GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) – “Walk along the way with someone true. Have yourself a summer fling or two.” OK, you may not know Gary Lewis and The Playboys and their hit that peaked at No. 2 on the charts in August 1965, but this is summer, and we have plenty of “flings” going on across North Carolina – and we aren’t talking about temporary romances.
Some of our musical events are a wee bit bigger than Gary Lewis (he was Jerry’s oldest son and beat out Elvis and Sinatra to win a “Male Vocalist of the Year” in 1965) and his mates, although there certainly are vintages acts coming to our venues.
The calendars of events from now until Labor Day are crowded not so much with sports – unless you like arena football or a lot of kids swimming – but there are plenty of concerts with recognizable names.
How about – in no particular order – Brooks & Dunn or The Chicks or Barenaked Ladies or the Goo Goo Dolls or Guns N’ Roses or Peter Frampton or Indigo Girls or Styx or LL Cool J or Lyle Lovett or Johnny Mathis? Johnny Mathis?
There are a lot of retro and new names, and, if some rued that Taylor Swift didn’t bring her big tour any closer than Atlanta, we do have one of the really big shows on the agenda.
On Aug. 9 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, it’s Beyoncé in her “Renaissance World Tour,” one of 34 stops that started earlier this month in Stockholm and will end Sept. 27 in New Orleans. After Charlotte, she, too, goes to Atlanta.
That’s the highlight of the next three months at arenas, stadiums, halls and amphitheaters across the state. Yes, we’ve expanded our preview beyond the usual 30 days because many try to plan for summer vacations. You can click on the links for each facility to find out about ticket availability and prices (we shudder on some of those). Theme parks and resorts and even some state parks may have big doings, too, but we’ve focused on the biggest venues and biggest flings.
Music in the air
OK, in March, we were dominated by basketball and hockey, but in the summer, it is music, including both the Ladies and the Chicks.
A large reason is the Red Hat Amphitheatre in Raleigh, which, after being mostly dormant in the late winter/early spring, will have roughly 21 musical shows in 90 days, including the venerable Frampton and Barenaked Ladies, performing on July 4. (Those Ladies also will perform at White Oak Amphitheatre in Greensboro during that first week of July).
Counting Crows, Tyler Childers and Three Doors Down also are scheduled at Red Hat, and there are more than a dozen cutting-edged acts to go with those established stars.
Familiar names
“Established” appears to be a keyword for summer scheduling, and here are some of the more renowned acts that will appear at each venue:
GREENSBORO COLISEUM COMPLEX: Brooks & Dunn, Thomas Rhett, Goo Goo Dolls, Barenaked Ladies and The Chicks (formerly the Dixie Chicks, FWIW) will perform in the various facilities.
TANGER CENTER: If you recall that The Chicks changed their name to remove the word “Dixie” because of its links to slavery, you will recognize that Lady A dropped the “Antebellum” for the same reason. That group will be at the Steven Tanger Center for Performing Arts in Greensboro on June 23. There also are tribute shows to big names: Brit Floyd, an homage to “Dark Side of the Moon,” with a performance at the Durham Performing Arts Center, as well, and “Arrival from Sweden, a tribute show to the Swedish rock group ABBA at both facilities.
DPAC: This is where Johnny Mathis shows up (on Aug. 5). This mellifluous man of melody (particularly well known for his Christmas songs) will bring his “The Voice of Romance Tour” to the Durham Performing Arts Center. Mathis, who will turn 88 in September, certainly qualifies as venerable. DPAC also will have Indigo Girls, Styx, Lovett and The Rocket Man Show, a group that channels Elton John, which will be there the day before Mathis.
PNC ARENA: This is where LL Cool J makes the lineup, headlining “The F.O.R.C.E. Live” tour with a variety of other artists, including DJ Jazzy Jeff. This show is on July 8, and the next day the group moves to Spectrum Center in Charlotte.
SPECTRUM CENTER: In addition to the F.O.R.C.E. being felt, there will be Alicia Keys, Erykah Badu, blink-182 and Guns N’ Roses. Badu gets a special commendation for calling her tour the “Unfollow Me Tour.” We doubt she is serious.
BANK OF AMERICA STADIUM: You may think that Beyoncé would be enough, but country singer Luke Combs also has a date on July 15 with up to 50,000 or so of his closest friends.
Barely a bouncing ball
After all the madness of March’s basketball tournaments, you wouldn’t expect there to be much basketball going on this summer. But you will get a chance to see plenty of future March stars on the hardwood.
The North Carolina AAU has two busy weekends at the Special Events Center at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex in June and July, and the East-West high school all-star games will be played there on July 17. But the state’s two biggest sports events are unique to summer.
Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte will be in the spotlight again when it hosts the Gold Cup of soccer on July 2, a doubleheader that includes the U.S. Men’s National Team facing Nicaragua. Honduras and Haiti also are on the bill. The USMNT will play three games in June before arriving in the Queen City.
