SPIN

The temperatures are climbing and your Seasonal Affective Disorder is disappearing as fast as your snow boots and parkas. So let's properly welcome spring with some live music, shall we?

Artists of all types -- indie rockers to rappers, pop-punks to metalheads -- are packing up their gear and hitting the road, this time sans snow tires and antifreeze. Here, SPIN picks the spring's must-see shows, digging up the essential info so you can pick the ultimate live experience. Read on. Rock on! -- written by William Goodman

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Dates: Now through May 1
Price: $39.75-$200.75
Opening Acts: Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj, Travis Barker

Why You Should Go: Because Weezy's free, dammit, and his "Welcome Home!" party continues with a tour of epic proportions. Booty-shaking dancers in black ski masks? Fifteen massive LCD screens? Flamethrowers? A four-piece rock band louder than a 747!?!? And more. SPIN was on the scene at the recent Providence, RI, kickoff. "Wayne headlined a wildly entertaining show that ricocheted from being nearly perfect to frustratingly excessive and back again," we wrote. "He acted out skits with his backup dancers. He told jokes. And, yes, he rapped, very, very well. But one thing he didn't do was dwell on the eight months he just spent in Rikers Island for gun possession."

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Dates: Now through June 19
Price: $25.00-$45.00
Opening Acts: Titus Andronicus, Farmer Dave Scher, Conduits, Jenny and Johnny, Dawes, M. Ward. Some dates have Bright Eyes opening for Death Cab for Cutie

Why You Should Go: Indie rock's boy wonder, Conor Oberst, has returned to his revered moniker for one last album (or so he says), and it rocks. The People's Keys, we wrote in our review, is the verbose and introspective Omaha troubadour's "most straightforward rock offering yet," and at the band's recent headlining set at Radio City, Oberst was "a comfortable and confident frontman," our reviewer said. "He is, truly, about his songs."

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Dates: Now through May 26
Price: $8.00-$12.00
Opening For: The Greenhornes

Why You Should Go: The Nashville garage rock duo -- real brothers Jake and Jamin Orrall -- are a SPIN fave, and their just-released album, We Are the Champions, only makes our crush swell. The duo, whose raucous live set at a gay club kick started a bangin' party at SXSW, unveil an unexpected "secret weapon on their second album... the unironic embrace of the elegant, harmony-rich hooks and wide-eyed lyrics of rock forebears the Righteous Brothers, which gives the Orralls' blistering tunes their own earnest, romantic edge."

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Dates: Now through June 12
Price: $10.00-$24.00
Opening Acts: Daniel Martin Moore, Nathaniel Rateliff

Why You Should Go: At the ripe ol' age of 21, this Kent, OH, singer-songwriter -- one of SPIN's Next Big Things -- is already a musical vet with more than 13 years in her family's bluegrass band under her thrift-store belt buckle. Her seasoned musicianship and emotional maturity shine on her second album, Tell Me, produced by the Black Keys' Dan Auerbach, and in her live sets: "[At SXSW] she proved she has what it takes to be your favorite new artist -- and your mom, grandpa, little brother, and Stetson-tipping uncle's too," we wrote. "She's tweaked tender country-rock ballads into a universally irresistible medium."

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Dates: Now through April 23
Price: $18.75-$30.00
Opening Acts: Holy Ghost, Midnight Magic

Why You Should Go: This Aussie electro-pop quartet make dance music for people who don't like dance music. Their new album, Zonoscope, "reveals Cut Copy's eagerness to graduate from dance-rock cult act to something more universally admired," we wrote in our review. "It's an unabashed bid for the sunset slot at Coachella… [and] catches Cut Copy in a pop-attuned mode they've only hinted at in the past." Shine your dancin' shoes!

