Some of the biggest, hottest concert tours in the world are making their way to central Florida this fall and you can turn those concert events into an amazing Orlando VIP getaway.

Westgate’s Premiere Event Series offers a wide range of live concert options, including Shakira at Orlando’s Amway Arena in late September and country superstar Carrie Underwood at the St. Pete Times Forum in October.

Underwood gained immediate fame as the season four winner of American Idol and she has since become a multi-platinum selling recording artist and a multiple Grammy Award winner. She is also a three-time Academy of Country Music and Country Music Association Female Vocalist winner, and the current ACM Entertainer of the Year. Underwood is the first female artist to win back-to-back Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards for Entertainer of the Year (2009/2010).

Columbian pop/rock superstar Shakira, has won two Grammy Awards, seven Latin Grammy Awards, 12 Billboard Latin Music Awards and remains the highest selling Columbian artist of all time and with more than 50 million albums sold worldwide, she is the second most successful female Latin singer after Gloria Estefan.

Both of these concerts are part of a unique VIP getaway weekend that includes two concert tickets, local transportation to and from the concert venue, personal concierge, a special welcome party and a three-night stay in a spacious two-bedroom villa at a luxurious Westgate Resorts property in Orlando, FL.

For details on these discount vacation opportunities featuring Shakira, Carrie Underwood and others, visit http://www.ownerevents.com/.

The Velvet Sessions concert for July at Universal Orlando’s Hard Rock Hotel features The Fixx, the English rockers best known for the song “One Thing Leads to Another.”

The group is scheduled to perform on July 29 at the hotel’s Velvet Bar and Lobby Lounge inside the Hard Rock. Admission is $30 at the door or $25 if purchased in advance. Admission to the adults only party includes free specialty drinks and finger foods from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and a cash bar at concert time. There is no charge for parking at the Hard Rock.

The award winning “Velvet Sessions” is a monthly rock & roll cocktail party that showcases a different type of beverage theme as well as amazing live music from some of the world’s top artists. Recent past performers have included Asia, Psychedelic Furs, Everclear and, A Flock of Seagulls.

Music is in the air. At least it will be starting Saturday night at Universal Orlando.

The Universal Orlando Summer Concert Series kicks off June 12 at Universal Studios Florida with featured musical guest, Train.  It’s the first in a series of Saturday night concerts slated throughout the summer season. Other performers scheduled include Pitbull, Earth, Wind & Fire, Rob Thomas, Pat Benetar and REO Speedwagon, as well as Counting Crows.

For details, visit www.UniversalOrlando.com. Or for more information on discount Universal theme park tickets and Orlando vacation packages, go to www.Orlandothemeparkvacations.com.

It’s almost time for another Velvet Sessions at Hard Rock Hotel in Orlando. The popular rock ‘n’ roll cocktail party is held the last Thursday of every month (excluding November and December).This month’s featured artist is Everclear, best known for songs like “Everything to Everyone” and “Wonderful.” The Universal Orlando Resort hotel event begins at 6:30 pm on June 24, 2010.

Advance admission is available for $25 online and includes specialty cocktails, finger foods and the concert held in the Hard Rock Hotel’s lobby lounge and Velvet Bar. Parking is free.

Each Velvet Sessions event showcases a different type of beverage theme while past  performers have included Joan Jett, The Tubes, Eddie Mondy, The Romantics, The Fixx, Foreigner, ABC and others.

For more information, go to http://www.velvetsessions.com/. For details on discount Orlando vacation packages and Universal Orlando theme park tickets, go to http://www.orlandothemeparkvacations.com/.

 Some of music’s biggest stars are coming to Orlando this summer. It’s all part of Universal Orlando’s exciting Summer Concert Series.

Best of all, it’s included with regular theme park admission to Universal Studios Florida. So catch a ride on Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit. Ride the Movies. Enjoy a full day of fun in the sun. Then kick back and soak up the sounds of your favorite bands, including:

June 12th - Train
June 19th - Pitbull
June 26th - Earth, Wind, and Fire
July 3rd - Pat Benatar and REO Speedwagon
July 10th - Rob Thomas
July 17th - Counting Crows

It’s all yours this summer and it’s only at Universal Orlando® Resort! For more details on Universal Orlando, go to http://www.orlandothemeparkvacations.com/.

If you didn’t get your fill of great music and spectacular concerts during the long-running Mardi Gras celebration at Universal Studios, don’t worry - there’s more music to come this summer.

The Summer Concert Series at Universal Studios brings six more exciting nights of exciting concerts to the Orlando theme park.

The Summer Concert Series runs every Saturday from June 12 through July 17 with concerts starting at 9 pm except the the July 3 show which starts at 8 pm. Best of all, the concerts are included with your regular Universal Studios admission.

