Selena Gomez, Huey Lewis & The News, Band of Horses, Lykke Li, Neko Case, The National, Sharon Van Etten

I’ve been buying tickets like a crazy person for the past two months in preparation for all of the great shows happening this summer! In the past I haven’t cared too much about going to concerts; tickets always seemed too expensive (and I still definitely feel this is the case for the likes of Britney Spears and Lady Gaga). But now that I’ve been listening to more alternative and indie-rock type music, I’ve really enjoyed going to shows to see my favorite bands like Band of Horses. This summer I have so many shows lined up, I can’t wait to see them!

• Jul 24 – Selena Gomez & The Scene at the Orange County Fairgrounds – OK this one is a little embarrassing, but I can’t wait! I love Selena Gomez! I think she’s really cute and I like her songs. I’m not above listening to pop music and she’s one of my favorites. I’m taking a couple of my tween cousins with me and I think they’ll really enjoy it. Her new album comes out Jun 28. Visit her website to see her latest music video for “Who Says.”
• Aug 3 – Lykke Li at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles – I was a fan of Lykke Li’s “Little Bit” EP and she recently released a new album, Wounded Rhymes. I’m loving “Sadness is a Blessing” so far. My brother and I are going to this show together, we saw Band of Horses at the Greek last year, too. Great Venue.
• Aug 7 – Huey Lewis & the News at the Orange County Fairgrounds – Another embarrassing one! But my Dad said he wanted to see Huey Lewis, so I bought him tickets for his birthday. My mom, brother and I are going to go, too. Hey, it’s hip to be square! They had a new album, Soulsville come out last year, so I imagine this tour is to promote that.
• Sep 8 – Band of Horses and Kings of Leon at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine, CA – Apparently Band of Horses is opening for Kings of Leon during their tour this summer, so my brother and I are going to go see them. I couldn’t really care less about KOL, but my brother likes them, so we’ll go together (Are you sensing a trend? I go to basically all my shows with him!). It helps that this show is pretty much in my brother’s backyard, so we won’t have to travel too far. Tickets haven’t gone on sale yet, but I’ll be all over them when they do! I haven’t been to this venue yet, so I’m pretty excited.
• Sep 11 – Neko Case, The National and Sharon Van Etten at the Hollywood Bowl – The show that started them all! This was the first one I bought tickets for. I am pretty much obsessed with Neko Case since I started listening to her Middle Cyclone album about a year or two ago. She hasn’t been touring much lately, so when I saw this come up (I think on her Twitter?) I pounced on it. It helps that my brother likes The National (I think they’re OK) so he agreed to go with me. I started listening to Sharon Van Etten’s albums today so I can get a feel for what she’s about; I’ve never heard of her. I haven’t been to this venue either and it’s very famous, so I can’t wait!

I’m really excited! I’m trying not to look at any other shows to go to (definitely not thinking about seeing Bob Dylan or The Weepies at the Troubador at all) since I’ve spent enough so far but… never say never!