summer music festivals | Blackfire Research

On Saturday July 22, the hugely successful and highly acclaimed hip-hop duo, Run the Jewels, are taking the stage at San Francisco’s Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. In the wake of their third album, “Run the Jewels 3,” they’ve been selling out venues and headlining summer music festivals. With their political lyrics, they’re widely viewed as the future of hip-hop. For ticket information, click here.

On Sunday July 30, legendary folk rock singer, Neil Diamond, will be performing at San Jose’s SAP Center as part of his 50th Anniversary World Tour. Presented by Live Nation, the world tour is in celebration of the artist’s astonishing career: from selling over 125 million albums worldwide, to multiple Grammy wins and being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Neil Diamond and his music has helped shape the American landscape over the past half century. For more information, check out this link.

The Band Perry will be coming to the Bay Area and performing at two different outdoor venues this summer. The first, at Mountain Winery in Saratoga on Tuesday August 1st; and the second, at Wente Vineyards in Livermore on August 3rd. Both venues will serve as a perfect background for an evening with the unstoppable pop-country trio. Their popularity and massive industry success leaves other country stars shaking in their cowboy boots.

At the Oracle Arena in Oakland on Friday August 4th, the most talented and sought-after rapper in the business, Kendrick Lamar, will be gracing the stage to what is sure to be a spectacular night of hip-hop. Lamar is coming to the Bay as part of THE DAMN. TOUR, celebrating his latest album, which went straight to No. 1 and was certified platinum. For more ticket information, click here. And check out my review of DAMN. here.

Finally, Hans Zimmer, the Academy Award winning composer behind over 150 film scores including “The Lion King,” “The Dark Knight,” “The Pirates of the Caribbean” series and “Inception” has been on tour this year. To the surprise and delight of many music and movie fans, he was even a headliner this year at the largest summer music festival, Coachella. Now, Zimmer is scheduled to take on the Greek Theatre in Berkeley on Wednesday, August 9th. Get your tickets now before they sell out! And don’t forget to bring some popcorn.

What concerts or events are you most excited for in July and August? Comment below!

Since their debut in 1983, The Flaming Lips have been a constant staple in the world of music. With a career spanning over 30 years, releasing new albums every few years, and having their hands in a multitude of side projects, collaborations with other artists, and performing as headliners in summer music festivals, The Flaming Lips have never not been relevant. Now, with their fourteenth studio album, Oczy Mlody, The Flaming Lips settle into a newer ambient style, one they experimented with on their last studio album, The Terror. “Oczy Mlody” is a phrase borrowed from Polish and translates to “eyes of the young.” The album features a psychedelic sound married with a childlike sense of wonder, with songs like “There Should Be Unicorns” and “One Night While Hunting For Faeries and Witches and Wizards to Kill. (Think: Lisa Frank meets Alice in Wonderland, aesthetically.) Featured Music Friday is brought to you by Blackfire Research.

Bay Area Concert Buzz: July-August

Music Review: The Flaming Lips, “Oczy Mlody”