The Dallas area is always a hot spot for summer concert tours, and this year is no exception, with well over 20 major acts making their way to one venue or another between June 1 and August 31. We narrowed it down to the 12 best.
If your favorite didn't make the list, check out our full calendar to see when each and every band is coming to town.
Kenny Chesney (June 4)
Concerts at AT&T Stadium are always an event, and the summer gets kicked off right when Kenny Chesney pays Jerry World a visit once again. This time around, he's bringing along a high-powered supporting lineup that includes Miranda Lambert, Jake Owen, and Old Dominion. Fans will get a preview of Chesney's forthcoming album, Some Town Somewhere, scheduled to be released on July 8.
Selena Gomez (June 18)
It's been an eventful 10 years for Grand Prairie's own Selena Gomez, as she's gone from being a Disney ingenue to paramour of Justin Bieber to a musical powerhouse in her own right. An innocent no more — just check out the cover of her latest album, Revival — she'll come back home to play at American Airlines Center, with help from opening act Bahari.
The Monkees (June 28)
Hey, hey, they're the Monkees, and they're coming to Dallas. Baby boomers have especially fond memories of the fake Beatles-wannabe TV band that eventually became a real band. Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork are carrying on the tradition of the Monkees with this 50th anniversary concert at Winspear Opera House that will feature music and clips from their Emmy Award-winning series.
The Art of Rap Festival (July 16)
People who consider themselves fans of rap/hip-hop owe it to themselves to go to the Art of Rap Festival at Gexa Energy Pavilion. The impressive lineup includes Ice-T, Public Enemy, Naughty by Nature, Mobb Deep, Grandmaster Melle Mel & Scorpio, EPMD, the Sugarhill Gang, and Kurtis Blow.
Drake / Future (July 21)
If you're thinking Future was just here, you're right: The up-and-coming rapper was the headliner at the JMBLYA Festival in May. Now he's back, and heading to the American Airlines Center, where he'll take a supporting role to Drake, whose latest album, Views, has once again set the pop culture world on fire thanks to songs like "Hotline Bling" and Drake's meme-ability.
Steven Tyler (August 1)
We're used to seeing Steven Tyler rock out as the lead singer of Aerosmith, but it will be a slightly different Tyler on display at the Music Hall at Fair Park for this special concert. Backed by his Nashville-based band, Loving Mary, he will get up-close-and-personal like never before, as he shares his real-life heartaches, trials, and tribulations, from his piano upbringing to worldwide fame and life with Aerosmith.
Guns N' Roses (August 3)
You've got to hand it to Guns N' Roses: For their appropriately-titled Not in This Lifetime tour, the reunited lineup of Axl Rose, Slash, and Duff McKagan could have gone to moderately sized venues to play a relatively intimate show. But that's not they're style; they're going big with a full-blown stadium tour, including this stop at AT&T Stadium. Let's hope the concert lives up to the hype.
Dixie Chicks (August 5)
It's been 10 years since the Dixie Chicks were last heard from in any meaningful way, as the three band members — Natalie Maines, Emily Robison, and Marty Maguire — decided to focus on their families and side music projects. It's unclear if this tour, which will come to Gexa Energy Pavilion, is a type of comeback or one final fling with their fans, but we'll take it either way.
Culture Club (August 5)
Speaking of bands who haven't been heard from in a while, Boy George and Culture Club released their last album 17 years ago. But everything old is new again, and the band has put aside any differences for a worldwide tour in support of their forthcoming new album, Tribes. Fans will be able to hear their new and classic songs at Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie.
Gwen Stefani (August 13)
There have been few musicians more adaptable than Gwen Stefani over the past 20 years. She has seamlessly gone back and forth between her original group, No Doubt, and her solo career, and now she's gained a whole new fan base as a coach on The Voice. Her latest album, This is What the Truth Feels Like, famously details her love for boyfriend Blake Shelton, so expect there to be a romantic vibe at this concert at Gexa Energy Pavilion, which also features opening act Eve.
Snoop Dogg / Wiz Khalifa (August 19)
A friendly word of caution for anyone attending this concert at Gexa Energy Pavilion: Even though it's illegal in Texas, expect to smell your fair share of weed at this open-air concert. What else would you expect from a tour titled The High Road, featuring two of the most weed-friendly rappers out there? Heck, even the tour poster features them flanked by a massive marijuana plant. Don't say we didn't warn you.
Coldplay (August 27)
The summer concert season will end just as it began, with a huge concert at AT&T Stadium. This one comes courtesy of Coldplay, who will be making their first trip to Texas in over four years, in support of the 2015 album, A Head Full of Dreams. They'll also have to entertain a football stadium full of fans, but if their performance at Super Bowl 50 is any indication, Coldplay is more than up to the task.
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Hometown girl Selena Gomez will play at American Airlines Center on June 18.
The Fort Worth section nods to Texas Motor Speedway and the Fort Worth Herd.Photo courtesy of ABC
The Glen Rose section has dinosaurs.Photo courtesy of ABC
The Mach family with Great Christmas Light Fight host Carter Oosterhouse.Photo courtesy of Patrick Mach