And if you aren’t familiar with the Greensboro Community Swim Association’s City Meet, which is July 6-8 at the Greensboro Aquatic Center, you are missing a unique piece of the city’s culture. This event, which migrated indoors after decades of competing in outdoor pools, includes swimmers about 5 years old to college age who compete for about 20 swim clubs from across Guilford County.
Each night includes Olympics-like finals in every individual event and relays, and there are thousands of competitors, some of whom earn spots on the medals podium. There also is a lot of jockeying for the best seats among spectators, with a few thousand lining up early for all sessions.
The full list
Here’s a deeper list of events, with links to sites where you can learn about times, tickets, parking and other information.
Greensboro Coliseum Complex
1021 West Gate City Blvd., Greensboro
June 2: Green Queen Bingo, in Piedmont Hall.
June 3: Carolina Cobras vs. Fayetteville Mustangs in Greensboro Coliseum.
June 3: Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, at White Oak Amphitheatre.
June 3-4: Big Shots Atlantic Coast – June Jam, in Special Events Center.
June 3-4: Repticon, at Special Events Center.
June 9-11: Guilford County Schools commencements, at Greensboro Coliseum.
June 10: Alamance-Burlington Schools commencements, at Novant Health Fieldhouse.
June 11: Freedom Center For The Creative Arts spring recital, at Odeon Theatre.
June 16-18: NCAAU Basketball All-Star Weekend, at Special Events Center.
June 17: Brooks & Dunn, $Reboot 2023 Tour,” with Scotty McCreery and Megan Moroney, at Greensboro Coliseum.
June 23-25: World Ninja League Championship, at Special Events Center.
June 24: Dude Perfect, “Panda-Monium Tour,” in Greensboro Coliseum.
June 24: Straight No Chaser, at White Oak Amphitheatre.
June 30-July 4: NCAAU Basketball World Championships, at Special Events Center.
July 1: Barenaked Ladies, “Last Summer on Earth Tour,” with Five for Fighting and Del Amitri, at White Oak Amphitheatre.
July 1: Carolina Cobras vs. West Texas Warbirds in Greensboro Coliseum.
July 6-8: Greensboro Community Swim Association City Meet, at Greensboro Aquatic Center.
July 15: Carolina Cobras vs. San Antonio Gunslingers in Greensboro Coliseum.
July 17-19: North Carolina Coaches Clinic, at Special Events Center.
July 17: NCCA East/West All-Star basketball games in Greensboro Coliseum.
July 20: Thomas Rhett, “Home Team Tour 23,” with Cole Swindell and Nate Smith, in Greensboro Coliseum.
July 22: Greensboro Pop Culture Convention, at Special Events Center.
July 24: NF, “Hope Tour,” with Cordae, in Greensboro Coliseum.
July 29: Carolina Cobras vs. Jacksonville Sharks in Greensboro Coliseum.
July 30: Summer Block Party presents Jodeci, with SMV and Dru Hill, at White Oak Amphitheatre.
July 30: The Chicks, “World Tour 2023,” in Greensboro Coliseum.
Aug. 2: Goo Goo Dolls, “The Big Night Out Tour,” with O.A.R., at White Oak Amphitheatre.
Aug. 3: Asian American Store Owners Association of North Carolina Expo, at Special Events Center.
Aug. 11-13: Greensboro Importers & Wholesalers Jewelry & Accessories Expo, at Special Events Center.
Aug. 18-20: Carolina Kennel Club 2023, “Carolina Cluster,” at Special Events Center.
Aug. 19: Gerardo Ortiz, “Dijimos Tranquilito Tour,” with El Yaki, in Greensboro Coliseum.
Aug. 25-27: Vintage Market Days, at Special Events Center.
Find out more at the Greensboro Coliseum website.
Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts
300 North Elm St., Greensboro
June 2-4: “Frozen,” the musical
June 8: Black Business Ink, Power 100 awards ceremony.
June 10-11: Greensboro Symphony Orchestra, “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”
June 16: The Love Triangle, “An Evening of Love”
June 23: Lady A, “Request Line Tour,” with Dave Barnes
June 24: “Her Lies, His Secrets”
Aug. 4: Riders in the Sky
Aug. 5: Fortune Feimster, “Live, Laugh, Love”
Aug. 12: Brit Floyd, “50 Years of Dark Side Of The Moon”
Aug. 18: Arrival from Sweden, “The Music of ABBA”
Find out more on the Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts website.
