Over the years more and more outdoor venues have sprung up out of the lush park land and the not-so-lush concrete spaces of New York. From Central Park Summerstage to the Seaport to McCarren Pool (RIP), there's no shortage of outdoor music venues during the summer months. But now the NY Post is pitting them against each other! They say that while Summerstage used to be "a magnet for denizens of the five boroughs, as well as hordes of tourists," its reign may be challenged as people are beginning to voice complaints of it "being too hot, too crowded, too greedy." more ›

You've gotta hand it to the Pearl Jam fans. They are REAL, and likely one of the most hardcore and dedicated fan bases in America. To many, Pearl Jam is merely the "other" Grunge band, but they're one of the most successful and influential bands of the last two decades. And despite their mopey reputation, Vedder and crew really seem quite content these days. They were really into it on stage at MSG earlier this week, feeding off the mutual satisfaction and intensity of the crowd. They're older, and they've traded in their flannel for more conservative dress, but the songs have held up remarkably well. They keep up with an energy that most bands at this stage in their career have lost, and put on (aside from maybe Bruce Springsteen) the best no-frills arena rock show in the business. They may not have released a classic record in nearly a decade, but they're still at it on the road, playing varied sets from their deep back catalogue, and are showing no signs of slowing down. more ›

It wasn't very long ago...like last year? Panic! at the Disco was an over-stylized, super-popular circus/emo band who, believe it or not, had some pretty great songs under their young white belts. Not satisfied with their remarkable success, however, they decided to take things in a completely different direction in 2008. The exclamation point and the Moulin Rouge antics have been dropped, and their new record sounds more like a dumbed down, Walrus-era Beatles knockoff than Fever 2.0. But while the sound had changed, the set design at Roseland this week was the capper. Pseudo-psychedelic paper cut video backdrops, foliage crawling up the mic stands and untucked oxford cloth shirts and vests. This was no longer the same band -- in fact, it's hard to even see these guys as a band, in the traditional sense; they're a performance act. Their job is not to create music people can relate to and embrace, but to put on a show. (pic via Fueled by Meghan's flickr) more ›

All signs, and weathervanes, point towards the upcoming outdoor summer concert season, which is just around the corner. The River to River Festival is kicking things off with a nod to the past, featuring Wire at the Seaport Music Festival stage. Why should you care? Unlike other 70s bands that have been over-saturating the concert circuit, these guys haven't taken a stage in the U.S. in quite some time; their last show was in Spain in 2004.

Wire came to prominence in the late 70s during the cultural revolution of punk in the UK. Their art-school approach set them apart from brasher contemporaries, where they expanded the sonic boundaries of not just punk, but rock music in general. From R.E.M., the Cure and Guided by Voices to Minor Threat and Black Flag, from Blur and the birth of Britpop up until Franz Ferdinand and Bloc Party, Wire’s influence has been one of most significant in the past 30 years.