Personally, my summer is defined by days at the park drinking Del’s Lemonade and sitting by the ocean. It also means festivals and tours start in full swing, and my paychecks get blown to the wind. Totally worth it. This list is in no way intended to be all reunions but I guess that’s what’s selling tickets this year. Here are a few tours that I’m excited about.

Sad Summer Festival

I gave up my chance to go to Sad Summer Fest in Worcester in favor of seeing Anberlin reunite, but I’m still just as excited about it as if I had tickets. With the end of Vans Warped Tour, all of us in the scene were simply floundering about thinking of what to do this summer. We all know we’re way too cool for Coachella and Lollapalooza, so where would we get our fest kick? Along came Sad Summer Festival to save the day. The Wonder Years, Mayday Parade and The Maine are among the headliners for this aptly named tour, and what’s more, the fest is choosing a nonprofit from each city to contribute to. There’s nothing not to love about Sad Summer Fest.

Buy tickets here

Vans Warped Tour

There might only be three cities and five dates for us to choose from, but there’s no doubt that this is one of the biggest events for the scene this year, maybe only barring Sad Summer Fest. We previously thought that 2018’s would be the last we heard from Vans Warped Tour, but this year is the 25th anniversary of the tour, so it’s only fitting that there should be one last hurrah. There’s a great lineup of folks like A Day to Remember and Sleeping with Sirens that’s sure to turn up the nostalgia.

Buy tickets here

Anberlin

Anberlin is back from the dead. They are currently in Australia for a few dates, but soon they’ll be back in the States. I’ll be rejoicing because their Boston show is July 5th and I have floor tickets. The last time I saw them was their Final Tour and my balcony tickets just didn’t cut it. Will the members of Anberlin get the recording bug? I’m not sure, but I know this tour is definitely a dream come true.

Buy tickets here

The Black Keys

The Black Keys have returned from their very long hiatus and have announced a tour with Modest Mouse. Their new album, Let’s Rock, releases on June 28th. The band is one of Ohio’s finest musical children and I’m so glad that they’ve come back with more music for us to enjoy. I’m hoping for a setlist made up of a lot of fan favorites, and hopefully this will be a fitting welcome back party.

Buy tickets here

Jonas Brothers

Another band that recently got back together is the Jonas Brothers. I know we’re not really into folks like the JoBros here at It’s All Dead [Says who? – ed.], but hey what the heck. I tried my hardest to get tickets but it was to no avail. No doubt it will be a killer show, and a great way to welcome summer and a regret of mine. Curse you, scalpers! Their new album, Happiness Begins, releases on June 7th.

Buy tickets here

by Nadia Paiva

Nadia Paiva has been a music enthusiast since she can remember. Going to shows is her main pastime. The other is being upset when she can’t go to shows. This is her first official venture into writing about music. You can follow her on Twitter.