Travel Advisory

OTHER PACKAGE TOURS

The three-year-old Warped Tour may have begun as the poor man's Lollapalooza, but now it's the Everyman's Lollapalooza, since that other fave of the pierced-navel set dropped off the board. Skateboarders and adherents to more trad transportational modes can get extremely sporty to the sounds of Rancid, Bad Religion, and Cherry Poppin' Daddies in 33 cities, beginning June 30.

OZZfest doesn't have Marilyn Manson along to court civic controversy this year, so bats who value their heads had best stay away from New Jersey, when host Ozzy Osbourne kicks off a 16-city tour there July 3. "I think the two big winners last year will also be the big winners this year—OZZfest and Lilith," forecasts Gary Bongiovanni, editor in chief of the tour-biz trade Pollstar.

The Furthur Festival faced lackluster returns last year with its Grateful Dead members and contemporaries. But Bongiovanni expects Furthur—launching June 25—to do better in 1998 because the alum are "playing up the fact that they're doing Dead music." ("Miracle tickets," anyone?)

Let's not forget the mini-fests. This year, the predominantly Irish-themed Guinness Fleadh expands beyond its NYC weekend, held June 13-14, to two additional markets (Chicago, June 20; San Jose, Calif., June 28). The same weekend Fleadh foams up New York, the third-annual Tibetan Freedom Concert wishes the Dalai hello in D.C.

SOLOISTS

Is everyone ganging up to go out on package tours this summer? Might seem that way, but there are still a few brave individualists who shun safety in numbers. The biggest "solo" success of the summer, by Bongiovanni's reckoning, could be the Dave Matthews Band, already in the midst of a hot-selling 38-city swing.... The only other band tour that seems like a sure thing is Metallica; watch for the unforgiven (as if you won't be able to hear 'em coming) in 35 cities starting June 24.... Iffier is a 40-city amphitheater run, starting July 3, by the reconstituted Van Halen, dependent on whether old fans who've already rejected a new album with Gary Cherone are at least eager to hear him sing the best of Sam & Dave.... And the early on-sale results are mixed for Pearl Jam, who will soon discover whether they surrendered to Ticketmaster too late with a long-in-coming 35-city tour that kicks off June 20.

On the juvenile-appeal front, please give a warm, suspicious Yankee welcome to the Spice Girls—who got half the moms in New York in trouble by scheduling just one scant date at Madison Square Garden, resulting in a tears-inducing 12-minute sellout. Their 39-city North American stint starts June 15.... Don't count on too much less pubescent hysteria surrounding the first coming of Hanson, whose eight-date tour (with a few more to be announced) starts June 26 and could be extended well past another bro's voice change.

The B-52's and Pretenders will head out as amphitheater coheadliners (33 cities, starting June 18). But if Chrissie Hynde isn't "Middle of the Road" enough for you, there'll be no shortage of high-wattage female stars on less rocky road trips.... Perhaps the most anticipated non-Lilith Fair lady is Shania Twain, who, three albums into her career, is hitting the concert circuit for the first time (39 cities, beginning May 29).... In honor of her new boxed set, Stevie Nicks is promising a show that'll offer some more obscure material (including an acoustic set) as well as her usual hit-soaked tour fare (32 dates, commencing May 27).... Showing less lace and more leather, Janet Jackson—whose last S&M-spiked album was passed up by many record-store voters—is bound to fare better on her first tour since 1994 (46 North American cities, starting July 9).... And chronologically last, but vocally not least, Celine Dion will hit the road Aug. 21 (with 26 dates stretching almost to Halloween), ensuring that the Titanic phenomenon goes on, and on, and....