Since 1969, Earth Wind and Fire has defined the genre of high energy pop funk, as well as contributing some of the most endearing romantic ballads to the contemporary American music scene.
The setting: The final show on the final night of Stagecoach 2013. Cooler breezes were kicking up, the harder partiers had retreated for the most part, and the vibe was one of a great, big block party. At least one where the beer and food stands were shutting down.
The setting: Late Friday afternoon at the Mustang stage. Latecomers who didn't get the day off of work are mixing with a crowd several hours into the party. Whether out of curiosity or loyalty, the crowd swells and swells some more, spilling out of the pavilion on to the grass.
The setting: Sunday's brutal 106-degree heat has begun to fade as the sun sets. The beer garden outside the Palomino stage begins to fill with the thirsty and sunburned. Suddenly, a unique sound cranks out from the pavilion.
Ohio rock duo The Black Keys will tackle a combination of North American festival gigs and theater shows this summer.
Lyle Lovett has an extensive North American tour ahead of him as he continues supporting last year's "Release Me."
Classical crossover singer Sarah Brightman will precede her long-awaited fall "Dreamchaser" tour with a special PBS concert.
Post-dubstep musician James Blake has added a North American leg to his worldwide run behind his April release, "Overgrown."
Ten Years After and Edgar Winter Band are two of the five bands confirmed for the second annual Rock 'N' Blues Fest, which will spend a month on the tour trail this summer.
Modest Mouse, Passion Pit and more than two dozen other acts will take part in the first-ever First City Festival in Monterey, CA, later this summer.
Following a sold-out Los Angeles show later this month and a quick European run, Queens of the Stone Age will hit a handful of summer festivals across western North America.
Indie-rock outfit Smith Westerns will spend the summer canvassing North America in support of their third studio effort, "Soft Will."
Red Hot Chili Peppers have added a second show to their early-August stop in Anchorage, AK, which sold out in less than three hours.
Ray Manzarek, who played keys for The Doors from their 1965 inception, died Monday (5/20) at the RoMed Clinic in Rosenheim, Germany after a long battle with bile duct cancer.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Furthur and Zac Brown have been tapped to perform at the inaugural Interlocken Music Festival, which will take place this fall in Arrington, VA.
R&B supergroup TGT will take off on their "3 Kings Tour" next month, ahead of their forthcoming studio release of the same name. 
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