Summer concerts: hot as the temp?

By Jessie Holeva
August 28, 2008

Megan Pellegrino

Jack Johnson

The crowd swooned to the mellow tunes as Johnson gently caressed the ear at his summer show in Camden, New Jersey.

A surf pro before breaking into music, the Hawaii native isn’t one for touring, especially to East Coast locations without roaring waves. Luckily, Johnson made two of his summer tour dates within driving distance of Cabrini College.

Johnson played an array of music. Stuff from his work on the “Curious George Soundtrack” to his new album “Sleep Through The Static” made up the set list. The sold-out show had listeners buying affordable organic cotton tee-shirts and reading up on helping the environment.

Going Green is big for Johnson. His album cover is from recycled paper and even the studio he records in uses solar energy.

Dave Matthews Band

The smoke-filled outdoor venue brought hippies, rockers and beat nicks alike to sway in barefoot music harmony. As usual, DMB did not disappoint and this reporter was fortunate enough to see the performance of lifetime before the legendary saxophonist player, Leroi Moore, passed away.

The lawn felt psychedelic as Dave Matthews played crowd favorites like American Baby and Ants Marching. Girls in flowing summer dresses danced as guys swayed to the enchanting melody.

The fun summer love vibe continued into the parking lot post-show. Cars stayed parked with windows open and music blasting. DMB fanatics sat on car hoods and strummed guitars in joint fashion with other wannabe musicians that they had never crossed path with before.

All in all, the Dave Matthews show gave off the bra burning, free love mantra it’s legendary for.

Cheap Trick, Heart and Journey

A blast of classic rock couldn’t get any better than these three legendary acts. With Cheap Trick hitting the stage first, it was a night bound for rock and roll bliss. “I want you to want me” revved up the crowd and Heart kept up the energy. Their ballads were right on and these older women’s stage presence was insane.

Then it was what everyone was waiting for, Journey. With classic hits like “Don’t Stop Believing,” the audience was wooed which was a major relief for patron fans. Journey’s new lead singer, a Philippino long-haired dude, had fans hypnotized and singing every word to the band’s bigger hits.

If well worn records are your fancy, then this show was where it was at. Sure, none of these bands played new songs, but their older stuff is legendary and still draws a huge crowd.

Sara Bareilles, Maroon Five and Counting Crows

Bareilles sang her heart out with hits like “Love Song” and “Bottle It Up” to open the show. This was her second gig of the day, since this tour includes Bareilles doing mall shows before taking the stage as an opening act.

Counting Crows dual headlined with Maroon 5 but these two acts were on completely different levels. Counting Crows took the Scranton Stage and bombed their few fan favorite hits like “Mr. Jones” and “Accidentally In Love.” The lead singer, Adam Duritz, hobbled around with a cane. He supposedly got hurt the night before which was the opening tour date. This didn’t stop Duritz from pretending to care about his stage presence and he attempted lame jumps only so he could get audience’s sympathy for his injury. This was also attempted via excessive cane waving.

Maroon 5, however, knew how to blow away the crowd. Adam Levine, the group front-man, wore all white and shook his body that was reminiscent of Justin Timberlake, minus the super choreographed mantra. His pumped up pull grabbed audience members out of their seats and on their feet. Dancing to every song was the norm.

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Jessie Holeva

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