By Joie’ Thornton, Wanz Dover and Carmina Tiscareño

Web Editor, Staff Writer, and New Media Editor

Under the Influence Tour – August 14 – Gexa Energy Pavilion

Under the Influence Tour includes several acts, such as rappers Wiz Khalifa, Tyga, Young Jeezy, and others. The headliner, Wiz Khalifa, officially entered the rap scene in 2011 with the popular song “Black and Yellow.” NFL team the Pittsburgh Steelers used the song as their unofficial theme song. Wiz Khalifa’s recent album was released in 2012. This tour is an extension of his 2013 tour. For this year’s tour, Khalifa decided to add new rappers as well as established rappers such as Tyga and Young Jeezy.

My Own Lane 2014 US Tour – May 24 – House of Blues

Kid Ink is a rapper and music producer from Los Angeles. Kid Ink appeared on the scene in 2012. He was featured on XXL Magazine freshman class. His first album “Up and Away” debuted on the music charts in the top 20 on the U.S. Billboard 200 in its first week. Recently Kid Ink released his second album, “My Own Lane.” The album contains of the hit song “Show Me” featuring Chris Brown.

Swans – June 26 – Trees

Legendary post no wave noise merchants bring their melodramatic songs for the post-apocalypse to Dallas to support their new album “To Be Kind.” The new album was recorded by Dallas-based indie star producer John Congleton. Swans tend to blur the lines between dark avant folk meditations and symphonic noise meltdowns.

Boris – July 28 – Trees

Japanese heavy noise metal kings return to Dallas for a night of their distinct brand of sonic guitar worship. Take ’70s heavy metal, fuse it with avant-garde noise and a lot of rock’n’roll flash and prepare for an altogether different kind of rock show experience.

Lady Gaga – July 17 – American Airlines Center

Lady Gaga returns to Dallas after previously performing here January 2013. The Artpop Ball/Artrave promotes her new album Artpop/Artrave Tour.  Floor tickets are sold out, but some seats remain. Tickets range from $38.75 to $415. Though the show might not be intimate due to the large venue, there will be plenty of screaming “little monsters” (her fans) wearing interesting costumes worth watching. The event is open to all ages.

Mad Decent Block Party – August 31 – Zouk’s outside lot

The hottest and most affordable electronic dance music festival returns to Dallas for the second time. 31. The festival is an 18-and-up event, and tickets range from $45 to $75 for VIP. The full lineup has not yet been announced, but the “teaser” lineup includes DJs such as Dillon Francis and Jillionaire from Major Lazer. The lineup for this music festival varies from city to city. Last year’s major headliners included Major Lazer and Dillon Francis. A major headliner on the lineup for the festival this year is Outkast, but they haven’t announced an appearance in Dallas. Expect sticky dance beats and heat, so dress lightly and stay hydrated.