Summer Concerts, Festivals in the DMV

Isaac Higgins, Staff Writer

For students who love music and are looking for something to pass the time during this upcoming summer break, there are many different concerts and festivals coming to the area  covering a wide array of genres.

The Firefly Music Festival is a four-day festival in Dover, Del. where a variety of acts from Kendrick Lamar to The Killers are spread across multiple stages. While four-day passes are $349, the single-day tickets are a more affordable $129 for students who want to go for one day and catch a bunch of different acts.

Another popular musical event is the Vans Warped Tour, which has been around since 1995. The Vans Warped Tour has brought bands and artists from a range of different genres on a cross-country tour of major U.S. cities. Despite the tour’s popularity, this year will be the last full cross-country run of the tour, with the local stop being July 29 at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Md.

The closest venue from Rockville is The Fillmore in Silver Spring, where Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, an American hip-hop group, is playing June 17 and Incubus, a rock band plays Aug. 12.

For those willing to make the trip to D.C., rising rappers Valee and Sheck Wes will be playing at Union Stage June 26.

“They [Valee and Sheck Wes] are both signed to GOOD Music, which is Kanye’s label and they are going on tour together,” junior Kevin Tyndale said. “One is from Chicago, I think the other is from Harlem and they make very… rage hip-hop music for the teens.”

For alternative rock fans looking for shows in D.C., Homesafe and Hot Mulligan are performing July 13 at Songbyrd Music House.

Also in the rock genre but more of a throwback show, Weezer and Pixies are playing July 22 at Jiffy Lube Live in Bristol, VA.  

“I would love to go because I really want to hear them live instead of just listening to them on spotify,” sophomore Jane Mangona said. “Weezer is my favorite band at the moment, and it would be epic to see them live.”