I love discovering new music, so going to concerts is one of my favorite ways to spend a weeknight (when I should probably be studying instead). That’s why missing concerts simply because I didn’t hear about them until too late is one of my biggest pet peeves.

But I’ve recently come across a new site that ensures I won’t ever miss another show: SuperGlued. SuperGlued features a concert calendar, so you can browse upcoming shows in your area, and also notifies you of upcoming concerts you might want to attend.

Upcoming concert alerts aren’t all that SuperGlued has to offer, however. The site also links to all your existing social networks, such as Facebook, Twitter, FourSquare, Vimeo, YouTube, Flickr and Instagram. You can easily check in, share tweets, pictures and videos of concerts you’ve gone to — making it easy to connect with fellow concertgoers, and maybe even find a new concert buddy! The site also imports your top 100 favorite artists from your last.fm account and lets you know when they’re playing a show in your area.

SuperGlued also offers contests periodically, where you can earn points simply by doing things you already use SuperGlued for — like posting pictures and videos or Tweeting about the band.

In addition to all that, SuperGlued is also available as an awesome iPhone or Android app. The app has a really cool “Recommend” feature which scans your iTunes library and recommends a concert you might like based on your musical tastes. That would come in handy when you can’t decide what to do on a Friday or Saturday night!

[There are over 100 million sites on the Internet. 100 million! You might think you know about all the important ones (CollegeCandy, Gmail, Google, Facebook…), but there are thousands of other sweet sites out there (like Any New Books?, When Parents Text and College Daybreak) and more showing up every day! We get it – it’s not easy or fun sifting through the crap and porn to find those gems, so we’re gonna bring the gems to you. Just sit back, kick up those feet and allow us to introduce you to the diamonds in the internet rough.]

I love going to concerts, but I always manage to hear about them long after the tickets are sold out. Then I spend weeks hearing about how excited my friends are to see <Insert Favorite Band Here> and another few weeks listening to them gush about how amazing <Insert Favorite Song Here> was live.

Well, I’ll never have to pretend I don’t want to punch them in the face worry about that again now that I’ve discovered iConcertCal.

iConcertCal is a GENIUS tool that syncs with your iTunes library to create a personalized calendar of all upcoming concerts in your area. It also contains information about the venue, what other bands are playing, and direct links to where you can purchase tickets.

If that isn’t amazing enough, iConcertCal can be exported right to your computer’s calendar and is also available as an iPhone or Android app, so you can get concert info whenever and wherever you need it. You can also share your calendar with friends (and see their shared calendars as well).

And iConcertCal isn’t just for concerts — it will also show you if any artists you like have CDs being released soon and provides links to where you can pre-order them.

Thanks to iConcertCal, I’ll never miss another concert! I’ve already discovered so many upcoming  concerts I want to go to — but now I just have to decide which ones to buy tickets to!

Pretty cool, eh? Well, there’s plenty more web where that came from. Check out the other sites that are on Laura’s web radar!

I spent the better part of high school going to Backstreet Boys concerts. I made posters, convinced my mom to buy me hideous and overpriced concert gear (including a shimmery jean jacket with a studded gold “Backstreet Boys” on the back that I just HAD to have… I kid you not). I was smitten. I would daydream in Algebra class that they would just swoop into my school and serenade me (never happened), or that I would sit front row at their concerts (happened a few times thanks to my knack for sneaking up).

And while I grew up, and my musical repertoire changed, I have always held a soft spot for the Backstreet Boys. Maybe it’s that sweet pang of nostalgia, but the Boys gave me an escape, they started my love affair with music, and it would only be fair to admit that they even, in a way, helped start me on my career path in music, journalism and TV. Oh and their music is undeniably catchy.

So while people still give them flack and mainstream U.S. media doesn’t cover them nearly at all, there is no denying that the Backstreet Boys make you want to sing in your car. I’ve seen you (yes, YOU) at the bar belting out ‘I Want It That Way’ at 2am on Friday nights.

Their concerts are still packed with screaming girls, from 8-68. And it doesn’t hurt that despite losing a member, these Boys have only gotten sexier with age. Sounds too good to be true? Check out some footage CC shot at a BSB concert this past summer in Detroit:

So here I am, a college girl with a still-burning flame for BSB, and while the Boys didn’t swoop in and serenade me (yet), I did get to spend some time chatting it up with Howie Dorough of the Backstreet Boys. He called from the road of their latest tour, Unbreakable, and filled me in on the Boys’ lives, their music, their tour, and something very near and dear to his heart, the Dorough Lupus Foundation, which he started in memory of his sister Caroline, whose life was taken from the disease.

