July Pittsburgh concerts

MUST-SEE SHOW:
7/20 Flaming Lips & Fang Island @ Station Square Amphitheatre
Last year I finally crossed the Flaming Lips off my concert bucket list, and the show was everything I've been led to believe it would be. It was intense sensory overload with confetti cannons, furry costumes and the giant ball of Wayne Coyne. The music's not bad, either.

ALSO WORTH ATTENDING:
7/10 Dave Matthews Band & Zac Brown Band @ PNC Park
Dave Matthews Band's 2009 album Big Whiskey was one of the best of their career so you can expect to hear a few of those songs at PNC Park. DMB just announced they will not be touring at all in 2011, marking their first extended break from the road since the band formed in the early '90s. So if you want to see them anytime soon, don't skip this show!

7/24 Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers and Drive-By Truckers @ First Niagara Pavilion
I'd like to highlight a smaller band here, but all of this month's best shows are the big boys. It's totally unnecessary at this point to make an argument why you should go see Petty. Just go. And the Drive-By Truckers as the opening act is just a huge bonus. They've never been my cup of tea, but they do what they do very well.

Others to keep in mind:
7/1 Bettye LaVette @ Diesel
7/1 Athlete @ Club Cafe
7/1 Neon Trees @ Altar Bar
7/3 Sleigh Bells @ Brillobox
7/4 Phil Vassar @ Heinz Field
7/5 Scorpions & Cinderella @ Station Square Amphitheatre
7/7 Warped Tour with Andrew WK, All-American Rejects, Sum 41 & Motion City Soundtrack @ First Niagara Pavilion
7/7 Weird Al Yankovic @ Palace Theatre
7/8 Tim McGraw & Lady Antebellum @ First Niagara Pavilion
7/9 Devo @ Station Square Amphitheatre
7/9 Ted Leo & the Pharmacists @ Diesel
7/11 Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bret Michaels & .38 Special @ First Niagara Pavilion
7/13 B.B. King @ Station Square Amphitheatre
7/15 Jon Spencer Blues Explosion @ Diesel
7/18 Roseanne Cash @ Hartwood Acres
7/21 Rogue Wave @ Andy Warhol Museum
7/23 Lightning Bolt @ Belvedere's
7/24 Candlebox @ Alltar Bar
7/24 Steve Miller Band @ PNC Park
7/25 Kenny Wayne Shephered @ Hartwood Acres
7/25 Rasputina @ Mr. Small's
7/26 Dashboard Confessional @ Diesel
7/29 KISS & The Academy Is... @ First Niagara Pavilion
7/29 Lords of Acid @ Diesel
7/30 Brooks N Dunn @ First Niagara Pavilion