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It's going to be a rock 'n' roll summer

A wave of high-mileage acts are set to play the Bay area's top venues.

Tribune file photo

Legendary musicians David Crosby, Steven Stills, Graham Nash and Neil Young are still on the road and will stop in the Tampa Bay area this summer (minus Young).

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By CURTIS ROSS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 18, 2009

My my, hey hey / Rock 'n' roll is here to stay, sang Neil Young in 1979, and even Neil probably didn't know how right he was.

A look at the concert calendar and you might think it was 1979: Lynyrd Skynyrd, Boz Scaggs, Aerosmith, ZZ Top, Cheap Trick, Judas Priest and Crosby, Stills & Nash all have shows scheduled in the Tampa area this summer.

Other performers headed our way are a bit newer; Pat Benatar, Def Leppard, the B-52s, U2 and Depeche Mode either had just released their debut albums that year or would do so in the next year or two.

You could explore this phenomenon from any number of angles but the simple fact is older acts put fans in the seats.

They may find new ways of doing it — Aerosmith is touring in support not of a new album but to promote the "Guitar Hero: Aerosmith" video game.

But it's the old hits fans mostly want to hear, and to that end Aerosmith is performing the entire "Toys in the Attic" album on this summer's tour, while Judas Priest will do the same with its "British Steel" long-player.

So squeeze into that raglan-sleeve Van Halen T-shirt, flick your Bic and try to forget that tickets cost 10 to 20 times what they did 30 years ago. Rock 'n' roll is here to stay, as long as you're willing to pay.

Kid Rock and Lynyrd Skynyrd
June 27, Ford Amphitheatre
Kid Rock is a classic rocker born out of his time, so his pairing with the "Free Bird" boys is a natural. Only guitarist Gary Rossington remains from the classic Skynyrd lineup(s) of the '70s.
• Ticket information


Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo
June 27, Tropicana Field
So which Benatar tune will sum up the Rays-Marlins game (the concert is free with your baseball ticket) – "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" or "Heartbreaker"?
• Ticket information


Michael McDonald and Boz Scaggs
July 2, Ruth Eckerd Hall
Slick Caucasian soul from the voices behind "What a Fool Believes" and "Lowdown," respectively.
• Ticket information


Aerosmith with ZZ Top
July 11, Ford Amphitheatre
That little old band with the awe-inspiring beards should give the headliners a run for their money.
• Ticket information


Green Day with Kaiser Chiefs
Aug. 3, The Forum
Green Day's a little younger than the other bands on this list, but it formed more than 20 years ago and it's destined to be mentioned alongside the classic rock greats.
• Ticket information


Def Leppard with Poison, Cheap Trick
Aug. 14, Ford Amphitheatre
In a perfect world, Cheap Trick would be headlining. In a perfect world, Poison wouldn't be at all. In the real world, Def Leppard tapes a TV special with Taylor Swift. Life is a mystery.
• Ticket information


The B-52s
Aug. 15, Tropicana Field
Dancing this mess around will be strongly encouraged. The concert is free with your Rays ticket.
• Ticket information


Judas Priest with Whitesnake
Aug. 16, The Forum
It's not exactly "Breaking the Law," but bringing Whitesnake out of mothballs surely violates some civic code or another.
• Ticket information


Crosby, Stills & Nash
Aug. 22, Ruth Eckerd Hall
The Woodstock veterans are back for yet another round of summer shows.
• Ticket information


Depeche Mode
Sept. 4, Ford Amphitheatre
A year shy of its 30th anniversary, the sin-and-synth outfit has released another strong album, this year's "Sounds of the Universe."
• Ticket information


Metallica
Oct. 3, The Forum
Metallica returned to its classic sound on last year's "Death Magnetic." Hopefully the set list will forget "St. Anger" ever happened.
• Ticket information


U2 with Muse
Oct. 9, Raymond James Stadium
U2 may be the only band in rock that was scaling back by playing 20,000-seaters on recent tours. This one returns them to the stadia of "The Joshua Tree" and "Zoo TV" days.
• Ticket information

And for you kids...

In most cases, these shows feature acts that aren't as iconic (read: old) but still can draw a crowd:

JUNE

JULY

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

Pop music writer Curtis Ross can be reached at (813) 259-7568.

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