​Happy #NationalWineDay to all of the wine-os out there! While you curl up at the end of day and pour yourself a glass, Ticket Galaxy is bringing you our #NationalWineDay artist lineup. Each of these artists are not only touring this year, but they relate to the holiday through their songs, interests, and persona in the music industry. 

Dave Matthews Band

​Dave Matthews Band is an obvious correlation to #NationalWineDay due to their frontman Dave Matthews' investment in the wine industry. Matthews owns Dreaming Tree Wines and line titled "The Dreaming Tree" that can be found in most liquor stores. ​Matthews partnered up with Sean McKenzie to create The Dreaming Tree. The Californian wine line that reflects the rockstar and the established wine connoisseur. Dreaming Tree Wines is located in Geyserville, California. 

The Dreaming Tree Wines now includes five different types: Crush Red Blend, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Sauvignon Blanc. Each are reasonably priced under $20 a bottle. ​

On Dreaming Tree Wine's website, Matthews also features a handful of recipes that pair well with his wines from Dave Matthews Band chef  Fiona Bohane. Dreaming Tree Wines also has a heavy focus on sustainability and eco-friendly efforts inspired by Matthews' social issues standpoints.

Dave Matthews Band is releasing a new album titled Come Tomorrow. Their tour will begin in late May and go until late September. Purchase Dave Matthews Band tickets today!   

Dead & Company

Dead & Company is unique in the sense that the band does not release albums but tours consistently every year since formation. Furthermore, Dead & Company is comprised of Grateful Dead members and John Mayer. Mayer grew a heavy appreciation for Grateful Dead in 2011 and invited the guitarist Bob Weir to perform with him on The Late Late Show in 2015. Since then, the remaining core members of the group formed a musical bond with Mayer and have continued to perform together ever since. Dead & Company began touring in 2015 and have consistently toured ever since without releasing a studio album.

Mayer's career has taken turns throughout the years, but his classics remain well-played throughout the past few decades. In 2009's Battle Studies, the hit "Heartbreak Warefare" hints at #NationalWineDay with the lyric, "Red wine and Ambien / You're talking shit again, it's heartbreak warfare." This line in itself expresses Mayer's general lyrical genius: a combination of pensive and sullen over relationships.

Purchase Dead & Company tickets to see their Summer 2018 Tour!    

Journey

Journey's major, smashing hit song "Don't Stop Believin'" includes a pivotal lyric, "The smell of wine and cheap perfume." Most Americans know the song and therefore know this line, which is why Journey makes our list for #NationalWineDay. In addition to "Don't Stop Believin'," the mega-selling band's hit list also includes "Lovin, Touchin' Squeezin'," "Girl Can't Help It," and many more. "Don't Stop Believin'" is off of their 1981 album Escape. Journey is in the top best-selling bands in the U.S. and one of the best-selling bands in the world, as well. Journey was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017.

Purchase Journey tickets as they join forces with Def Leppard for a co-headlining North American Tour in 2018!

Steely Dan

Steely Dan is a band who is known to enjoy a party and a drink. Founded by Donald Fagen and the late Walter Beck, Steely Dan's rock sound also blends jazzy and pop elements that created standout hits for the artists. Fagen is the only official member of the band after Beck's passing, but the touring members keep the stage lively and full of the series of instruments that maintains Steely Dan's sound. The band broke up in the '80s to then reform in the early '90s. Steely Dan's cult-like following allowed the group to continue its success even during the split. Steely Dan was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001.

From 1980's Guacho, "Time Out of Mind" includes the lyric, "Tonight when I chase the dragon / The water may change to cherry wine." This wine reference is one of many drinking references throughout their songs. Steely Dan also weaves religious influences into the lyric, as well, hinting at Jesus Christ turning water into wine. However, the song itself is about drugs and addiction, creating a metaphor between being high and religious experience.

Purchase Steely Dan tickets to see Fagen and his touring band live this summer!  


By Jenna

Christina Aguilera
"Liberation Tour"
​Christina Aguilera is back after years out of the new music spotlight. Aguilera spent seasons on The Voice during its early years. Though she doesn't seem fond of the show's evolution through her opinions in interviews, Aguilera held her coach position due to her extraordinary vocal abilities. That doesn't distract from the years since her last album. 2012's Lotus was Aguilera's last album; the pop star retreated into motherhood and kept out of the television or charting spotlights.

Aguilera is back in 2018 with her new album Liberation. Even from the title itself, fans can tell this is a new side of Aguilera after her time away. The first single "Accelerate" features Ty Dolla $ign and 2 Chainz on a Kanye-produced beat. Though the single itself didn't catch fire, the follow-up songs hinted more at the vocal range that fans fell in love with. "Twice" and "Fall in Line" featuring Demi Lovato demonstrated her powerhouse voice as well as attitude. Without the distractions of overly-worked backbeats, Aguilera began to show the naked, raw talent that encompasses her album marketing strategy. Used to seeing Aguilera hidden behind makeup, Liberation shows a natural side to the star. Her shoots show a natural makeup with very little flair similar to Lady Gaga's Joanne.

