By Michael Swanger michael@dmcityview.com

The newly regrouped Stone Temple Pilots headline LAZERfest 2.0 on Saturday at 9 p.m. at the Indianola Balloon Festival Grounds.

Festivals promise musical fireworks over holiday weekend

The local outdoor concert scene reaches its apex this weekend when national headliners will converge with top local and regional acts at two big festivals to be held in Greater Des Moines.

The highly publicized 80/35 summer music festival, sponsored by the non-profit Greater Des Moines Music Coalition, makes its debut Friday and Saturday in downtown’s Western Gateway Park. The event includes more than 40 “progressive music acts” on four stages [two in the paid gated area, two for free outside the grounds]. Headliners include The Flaming Lips, The Roots, Yonder Mountain String Band and Drive-By Truckers, which will be joined on the bill by several Iowa artists like Radio Moscow, The Vandon Arms and Pieta Brown. The two-day event is the culmination of the DMMC’s yearlong preparation and partnership with several government, corporate and community entities — garnering hundreds of thousands of dollars of financial support — to bring such an event to Des Moines. Organizers are hoping about 15,000 fans will attend. Audio taping is allowed, but no video; Merchandise, food and drink vendors will be on hand. Advance two-day passes sell for $50 and single day tickets sell for $30 through IowaTix.com. Prices increase $5 at the gate. Visit www.desmoinesmc.com or www.80-35.com for details.

While the 80/35 fest mostly caters to fans of alt-rock, LAZERfest 2.0 is directly aimed at hard rock and metal fans — of which there are many in Central Iowa. Twelve national and Iowa rock bands will play two stages for a full day of music on Saturday at the Indianola Balloon Festival Grounds. The newly reformed Stone Temple Pilots will headline the show on the main stage, which includes performances by Staind, Hinder and Drowning Pool. Iowa rockers like Mindrite, Destrophy and Facecage will perform on the Jagermeister Second Stage. Gates open at noon and several food and drink vendors will be on-hand. Tickets, available through Tickmaster outlets, are $40. VIP tickets are $150. Visit www.lazer1033.com for details.

Scene notes

The Heartbeats headline a free street dance to be held Thursday in Valley Junction following West Des Moines’ holiday parade. …Thursday’s Nitefall on the River concert at 7 p.m. is a showcase of Authentic Records bands including The Josh Davis Band, Brother Trucker and She Swings, She Sways. Admission is $8. …The Mississippi Valley Blues Festival in Davenport will be held Thursday through Saturday. Visit www.mvbs.org. …The Iowa City Jazz Festival plays Friday through Sunday. Visit www.icjazzfest.org. …Next Wednesday at 5:30 p.m., Flipside performs at Blank Park Zoo’s “Zoo Brew,” where fans can sample beers of Europe. The event is free with paid admission to the zoo — $9.95 for adults and $4.95 for children. … Iowa artists and arts organizations can apply for up to $500 in emergency assistance for costs associated with cleanup and recovery from damage incurred by flooding, tornados and related incidents. The 2008 Emergency Arts Relief application form is available at www.iowaartscouncil.org. …Metro Arts Jazz in July series of free jazz concerts around the metro is in full swing. A reminder — the annual Picnic Fundraiser will be held July 19 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Fort Des Moines Museum and Education Center. The Ballyhoo Foxtrot Orchestra will perform a tribute to jazz bandleader James Reese Europe. Tickets are $75 and include a meal catered by the Embassy Club, and are available through July 14 by calling 280-3222. Visit www.metroarts.org for a lineup of free concerts. CV

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