Best summer concerts photo
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Best summer concerts

The Washington Post Staff  |  Updated 08/17/2012

The summer music calendar can be intimidating. It's jam-packed with performers, and decisions on which concerts to attend must be made carefully. You don't want to spend money on shows that are merely good. You want to see the best. With that in mind, we've compiled a "Summer Concert Superlatives" guide. Every one of these concerts stands out from the pack for one specific reason. So let's just say that it's in your best interests to attend as many of these as possible. See photos of the top acts

 
 
 
 
 

My Morning Jacket, Band of Horses

Columbia, MD  | 8/18

Best headbanging, non-metal category: Long hair, Flying V guitars and de­vil horns aren't exclusive to metal; you're likely to see all of that when heavy-jamming, Southern rock dudes My Morning Jacket perform at Merriweather Post Pavilion. The Louisville group fronted by Jim James has a well-earned reputation as one of the best live bands around, playing skyscraping songs highlighted by James's equally immense vocals. MMJ exists right in the center of the jam band/indie rock Venn diagram, and its songs are custom-made for big, outdoor spaces on sticky summer nights. And when James and company launch into the guitar madness of set staple "Mahgeetah," you can expect to see some unruly manes thrashing around onstage and in the audience.

 
 
 
 
 

Al Green

Vienna, VA  | 8/24

Best chance for a presidential duet: Election season kicks into high gear after Labor Day. So during those dog days of late August, President Obama may want to take some time away from the campaign trail to join the reverend for a rendition of the president's karaoke fave, "Let's Stay Together." Even though Virginia is a battleground state, it's hard to see the president attending the show, and the odds of him getting onstage aren't good. But Green, whose voice is still one of the most soulful on the planet, is plenty of a draw on his own.

 
 
 
 
 

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

Washington, DC  | 9/14

Best reason to pay Stub Hub prices, Part 2: No two shows from Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are the same musically (the band is known for reaching deep into its body of work and constantly changing up the set). But all Springsteen shows provide the same emotionally powerful feeling of a community big-tent revival mixed with endless amounts of energy -- often three-plus hours' worth. Whether you're a Boss diehard or someone who knows only the hits, chances are you'll have an amazing time.

 
 
 
 
 

Sunday in the Country featuring Eric Church

Columbia, MD  | 9/16

Most well-earned promotion: Eric Church has been a regular on the country-music mega-show circuit for many years, but he's never been at the top of the bill. Church has opened for the likes of Toby Keith, Montgomery Gentry, Jason Aldean and Rascal Flatts, consistently upstaging the headliners with his rebel-rock country tunes. After the breakthrough success of his 2011 album, "Chief" (which debuted at the top of the Billboard charts and earned a Grammy nomination for best country album), he's more than ready to take his spot at the top of this year's WPOC Sunday in the Country lineup.

 

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