Purchase Christina Aguilera tickets for her "Liberation Tour."  

Phil Collins
"Not Dead Yet! Tour" 
Phil Collins grew into fame during his time in the band Genesis when he replaced Peter Gabriel as the frontman. Afterwards, Collins' solo career took off to establish Collins as a high-selling rock artist. ​Besides his drummer role in Genesis, Collins' solo career includes major hits such as "In the Air Tonight" and Disney Tarzan's "You'll Be in My Heart." Collins also has an established acting career in addition to his music career. Named after his new memoir Not Dead Yet, Collins is embarking on his "Not Dead Yet! Tour" in 2018. This is his first major North American tour in twelve years, falling in line with the name of the tour and book. Collins has not released an album since 2010's Going Back, and there are no solid plans for a release this year. 

Purchase Phil Collins tickets to see the English icon live. 

Taylor Swift
Openers: Camila Cabello and Charli XCX
'reputation' World Tour

Taylor Swift ferociously returned to the charts in 2017 with her first album in three years titled reputation. After public feuds that dragged around Swift's once-flawless character, reputation was the album to address her growth and struggles over the past three years. Its name and persona spoke for itself. The marketing strategy focused around black and red. Ads included the snake that Swift's Instagram account so famously swarmed with after her fallout with Kanye West and Kim Kardashian. Swift's entire tour personality also focuses around the dark. As her lead single "Look What You Made Me Do" stated, "I'm sorry, the Old Taylor can't come to the phone right now. Why? Oh, 'cause she's dead." reputation's lead-up to release was just that: aggressive, image-altering, and a little petty. Fans squirmed at the idea that the red-lipped. smiling girl who danced around in sun dresses and looked shocked when she won awards was truly gone.

However, the album itself spoke to a different Swift than the hype warned for. Though her album clearly discusses the trials that her reputation went through, Swift also continues to focus on that one thing that grounds all of her music: the importance of love. Throughout the past three years, while Swift herself has struggled in her career, she has also stumbled through her twentysomethings into true love. The album is not about West or Perry or what they made her do. Instead, Swift rips out the ugliness that hides in every young woman figuring s*** out and puts it on the record for fans to hear. She openly discusses sex for one of the first times in her career. She also swears; though not often, it's enough to once again demonstrate that she is grown and now unafraid.

Swift's 'reputation' World Tour will bring the alternate Swift persona around the world. However, Swift has also acknowledged that the tour will include old hits, as well, for longtime fans. The tour began in Arizona and will continue until early October. 

Find out what Swift has to say about her reputation - purchase Taylor Swift tickets. 

​J. Cole 
Openers: Young Thug
"KOD Tour"

​J. Cole announced his "KOD Tour" after releasing his 2018 album KOD. Young Thug will open for the majority of the tour dates, creating an epic lineup featuring two major hip-hop artists. The tour begins in August and heads through mid-October. J. Cole's KOD broke multiple streaming records when it was released in April. He explained that "KOD" stands for Kids On Drugs, King OverDosed, and Kill Our Demons. Each meaning reflects a different theme in the album. J. Cole battles with societal norms, such as social media, and disease, such as alcoholism, in KOD. Much like a majority of his lyrics, J. Cole's focus is observation of the world around him and those close to him that translate into internal critique and reflection. His serious tone welcomes critiques to call the star "preachy" in a way that Lamar evades, but J. Cole's talent and unique sound permeate KOD like this other records.

Purchase J. Cole tickets. 

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​Beyoncé and JAY-Z
Openers: TBA
"On the Run II Tour"

Two of the music industry's biggest stars align for the "On the Run II Tour" during 2018. After Lemonade and Becky with the Good Hair and 4:44 reflections, Bey & Jay are back as a power couple ready for a co-headlining blockbuster tour. Though Beyoncé has yet to drop an album since 2016, JAY-Z released 4:44 in 2017 around the time that their twins were born. This tour will certainly include many old hits from Beyoncè's catalog, as well as some potential new music foreshadowing her next album release. JAY-Z will most likely focus on 4:44, but fans are sure to hear his hits in conjunction with his wife's set, as well. 

The tour's European leg kicks off in June and heads through July. The North American leg begins in late July and goes through early October. "On the Run II Tour" is the sequel to their 2014 "On the Run Tour." 

Purchase On the Run II Tour tickets.  

​Jason Aldean
Openers: Lauren Alaina and Luke Combs
"High Noon Neon Tour" 

​​Jason Aldean is one of the biggest male country artists and live performers in the genre. After a difficult 2017 that involved the Route 91 shooting while he was onstage, Aldean is back for his first full-length tour since the massacre. Aldean is known for his performative skills, captivating stadiums for years. His new album Rearview Town dropped in April. He is touring in support of his new album, and is bringing young stars Lauren Alaina and Luke Combs on the road. Aldean also just released the single "Drowns the Whiskey" featuring Miranda Lambert in May. 

The "High Noon Neon Tour" begins in May and goes until late September. Purchase Jason Aldean tickets.