On Life as a Backstreet Boy:

CC: If you had to pick one all-time favorite BSB song, what would it be?

Howie: My favorite song of all time would probably be “All I Have To Give.” It’s like one of our earliest songs. It would probably be a cross between that and “Drowning.”

CC: It seems that when it comes to you guys, girls forget how to talk and everything just comes out as a high pitched scream! What is the craziest moment you’d say you’ve experienced as a Backstreet Boy?

Howie: There’s so many different fan moments that have happened that it’s kind of hard to narrow it down to one. But probably the craziest thing I think for us in our career was probably doing the 100 Hours Around The World trip that we did for Black and Blue. That was crazy. I was so jet-lagged for like a week I couldn’t stand it. I was…I didn’t know where I was, which country, time was so off, but it was actually lots of fun.

CC: That was a long time ago. I hear you’re planning another album – what can you tell me about it?

Howie: We’ve actually kind of made a conscious decision to go back to a little bit more of what we were known for back in the days, you know, great pop melody, a little bit more of a pop-R&B sound. We’re hoping for the album to come out during the first quarter of next year.

CC: What is the writing process like for the albums? Who’s the most hands-on in terms of songwriting?

Howie: In the earlier days it was maybe Brian, but we all actually really do a lot of writing, you know. Me and Nick just wrote a song the other day, and Brian and Nick have written together, and AJ as well; it’s sort of a collaborative effort.

CC: You’ve spent the past year (and your entire career) traveling all over the world – where has been your favorite place you’ve seen?

Howie: There are so many great, beautiful places it’s hard to pick really one place, I think if I had to go live somewhere else besides the States, I’d probably pick Australia– Sydney, Australia. The water is so beautiful, such clean air.

CC: And in the States?

Howie: Chicago is one of my favorite places to perform and party at.

CC: You guys were the front-runners of the pop scene and happen to be the only group left. Yet even though you’ve proven yourselves to the critics who said you wouldn’t last, you still get flack from critics here the U.S. Why do you think that is?

Howie: Yeah, you know, it’s America, I’ve come to realize it’s kind of a fickle market, and you know you’re only as hot as your last hit song. I respect that; you always have to set the standards and the bar high. So you just have to overcome that, and now we’re making music for our fans and for ourselves. If the critics like us, great, and if not, at least we’re making music.

CC: Well, your fans don’t seem to care what the critics think, after all these years, you really have such a huge, loyal fan base.

Howie: Yeah, we’re very, very blessed. Very blessed. Everyone just keeps us going. And you know, pretty much that’s why we’re doing this.

CC: What would you say are the biggest differences between the fans from now and the fans from the old school Backstreet days?

Howie: A lot of them have actually grown up with us, believe it or not. A lot of them that were in their teens are now in their 20s and 30s. Some of them are now coming to the concert with their kids. They’re married. It’s awesome, you know, it’s almost an extended family out there on the road.

CC: So everyone thought the BSB would be over for good along with so many acts of the late 90′s pop that have fallen to the wayside, but thankfully you’re still here! Can we expect you guys to be around forever? On stage with wheelchairs and dentures?

Howie: We’ve always said we’ve wanted to model ourselves after The Eagles, the Rolling Stones, you know, they were groups that have done it right. They’ve had their ups and downs, they’ve been really popular and times they just kind of like, you know, just went along, had solo careers here and there. We have a really, really great thing going on, especially with the music industry being as crazy at it is, and the economy, and for us to be able to still go out there and sell records and sell tours, we’re all very, very blessed.

CC: So I have to ask this. I know you and Brian are both happily married, but is there still hope for that 13-year-old girl inside all of us who thought we were destined to date a Backstreet Boy? Are AJ and Nick still single?

Howie: Haha, of course, they’re doin’ it. They’re definitely the single ones and enjoying it – now there’s plenty more left over for them.

On the Dorough Lupus Foundation and Rock Your Religion:

CC: What is the purpose of the Dorough Lupus Foundation? Is it more to educate, to donate… what’s the mission?

Howie: It’s a mixture of both. It’s definitely to educate people because it’s such a hush-hush disease. It’s affecting more people than the major diseases out there that have so much more attention. I want to educate people about it, and you know, try to create awareness of the disease. At the same time, a big portion of our mission is to donate money towards research.

CC: So you’ve teamed up with Rock Your Religion and created a pendant – tell us about that!

Howie: I wanted to create a merchandise item that meant something to me and so we created this symbol and, to me, Rock Your Religion just seemed like a really natural fit. Their beliefs in helping different causes are really cool to me, and that’s why a portion of the purchased proceeds of the necklaces are actually going out to the Dorough Lupus Foundation.

