The Festival Circuit
Wakarusa
Jam fans will want to pick up a four-day pass ($139) to the third-annual Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival. Anyone else should figure out which one or two bands to see, buy a day pass ($49 or $59 at press time) and consider whatever else you run into that day a bonus. Unlike Bonnaroo, which has gone even more mainstream (Radiohead, Tom Petty, Beck, among dozens of other heavyweights), the Clinton Lake Park hoedown brings a lineup of 70-plus bands that no hippie worth her hemp would scoff at (Les Claypool, Gov’t Mule, Sound Tribe Sector 9). Not to worry — there’s plenty of country, bluegrass and grown-up pop to appeal to the day-tripping masses, many of whom will want to check out the Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven shows early on Saturday and the Flaming Lips set at 10:30 that night. See www.wakarusa.com for information.
Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival. Thursday, June 8, through Sunday, June 11, at Clinton Lake State Park.
Rockfest
Once again, Ozzfest has given us the shaft. A month ago, the festival was scheduled to hit Verizon on July 14. Now, it seems the tour has been rerouted away from the clutches of our black-varnished nails. Our hope for heaviness this summer rests on the shoulders of the people at KQRC 98.9 (the Rock), who bring Rockfest 2006 to Liberty Memorial on June 10. The rock arrives on two stages under the flaming monument, with Staind headlining the main stage and Buckcherry on the lower stoop. The event kicks off at noon, with locals Federation of Horsepower revving up at 1 — oh, and we nearly forgot, Candlebox plays at 5 (might be a good time to catch a few winks). Tickets available at www.rockfestkc.com.
Rockfest. Saturday, June 10, at Liberty Memorial.
Warped Tour
Vans Warped Tour ’06, presented by Cingular and taking place at Verizon, with sponsors including Myspace, Playstation, Hot Topic, and Wrigley’s Winterfresh chewing gum, is all about the rock. And that’s just what you’ll find — if you aren’t blinded by the sheer amount of corporate logos — in the form of appearances by veteran heroes like Helmet, the Buzzcocks and Joan Jett, plus the usual round of sugar-rush pop-punk and hardcore outfits like Motion City Soundtrack and Thursday. Tickets available through Ticketmaster. Money goes to a good cause.
Vans Warped Tour. Monday, June 19, at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater.
Red White & Boom
Poor Nick Lachey. He stuck out his marriage to one of the most grating female celebrities in the country for three years, only to have the whole thing fall apart at his feet. Now he’s pushing a sad-sack album about the whole mess called What’s Left of Me. Does Lachey want to become the great American pussman? Perhaps our badass homegirl (and concert headliner, surprise, surprise) Pink can knock some sense into him at this bash sponsored by KMXV 93.3 (the Mix). Hit www.mix93.com for details.
Red White & Boom. Saturday, July 1, at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater.
Buzz Beach Ball
Leave it to the Buzz (KRBZ 96.5) to set up the summer’s oddest one-day concert fest. These guys are masters at lassoing out of retirement classic groups we never thought we’d see live, such as the Violent Femmes, the Psychedelic Furs and now Soul Asylum. What next, karaoke with Steve Guttenberg and Bronson Pinchot? Extra treats here include dancetastic Morningwood, the piledriving Eagles of Death Metal, Elefant and Britpopsters People in Planes. Dashboard Confessional will be there, too, for all your emo needs.
Buzz Beach Ball. Saturday, July 29, at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater.
Bleeding Kansas
Just before Kansas entered the union as a free state, acts of violence proliferated among people who disagreed over slavery and the future of the state. Kansas was bleeding, baby. In August, Eleven Productions brings a bloody good festival featuring Death Cab for Cutie, Broken Social Scene, Mates of State, Murder by Death, Boy Kill Boy and other as-yet unannounced acts.
Bleeding Kansas. Sat., Aug. 5, at Burcham Park in Lawrence.