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Dates: Now through June 9
Price: $20.00-$29.50
Touring With: Manchester Orchestra (as co-headliner), O'Brother, Sleeper Agent. Cage the Elephant will also be opening for the Black Keys

Why You Should Go: Just check out this live clip of the Kentucky band rocking out -- and frontman Matt Shultz going totally apeshit. The quintet broke out big with their 2009 self-titled debut, landing opening slots on tours for like-minded vets like Silversun Pickups and Stone Temple Pilots, and their new album, Thank You, Happy Birthday, is sealing their status as one of the hottest alt-rock outfits. The LP debuted at No. 2 on the charts in January on the strength of its first single "Shake Me Down" and other catchy jams, including "Right Before My Eyes." "It feels like the kind of fuzzy, poppy alt-rock radio hit alt-rockers just don't make anymore," we wrote in our review. And there's more: 17 dates on Cage the Elephant's spring itinerary are part of a co-headlining tour with Atlanta rockers Manchester Orchestra!

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Dates: Now through April 22
Price: $25.00-$60.00
Opening Acts: Mac Miller

Why You Should Go: The Pittsburgh rapper's breakout hit, "Black and Yellow,"landed the 23-year-old in the No. 1 spot on the singles chart and built buzz for his debut, Rolling Papers. At SXSW, the weed lover -- he named his 2010 tour Waken Baken and he's set to film a movie with pot royalty Snoop Dogg -- won mtvU's Woodie of the Year and performed the track with the style and grace of an artist at the top of his game. The spring trek hits only college campuses, so you can expect a wild party.

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Dates: Now through May 24
Price: $25.00-$40.00
Opening Acts: Neon Trees, The Architects

Why You Should Go: More than four months after the release of Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, the anthemic and big-hearted follow-up to their multi-platinum 2006 smash The Black Parade, New Jersey's horror-loving drama kings are finally hitting the road -- and their live show is totally worth the wait. The proof: The band's album release gig in Los Angeles, of which we wrote: "MCR used their recent metamorphosis into the action heroes of a fully-realized comic book universe to trick out the House of Blues as a skewed MCR-branded carnival, complete with midway games and costumed video villains wandering the parking lot."

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Dates: Now through May 6
Price: $34.00-$165.00

Why You Should Go: Over the past 25 years, the Seattle grunge icon has compiled a storied and deep, deep catalogue, spanning his solo releases, soundtrack contributions (Singles), and, of course, his work fronting Soundgarden, who are currently recording. On his Songbook tour Cornell will play it all… by himself. "Playing arenas isn't as nerve-racking as playing smaller shows," he recently told SPIN. "An acoustic show is all about you, and any little nuance or mistake is amplified. I think Johnny Cash was quoted as saying, 'It's the scariest thing you could do as a musician.' I'm very nervous about it, but I love the intimacy. Once you sit in front of people and start playing songs, it's all on you."

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Dates: Now through May 3
Price: $15.00-$39.50
Opening Acts: Low, The Octopus Project. Explosions are also opening two Texas shows for Arcade Fire

Why You Should Go: Because few bands create a live atmosphere like this one. Of their set last fall at All Tomorrow Parties New York, we wrote: "True to their name, this instrumental quartet's live sound is indie rock's equivalent of bombs bursting in air. With Texas flags draped over their amps to rep their Austin roots, [the band] built cinematic electric guitar symphonies … and if you closed your eyes you could almost see the millions of shimmering sparks falling around you." Added bonus: A new album, Take Care, Take Care, Take Care, out April 26, for Explosions to pull from.

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Dates: April 8-May 2
Price: $19.75-$40.50
Opening Acts: Celebration, Das Racist, Glasser, Light Asylum, Lissie Trullie

Why You Should Go: After a three-year break and a few solo efforts, TVOTR are reclaiming the crown of experimental kings of indie rock. Their new album, Nine Types of Light, drops on April 12, and then the outfit will hit the road -- but this time without bassist Gerard Smith, who is battling lung cancer. The band is giving him an apt tribute, though, with crack live performances of Light's off-kilter love songs with fill-in drummer Jahphet Landis of the Death Set (TVOTR sticksman Jaleel Bunton moved to bass). "It's to their credit that the chemistry didn't suffer in the slightest," SPIN wrote of their headlining set at our SXSW party.

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Dates: April 14-June 13
Price: $20.50-$76.00
Opening Acts: Dillinger Escape Plan

Why You Should Go: Twenty plus years into their career and Sacramento, CA's arty alt-metalheads are still going strong. Deftones released their sixth album, 2010's Diamond Eyes, which we called a "blissed-out and surreal… work of patient design and bloody fantasy.... Brutal beauty abounds." Their live show transcends their sound: "[The band] made a nice return to form … and showed no rust from its limited touring schedule over the past few years," we wrote of their fall tour kickoff.