CC: What does the design of the pendant actually mean?

Howie: We used the actual signature of Kairos symbol, which is a really unique symbol. It’s an ancient good luck charm that was linked to the Greek phrase “En Touto Nika” which when translated in English means, “In this sign you will conquer.” So we decided to also put my signature on the back to really just endorse the emblem and the phrase.

CC:What are your future plans for the Lupus Foundation,

Howie: I’m doing a couple different fundraisers possibly throughout this tour here, as well as we’re going to be possibly doing one out in LA pretty soon.

CC: Is there a way for College Candy readers to get involved? What can we do to help contribute?

Howie: We have an open-door welcoming policy for anyone who wants to come in and put together a fundraiser. They can be as small or as big as they want it to be, it’s just about spreading the word out there and raising money for the cause. Anybody that has ideas are welcome go to our website (www.doroughlupusfoundation.org).

To get the Howie Pendant which benefits the DLF click here

For more info on the Backstreet Boys check out their website: Backstreetboys.com

What am I going to be using it for? If you’re buying a fake primarily just to buy your friends booze every once in awhile, it’s probably not worth it to go through the whole process of getting one. It would be easier to just find an older friend to buy for you. If you want one to get into concerts, bars, clubs, comedy clubs, etc., with friends who also have fakes or who are older, then it’s more beneficial for you to have one. This way you’re at least getting your money’s worth, and you know for sure you have others who can join you in your illegal adventures.

Who am I buying one off of? Some of my friends have gotten fakes from a random sketchy place down in Chinatown. Even though they only paid 60 bucks for it, the ID says that it’s not government issued and a lot of places haven’t accepted them. Needless to say, they got sh*tty fakes.

It’s better to buy a fake ID off of someone who will show you what his fakes look like and who has some references so you know how the IDs have held up. Even better is someone who will replace your ID if it doesn’t end up scanning or if you don’t like the end result.

Keep in mind, some good fake IDs are pricey. I know of friends who make un-scannable IDs for 80 bucks while certain ID’s that do scan cost between $100-$150.

Am I ready to deal with the consequences if I get caught? This is a HUGE question to ask yourself before buying a fake because you never know what can happen or how your area deals with IDs. My friend was caught with a fake ID in my small hometown and arrested for it while two of my friends caught in NYC just had their’s taken away with a slap on the wrists. Depending on who catches you, there can be major consequences that could seriously eff up the rest of your life. NEVER take buying a fake lightly.

All in all, my friends who have fakes have been happy and understand the risks involved. Mine has held up for more then a year with no problems (knock on wood) — although I am very picky about where I go with it.

Two more details to keep in mind: know what the real state ID of your fake looks like and ALWAYS have your real name on the fake. Using a fake name is identity theft and if caught, your charges will be worse.

If you’re not up to getting a fake, using an older friend’s ID works too. Or…you know, just wait until you’re 21.

Any thoughts or advice on fakes? Would you get one?

I admit, I’ve been. It’s an amazing live show, it really is. That and the contact high you can get on the walk from the parking lot to the amphitheater is sick. But no, boys definitely love the Dave, and when you date one, you learn to love (or tolerate, or pay to see) him too. The odds are not in your favor–you will learn to deal.

I personally was never into Dave Matthews until I dated his stalker, a guy who had been to over 30 shows around the country, owned every album, some memorabilia…you get the idea. He had a man-crush on Dave. So, I tried to appreciate instead of judging him as a little weird (error in judgment number one). I downloaded more Dave than my own iPod could handle, I think at one point a good sixth of my playlist was devoted to DMB. I took it even further and went to a few shows. Which were good, you know, until I attached memories of the guy to them. And then the relationship ended on an incredibly bad note. And I was left with the sappy croonings of Dave Matthews to remind me what a moron I’d been. Never again can I think about seeing him live (which is sooo fun if you tailgate) or throwing on a random mix to fall asleep to.

Dave had to go, and after removing him from my iPod (but not my iTunes, should I lapse), I was safe. Or so I thought.

The songs below will inevitably be played at the least opportune moment, after that beer you shouldn’t have had, when you know you’re going home alone, and when you’re more emotionally vulnerable than you’ve been in months. I have yet to meet a girl who isn’t reminded of some guy from her past by this man,and so have created a list of the top 5 worst Dave songs to ever come on after a break up.

In no particular order, these always bring back painful memories and make you wish you never had the ex burn you a Dave Matthews mix:

1)Crash. I’d end it now by saying the entire album, but that’s no fun. When your relationship was at its best this is the song you’d listen to and think happy little love thoughts. And now when I hear it, I cringe and retch a little.

