2011 Honda Civic Tour Preview

Consistency has always been a strong point for the Honda Civic Tour, who year after year seem to bring the biggest and most popular bands of the day together for a summer concert spectacle that's like no other. And in just days, the tour will once again kick off its North American journey with two of the most heavy-hitting names in alternative rock: blink-182 and My Chemical Romance.

Southern California natives blink-182 are touring the United States and Canada for the first time since their summer 2009 reunion tour, which proved a massive success. Armed with a brand new, edgy single, "Up All Night", and a new record on the way (rumored to drop on September 27th), it's clear that blink are ready to bring new life to the term "rock show."

They're returning to play this, the 10th anniversary of the Honda Civic Tour - a tour they helped christen back in 2001 alongside Everclear.

In an interview on the Honda Civic Tour Facebook page, Mark Hoppus commented on what fans can expect to see during the coming tour. "We try and one-up every single tour and have each tour have its own look. We spent a lot of time with the set designers working on the sets, and lighting shows and things like that."

Considering their 2009 tour featured confetti machines, 20+ songs per set and Travis Barker performing drum solos while being spun high above the heads of the pit crowd, this coming tour should be a sight to see. Besides, this will be the first time fans will hear new blink music played live in eight years. What's not to love?

Add to the mix the largely popular East Coast rockers, My Chemical Romance, as co-headliners and tour seems untouchable. While still on the road promoting their latest release, 2010's Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys, MCR have jumped back into the spotlight and aren't leaving any time soon.

But let's not forget about the openers. The wildly popular indie rockers, Manchester Orchestra, will be kicking off the tour in Holmdel, New Jersey on August 5th. Later dates on the tour will feature hipster act Matt & Kim, political punks Against Me! and finally punk-rock legends, Rancid.

If there's one thing that should make the 2011 Honda Civic Tour stand out against the rest of summer's shows, it's simply how eclectic the tour will be. On any given night you might hear the new wave of indie rock, or perhaps catch a glimpse at the punk-rock scene as it was a few decades ago. And, of course, you'll hear those big radio hits from the headliners every night - not to mention a few lesser known tracks packed in for the diehards in the audience.

This is one tour you won't want to miss this summer. So be sure and grab tickets while you still can. Some seats are going as low as $20. No excuses this time around.

Check out the dates, locations and supporting acts below.

