Mercedes packs up the “van” for US summer concert tour

Germany’s Mercedes-Benz is heading to 5 cities in the United States to reprise its summer and fall concert series, the Evolution Tour.

Starting June 23, the automaker will host concert in various cities to share its latest generation of high-end vehicles. A concert series is an engaging tactic that can be enjoyed by all ages, but will be particularly attractive to younger consumers looking for unique summertime activities.

Road trip mix tapes

Mercedes shared a highlight reel to promote this year’s concert lineup. In the 50-second reel, housed on YouTube and posted to its social networks, a time-lapse video shows last year’s concert series from stagehands preparing the venue to concert goers enjoying summer tunes and live art installations featuring Mercedes vehicles.

For 2015, Mercedes will be joined by the bands Bastille and Passion Pit. Together with its musical acts, Mercedes will visit New York in June, Chicago in July, Los Angeles in August, Atlanta in September and the final stop, Austin in October.

Mercedes-Benz Evolution Tour highlight reel

To enhance the experience, each concert will have an “Evo Style Factory,” a style-focused event program skewed toward a younger audience. These events include a bedazzling station with metallic temporary tattoos, a braid bar, a “Zig Zag” wall for professional photo ops and a silk screen t-shirt making area where attendees can select the design and watch its creation.

The art world is represented by muralist Zio Ziegler and visual artist Gregory Siff who will be on hand at specific cities.

Additional information can be found here.

Last summer, the Evolution Tour had nine concerts in nine different cities across the U.S. The concert series featured Alabama Shakes, Young the Giant and Mayer Hawthorne. Each location hosted a test drive of a CLA and GLA in a convenient nearby location surrounding the event (see story).