Scheduled performers include:

June 12       Train

June 19       Pitbull

June 26       Earth Wind & Fire

July 3           Pat Benetar & REO Speedwagon

July 10         Rob Thomas

July 17         Counting Crows

For more information about Universal Studios discount tickets or discount Orlando family vacation packages, please visit http://www.orlandothemeparkvacations.com/.

There are always plenty of monkeys to be seen at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, but one former Monkee will be on hand at Disney’s Epcot this weekend.Davy Jones, former teen heartthrob and lead singer of the Monkees, is this weekend’s musical guest for the Flower Power concert series at the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Show times are 5:15, 6:30 and 7:45 pm.

The concert is just part of the fun at the Flower & Garden Festival which also features a colorful array of flowers, gardens, topiaries and educational events.

Enjoy millions of blooming flowers and a vibrant collection of Disney-themed topiaries, and get up close with hundreds of colorful butterflies inside Minnie’s Magnificent Butterfly Garden.

During the weekends throughout the festival, guests can also meet with top horticulturists, learn helpful gardening tips and attend public demonstrations of advanced gardening techniques from around the world.

Davy Jones will perform each evening this weekend at the America Gardens Theatre next to the American Adventure Pavilion. The concert and festival is included with regular Epcot admission.

 Disney’s Sounds Like Summer Concert Series

The Sounds Like Summer Concert Series remains a popular annual event at Disney’s Epcot theme park throughout June and July. It’s a unique opportunity to enjoy all the fun of Epcot and hear some of your all-time favorite hits from a talented collection of tribute bands. The bands recreate the chart-topping hits of a variety of musical icons.

This summer’s concert events feature tribute bands for U2, the Rolling Stones, Bon Jobi, the Eagles, Chicago and the Bee Gees. These Epcot concerts will take place next to the lagoon at the America Gardens Theatre, an open air theatre adjacent to the American Adventure Pavilion.

Each tribute band performs three times per night, at 5:45 pm, 7 pm and 8:25 pm. For the latest information and updated show times, check the theme park’s Entertainment Guide, available at the Epcot gates.

Sounds Like Summer Concert Series

2010 Performers

June 12 - June 19:    Stayin’ Alive - A Tribute to The Bee Gees

June 20 - June 26:    Hotel California - A Salute to the Eagles

June 27 - July 3:      TBD

July 4 - July 10:       Satisfaction - The Rolling Stones Tribute Band

July 11 - July 17:      Slippery When Wet - The Ultimate Bon Jovi Tribute

July 18 - July 24:      2U - A Tribute to U2

July 25 - July 31:      Beginnings - CHICAGO Tribute Band

For more information on events at Walt Disney World Resort and discount Orlando vacation packages, visit http://www.disney.go.com/.

Looking for a fun night out in Orlando? The award winning “Velvet Sessions” is a rock & roll cocktail party held monthly at the Velvet Bar and Lobby Lounge of the Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Orlando. Each “Session” showcases a different type of beverage theme to sip, shoot or guzzle along with fabulous and great live music from legendary rock bands.

Admission (minimum age 21) to these popular concert events is $25 and includes free drinks, finger foods and warm-up tunes, all starting at 6:30pm. There is a cash bar when the featured entertainment begins at 8:00 pm.

Past Velvet Sessions performers include: Brett Michaels, Joan Jett, The Romantics, Eddie Money, The Tubes, The Fixx, ABC, Foreigner, Warrant, and more. The next Session on April 29, 2010 features Asia with John Payne. Popular Asia tunes include Heat of the Moment, Go, Wildest Dreams, Only Time Will Tell, Don’t Cry, and Days Like These.

On May 27, the Psychedelic Furs take the Velvet Sessions stage with songs like: All That Money Wants, Heartbreak Beat, Love My Way, Pretty in Pink, Sister Europe, The Ghost In You.

Get ready to rock the universe at Universal Studios theme park in sunny Orlando.Rock the Universe, the Christian-music event held annually each fall at Universal Studios, has announced its 2010 lineup for the two-day, separate ticket event.

The performers tentatively scheduled to appear on Friday, Sept. 10 include Newsboys, Skillet, Jars of Clay, Hawk Nelson, Decyfer Down and Kutless. The Saturday, Sept. 11 lineup includes Jeremy Camp, Relient K, tobyMac, Needtobreathe, Fireflight and Grits.

The concert event is slated to run from 4 pm til 1 am on both days. For more information on this popular event, go to www.rocktheuniverse.com.

For more on Universal Studios and the other Orlando theme parks, go to www.OrlandoThemeParkVacations.com. Or find discount Orlando family vacation packages and hotel information at www.WestgateReservations.com.