• 8/5/11 - Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center *
• 8/6/11 - Wantagh, NY @ Nikon Theatre at Jones Beach *
• 8/7/11 - Wantagh, NY @ Nikon Theatre at Jones Beach +
• 8/9/11 - Boston, MA @ Comcast Center *
• 8/11/11 - Buffalo, NY @ Darien Lake Performing Arts Center *
• 8/12/11 - Washington, DC @ Jiffy Lube Live *
• 8/13/11 - Hershey, PA @ Hershey Park Pavilion *
• 8/14/11 - Hartford, CT @ Comcast Theatre *
• 8/16/11 - Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre *
• 8/17/11 - Toronto, ON @ Molson Canadian Amphitheatre *
• 8/19/11 - St. Louis, MO @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre *
• 8/20/11 - Chicago, Il @ First Midwest Bank Pavilion *
• 8/21/11 - Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center *
• 8/23/11 - Milwaukee, WI @ Marcus Amphitheater *
• 8/25/11 - Winnipeg, MB @ MTS Centre %^
• 8/26/11 - Saskatoon, SK @ Credit Union Centre %^
• 8/27/11 - Edmonton, AB @ Rexall Place %^
• 8/28/11 - Calgary, AB @ Saddledome %^
• 8/30/11 - Victoria, BC @ Save-On Foods Memorial Centre %^
• 8/31/11 - Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena %^
• 9/1/11 - Seattle, WA @ White River Amphitheater ^
• 9/3/11 - Salt Lake City, UT @ USANA Amphitheater ^
• 9/4/11 - Denver, CO @ Comfort Dental Amphitheater ^
• 9/7/11 - Minneapolis, MN @ Xcel Center #
• 9/8/11 - Des Moines, IA @ Wells Fargo Arena +
• 9/9/11 - Kansas City, MO @ Sandstone Amphitheater #
• 9/10/11 - Indianapolis, IN @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre #
• 9/11/11 - Detroit, MI @ DTE Energy Music Centre #
• 9/13/11 - Cleveland, OH @ Blossom Music Center #
• 9/15/11 - Pittsburgh, PA @ First Niagara Pavilion #
• 916/11 - Saratoga, NY @ SPAC #
• 9/17/11 - Camden, NJ @ Susquehanna Bank Center #
• 9/18/11 - Virginia Beach, VA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre #
• 9/20/11 - Charlotte, NC @ Charlotte Verizon Wireless Amphitheater #
• 9/21/11 - Atlanta, GA @ Lakewood Amphitheater #
• 9/23/11 - Miami, FL @ Cruzan Amphitheater #
• 9/24/11 - Tampa, FL @ 1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheatre #
• 9/26/11 - Houston, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion #
• 9/27/11 - Dallas, TX @ Gexa Energy Pavilion #
• 9/29/11 - Albuquerque, NM @ Journal Pavilion #
• 9/30/11 - Phoenix, AZ @ Tempe Beach Park Amph. # (MCR will not be playing)
• 10/1/11 - Anaheim, CA @ Honda Center #
• 10/2/11 - Sacramento, CA @ Sleep Train Amphitheatre #
• 10/4/11 - Concord, CA @ Sleep Train Pavilion at Concord #
• 10/5/11 - Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre #
• 10/7/11 - Las Vegas, NV @ Red Rock Resort, Spa & Casino #
• 10/8/11 - Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl #
• 10/15/11 - San Diego, CA @ Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre #

* -Manchester Orchestra

% -Against Me!

^ -Rancid

# -Matt & Kim

+ -To Be Announced

What To See At SXSW 2011

With South By Southwest just a month away, musicians, filmmakers, press and fans from across the world are gearing up for the yearly pilgrimage to Austin, Texas. The week-long festival, which started in the late 80s, has grown to incorporate the best of the global art scene.

From writing seminars to live music, trade shows to a film conference, this year's SXSW has got it all. There are set to be "can't miss" performances by Neon Trees, Dance Gavin Dance, Automatic Loveletter, Panic! At The Disco and more.

A music lover's dream, no doubt. And while fans can have their choice of what events they want to attend, not all the musical buzz will be held at the some 80 stages this year.

For those of you music purists with an affinity for vinyl and the long-lost record store, you're going to want to check out the film portion of SXSW this year. That's because you'll get to see the world premiere of the Official Film of Record Store Day, entitled, Sound It Out.

Sound It Out is a 75-minute documentary that chronicles life in the last surviving record store in Teesside, North East England.

TRAILER: SOUND IT OUT - A documentary by Jeanie Finlay from Jeanie Finlay on Vimeo.

In an all but too-rare phenomenon of the past decade, record stores have become virtually extinct. The availability of music on the internet has led to a serious decline in the sales and marketability of both vinyl and CDs. But, it seems that no matter where you live, there's still just one shop that has stayed open, despite all these setbacks.

And that's exactly what this documentary is looking at (and exactly why you should check it out). Sound It Out may take place over in the UK, but its fundamental meaning is something that rings true from country to country, wherever music is sold.

What does it mean to own a record? Why is it important to have a record shop around? Who even shops for these things anymore? This is what it's all about.

The filmmakers are also asking for a little bit of help from all you audiophiles out there. They've raised enough money to finish the film, but still need quite a bit to make it down to SXSW in Austin from the Northern UK. You can help 'em out by donating, and in return you'll score some sweet stuff. Depending on your donation, you'll receive stickers, a signed poster, a DVD of the film or even a few tickets to a screening in London this spring. To donate, click HERE.

So if you're headed to Texas next month, be sure to catch a screening of Sound It Out. And if you're not, but remain righteous to the cause, hit up the donation page and help the filmmakers out. Only you can keep rock 'n' roll alive.