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Dates: April 21-April 27
Price: $55.00-$150.00

Why You Should Go: These two groups are leading the folk renaissance, and with this joint Railroad Revival Tour they're getting in touch with their roots. For the six-date outing -- inspired by train-hopping folk icon Woody Guthrie — the bands will travel the Southwest via vintage railcar, and their concerts will take place in out-of-the-way locations like Chandler, AZ's Arizona Railway Museum. The English quintet Mumford & Sons, who performed with Bob Dylan at the Grammys, put on an emotional live show (watch an acoustic set!) with tracks off their breakout debut Sigh No More, while the Los Angeles hippie collective's 10 members perform songs from their first LP, Up From Below, like a jolly circus. Expect collaborations, too!

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Dates: April 18-May 6
Price: $14.00-$20.00
Opening Acts: Yuck

Why You Should Go: Innerspeaker, the debut from this Australian psychedelic indie quartet -- another one of SPIN's Next Big Things -- "revels in gauzy, layered sonic explorations -- the 'White Album' meets Black Sabbath." Their live show is just as experimental yet sharp. "Tame Impala justified their current internet buzz," we said of a recent live debut, which included an onstage cameo from MGMT's Andrew VanWyngarden.

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Dates: April 22-May 21
Price: $22.00-$129.50
Opening Acts: Bullet for My Valentine, Sevendust, Three Days Grace

Why You Should Go: The Huntington Beach, CA, heavy metal outfit turned tragedy into triumph. After the 2009 death of drummer and co-songwriter Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan left the members questioning their future, Avenged rededicated themselves to their craft and returned last summer with their fifth album, Nightmare, in tribute to their fallen bandmate. It's their most successful LP yet -- it toppled Eminem from the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 chart. With the "Welcome To The Family Tour," the band -- with former Confide drummer Arin lejay joining them -- have a list of not-to-be-missed opening acts, too, including Welsh quartet Bullet for My Valentine, whose latest LP, Fever, landed the band a career-high No. 3 on the charts.

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Dates: April 25-June 16
Price: $8.00-$20.00
Opening Acts: Unknown Mortal Orchestra (also opening for Yeasayer, Wilco)

Why You Should Go: With the whistle-worthy pop-rock nuggets of their just-released second album, Dye It Blonde, this Chicago quartet was named one of SPIN's Next Big Thing in 2011. They earned their mettle, yet again, at SPIN's SXSW blowout: "The notion of these guys being 'lo-fi' or 'scrappy' or whatever your chosen synonym for unpolished garage-rock went out the window," we wrote of their set. "Slower and more deliberate than you'd expect from this precocious young band that's just learning as they go, with an increasingly large crowd watching each bit of progress."

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Dates: April 28-May 14
Price: $15.00-$26.00
Opening Acts: Bachelorette

Why You Should Go: The Swede trio's new release Gimme Some is a collection of spring-loaded power-pop and punk cuts — and live they're even sharper, catchier, and more powerful. "Each track is full of tricks from pop's playbook -- snappy pre-choruses, whistle-worthy melodies, shadow backing vocals," SPIN wrote of the LP's live debut in New York City. "It's like Ikea and PB&J crafted an instruction guide for building pop's nuts and bolts into super catchy songs. And the best part is that PB&J have a lot of fun playing them."

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Dates: April 30-May 21
Price: $27.00-$39.50

Why You Should Go: Because the Seattle folkies' May 3 release, Helplessness Blues, is even better than their career-making debut -- and that one was good. Their live sets deliver the six-piece's signature lush vocals and pastoral melodies, and frontman Robin Pecknold, who started his career performing sitting down in a chair, is now on his two feet rocking out. How else can you play songs like this barn-burner Blues jam?

