Upcoming Concerts I Plan To Attend

Typically, I will not attend my first concert of the year until the weather is much warmer and there is zero chance for snow in the forecast. This year however, concert season is coming a little earlier for me. The reason for the early arrival is that Mrs. Vie and I have tickets to see one of our favorite live acts, Nickleback, on Valentine’s Day. We felt it was the perfect way to celebrate the day. And with that show right around the corner, I thought it would be a good time for me to figure out which other performances I will be attending this year.

 Caveat – I am trying to attend less concerts this year than I have in years past, due to financial constraints. But as the days wear on and more and more concerts are announced, I see myself bending that self imposed rule rather quickly. I’ll be sure to provide an update to this post as additional shows are added to my 2015 list. Here’s what I have, or expect to have for now.

Nickleback at PPL Center in Allentown, PA

As mentioned above, my wife and I will be attending this show. This will be the 4^th time that I am seeing Nickleback in concert and the first since they toured behind Dark Horse. From the first time I saw this band in concert I have loved them live and I have never been disappointed by their performance. I suspect that Valentine’s Day will be no exception.

Sixx: AM at Starland Ballroom, NJ

Metal Eddie caught me via text recently and inquired if I wanted to see this show. I haven’t seen Sixx:AM since Cruefest back in 2008, so I felt that it was time to check out the band live again. Of course this means that I will have to spend money on their new CD prior to the show. Man, why can’t bands just give me everything for free at this point? I give them enough coverage!

M3 Metal Festival at Merriweather Post Pavilion, MD

Kix! Europe! Quiet Riot! Warrant! Queensryche! Yes, the annual metal festival returns once again. This will be my sixth year in a row travelling to Baltimore to hang out with my good buddy Rob Rockitt and enjoy some of the greatest 80s metal music around. All over the course of 2 fabulous days in May! Horns out….rock on!

Dave Matthews Band at PNC Bank Arts Center, NJ

This is a definite must. Anytime the mighty Dave Matthews Band performs within 90 minutes of my house, I have to see them. I will be on the lawn for another wonderful summer night to enjoy one of my all time favorites in concert. Where I am torn is that the band is playing in CT two nights later. It’s a Friday night show and it is only a 3 hour drive for me to get there. I really want to go to that concert too, but I am conflicted, because the cost of the show, plus travel, plus hotel for the night adds up fast! And if I go to CT, the next night DMB plays in MA, and that’s only 90 minutes from CT… Stay tuned for updates on what I do regarding these extra shows.

Rush at Prudential Center, NJ

My uncle doesn’t own a country place, but he is a big fan of Rush. He reached out to me regarding attending this show and had the opportunity to purchase pre-sale tickets. Knowing how incredible Rush is in concert, I didn’t even need to give it a second thought. Okay, that’s a slight lie. I did ask my wife to validate that I could justify attending this concert. She did and told me I had to go, its family. I love my wife.

O.A.R. at TBD

While they haven’t yet announced tour dates for 2015, O.A.R. seems to be on the road every summer, and I would believe that this year would be no exception. And seeing as how I am a big fan of this band, I find no reason why I wouldn’t attend one of their shows, especially if it is a summer show at PNC on a Saturday night, as it has been for the past few years. So even though this is not official, due to no announcements having been made, I am pretty certain that I will be taking in another wonderful night of O.A.R.

AC/DC at TBD

The rumors are flying that AC/DC is on the verge of announcing their world tour and that Chris Slade will be their drummer for this tour. Remember him? He performed on The Razor’s Edge album and was with the band for 5 years. He was actually with the band when I attended my first concert ever (http://rockandrollguru.blogspot.com/2009/01/acdc-november-11-1990_17.html). AC/DC doesn’t come around too often, so needless to say, the second this tour is announced and a local date has been declared, I am in.

So even though I am trying to attend fewer concerts in 2015, I still have quite the slate of shows listed. However, I did skip out on U2 at The Garden, although I really wanted to see at least one of those. And, I am foregoing Billy Joel at The Garden this year, even though his last performance was amazing. I also skipped out on Extreme at the Bergen PAC, I’m skipping Kix at The Bergen PAC, and I opted to be a no for Foo Fighters at Citi Field. While 7 concerts may appear to be a lot for 2015, it could have been almost double that. I say good for me!!! And I still say bands just let me come to their shows for free…. *SIGH*

UPDATES: 
The AC/DC concert is official. They will be performing at Met Life Stadium in August, and I will be attending that show. O.A.R. will be at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey. I will also be at that show. I also plan to see Guster in July in Bethlehem, PA. And I have tickets for Def Leppard/Styx/Tesla at the PNC Bank Arts Center. That brings my total concerts for the year up to 9. And I still may see Twisted Sister in June.... expect more updates as they arrive.