With the Thanksgiving break finally upon us, students have just one thing on their minds: get out of town, as fast as you can.
But in the rush to turn in assignments and cram for tests before the sweet release of the holiday season, it can become easy to forget what's really important. No, not spending time with family, you sap.
Concerts. Duh. It'll become clear 10 minutes after you walk through the door that sitting around the house with Mom and Dad just isn't going to live up to the idea of vacation.
"Man, I don't know of any concerts even going on, let alone anyone going to them," Damian Liska (senior-psychology) said.
Need some help like this guy? Here's the city-by-city guide to who's playing and when, in a metropolitan area near you.
Philadelphia
The Derek Trucks Band will perform at the Theatre of Living Arts, 334 South St., tomorrow night. Phil Lesh and Friends with Warren Haynes and others are at the Tower Theatre, 69th and Ludlow Streets, in Upper Darby on Friday night, but for the biggest jam of the holiday no one beats Phish.
Tickets are of course sold out for the band's Saturday show at the Wachovia Spectrum, 3601 S. Broad St., though if you're resourceful and a little savvy you could be there.
Jess Burke (junior-English) had a ticket to see the band the night before in Uniondale, N.Y., but traded up to catch them in the City of Brotherly Love. Using the forums on the Jambase Web site www.mbase.comja, she was able to find another Phish "phan" in Massachusetts to make the deal with.
"People are still incredibly excited to see them since they went on hiatus, their shows are in such high demand," she said of the band's devoted following.
And just in case you missed it here, 311 and Alien Ant Farm will be playing the Tweeter Center At The Waterfront, 1 Harbour Blvd., in Camden, N.J., the same night, minus O.A.R. The Offspring will take the place of the frat-rockers. That's something to be thankful for.
Pittsburgh
If you're going to the 'Burgh for break there's a lot more excitement than football to be had.
The White Stripes will be performing at the A.J. Palumbo Center, 1304 Forbes Ave., on the campus of Duquesne University tomorrow night. And somehow, though the venue will feature a theater-style setup with only around 3,000 people admitted depending on production, tickets are still available for $30.
"It's selling pretty well," said Scott Richards, associate director of auxiliary services at Duquesne University. "We're hoping to hit a large college market. It's probably going to sell out."
Get 'em while you can, forget that it's the biggest bar night of the year. Otherwise you could always catch The Clarks. Not surprisingly, the band is doing a run of shows locally from yesterday through Wednesday, and will be back on Saturday at the Carnegie Museum, 4400 Forbes Ave.
Less Than Jake, Fall Out Boy and Bang Tango will also perform at Club Laga, 3609 Forbes Ave., Saturday night.
New York City
Tonight is big, with Jay-Z at Madison Square Garden, and Primus at the Roseland Ballroom, 239 W. 52nd St.
There's that Phish show that Jess Burke will not be at, Friday at the Nassau Coliseum, 1255 Hempstead Turnkpike, in Uniondale. If you can't get tickets, moe. is at the Beacon Theatre, 2124 Broadway.
And we found O.A.R.! If you really want to know, the band is with Slightly Stoopid and Louque at the Hammerstein Ballroom, 311 W. 34th St., Saturday night. But as an alternative, moe. is playing again at the Beacon Theatre.
Washington, D.C.
The 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW (V as in vampire, according to the venue's info line), offers a cornucopia of shows for college-age music fans throughout the week.
Drive-By Truckers bring southern rock tomorrow. Third Eye Blind, Dakona and Honestly play their kind of rock on Thursday. Medeski, Martin & Wood serve up jazz on Saturday. And if you're in no rush to get back to school, stick around for the hip-hop of Eminem protégé Obie Trice Sunday night.
Or for a squeaky clean experience, check out Michael W. Smith and Point Of Grace at the Patriot Center, 4400 University Drive, the same night on the campus of George Mason University in Fairfax, Va.
Baltimore
The harbor is a wonderland, as John Mayer performs with The Thorns tomorrow night at the 1st Mariner Arena, 201 W. Baltimore St.
More jam bands to follow: Medeski, Martin & Wood are at the Recher Theatre, 512 York Road, if you want to make the trip to Towson, Md. And The Jazz Mandolin Project plays the Funk Box, 8-10 East Cross St., Sunday night, another excuse to not go back to school.
Buffalo
Looking for action in northwestern PA? Make a dash across the border to see singer Ani DiFranco at the Kleinhans Music Hall, 370 Pennsylvania St.
Erie, you're pretty much out of luck.
