Now a Portlander, lang will perform July 1 as part of zoo's summer concert series
It will be a homecoming of sorts for k.d. lang, when she returns to play an Oregon Zoo concert for the second consecutive year. The singer, who blends country-rock stylings with a playfully punk-like attitude, moved to Portland earlier this year, and her first show as a local is Sunday, July 1, as part of the zoo's Summer Concerts series, presented by Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon with support from U.S. Bank and Toyota.
With more than 25 years as a major-label artist and four Grammy awards, k.d. lang helped define the alt-country genre. Last year, Nonesuch Records released "Sing It Loud," the singer-songwriter's first record made entirely with a band of her own (the Siss Boom Bang) since the pair of albums with the Reclines that launched her career.
Opening the July 1 show are the Milk Carton Kids, a folk duo from Los Angeles consisting of singer-guitarists Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan. Formed in early 2011, their music has been described by NPR as "gorgeous contemporary folk."
Tickets for the concert are $38.50 and can be purchased at the zoo during normal operating hours. Tickets can also be purchased (with service charge) at all Ticketmaster ticket centers, online at Ticketmaster.com and by phone at 800-745-3000. Purchase of a concert ticket allows entry into the zoo after 4 p.m; the concert begins at 7 p.m.
The zoo concert series will be showcasing a variety of world-renowned artists through September — from reggae superstar Ziggy Marley to blues legend Buddy Guy to hometown heroes Pink Martini — before finishing in mid-September with a performance by classic-rock favorites Chicago. Other notables this year include the Head and the Heart, Melissa Etheridge, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Supertramp's Roger Hodgson and Rosanne Cash. More information and full schedule.
In 1979, the Oregon Zoo became the first in America to host a summer concert series. Now, the series is one of the top outdoor events in the Northwest, and is the region's longest continuously running outdoor series.
Oregon Zoo Summer Concerts is presented by Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon with support from U.S. Bank and your local Toyota dealers, and media support from The Oregonian.
The Oregon Zoo is a service of Metro and is dedicated to its mission of inspiring the community to create a better future for wildlife. Committed to conservation, the zoo is currently working to save endangered California condors, Columbia Basin pygmy rabbits, Oregon silverspot and Taylor’s checkerspot butterflies, Western pond turtles and Oregon spotted frogs. Other projects include studies on black rhinos, Asian elephants, polar bears and bats.
The zoo relies in part on community support through donations to the Oregon Zoo Foundation to undertake these and many other animal welfare, education and sustainability programs. The zoo is located five minutes from downtown Portland, just off Highway 26 at exit 72. The zoo is also accessible by MAX light rail line. Visitors who travel to the zoo via MAX receive $1.50 off zoo admission. Find fare and route information online or by calling TriMet Customer Service at 503-238-RIDE (7433).
General zoo admission is $10.50 (ages 12-64), $9 for seniors (65 and up), $7.50 for children (ages 3-11) and free for those 2 and younger; 25 cents of the admission price helps fund regional conservation projects through the zoo’s Future for Wildlife program. A parking fee of $4 per car is also required. Additional information is available by calling 503-226-1561.
Hova Najarian at 503-220-5714 or hova.najarian@oregonzoo.org