Our annual summer festival round-up

By Andy Argyrakis

There are plenty of good summer concert festivals to look forward to. This year has no shortage of several massive concert extravaganzas, from usual suspects like alternative rock’s Lollapalooza and the jam-band friendly Bonnaroo, to the soul-centered Essence, the fist pumping Verge and the annual pop/punk powerhouse known as the Warped Tour. Here’s the latest on each, plus other fan favorites you can find happening across America.

All Good Festival
When: July 8-11
Where: Masontown, WV
Who: Catch plenty of jams as Further (featuring Phil Lesh & Bob Weir), Widespread Panic, Umphrey’s McGee and the Yonder Mountain String Band play the incense-splashed festival.
Web: allgoodfestival.com

Bonnaroo
When: June 10-13
Where: Manchester, TN
Who: Recurring favorites like Dave Matthews and Kings of Leon team with Stevie Wonder, Jay-Z and even comic Conan O’Brien. The Flaming Lips will perform Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety. 
Web: bonnaroo.com

Essence Music Festival
When: July 2-4
Where: New Orleans, LA
Who: Catch the return of Janet (Ms. Jackson if you’re “Nasty”), alongside fellow soul sirens Mary J. Blige and Alicia Keys, plus retro rapper LL Cool J and funk favorites Earth, Wind & Fire.
Web: essencemusicfestival.com

Lollapalooza
When: August 6-8
Where: Chicago, IL
Who: Go “ga-ga-oh-la-la” over co-headliners Lady Gaga, Green Day and Soundgarden, plus an impressive under card featuring Arcade Fire, the Strokes, Phoenix, Hot Chip, MGMT, Social Distortion and the Black Keys.
Web: lollapalooza.com

Pitchfork
When: July 16-18
Where: Chicago, IL
Who: The Windy City’s other festival revolves around indie-minded artists such as Pavement, Modest Mouse, Broken Social Scene, LCD Soundsystem, St. Vincent, Wolf Parade and Liars.
Web: pitchforkmusicfestival.com

Summerfest
When: June 24-July 4
Where: Milwaukee, WI
Who: Dubbed the “world’s largest festival,” if features 11 stages full of 800 acts, including Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Tim McGraw, Eric Clapton, Usher, Rush and Carrie Underwood.
Web: summerfest.com

Verge Music Festival
When: June 4-5
Where: Milwaukee, WI
Who: Its inaugural year appears to be an alternative to the aforementioned Summerfest, featuring a louder line-up of acts (Weezer, AFI, Three Days Grace, Eagles of Death Metal and Cold War Kids).
Web: vergemusicfestival.com

Warped Tour
When: June 25-August 15
Where: Various cities
Who: Catch pretty much every old and new school punk band, including Anti-Flag, Dropkick Murphys, Everclear, Motion City Soundtrack, Reel Big Fish, Sum 41, The All-American Rejects and The Rocket Summer (to name a mere handful).
Web: warpedtour.com