The days are long, the air is hot, and students can stay awake as long as they want without the nagging fear of school the following morning to begrudgingly edge them to sleep.  But many students find that without the eight hour school day, they have too much time on their hands.  Summer is a great opportunity for students to get out of the house and see live bands perform, and enjoy music.

            One such opportunity is for students to attend the Loudoun Youthfest on June 16 at the Brambleton Town Centre.  As the name suggests, it is a festival for teenagers to go and showcase their own products, and participate in games and events. 

            The popular band, The Ready Set will be playing at Youthfest this year.  Fans of the band and all other interested people can buy tickets for a mere five dollars at the festival gates and prepare to have a blast.

            There are other places that students can enjoy live music.  Performance venues such as the 9:30 club, the Verizon Center, and the Nissan Pavilion, are offering concerts all summer long.

            “Places like the Verizon Center do offer a lot of good concerts.  You won’t see a lot of indie or local bands performing, but it’s a great place to go and see a well-known group play.  I’m actually going to a Coldplay concert in July,” Monica Doebel said. 

            On July 25, Warped Tour 2012, will be held in the Farm Bureau Live at Virginia Beach.  The tour, sponsored by Vans, is music centric.  It features over one hundred bands each year, and although many are relatively unknown, some popular bands performing include Rise Against, We the Kings, and Mayday Parade.

            Sophomore Caitlin Chia plans to attend Warped Tour this summer.  “This will be my third time going to [Warped Tour]… It is an incredible experience.  I get to see a lot of great bands play that I normally would not,” she stated.

            Naturally, there is music on the local scene that students can appreciate.  Not many people are familiar with local bands, so the summer is an excellent time to take advantage of the sudden addition of nine hours to the students’ days and educate themselves in musical happenings around Loudoun County.

            One surprisingly good way to find out about local bands, is for students to ask their peers.  “You’d be surprised how many people are involved with music or playing for local bands” Brittany Hayes said. 

            Anyone looking for more information about summer concerts can go to the official websites for nearby concert venues.  Facebook is another excellent way to keep informed during the upcoming break, and students can follow the profiles of both the venues, and even the bands themselves.