Summerland Tour at Bethel Woods

Have you heard of the Summerland Tour yet?   I’d been vaguely aware of it’s existence for some time; essentially it’s a group of quintessential 90’s musicians going on tour together.  I remember someone telling me about excitedly, how it would basically be the soundtrack to my 5th and 6th grade years, but that tickets cost upwards of $80.00.  I love nostalgia, but with all the other stuff I have going on this summer, I wasn’t prepared to shell out that much.

Last weekend I was home for a friend’s housewarming keg race (and yes, if you were thinking it, the answer is everyone there was probably too old for a keg race, but it was great fun).  One of my good college friends (who also may be one of the funnest people I know) expressed interest in the Summerland Tour and said we should get a group to go.  I told him the same bs I was spewing in the above paragraph: I have too much going on; I don’t want to spend my money on that, etc, etc.  He one upped me by explaining that there was a show on Friday, July 20 in Bethel, New York with lawn seats on sale for $29.00 Individually or $60.00 for a four pack.  That, I was able to get behind. Furthermore, he was thinking (and is now in the process of putting together) a bus trip from our home town (good old Forest City, PA) to the concert.  As he put it, “the bus is probably more fun than a DUI,” and depending on the amount of people he gets, will only cost around $20.00 a person.  I have no idea how he is setting up said bus trip, but will ask him to share next time we’re together and try and devote a post to that.

Bethel New York is about an hour and ten minutes north of Scranton in Clinton County, New York and is significant in that it’s the location of the original Woodstock in 1969.  Bethel Woods houses a concert venue, Woodstock Museum, and monuments depicting various important events at the concert.  Unfortunately, we won’t have time to explore Bethel Wood’s campus or the town.  We plan on tailgaiting, attending the concert, and then shipping out after, hopefully with a stop at my all time favorite upstate New York bar, Cedar Rapids ( I haven’t posted on the magic of Cedar Rapids yet, but will hopefully will be doing so within the week).  the following post will devoted to the town of Bethel for those of you who might want to make a weekend out of it.

Now, to the actual lineup.   The concert features Lit, Everclear, Sugar Ray, Gin Blossoms and Marcy Playground.  It’s a roadtrip back to 5th and 6th grade dances.  I hope some awkward-straight-armed-bodies-not-touching-slow dancing happens.  And since some of these bands are pretty much one hit wonders (looking at you Marcy Playground) I doubt with a 7:30 PM open, that each band will be playing too long (although I wouldn’t mind if Everclear and Gin Blossoms did).

Below is a write up from the Bethel Woods website that could better explain the concept than I could, followed by a sampling of what you’ll hear at the concert, for those of you with no long term memory.  Tell me if it doesn’t make you want to bust out your walkman.

After Everclear’s Sparkle and Fade album was certified platinum, the band went on to continue solidifying their place in rock with hit after hit. Although Sugar Ray had early hopes of breaking through a hard rock act, the band found overwhelming success with its slower, catchier melodies like “Fly.” Lit’s “My Own Worst Enemy,” Marcy Playground’s “Sex And Candy” and Gin Blossoms “Hey Jealousy” are still spun in regular rotation today at alternative rock radio.
The bands have announced a tour that promises to be one of the summer’s most energetic and nostalgic. With tons of smash hit songs and millions and millions of albums sold between them, the five bands comprising this year’s Summerland are still a constant presence on the airwaves across the country and represent a true value for concert fans.

 LIT- Lit’s most popular song (and the only song I recognized by name from their Wikipedia page) is “My Own Worst Enemy.  If you’re wondering where you’ve heard it before, it was in American Pie.

MARCY PLAYGROUND- Like Lit, the only song I know by Marcy Playground is “Sex and Candy.”  I remember listening to this repeat on my brand new copy of NOW (make you feel old fact: they are now on NOW 34).

GIN BLOSSOMS:  I’m including two Gin Blossoms songs, “Hey Jealousy”, and “Follow You Down.”  I’d actually go see the Gin Blossoms for their music, as opposed to the nostalia/humor factor most of the other acts have.

 SUGAR RAY – Sugar Ray sings “Every Morning” (seen below), “Someday”, and “I Just Wanna Fly.”

Everclear – Everclear sings every song from your elementary school years that you’ve never knew the artist of.