Vacations Blog

If it’s summer in Cleveland, it means it’s time for a visit to Blossom Music Center. With gas prices so high, I hope more people are taking advantage of local entertainment options, and Blossom is a definite local gem.

The 2008 concert series looks like it’s going to be great, with acts that will accommodate just about everybody’s tastes. From music legends Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, Rod Stewart, Steve Winwood, and James Taylor, to country artists Brooks & Dunn and Rodney Atkins, to rockers Iron Maiden and Poison, the music varies as much as the crowd at Blossom.

For those who like a laid back and more contemporary sound, check out John Mayer with Colbie Caillat or Jack Johnson, or consider seeing the Dave Mathews Band for a more blues-infused rock sound. If you are a little alternative, then you’ll want to catch Radiohead with Grizzly Bear. And when you are ready to really get things pumpin’, pick up tickets for Projekt Revolution featuring Linkin Park, Chris Cornell, Bravery, Ashes Divide with Street Drum Corps, Atreyu, 10 Years, Hawthorne Heights, and Armor for Sleep.

For the more sophisticated Clevelander, consider the 2008 Blossom Music Festival, which runs through the months of July and August. The Cleveland Orchestra takes the stage, as it has for the past four decades, to delight music lovers of all ages. The 2008 season will include Broadway Today, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Gershwin, A Bernstein Celebration, and more. Of course, it would be the Fourth of July without Blossom’s, “An American Salute,” where the Cleveland Orchestra invites guests to enjoy their great American Holiday Program of family favorites, including a salute to the Armed Forces, Sousa marches, soloists, and Tchaikovsky’s “1812” Overture. Needless to say, there are fireworks!

There’s no reason not to head to Blossom this summer. Take a picnic basket and some lemonade or wine, sit under the stars, and enjoy some wonderful music. What could be better?