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Dates: May 4-June 15
Price: $33.00-$75.00
Opening Acts: Plan B, Mayer Hawthorne

Why You Should Go: They're two of the most explosive -- and well dressed! -- performers in the business, as the duo proved with their joint appearance at the Grammys. Onstage, the 26-year-old Atlanta-bred Monae is an intergalactic James Brown, donning the alien persona of her breakout album's namesake, the sci-fi funk and psychedelic gem The ArchAndroid. Meanwhile, Mars — who crafted B.o.B.'s "Nothin' On You," Travie McCoy's "Billionaire," Flo Rida's "Right Round," and rapper K'naan's World Cup anthem "Wavin' Flag" with his production crew the Smeezingtons — is a smooth and soulful pop crooner, working the crowd with songs from his hit debut album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans.

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Dates: May 8-May 24
Price: $14.50-$25.00

Why You Should Go: He's the soulful star of England's dub-step scene. The London-based DJ-producer-singer-pianist — another SPIN Next Big Thing — is bringing electronic music beyond the laptop with his eponymous debut, which combines spare, emotive production with his classical piano training and yearning voice. At SXSW, the 22-year-old's experimental sound shined: "Each deep rumble and amplified drum hit cleared a path for Blake's more minimal side -- the soulful croons and keys that contrast so perfectly with the cavernous bombast," we wrote.

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Dates: May 12-June 20
Price: $27.00-$65.00

Why You Should Go: She's the biggest-selling artist of 2011 so far — and it's no fluke. Her second album, 21, produced by studio guru Rick Rubin, is a seething soul gem with the Brit songstress seeking revenge on a former flame. "She wails harder and writes bolder, piling on the dramatic production flourishes to suggest a lover's apocalypse," we wrote in our eight-out-of-10 review. "If you're looking for a record that'll make you wanna trash your beloved's belongings and have make-up sex amid the ruins, 21's your jam." Now just imagine that emotional fury live.

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Dates: May 15-May 31
Price: $23.00-$30.00

Why You Should Go: The Swedish superstar-in-the-making -- who made the cover of SPIN's Next Big Things issue -- is back with a haunting new album, Wounded Rhymes, but her mission statement remains steadfast: dance, dance, dance! At a warmup show in Los Angeles, the 23-year-old "vamped, vogued and grooved profusely from center stage throughout the night," we wrote, igniting a dance party with help from her five-piece wrecking crew. The second leg of her U.S. trek is not to be missed, unless, of course, you don't like fun.

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Dates: May 17-June 3
Price: $18.00-$37.50
Opening Acts: The Vaccines

Why You Should Go: After frontman Alex Turner's orchestral and cinematic side-project the Last Shadow Puppets and the Monkeys' 2009 riff-apalooza Humbug, it seems Britpop 2.0's wonder boys have exorcised their experimental leanings, for now. Because with their fourth LP, Suck It and See, the Sheffield band are returning to the urgent, jittery sound that made them famous. And who's to argue with that? Their breakout success hinged on their raucous live performances, and recently leaked songs like "Brick by Brick" are certainly good news towards that end.

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Dates: May 18-June 9
?Price: $30.75-$45.00
Opening Acts: Bright Eyes, Jenny and Johnny, The Lonely Forest

Why You Should Go: Frontman Ben Gibbard and Co. will release their seventh studio album, Codes and Keys, on May 31, but don't expect the veteran Seattle indie band to spend all year on the road -- so see 'em while you can. "I would love to find myself making a record a year from now rather than moving into our seventh straight month of touring," Gibbard told SPIN. "I'd like to capitalize on feeling inspired to write rather than hobbling up onstage and jumping around for two hours." When he is onstage, though, the results are nothing short of spectacular. Case in point: Death Cab's triumph at Radio City on their Narrow Stairs tour.

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Dates: May 20-June 29
Price: $25.00-$35.00
Opening Acts: fun. Foxy Shazam, The Tabernacle

Why You Should Go: After the exit of guitarist Ryan Ross and bassist Jon Walker, Panic! are re-embracing their hyper-dramatic emo roots on their new album, Vices & Virtues, and supporting tour. "I really miss wearing costumes and makeup," singer Brendan Urie told SPIN. "I love throwing a big production. I've recently been reading about Tesla coils and I'm trying to figure out how I can get one that sits on the stage and shoots sparks without hurting anybody." Onstage the band shoots sparks of their own, too. At their album release show in New York City, Panic! "were bundles of gracious energy, feeding off the ecstatic post-teen crowd," wrote SPIN.

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