The Ten Hottest Summer Package Tours of 2012

Target Audience: Anyone who saw arena rock shows in the mid- to late-1970s should dig this show. Aerosmith and Cheap Trick rocked the shit out of every arena in the country back then, though both fell sharply off by the mid-1980s. They both soon came back with the help of outside songwriters and MTV-ready videos, though Cheap Trick's return was brief and Aerosmith managed to keep filling arenas, despite the complete lack of new music during the past decade.

Missing Members: Aerosmith and Cheap Trick both lost some key members in the early 1980s, but in both cases they came back fairly quickly. Against all odds, Aerosmith still tours with its complete classic line-up. Cheap Trick, sadly, no longer tours with drummer Bun E. Carlos. Daxx Nielsen, son of guitarist Rick Nielsen, is now the touring drummer. Still, eight of the nine members of Aerosmith and Cheap Trick will be on this tour. That ain't too shabby.

Likely Highlight: It's pretty tough with this one since the show will be pretty much wall-to-wall audience-pleasing hits. "Dream On" and "Sweet Emotion" will get everyone out of their seats, but so will "Surrender" and "I Want You To Want Me." Aerosmith are a bigger band, but the members of Cheap Trick actually like each other and they play with as much energy as they ever did.