ROAD WARRIORS

This month's hottest shows

Hippiefest (08/08/08 Chastain Park Amphitheatre)

JD Hard to see why they are calling this rolling oldies gig “Hippiefest”, given that the hippie movement has been absent for nearly four decades. If that’s not enough, the acts involved-Badfinger, The Animals, Cream’s Jack Bruce, The Turtles, and a few other inconsequentials-hardly typify the ‘60s hippie crowd. But if every compilation show like this needs a marketing angle, then perhaps working the nostalgia angle is the only way to sell tickets.

Gipsy Kings (08/09/08 Chastain Park Amphitheatre)

JD For three decades, the Gipsy Kings have plied flamenco guitars and world rhythms into a fusion of jazzy pop/rock and become a worldwide draw along the way. There are few acts so perfectly built for a show under the stars at Chastain, what with the soothing pulse of new age and just enough volume to make everyone feel sophisticated and slightly hip at the same time.

Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival(08/12/08 Lakewood Amphitheatre)

JD Headliners like Mastodon and Slipknot will be the big draw, but the rest of the supporters (36 Crazy Fists, Airbourne, Black Tide, Disturbed, Dragonforce, Five Finger Death Punch) correctly peg this festival to its namesake. Expect a lot of energy, underage drinking, and a requisite amount of parent-free anarchy on a long, hot August day. Rockstar Energy drink promises to only add to the excitement.

The Beach Boys (08/13/08 Chastain Park Amphitheatre)

JD Hardly any of them are boys, let alone original members, let alone the key members. But Mike Love and his gang of hired guns perpetuate the endless summer anyway, robbing much of the Beach Boys’ innocence and craft along the way. Sure, it’s the way of the business and this carnival has been kind of pitiful for almost two decades now-that’s right, twenty years of fake Beach Boys-but maybe you don’t care because the songs are still pretty great.

Jack Johnson (08/13/08 Lakewood Amphitheatre)

JD This is the most surprising lineup in recent memory, a middle of the road pop act like Jack Johnson letting two relatively obscure indie acts open him up. Rogue Wave’s fragmented rock sound seems ill fit for a shed show, and Neil Halstead’s best days (as ace in ‘90s shoegazer act Slowdive, then in the countrified Mojave 3) are kind of behind him. Still, if the jam-band kids can be converted, Jack Johnson can rightfully take credit.

Blues Traveler (08/17/08 Chastain Park Amphitheatre)

JD Blues Traveler were a huge act in the mid-1990s, a touring band that hit it long and hard until they found radio success and nearly lost lead singer John Popper to heart disease. Local heroes Collective Soul quietly made a few solid albums and sold millions worldwide, then kind of disappeared with Napster. As for Live, the political preening onstage got the best of them right around the time they ran out of good songs. This is a nice nostalgia show, but little more.

Melvins (08/17/08 Drunken Unicorn)

JD The Melvins came up in the late ‘80s Seattle scene and never caught the grunge gravy train despite being mentioned endlessly by Nirvana and everyone else with a record deal. That’s because the Melvins are a heavy act that hasn’t compromised their art over the space of two decades, and while the songs are always a bit over the top, the band has been able to survive. A legend, if only a small one.

Jonas Brothers( 08/20/08 Lakewood Amphitheatre)

JD As the Disneyfication of the music business continues to slip to new lows, it may be time to reassess the value of a guilty pleasure. No one should feel guilty listening to something that they like, but at some point don’t original ideas carry some weight? When does talent-yes, they can play their instruments and sing with the tutelage of a good producer-reign supreme once again?

My Morning Jacket (08/27/08 Fox Theatre)

JD My Morning Jacket has quite easily survived both the departure of their founding guitarist/keyboard player and moving to a big record label. But as the band and recent audiences will attest, MMJ’s relentless musical curiosity has been getting the best of them on the past couple of albums, threatening a lot of goodwill without taking fans to a new level of appreciation. Here’s to hoping that the new songs sound way better from the stage.

The Regeneration Tour (08/29/08 Chastain Park Amphitheatre)

JD As early Generation X continues to grow nostalgic for its youth, its musical references continue to resurface and go for a victory lap. This tour is a collection of acts that were barely famous back in the ‘80s, including the Human League, ABC and A Flock of Seagulls. Their fame was largely linked to a couple of key singles and little else, so having five bands jump onstage and work six songs deep into their catalogs might be the best strategy if you’re willing to wait around and watch the roadies change equipment an equal number of times.

As early Generation X continues to grow nostalgic for its youth, its musical references continue to resurface and go for a victory lap. This tour is a collection of acts that were barely famous back in the ‘80s, including the Human League, ABC and A Flock of Seagulls. Their fame was largely linked to a couple of key singles and little else, so having five bands jump onstage and work six songs deep into their catalogs might be the best strategy if you’re willing to wait around and watch the roadies change equipment an equal number of times.