Gexa Pavilion in Dallas announces summer ‘12 concert season

They've also made upgrades and lowered the price of BEER.

DALLAS — The 2012 summer concert season at Gexa Energy Pavilion started way back on April 19 with Jimmy Buffett & The Coral Reefer Band. But the Arena Formerly Known As Starplex has finalized its summer lineup, and is making a few hipster upgrades, including cheap beer and -- yes -- food trucks.

First, this summer's concert schedule:

May 26: Old School 94.5 Summer Jam featuring Charlie Wilson, Babyface, Dazz Band, EnVogue and more
June 1: KXT’s Summer Cut featuring The Flaming Lips, St. Vincent and more
June 23: One Direction
June 24: ZZ Top w/ 3 Doors Down and Gretchen Wilson
June 30: Jack FM’s Throwback Festival
July 3: Warped Tour
July 10: Mayhem Festival
July 12: 311 and Slightly Stoopid
July 13: Rascal Flatts
July 14: Big Time Rush
July 21: Chicago and The Doobie Brothers
July 22: Barenaked Ladies and more
August 4: KISS and Motley Crue
August 10: Identity Festival
August 11: Jason Mraz
August 17: Iron Maiden
August 18: Brad Paisley
August 25: Journey
August 27: Linkin Park and Incubus

... and more to be announced.

Upgrades

First and foremost: Price on domestic beers -- your Bud, your Miller Lite, your Coors -- have dropped from $6 to $4.

Second: Gexa will be adding food trucks as a concession on select shows. The first scheduled food truck date is June 1, for KXT’s Summer Cut.

Third: Gexa says they've given "restaurant-quality upgrades" to their concession items. Upgrades are good, but one wonders how much you can upgrade "burgers, hot dogs, pizza chicken tenders, corn dogs, and more." Not to be defeatist, but the food at performance venues in Texas is always crappy. When Verizon at Grand Prairie opened in 2002, it did so with an ambitious menu of high-end food. Then nobody bought said food, and so shortly thereafter they scrapped it (although their food is still better than at most large venues).

Gexa has also ramped up its VIP facilities. They've created a "Party Deck" area in Section 200 which you can rent out in a block; it comes with 50 tickets and your own concession stand, so you don't have to go out and get your upgraded burger or $4 Coors Light with the other icky concert-goers. They've added six new VIP box suites and have renovated the accompanying Ice House VIP Club (good for VIP ticket-holders only).

For non-VIPs, they've added A/C to the "Heineken Lounge" -- the bar that's by the east entrance (IE the largest entrance, IE, the main entrance). The Heineken Lounge is the only public bar at Gexa; VIPs wouldn't be caught dead there. Gexa also intends to add A/C to the public restrooms, improve the sound for the lawn seats, and has added a Concert Calendar Facebook App.