2)Two-Step. “Celebrate we will, because life is short but sweet for certain…” And so was that relationship. Only replace “sweet” with bitter and painful, or any other adjectives that remind you of how that experience ended. Plus there’s ALWAYS some dumb drunk frat boy screaming “TWO STEP!” on the lawn at the summer shows, convinced that Dave can hear him and will honor the request, just all-around bad news.

3) Satellite. Ooof, this was my FAVORITE Dave song. He played this at my first ever concert of four I went to, and it was a perfect night, at the beginning of a perfect summer romance… I remember road trips and heart-to-hearts about feelings caused by this song, and now it’s all just tainted. Cannot listen to it.

4) The Space Between. And now that’s all that’s left between you and your ex. Awesome. Bartender, can I get a shot of tequila? This one goes out to my best friend, scarred by a Dave groupie at an early age, who would likely prefer her own eardrums to explode than be put through memories associated with this song.

5)#41. “I wanted to stay, I wanted to play, I wanted to loooooooove youuuuuuu…” Need I say more? Can’t hear this without thinking, yes, wanted to love you, and want to know where the HELL I got that idea.

Any other Dave jams you just can’t take that didn’t make my top 5?

[photo courtesy of www.moonbattery.com]

Bonnaroo: June 14-17, Manchester, Tennessee

Do you ever wish you should stumble through makeshift tents erected out of multi-colored tapestries interspersed with North Face nylon numbers, reeking of red wine, special brownie crumbs on your dirty t-shirt, a blunt in one hand and a delicious vegan burrito in the other? Well you best get packing and head down to Tennessee to join the throngs of drug addled music lovers.

Technically, it’s the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, but if you call it by its full name be prepared to be mocked by red-eyed hippies with dreadlocks. It’s a four-day, multi-stage camping festival that brings artists of all different genres, from the Police to Tool (both of which are playing this year, oh yes). Besides the music, on the festival site is a classic arcade, cinema, silent disco (which sounds more than a little awk), comedy club, theater performers, and a beer festival (oh hells yes).

For its sweet vibe, smooth logistics, and crazy entertainment options, Rolling Stone named the fest one of the 50 moments that changed the history of rock and roll. Come on, you need to get a piece of this action.

Expect to See: Girltalk, The National, Lily Allen, Spoon, Ziggy Marley, The Decemberists, White Stripes, The Police, Kings of Leon, Hot Chip, Pete Yorn

Tickets Run: $199-214 (But can you ever put a price on youthful distraction?)

I am, however, really into music, and would give one of my limbs to have access to so many concerts this summer (does anyone need a leg, cause I REALLY want to go to Rock the Bells). Which is why I was inspired to suck it up, and enter this really awesome contest. It’s so cool, I almost don’t want to tell you guys about it cause as of right now, there aren’t that many entries…. My chances are looking good. So don’t enter. Please.

LG has paired up with Billboard to give 30 people new camera phones, access to some of the hottest shows of the summer, and the forum to share your thoughts with the massive world of the blogosphere. All you have to do is write a 100 word essay about why you would make a great blogger, send them a “photo mash up”— which I hope I did properly— and you could be selected to cover shows across the country this summer. You use your new phone to take pictures, write your blog, and it will be posted on your own personal Billboard webpage. I would seriously pay them to let me do this.

At the end of the summer, three finalists are selected based on their number of hits, and then you, the people, get to vote for whose work is the best.

LG has realized that us 20 somethings have a hard time living without our phones these days. I left my phone at home yesterday, and thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown. I thought I was going to have a worse one when I got home and only one person had called me. I’m so cool.

LG is cashing in on this trend with all the cool contests they’ve held this year, all at the same time creating a buzz about their products. Sounds like someone over there is pretty smart, huh?

Moving to New York for the term just made everything worse. Suddenly I was with my own kind, it was like coming home for a family reunion. Only the hipsters I saw, well they were way more hip than me.

The swarms of tight-panted, ironic t-shirt wearing, gold mini-dress sporting, skinny as hell boys and girls had all the newest sneakers, knew all the newest bands both in the New York scene as well as the newest stuff coming from the West Coast, Canada, and Britain were at a whole new plane of cool and they knew it.

Looking extremely bored, hungry, and wearing too many shades of neon, these New York hipsters knew they were cooler than me. I could feel it. I was from, gasp, New Hampshire. What’s in NH besides maple syrup, cable-knit sweaters, and my favorite Ivy League institution? Exactly. It’s nothing but mountains and pancakes.

