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Pop concert promoters are betting that if the crowd loved 'em before, tried and true entertainment draws will wow 'em again.
By Times staff writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published May 31, 2001
Who isn't touring this summer? From hip hop, blues and pop acts, to classic rock, smooth jazz and hair metal bands, the summer tours -- including the annual festivals and multi-act packages -- offer something for everyone. Here is a look at the biggest acts coming to the Tampa Bay area.
James Taylor -- Soft pop king James Taylor is one of the most "sensitive" of singer-songwriters, with hits such as Fire and Rain and the Carol King-penned You've Got A Friend. Saturday, Ice Palace: $24.25-$44.25
Poison, Quiet Riot, Warrant, more -- Can you say "Big Hair '80s"? Celebrate fierce follicle rock with some of the genre's biggest names. Sunday, USF Sun Dome: $19.50-$29.50
Down to the Bone -- Not smooth jazz as much as urban and groovy jazz, Down to the Bone is a hip British duo. June 8, Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center: $29-$45
Backstreet Boys with Shaggy andKrystal -- This tour features some of pop's biggest names. Backstreet Boys may be getting married and growing up, but they still make little girls' hearts go pitter pat. Rapper Shaggy is all over the radio. His It Wasn't Me was huge. June 9, Ice Palace: $38.50-$100
Donny Osmond -- No more purple socks, but former teen hearthrob and Broadway star Donny Osmond can still belt out the tunes. Puppy Love, anyone? June 12, Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center: $29.75-$54.75
Dave Koz and Friends -- Smooth jazz saxophonist Dave Koz is a crossover artist in the vein of David Sanborn and Kenny G. June 14, Ruth Eckerd Hall: $35.75-$39.75
Journey, Peter Frampton, John Waite -- It's as if the past two decades never happened, which should make lovers of arena rock giddy. Journey ruled the charts in the late 1970s and early 1980s. This line-up is missing original vocalist Steve Perry, but they found a guy who sounds eerily like him. Guitar wizard Peter Frampton at age 51 still feels like you do, even if the now sober artist no longer wakes up with a wine glass in his hand. Former Baby John Waite had even more success with solo hits such as Missing You in the 1980s. June 15, USF Sun Dome: $29.75-$45
Edwin McCain with Gib Droll -- Edwin McCain made quite a splash with Solitude. The South Carolina singer specializes in rootsy, soulful pop. June 15, Jannus Landing: $15
Brooks & Dunn with Keith Urban,Toby Keith andMontgomery Gentry -- Some of contemporary country music's biggest stars are on this Neon Circus & Wild West tour. June 16, Ice Palace: $28-$38
Diana Krall -- Jazz pianist and vocalist Krall is known for her breathtaking subtlety and sophistication. June 25, Ruth Eckerd Hall: $29.50-$50
Rod Stewart -- Rod Stewart is a pop music perennial with his charmingly jagged vocals, lively stage shows and decades of hits. June 27, Ice Palace: $35.25-$125.25
Depeche Mode -- Synth pop pioneer act Depeche Mode has for two decades been churning out dance club hits and moody tunes. July 8, Ice Palace: $35.75-$59.75
Natalie MacMaster -- Fiddler Natalie MacMaster plays traditional Celtic music with an understated, elegant touch. July 13, Tampa Theatre: $21
Ozzfest 2001 withOzzy Osborne, Black Sabbath, Marilyn Manson, Papa Roach, Slipknot, others -- You can't get any more metal than Black Sabbath. This bill includes a slew of bands that kneel at the feet of Ozzy and his maverick metal comrades. July 14, Zephyrhills Festival Park: $55-$65
Joe Satriani,Steve Vai andJohn Petrucci -- Guitar lovers, take note: This tour features the rock virtuosos who make jaws drop as their fingers freak on the frets. July 20, Ruth Eckerd Hall: $35.50-$75
Aaron Carter, Leslie Carter, A*Teens -- Two, two -- two Carters on one bill. Aaron and Leslie -- siblings of Backstreet's Nick -- make cute kiddy hip hop and pop, respectively. The A*Teens, from Sweden, recorded an album of modernized Abba classics. July 21, USF Sun Dome: $27.50
Dave Matthews Band -- The world's most beloved jam band, Matthews and friends combine nicely crafted pop with interesting noodling for a fresh sound that tops charts and sells, even if it doesn't always dazzle the critics. July 23, Ice Palace: $45.25
Vans Warped Tour with311, Rancid, Pennywise, Alien Ant Farm, Less Than Jake, more -- Some of alt-metal's most unruly acts make this Warped Tour live up to its name, again. July 29, USF Soccer Stadium: $20.24.
