Summer Tours: S'Mores, Sweat, Sounds

Musical acts from youngster Taylor Swift to veteran Dave Matthews are hitting the road this summer, and some artists took time to fill the Wall Street Journal in on their on- and off-stage plans. A sampling:

• Swift: Her first headlining tour includes a gig at Madison Square Garden, but her favorite part is often circling the buses and making s’mores around a portable fire pit, she says. “Then we bust out the Michael Jackson.”

• Steve Earle: The singer-songwriter is hitting more festivals than he once did. “I used to hate them,” he said. “But it’s no muss, no fuss, and a heck of a lot of money.” He also makes sure to be out West in August, for the fly-fishing.
• Lyle Lovett: Summer’s bigger crowds make it a good time to tour with his Large Band, and the prize-winning horse breeder and rider makes a point to visit with far-flung “horse trainer heroes.”
• Dave Matthews: He’s added family to the summer touring routine, which always includes an extra helping of perspiration. “I’ve found that sweating until it looks like you’ve wet your pants doesn’t help much,” he says, “but that’s my main technique.”

For more from bands like TV on the Radio, the Killers, and Phoenix, click the link below.
(More Taylor Swift stories.)