or decades, Vancouverites faced a summertime concert drought as an array of mostly-Euro festivals horded touring talent, leaving everyone else battling for scraps. However, thanks to mini-fests and a glut of wandering musical excellence, things have changed. This summer, Vancouver’s show calendar brims with worthy gigs. Here are some of the best big-ticket attractions; don’t worry: sunscreen on your ears won’t inhibit aural pleasure.


You probably haven’t heard of Kanye West before. Apparently he’s some sort of rapper with weird sunglasses. He’s also got a gigantic ego that could solve the world’s energy crisis if it could be distilled into an oil-like liquid. His attitude is so intense that you really want to hate him, but unfortunately the music is too damn good for that to be possible. See him at GM Place on June 2nd. –P.B.


I thought that I was seeing shooting stars nightly. It turned out that my upstairs neighbour was a smoker. What does that have to do with Arts and Crafts art pop heroes, Stars? Well, not much. Kick off the summer by looking at the light-dotted firmament, both above the park and on stage. I guarantee a Stars appearance, cigarette-butt free. They play the Malkin Bowl on June 21st. -S.T.


Perhaps I'm not the best geographer; I thought that the only thing north of Whistler was a pre-Columbus-style end of the world. Evidently, I was wrong; my apologies to Pemberton. Get a pair of Wellies and a non-smelly tent: this year’s inaugural Pemberton Festival runs from July 25th to July 27th. The hopefully annual event welcomes a disparate though shockingly strong line-up of talent. Headliners include Jay-Z, Coldplay, Interpol, the Flaming Lips, the Tragically Hip, and Death Cab for Cutie. Also on the bill, and boasting palpable blog-kid cool cred, are Vampire Weekend, Black Mountain (apropos), MGMT, the Fiery Furnaces, MSTRKRFT, My Morning Jacket, Buck 65, and many, many others. –S.T.


Whether in club back-rooms, in Parisian flats, or on hallowed hall stages, Broken Social Scenesters have become ubiquitous. With her latest swirl-disc, “The Reminder,” Ms. Feist has taken over the world. She’s gone from sticky-floor bars to concert theatres to arenas and, now, to parks. You know you’ve made it when people start wearing sunscreen to your shows. She plays Deer Lake Park on August 5th. –S.T.


Occasionally, a hole in the English language is plugged by a pop culture noun-turned-adjective. The word "Radiohead" has come to mean anything that straddles that elusive line between critical acclaim and massive popularity. However, in this case, it refers to one of the biggest bands in the world. After reshaping the record industry with the historic PWYC e-release of In Rainbows, the band has hit the road. Since they’re just giving records away they could really use your concert cash. They play UBC Thunderbird Stadium on August 19th. –S.T.