On July 30, stars will align in Central Oregon for simultaneous events so rare that they can only be compared to prophecies and predictions found in The Singularity, The Cosmogenesis, the Quatrains of Nostradamus, and the I Ching. A day on the calendar so significant it immediately rivals in importance the ending of the Mayan calendar in 2012. OK, maybe none of that is true, but for the first time in about two years (remember the Shins, Matisyahu and the Gourds all playing on one night in 2007?), two major musical acts will be performing on Central Oregon stages on the same night - Peter Frampton at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds and Sugarland at the Les Schwab Amphitheater.
What is a music fan to do? Both are multiplatinum-selling artists, both are backed by bands of musicians that could tour in their own right, and both have songs that, more than likely, at least one member of your household can sing (or at least hum) along to.
The last time Sugarland was slated to play the LSA, we provided a tale of the tape, setting the pop country stars up against outlaw country hero Willie Nelson, who was also playing the LSA that week. Well, Sugarland cancelled (supposedly because of health problems and not because our write up intimidated them out of appearing) so we're bringing the fight back on for what we're calling the Battle for July 30. Here's how this arena rock legend and country music banner carrier measure up:
