Summer Summer Summertime!

Today is the unofficial first day of the official summer season...what? Yeah, you heard me...the Friday before Memorial Day - convertible tops have been lowered, gas prices have been hiked up to ying-yang and traffic is sure to be horrible starting at approximately 2 PM ET. Cue Fresh Prince's 'Summertime' now....

Thankfully, my husband and I are staying put...we have been staying put for a lot of things recently - probably because we now have the house and look at it as a time to just hang out, chill out and enjoy our new atmosphere. What I'm hoping to accomplish this weekend is totally dependent on a third party tree company that was supposed to cut down two trees in our backyard about a month ago, but due to rain and his lack of professional communication, they're still up. He said that they would have them down this week - it's Friday...today is his last chance.... For blogging purposes, we will give him the benefit of the doubt and say that the trees come down today or Saturday. I can finally put up the "pop-up" gazebo tent I purchased from Target over a month ago (to keep out acorns and mosquitos) and put out the patio table that was so generously given to us by friends that moved.

But I digress - what comes with the summer season are summer concerts - and there are a slew of them coming our way. I'm not even focusing on the big headline concerts (aka - found out that my friend actually has tickets to go see NKOTB in NYC)...I'm focusing on the smaller concerts that get played in smaller venues and county fairs. For example, Joan Jett is playing at 'Celebrate Fairfax' which is basically our county fair. I'm actually impressed by the line-up they have secured for the weekend event...they include OK Go (the treadmill video guys), Bowling for Soup (one hit wonders) and Joan Jett (will she play stuff from her first girl group, the Runaways?).

Moving out to the west for another summer concert series - the Loudoun County Summer Music Festival. This music fest kicks off next week with...hold your breath....Foreigner. They do have other (read: better) acts that are planning to grace their stage like Blues Traveler, REO Speedwagon and Pat Benatar (I just saw the video for "Shadows of the Night' over the weekend).

Coming back into Fairfax County, and very close to my home, is Wolf Trap - the indoor/outdoor venue where I was able to see the Cranberries a few years ago. They usually have pretty good names and other interesting shows that they book throughout the summer, like the Louisiana Swamp Romp or Rent. I like to think that they book musical acts that are on the cusp of 'has been' status or not total mainstream - like Ben Folds (where's the Five?), Kenny G, Anita Baker, a Peter Cetera-less Chicago ...and the one I'm most looking forward to and hoping to go see...Donna Summer. I love her - I have her VH1 Live in Concert CD and I've played it so much that the disc has scratches...but no matter...she proves, disco is not completely dead!

I try to stay away from the arena tours, although a part of me does want to go see Heart, Cheap Trick and Journey....but without Steven Perry, it just wouldn't be the same. And I've seen Heart headlining by themselves and they aren't big into their 80s tunes - more of the 70s (think Dreamboat Annie or Bebe LeStrange) and the more recent stuff that I am not familiar with. Sure Coldplay will be at Verizon Center and it is enticing but I believe it coincides in the same week as Donna Summer (I choose Donna hands down) and maybe, just maybe, I'll go out to sing along with George Michael at the end of July.

I say, nothing screams summer like some good Donna Summer! Can I get an 'Amen?!'