So I put all my energy into bringing up my hip status to snag myself a “posse” of cool friends but they’re so damn cliquey. It’s like being in middle school again. So I decided my best plan of action was to go to indie rock shows (which I heart) and stand there looking cool, unimpressed, and silent. I don’t know which is worse, the fact that I thought this was a good idea or the fact that it worked.

So I’m fairly sure I’ve reached hip status, with my gold leggings, disheveled but immaculate hair, and encyclopedia-like knowledge of all the newest groups emerging from the woodwork. But something is wrong…

Last night while standing in line for a free concert at the Hiro Ballroom, I had a lot of time for deep contemplation and people-watching (or as I like to call it, people-judging). Suddenly life on the inside didn’t look so grand. To my left there was a skinny-boy with tighter jeans than me who kept adjusting his hair but trying to look like he didn’t care about his hair at the same time. Behind me was a girl wearing a denim jacket and jeans (Canadian tuxedo) ironically, but I couldn’t decide if the subtle attempt at humor was genius or she just looked like badly dressed Canadian.

So that’s the dilemma. Are these hipsters cooler than everybody else or is it all a sham? I haven’t the slightest. But I do know that I’m going to start dating outside the scene. Something about seeing guys in better jeans than me is a big turn-off…

Fortunately for me, Coachella is just the first of many insanely great music lineups hitting the spring / summer festival scene this year. And next week when finals are in the bag, there will be nothing stopping me from sitting in on the action. Rollingstone.com has pulled together a fantastic list of music fests, line-ups and the pros and cons of each. Here is a brief rundown of the ones that made the list and a few that didn’t.

The Bamboozle – May 5th – 6th (Meadowlands Sports Complex, New Jersey)

Lineup Highlights: My Chemical Romance, MC Hammer, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Hellogoodbye

Sasquatch – May 26th – 27th (George, Washington)

Lineup Highlights: Bjork, Beastie Boys, Arcade Fire, Interpol, Spoon, M.I.A., Neko Case, The Blacks Angels

Bonnaroo – June 14th – 17th (Manchester, Tennesee)

Lineup Highlights: The Police, Widespread Panic, The White Stripes, The Flaming Lips, Wilco, Franz Ferdinand, Damien Rice, The Decembrists, The Roots, The Black Keys

Summerfest - June 28th – July 8th (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)

Lineup Highlights: Toby Keith with Miranda Lambert, Bon Jovi, Roger Waters, The Fray with OK Go and John Mayer with Ben Folds

Live Earth - July 7th (Giants Stadium – Rutherford, NJ)

Lineup Highlights: Akon, Alicia Keys, Bon Jovi, Dave Matthews Band, Fall Out Boy, John Mayer, Kanye West, Kelly Clarkson, Ludacris, The Police, Rihanna, Roger Waters, Sheryl Crow, Smashing Pumpkins

Live Earth – July 7th (Wembley Stadium, London, UK)

Lineup Highlights: Beastie Boys, Black Eyed Peas, Bloc Party, Corinne Bailey Rae, Damien Rice, Duran Duran, Foo Fighters, Genesis, James Blunt, John Legend, Keane, Madonna, Paolo Nutini, Razorlight, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Snow Patrol

Pitchfork Music Festival – July 13th – 15th (Union Park – Chicago, Illinois)

Lineup Highlights: Sonic Youth, Cat Power, Girl Talk, De La Soul, Stephen Malkmus, New Pornographers, Iron and Wine, Grizzly Bear, Of Montreal, The Ponys

Rock The Bells - July 28th – 29th (Randalls Island, New York)

Lineup Highlights: Rage Against The Machine, The Wu-Tang Clan, Cypress Hill, The Roots, Mos Def

Rocklahoma – July 13th – 15th (Pryor, Oklahoma)

Lineup Highlights: Poison, Ratt, Vince Neil, Warrant, Slaughter, L.A. Guns, Winger, Dokken, Jackyl, Faster Pussycat, Firehouse

Lollapalooza – August 3rd – 5th (Grant Park – Chicago, Illinois)

Lineup Highlights: Pearl Jam, Daft Punk, Modest Mouse, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Snow Patrol, Spoon, Iggy Pop and the Stooges, Amy Winehouse

Bumbershoot - September 1st – 3rd (Seattle, Washington)

Lineup Highlights: The Shins, Wu Tang Clan, Panic! At The Disco, Crowded House, DeVotchka, Plain White T’s, Lupe Fiasco, Gogol Bordello

Austin City Limits – September 14th – 16th (Zilker Park – Austin, Texas)

Lineup Highlights: (TBD – May) Wilco, Kings of Leon, Bloc Party