It’s only the beginning and I like what I see.

After having to get most of my concert fixes by heading out of the state this summer, I’ve come home to a solid lineup of music, theater and art for the fall. No one has an excuse to be bored this semester.

Don’t get me wrong, though. Plenty has happened since last spring, even if I haven’t been able to experience all of it.

Hilton landed a huge show in the Eagles – it was too overpriced for my blood – and pleased the country crowd with a Tim McGraw production. The Maintenance Shop may have been closed, but Peeples at least hosted the funk/hip hop phenomenon Pomeroy again . a week before I was old enough to go. Oh well, they’ll be back soon.

Champions on Ice brought more than a show for one teen as he met up with Olympic gold medalist Sarah Hughes after having unsuccessfully asked her to be his prom date.

Sadly, Charlie Chapman, who managed one of Ames’ independent and local voices in music, Peeples Records, before it closed last winter, died after an automobile accident in July. It was bad enough when the store closed.

If you’re wondering where everyone got those nifty sparkly shirts and black makeup, Hot Topic opened shop in North Grand Mall this summer with a sigh of corporate angst. Joy to the Staind fan with attitude and Mommy’s credit card.

In bigger news, Ames’ Why Make Clocks became the third local band in less than a year to wet ink with a record label when Rubric Records agreed in July to release its record. Look for that one in October.

The Des Moines music scene met some changes as Frank’s House of Rock closed and relocated to a much larger location within the same mall, set to open this September.

Kids sick of having few venues for the local punk scene opened the Fallout Shelter in Des Moines’ east side. Hairy Mary’s is still kicking, of course, with its wide selection of metal, rock and punk. Two projects by members of Iowa’s contribution to popular music, Slipknot, have seen gains this summer as well in Stone Sour and the Murderdolls.

The Des Moines Art Festival brought art and aficionados together yet again. The Iowa State Fair was good for some art, but the list of has-beens and pop queens on stage was another story.

While I was on one of my out-of-state ventures, imagine my surprise to see Quad Cities/Ames rockers second-best-billed for the Drive Thru stage of the Warped Tour. It turns out they got to play two shows – way to go, boys. Speaking of out-of-state, Mr. Plow has apparently released a four-song EP this summer and is finally playing the California circuit.

So the summer has been exciting. Take a deep breath and dive into fall.

All you have to do is pick up a few schedules and you’ll see what we’re in for. Names such as Dillinger Four, The Stereo, Lucky Boys Confusion, Voodoo Glow Skulls and You’re Pretty litter the M-Shop’s calendar. Tool, WWE Raw, Cher and Incubus are sure to draw crowds at Hilton. Don’t forget about C.Y. Stephens, with productions like Cabaret, The Music Man and Fosse in the lineup.

A fall like this makes my job a whole lot easier.

Jeff Mitchell is a senior in journalism and mass communication. He is the arts and entertainment editor of the Daily.