Axl Rose, left, and Duff McKagan of Guns N’ Roses, seen here performing in 2014, will be joined by original guitarist Slash when the band’s Not in This Lifetime tour hits Orlando. PHOTO BY PAUL A. HEBERT/INVISION/AP/FILE
Summer is heating up, and so is the concert calendar.
On Saturday, Counting Crows and Rob Thomas play the MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre.
On Tuesday (July 26), the same Tampa venue hosts Gwen Stefani with maybe a surprise appearance by boyfriend Blake Shelton – hey, it could happen – and then on Wednesday the Dave Matthews Band will be jam-rocking the Amp. And that’s just a warmup for an even hotter month of live music.
We’ve got country stars, rock stars, and pop stars playing the region’s largest amphitheater and arenas, plus an exciting concert right here at Robarts.
Mark your calendar for the 10 biggest shows coming this way through August.
Guns N’ Roses with The Cult
July 29, Camping World Stadium, Orlando; $60-$250
For the millions of us who grew up cherishing cassette tapes of “Appetite For Destruction” there is not a bigger concert coming to Florida this summer. The Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan reunion is as epic and surprising as any rock reunion since, well, maybe ever. For the better part of the past two decades Slash and Rose told everyone who asked it was never gonna happen (Slash told me in 2007). Now here we are with the (almost) vintage lineup’s appropriately named Not in This Lifetime tour enjoying glowing reviews following Rose’s stint filling in for Sarasota’s own Brian Johnson as frontman for AC/DC .
Pitbull with Prince Royce
July 30, Amalie Arena, Tampa; $29.95-$124.95
Florida tourism officials made a smart move when they signed Pitbull as an official ambassador. The Miami rapper makes the kind of irrepressible party music that could only emanate from the land of spring breakers, strip clubs and South Beach. Just try not smiling while listing to songs like “Time of Our Lives,” “Timber,” or “Sexy Beaches,” which now has a video serving as an alluring four-minute advertisement for Florida.
Hank Williams Jr. with Chris Stapleton, and Holly Williams
Aug. 5, MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa; $23-$98
You really can’t call yourself a country music fan unless you know the words to Hank Williams Jr. anthems like “A Country Boy Can Survive,” “Family Tradition” and “Whiskey Bent and Hellbound.” One of the genre’s greatest singer-songwriters, Williams is also a skilled multi-instrumentalist and showman who has been throwing some of country music’s biggest parties now for over three decades. This show is extra special, though, thanks to opener Chris Stapleton, the recent Grammy-winning singer and songwriter with perhaps the richest voice of anyone in Nashville.
Blink-182 with A Day to Remember and The All-American Rejects
Aug. 6, MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa; $25-$99
Blink-182 pulled off one of the great rock comebacks this year with “California.” The pop-punk band’s first album in nearly five years and first with singer/guitarist Matt Skiba, from Alkaline Trio, replacing founding member Tom DeLonge, is not only the best Blink-182 album in 15 years, it’s one of the group’s most popular, hitting No. 1 on the Billboard 200 earlier this month.
Lead singer Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks waves after performing during a tribute concert to Billy Joel in 2014. The Dixie Chicks play Tampa on Aug. 19. AP PHOTO/CAROLYN KASTER
Brad Paisley with Tyler Farr, and Maddie & Tae
Aug. 12, MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa, $15-$54.75
Brad Paisley’s current single “Without a Fight,” a duet with pop star Demi Lovato, might not be the country star’s strongest release (actually, it’s kind of lame), but he’s still a favorite of ours for such past hits such as the recent “Perfect Storm,” and contemporary classics like “Mud on the Tires,” “American Saturday Night” and “Alcohol,” just to name a few. We’re also fans of Paisley’s sense of humor and serious guitar skills.
Travis Tritt with Corey Smith, and Luke Combs
Aug. 14, Robarts Arena, Sarasota; $20-$99
One of country music’s biggest stars for a decade starting in 1990, Tritt distinguished himself with a grittier sound steeped in 1970s Outlaw country and Southern rock. Expect rowdy sing-alongs and boot-stomping at Robarts when Tritt performs hits like “Country Club,” “The Whiskey Ain’t Workin’” and “T-R-O-U-B-L-E,” while ballads such as “Sometimes She Forgets,” “Anymore,” and “Best of Intentions” might just cause a tear in the beer.
Def Leppard with REO Speedwagon, and Tesla
Aug. 15, MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa; $18-$118
While 1981’s “High ’N’ Dry” is Def Leppard’s hard rock masterstroke, the poppier 1983 album “Pyromania” and its follow-up “Hysteria” are the ones that continue to make Def Leppard capable of filling 20,000-capacity amphitheaters like the one in Tampa. Because, really, it’s difficult not to get pumped when hearing Joe Elliott up there singing 1980s classics like “Photograph,” “Rock of Ages,” “Rocket” and “Pour Some Sugar On Me.” Fun fact: Opener REO Speedwagon’s 1981 hit single “Take It on the Run” is heavily sampled on the new Pitbull and Enrique Iglesias single “Messin’ Around.”
Dixie Chicks with Vintage Trouble, and Smooth Hound Smith
Aug. 19, MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa; $35-$129
Despite the divisiveness of another vicious presidential political season, it appears The Dixie Chicks, vilified for singer Natalie Maines’ anti-war comments in 2003, are ready to make nice. “We are the Dixie Chicks,” Maines said to appreciative crowd of 18,000-plus fans last week in California. “And we are going to attempt to entertain you.” Setlists show the Dixie Chicks have been doing just that with a fun mix of big hits — “Goodbye Earl,” “Wide Open Spaces,” “Long Time Gone” — and cool covers.
Brantley Gilbert with Justin Moore, and Colt Ford
Aug. 27, MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa; $25-$49.75
The singer-songwriter behind Jason Aldean’s “My Kinda Party” and “Dirt Road Anthem” (with show opener Colt Ford), Brantley Gilbert became a star with rock-influenced country party songs like “Bottoms Up,” “Kick it in the Sticks,” and “Small Town Thowdown,” which features Justin Moore (another show opener). Moore’s best known for the 2011 No. 1 hit ballad “If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away.”
Drake with Future
Aug. 27, Amalie Arena, Tampa; $49.50-$149.50
Singer-rapper and songwriter Drake will arrive in Tampa next month as one of the top pop stars on the planet. As I write this, Drake’s song “One Dance” is No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the 10th week. Rihanna’s “Work,” featuring Drake, who co-wrote the song, also reached No. 1 on the same chart recently. Drake’s album “Views” is No. 1 for a 10th week on the Billboard album chart. Yeah, it’s good to be Drake these days.
Wade Tatangelo is the editor of Ticket. He can be reached by email or call 941-361-4955. Follow him on @wtatangelo or Facebook.com/wade.tatangelo
