Highly-Anticipated Local Concerts of 2016

Ashton Baysden
Staff Writer
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      Warmer weather is approaching, which can only mean one thing: concert season is beginning. In North Carolina, attending concerts is a favorite pastime during spring and summer, especially among Apex students. Whether it is a country concert or a rap concert, students love spending their Friday nights with their friends, listening to artists that they love. Although, this raises the question: what concerts are students going to be attending this year?
      A particular favorite series of concerts among students is the country concerts of the summer, and they are making their return this year. The lineup for this year’s Country Megaticket was announced in late January, and Apex students are excited about it, to say the least. This is a ticket that allows buyers entry into the hottest country concerts of the season. The lineup for the 2016 Megaticket includes some of the public’s favorite country music artists, such as Luke Bryan, Dierks Bentley, and Miranda Lambert. Country artists who are relatively new to the spotlight are also making guest appearances throughout the Megaticket shows, such as Jerrod Niemann. The local shows included in the ticket will be located at Walnut Creek Amphitheatre in Raleigh. 

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A handful of hip hop artists are also coming to Raleigh this year. After her iconic Super Bowl 50 performance, Beyoncé announced the Formation World Tour, which includes a date in Raleigh. “North Carolina fans of Beyoncé have a reason to celebrate as the famed chanteuse and dancer will be gracing the stage at North Carolina State University’s Carter Finley Stadium on May 3rd as one of the first stops on the Formation World Tour,” says PR Rocket of Pressreleaserocket.com. When tickets went on sale, some shows sold out in less than thirty minutes. Another hip hop artist who will be making his North Carolina debut in the spring is singer Fetty Wap. After Wap took the public by storm with not one but three hits (“Trap Queen,” “My Way,” and “679”), he announced a tour that will make stops in over twenty locations, including The Ritz in Raleigh, where he will be performing on Thursday, March 17.
      Wap is not the only artist taking over local radio stations that will be putting on a local concert. Alternative music has been sailing into popular radio stations all over the country, particularly in the Triangle area, and alternative band Walk the Moon is at the helm of the ship. The band’s song “Shut Up and Dance” was released in late 2014, but it can still be heard daily on nearly every local radio station in the Triangle. Due to their success in the area, it is only fitting that they are stopping by Red Hat Amphitheater in Raleigh on Aug. 5. Another alternative band performing at Red Hat this summer is Twenty One Pilots, a duo whose hit “Stressed Out” recently reached number two on the US Billboard Hot 100. They will be making their North Carolina debut on June 29.
      Anticipation for these concerts is high, and many students already have their tickets. As more and more artists announce tour dates in Raleigh, Apex students are saving up their money to buy tickets for the hottest concerts of the year. Students can keep up with their favorite musical artists online at Ticketmaster.com and Pollstar.com to see if they will be making stops in Raleigh too.