'N Sync -- The world still loves teen pop, and 'N Sync dominates the genre. July 31, Raymond James Stadium: $25.50-$65.50
Blink-182 -- Blink-182 is sticking to the successful Green Day-ish formula of snotty, fresh-faced punk filled with locker room yucks. Aug. 3, Ice Palace: $25
Mary-Chapin Carpenter with Steve Earle and the Dukes -- Carpenter is one of folk country's finest with beautifully written songs too good to make her huge in Nashville. Aug. 10, Ruth Eckerd Hall: $39.75-$60
Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band withSheila E, Ian Hunter, Howard Jones, more -- Leave it to former Beatles drummer, the affable Starr, to throw a party with such an odd assortment of friends, including dynamic percussionist Sheila E., former Mott the Hoople singer Hunter, 1980s synth freak Jones and others. Aug. 15, USF Sun Dome
Sugar Ray -- Sugar Ray scored big with Someday. The California band, fronted by heartthrob Mark McGrath, makes pop with catchy ska flourishes. Aug. 17, Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center: $32
MTV's TRL Tour withDestiny's Child, Nelly, Dream, others -- Can't get much hotter than Destiny's Child, the all-girl R&B trio whose recent album Survivor perches near the top of the charts. Beyonce and the ladies are joined by rapper Nelly and upstarts Dream, an all-girl singing group guided by Puffy, Piddy, or whatever he calls himself nowadays. Aug. 18, Ice Palace
Sade with India.Arie -- Smooth Operator chanteuse Sade released an impeccable album last winter. She's joined by up-and-coming R&B singer India.Arie, whose debut, Acoustic Soul, is making a splash. Aug. 30, Ice Palace: TICKET PRICE?
Olivia Newton-John -- She's the one that you want still, admit it. Livvy continues to delight fans with her warm delivery and comfy stage presence. Sept. 8, Ruth Eckerd Hall: $49.75-$59.75
Digital Underground -- One of rap's most innovative acts from the early 1990s, Digital Underground, when it wasn't getting folks do the Humpty dance, was making their ears perk up and their brains cook. Sept. 9, Ice Palace TICKET PRICE?
Janet Jackson -- Janet Jackson is a divorced, determined diva. All for You, her latest, and the first since her marriage crumbled last year, is filled with smutty mischief and sexy, sexy beats. Sept. 11, Ice Palace TICKET PRICE?
Tours coming to Florida, but not currently scheduled for the Tampa Bay area
Erykah Badu -- Erykah Badu has shaved her head and removed the funky Q-Tip headpiece. Perhaps the very brightest light in contemporary R&B, Badu sings with conviction, pride and downright steamy sensuality. Well worth the trip. Saturday, Hard Rock Live, Orlando: $44.50-$48.50
Wotapalava Tour withPet Shop Boys, Sinead O'Connor, Rufus Wainwright, others -- A joyfully eclectic tour featuring synth dance pop innovators Pet Shop Boys -- much better live than most others in the genre -- and the ever ponderous O'Connor, who writes darn good songs when she isn't grabbing headlines for erratic behavior. Wainwright, son of Loudon III, nephew of Kate and Anna McGarrigle, is the latest in the family to win acclaim for stellar songwriting, though his is delightful cabaret-drenched pop. July 13, Bayfront Park, Miami: $41-$46
Madonna -- It's Madonna's world. We just live in it. Don't even try to get tickets to any of these shows. You were too late before they even went on sale. How does Maddy do it, two decades later? How? Aug. 14-15, National Car Rental Center, Miami: SOLD OUT
Aerosmith -- One of rock 'n' roll's most enduring acts, Aerosmith keeps it going almost three decades into its career and still doesn't stink. In fact, Jaded, the band's recent single, kind of rocks. Sept. 23, Mars Music Amphitheater, West Palm Beach: $30-$80