Above illustration by Adrienne Sheridan / 209Vibe. at front, fans at Summer Splash 2007. Photo by Clifford Oto / 209Vibe.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: This story also appears in the June edition of the 209Vibe newspaper. To find out where you can pick up a copy, click here.)

U2 isn’t coming to the 209. Neither is Madonna, Kanye West or any other international pop superstar.

But if you’re looking for something that mainstream, you can turn on the radio or pay $4 a gallon to drive to the Bay Area for a show.

If instead you like your music a little more underground, independent and interesting, you can stay closer to home this summer. Several artists that could be on the verge of breaking it big are set to perform in the 209, despite continuing industry uncertainty about the local concert market.

Bands coming to the area this summer include Boys Like Girls, Finger Eleven and Louis XIV, who will play the first Monster Big Air Summer Jam June 29 at Weber Point. The event also will feature a Guitar Hero tournament and action sports demonstrations.

“We’re confident that with the lineup we’ve got, it’s going to be an eye-opener for people,” said Peter Koulouris, the festival’s co-promoter. Troy Gotschall, who also is promoting the festival, added, “When people walk away from this thing, I think they’ll say, ‘wow, I can’t believe they packed it all into one event.’”

Another big indie act coming to the 209 this summer is Simple Plan, which on July 19 will headline XFest in downtown Modesto. The event typically draws 15,000 fans, making it the area’s biggest music festival.

Others on the extensive XFest bill include N2Deep, Blake Lewis, Eve6, the Expendables, the Mother Hips and Candlebox. It’s a great lineup that music fans can enjoy without having to empty their savings accounts, XFest promoter Chris Ricci said.

“People recognize value. They understand that 40 bands for $20 is a big deal,” he said.

Also coming to Modesto are the Rev. Horton Heat, Nashville Pussy and Supersuckers, which will play an outdoor concert July 2 at Hero’s. The show is expected to draw at least 1,000 fans.

Country music lovers, meanwhile, most likely will flock to see Blake Shelton June 7 at the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds in Turlock.

And other concerts are in the works. KWIN 97.7FM program director Louie Diaz said the station is planning its annual Summer Splash show for late July at the Stockton Arena.

Diaz noted, however, that ensuring that the show will be successful this year is more difficult than it has been in the past. High gas prices and the struggling economy mean people have less money to spend on entertainment.

“Are people making money off of concerts? Not really,” Diaz said. “There isn’t that extra cash anymore in people’s pockets to go out and pay for a $30 show.”

Jacqui James, the general manager of the Stockton Arena and Bob Hope Theatre, said ticket sales this year at the Hope are down about 30 percent compared to last year. She noted that poor attendance at local concerts discourages national promoters from bringing concerts here.

“The bottom line gets to this: it’s butts in the seats,” James said. “We have to be able to sell so many seats in order for the promoters to make money.”

Some promoters also have been slow to come to the 209 because they’re still learning what type of music will regularly draw fans here. The popularity of Vicente Fernandez, who attracted 11,000 fans to his May 11 show at the Stockton Arena, may lead to more local Latin concerts, James said.

Country also continues to be big, as 1,600 fans saw Trace Adkins perform May 6 at the 2,000-seat Hope.

Meanwhile, the tepid response to 2007 arena concerts featuring Ozzy Osbourne and Avril Lavigne may discourage promoters from organizing shows featuring other rock and pop acts.

One of the biggest promoters to hold shows in the 209 is music industry giant Live Nation, which is bringing Earth, Wind & Fire to the Hope June 15 and Joan Sebastian to the arena in late July.

“It’s as simple as, will that show sell,” said Live Nation Northern California president Rick Mueller. “In this economy, we have to look at every show in every market carefully. The smaller the market, the more careful we have to be.”

When asked what he thinks works in the 209, Bakersfield promoter Tim Gardea responded, “ It’s still too tough to call. Right when I think I have it figured out, I don’t.”

In the past year Gardea has brought The Used, Social Distortion, the Deftones, Portugal the Man and the Supersuckers to the area.

Koulouris said the key to the development of the local concert scene lies with hometown promoters. Both he and Gotschall live in Stockton.

“In order for a scene to grow in Stockton, it’s going to require local promoters,” Koulouris said. “You cannot rely on Live Nation or AEG to do it for you.”

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