The heat is back y’all.

You can’t step outside without being forcefully reminded that it is, without a doubt, summertime. But, at least in our opinion, the heart and heat of summer can be a very, very good thing. In fact, if you know what to look for, summer can be the absolute best time of the year. And when the sun starts to fade over another hot day in Houston, there’s nowhere else we’d rather be than on The Pavilion lawn, kicked back and listening to the best music around.

We’ve got an unmissable line-up headed to The Pavilion this summer – every weekend seems to be packed with the biggest country, pop and rock names we could think of. What we’re looking forward to most, though, are a few sure-to-be-spectacular moments featured in our performing arts shows. We’ve learned that hearing a hundred professional musicians, perfectly synchronized and precise in every movement, make music together can be just as thrilling as rocking with Poison or Thirty Seconds to Mars.

Here are five moments from the summer ahead that we think are genuinely can’t miss.

1. Setting Off to See The Wizard, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Why, you ask? Well, because of the wonderful things he does, of course! We can hear the tune in our heads – it plays and dances around us over and over again as we ponder the magical night that’s now just a few short days away.

You may know the iconic tunes, but we’re willing to bet you’ve never heard them quite like this. We can’t wait to hear the truly touching tones of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” played by the exquisite Houston Symphony. We’re thrilled at the chance to sing “Follow the Yellow Brick Road” with thousands of our closest friends. We’re hoping with bated breath that, if we just wish hard enough, tapping our ruby slippers together might finally get us home.

There may be no film more genuinely magical than The Wizard of Oz. The adventure, the wonder, the discovery and mystery – all paired with one of the most iconic soundtracks of all-time, played perfectly by The Houston Symphony. We can’t think of a better way to celebrate the first day of summer. Don’t miss the magic!

2. Surviving a Shark Attack

There’s a lot we’re looking forward to at Jaws in Concert on June 13th. The movie is so spectacularly thrilling that it leaves you on the edge of your seat even if you’ve seen it a hundred times before. Each image from the movie is a masterpiece of color and spectacle. Every character brings something new to the table and every moment is rife with tension. Those things, as wonderful as they are, are not what we’re looking forward to most. No, that’s a moment reserved for a few spectacular notes from the Houston Symphony:

“Badum……..Badum….Badum..Badum”

We’re picturing it now – all the intensity of history’s most famous thriller, all the suspense of John Williams’ classic score, on The Pavilion’s big screens with a full symphony. We’re getting a little nervous just thinking about it.

3. Paying Homage to a Rock Legend

If you haven’t heard a symphony take on the discography of a rock legend, then you’ve truly missed out. All the tropes about classical music – that it’s slow or not very exciting, that it all sounds the same – fade completely into the background. The music takes the forefront and, together, the crowd absolutely rocks out. It truly is an experience unlike anything else.

That’s what makes “The Music of David Bowie” so exciting. Bowie left us with an incredible collection of music, a lifetime of work that touched every corner of the rock world and uncovered a great deal of new ground. His music was progressive and edgy, but also incredibly warm and inviting. David Bowie’s music was genuinely inventive and dynamically individualist – it’s the exact kind of music the Houston Symphony can rock at full volume.

We’re hoping to hear “Heroes” more than anything else:

It’s a melancholy anthem with a truly hopeful heart, beautiful in every respect. It’s just what we need.

4. Taking a Road Trip to Las Vegas

There’s a kind of music we don’t hear nearly enough anymore. It’s just as loud as modern day rock, it’s got just as much soul as the best R&B and it’s got all the attitude and charisma we can handle. We’ll say it: we miss the golden age of rock ‘n’ roll. There was something special about Elvis, Bob Dylan and Chuck Berry. They knew how to entertain without losing the feeling behind a song. They could jam with heart.

The Houston Symphony and The Pavilion have an answer for all of our golden age rock needs. They’re teaming up with vocalist Frankie Moreno for Blue Suede Tunes – a night of throwback rock hits that promises to take us straight to the Las Vegas strip. Frank Sinatra, Frankie Valli, Buddy Holly – this is the music that built today’s biggest hits.

Here’s what Blue Suede Tunes with the Houston Symphony feels like: Lights overhead, wind rushing past your head as you cruise down the road, and that old time rock ‘n’ roll blasting gloriously from your radio. We think you might just know every song – and we don’t want you to miss a second of it.

5. Getting Your Summer Blockbuster Fix

Don’t have the time to make it to the movies this summer? The Pavilion has you covered.

We can’t think of a composer who has scored more blockbusters than John Williams. Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Harry Potter…the list goes on and on. He’s known for soundtracks that are both epic and personal, massive when the action is big and small when the moment calls for it. Here are a few of his most smashing successes:

So here’s your can’t miss moment – John Williams’ best and brightest scores will be played, LIVE, by the Houston Symphony on The Pavilion’s main stage this summer. We’re ready to be swept off of our feet over and over again, to hum along with the music of our favorite movies and to do it all alongside the greatest fans in the world – you!

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We think it’s important to make the most of every summer – it won’t be long before school starts, pools close and brilliant summer sunsets come to an end. Capture the magic of summer with The Pavilion – we guarantee you won’t regret it.

P.S. Want to get even more involved at The Pavilion? Head here.