Durham Performing Arts Center
123 Vivian St., Durham
May 30-June 4: “1776, the Musical”
June 6-7: “Bluey’s Big Play”
June 8: Indigo Girls with Full Band, “Look Long Tour,” with Larkin Poe
June 9: Shake Gillis Live
June 14: Styx, with Edwin McCain
June 15: An evening with Larry the Cable Guy
June 16: “Banter Podcast Live,” with Sapnap, Karl Jacobs and GeorgeNotFound
June 18: RuPaul’s Drag Race, “Werq the World Tour 2023”
June 20-July 2: “Six the Musical”
July 9: John Oliver, “Live in Concert”
July 15: “85 South Show Live,” with DC Young Fly, Karious Miller and Chico Bean
Aug. 4: “The Rocket Man Show: Tribute to Elton John”
Aug. 5: Johnny Mathis, “The Voice of Romance Tour”
Aug. 9: “An Evening with Lyle Lovett and his Large Band”
Aug. 14: Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, “The Swell Season,” with Corey Ward
Aug. 15: Brit Floyd, “50 Years of Dark Side Of The Moon”
Aug. 17-18: Leanne Morgan, “Just Getting Started”
Aug. 19: Arrival from Sweden, “The Music of ABBA”
Aug. 23-Sept. 17: “Wicked”
Find out more on the Durham Performing Arts Center website.
Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum Complex
2825 University Parkway, Winston-Salem
June 3: Brews, Bats and Bites, Truist Field.
Aug. 31: Wake Forest vs. Elon, college football, Truist Field
Find out more on the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum website.
PNC Arena
1499 Edwards Mill Road, Raleigh
June 11: Richard Arjona, “Tour Blanco Y Negro”
July 8: LL Cool J, “The F.O.R.C.E. Live,” with The Roots, DJ Jazzy Jeff, DJ Z-Trip, De La Soul, Juvenile and Rakim
July 14: WWE, “Friday Night SmackDown”
Aug. 1: Sam Smith, “Gloria the Tour”
Aug. 27: Pepe Aguilar, “Jaripeo Sin Fronteras 2023”
Find out more on the PNC Arena website.
Red Hat Amphitheater
500 South McDowell St., Raleigh
June 3: Dermot Kennedy, “The Sonder Tour,” with mehro
June 9: Subtronics, with Dirt Monkey, SubDocta, A Hundred Drums and Tape B
June 14: Noah Kahan, #StickSeason,” with Joy Oladokun
June 16: Pixies, “North America 2023 Tour”
June 17: Rebeluition, “Good Vibes Summer Tour 2023”
June 24: Peter Frampton, “Never Say Never Tour”
July 2: Don Toliver, “Thee Love Sick Tour 2023,” with Pi’erre Bourne
July 4: Barenaked Ladies, “Last Summer on Earth Tour”
July 6: The Revivalists, with The Head and the Heart and Jamie Wyatt
July 14: Riley Green, “Live in Concert”
July 16: Young the Giant, with Milky Chance and Rosa Linn
July 18: YUNGBLUD, “The World Tour,” with The Regrettes and Games We Play
July 20: Jake Owen, with Niko Moon
July 21: Louis Tomlinson, “Faith in the Future World Tour 2023”
July 27: Dirty Heads, “Island Glow Tour”
July 29: Counting Crows, “Banshee Season Tour,” with Dashboard Confessional
Aug. 4: Jason Mraz and his Superband, “The Mystical Magical Rhythmical Radical Ride Tour”
Aug. 8: Lindsey Stirling, with Walk Off The Earth
Aug. 13: Tyler Childers, “Send in the Hounds Tour”
Aug. 14: All-American Rejects, “Wet Hot All-American Summer Tour”
Aug. 26: 3 Doors Down, “Away from the Sun Anniversary Tour,” with Candlebox
Find out more on the Red Hat Amphitheater website.
Spectrum Center
333 East Trade St., Charlotte
June 9: Charlotte R&B Experience 2023, with Tyrese and Monica
June 26: Celtics Crossover Gaming vs. Hornets Venom GT
June 30: Banda MS, “En Concerto”
July 2: Alicia Keyes, “To The Summer Tour”
July 6: Santa Fe Klan, “Tour Todo Y Nada”
July 9: LL Cool J, “The F.O.R.C.E. Live,” with The Roots, DJ Jazzy Jeff, DJ Z-Trip, De La Soul, Juvenile and Rakim
July 14: blink-182, “North American Tour 2023”
July 16: Erykah Badu, “Unfollow Me Tour,” with yasiin bey
July 22-23: Monster Jam
Aug. 29: Guns N’ Roses, “North American 2023 Tour”
Find out more on the Spectrum Center website.
Bank of America Stadium
333 East Trade St., Charlotte
July 2: Gold Cup Soccer, U.S. Men’s National Team vs. Nicaragua and Honduras vs. Haiti, 8 p.m.
July 15: Luke Combs concert, 5:45 p.m.
Aug. 9: Beyoncé, “Renaissance World Tour,” 8 p.m.
Find out more on the Carolina Panthers website.
