the crowd, Vans Warped Tour is easily our number one pick for must see summer concerts.
