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3 Doors Down lead off concert series
By BOB McCLURE
| Article published on Tuesday, May 26, 2009 |
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![[Image]](/content_images/052609_leconcert-01.jpg) |
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| 3 Doors Down play Saturday, May 30, as part of the Tampa Bay Rays Summer Concert Series. |
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ST. PETERSBURG – The Tampa Bay Rays and Ruth Eckerd Hall On The Road are again a popular quiniela this summer – championship baseball coupled with a post-game concert at Tropicana Field.
Like last year, the series will be featured on Saturday evenings with some well-known names.
This year’s Summer Concert Series, presented by Hess Express, includes eight performers and kicks off May 30 with 3 Doors Down following the Rays’ 4:10 p.m. game with the Minnesota Twins.
The remainder of the schedule is: June 13, Ludacris; June 27, Pat Benetar; July 11, Smash Mouth; Aug. 1, Daughtry; Aug. 15, B-52s; Aug. 22, Big and Rich; and Sept. 5, The Beach Boys.
The concerts begin shortly after home games and are free with the purchase of that night’s game ticket. Tickets start at $13.
Full season ticket holders who purchased all 81 games in the Home Plate Club, Whitney Bank Club, Fieldside Box, Lower Infield Box or Lower Box locations will receive wristbands for special on-field access during the concert series.
Last year’s inaugural series included eight events and was considered a huge success by club management. The Rays went 8-0 on those dates and drew an average of more than 30,000 fans per game.
• 3 Doors Down, May 30, Rays vs. Twins, 4:10 p.m. Formed in Escatawpa, Miss., the resilient fivesome has blazed a trail as the quintessential rock band, attaining massive mainstream success but somehow never losing that small town identity that has branded them rock’s truest underdogs. They broke through in 2000 with the chart topping tune “Kryptonite” and haven’t slowed down since, releasing a total of four studio albums including monster hits such as “Here Without You,” “Away from the Sun” and “It’s Not My Time.”
• Ludacris, June 13, Rays vs. Nationals, 6:08 p.m. You can call Chris “Ludacris” Bridges a number of things: hip-hop superstar, actor, entrepreneur, philanthropist, restaurateur, pitchman, online visionary and columnist. All of these labels are accurate. The Grammy award-winning, Atlanta-based entertainment maven continues to expand his reach, and his musical prowess remains as potent as ever with singles such as “What Them Girls Like,” “Rollout,” “Money Maker,” “Stand Up,” “Southern Hospitality” and “Get Back.”
• Pat Benatar, June 27, Rays vs. Marlins, 7:08 p.m. Four-time Grammy award-winning singer Pat Benatar is best known for hit songs such as “Love Is a Battlefield” and “Hit Me with Your Best Shot.” She has sold more than 12 million records, including two multi-platinum albums. She also has 19 Top-40 singles to her credit. Billboard magazine ranked her as the most successful female rock vocalist of all time.
• Smash Mouth, July 11, Rays vs. Athletics, 6:08 p.m. With surf and garage influences, Smash Mouth found a hit in 1997 with the 1950s-influenced “Walkin’ on the Sun.” The group was formed in 1994 in San Jose, Calif., by vocalist Steve Harwell. It became a No. 1 modern rock hit and pushed the album into the Top 40. The follow-up album Astro Lounge was released in 1999, generating the hit “All Star.” The group also contributed numerous tracks to a plethora of motion pictures, most notably their cover of the Monkees’ “I’m a Believer” to the soundtrack of 2001 hit movie Shrek.
• Daughtry, Aug. 1, Rays vs. Royals, 6:08 p.m. Grammy-nominated guitarist, singer and songwriter Daughtry was the fourth-place finalist on the fifth season of American Idol and has since landed a deal with RCA Records. His band’s self-titled debut album sold more than 1 million copies after only five weeks of release, becoming the fastest-selling debut record album in history. In its ninth week of release, the album reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts. Daughtry’s debut single “It’s Not Over” soared to No. 1 on the Adult Top-40 chart, the Hot AC chart and the Billboard Top Singles chart. His follow-up singles “What About Now,” “Home,” and “Feels Like Tonight” also shot up the charts and remain top industry hits. His second album is set for release this summer.
• B-52s, Aug. 15, Rays vs. Blue Jays, 7:08 p.m. The first of many acts to cement the college town of Athens, Ga., as a hotbed of alternative music, the B-52s took their name from the Southern slang for the mile-high bouffant wigs sported by singers Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson, a look emblematic of the band’s campy, thrift-store aesthetic. The five-piece group, which also included founding member Fred Schneider, the B-52s are known for such hits as “Rock Lobster,” “Love Shack” and “Roam.” In 2008 the band returned with a new album for the first time in 16 years.
• Big & Rich, Aug. 22, Rays vs. Rangers, 7:08 p.m. Country music duo Big & Rich is comprised of singer-songwriters Big Kenny and John Rich. In 2004, they released their first studio album, Horse of a Different Color, which featured what has become their signature song, “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy).” In 2005, they released Comin’ to Your City, which included the Top-5 single of the same name. Their 2007 album Between Raising Hell and Amazing Grace peaked at No. 1 on the charts.
• The Beach Boys, Sept. 5, Rays vs. Tigers, 7:08 p.m. Beginning their career as the most popular surf band in the nation, The Beach Boys finally emerged by 1966 as America’s preeminent pop group and remain the No. 1 selling American band of all time. The group has had 36 Top-40 hits, the most of any U.S. rock band.
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Article published on Tuesday, May 26, 2009
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