I've spent a lot of time recently talking to some of my younger students (late teens to early twenties) about today's music, students who share my distaste for most of it. The fact that they do so makes me feel like less of a grumpy old man of the "back in my day..." sort. Wait, let me amend that slightly: I feel less grumpy, but just as old. So much of the music that made me who I am today is now classified as "classic rock" or "oldies." And that makes sense: Regardless of how exactly you define "classic," the music I was listening to my senior year of high school is now 20 years old. For some people, "their" music is the only music, and anything that comes after it is worthless. To be honest, I think "my" music is better than 90% of what's on the radio right now, but I don't just dismiss it out of hand. I do, however, find myself measuring it against the music of my era, the mid to late ‘90s. I've written a decent amount about live music - and ‘90s music - for this blog, and if you've read any of my earlier posts, you know how much I enjoy it. It should come as no surprise, then, that I'm writing about the Summerland Tour, coming to Headwaters Park in Fort Wayne on Saturday, July 11, 2015, as part of the Three Rivers Festival. 

Everclear's "Father of Mine," The Toadies' "Possum Kingdom," Fuel's "Shimmer," American Hi-Fi's "Flavor of the Weak" - all staples of alternative radio and any ‘90s* playlist worth its salt. Of the bands on the Summerland Tour, I've only seen Fuel before - it was March 2001, and I was about as sick as I've ever been in my life. But even through a flu-induced fog, I remember how great Fuel was live. I'm stoked to see them again, healthy this time (fingers crossed), and the other bands for the first time. A warning: If you see a crazy man jumping up and down during "Possum Kingdom," stay away from him - it will be me, and I will be thinking about starting a mosh pit. Fact: As I was writing this, I took a break to rock out to "Possum Kingdom," air guitar-style. Seriously. Such a great song. 

There are few things better than live rock music outside on a warm Saturday night, especially during the Three Rivers Festival. Tickets are only $20 ($5 a band, people, is a steal). Don't miss out on what is sure to be one of the best nights of this Summit City summer. The gates will open at 5:00 p.m. for a 7:00 p.m. showtime. Tickets are available at www.ticketmaster.com.  

You can also WIN TICKETS here!

^*Although American Hi-Fi's debut album wasn't released until 2001, the band formed in 1998.