Have a very '90s (and early aughts) summer with Goo Goo Dolls, The Fray, Blues Traveler

If your musical tastes were created — or cemented — in the 1990s and early aughts, this summer is yours. An early string of concert announcements promise the arrival of '90s and '00s rock delight to mid-Missouri in the forms of smash hit-makers, lovable weirdos and faithful tributes.

June 29: Family Values Royale at The Blue Note

As part of its very popular Royale series, The Blue Note will revisit the Family Royale era with local bands paying homage to influential hard rock and nu-metal acts — while still remaining true to themselves. Scheduled this time out: Deftones, Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, System of a Down and Korn sets from area rockers Last American Cowboy, Bilmore Boys, In Search of a Legend, Hang Your Hate and Mani Pedi, respectively.

Tickets are $8-$15. Learn more at https://thebluenote.com/.

Aug. 8: Blues Traveler, Big Head Todd and the Monsters at MU Health Care Capital Region Amphitheater in Jefferson City

Blues Traveler might pop first in this announcement — the hook, of course, brings you back (as does John Popper's virtuosic harmonica playing). But give full due to Colorado-formed Big Head Todd and the Monsters, who have cultivated serious road-warrior bonafides since their debut nearly 40 years ago. And their 1990 power ballad "Bittersweet" remains one of the more unsung, compelling cuts of its moment.

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Tickets are $40-$99. Visit https://www.crmuamphitheater.com/ for more information.

Aug. 9: Wheatus at Rose Music Hall

This one goes out to all the teenage dirtbags, past and present.

The Long Island-area band wrote one of the unsung-hero anthems of a then-brand new decade with their defining 2000 anthem. Wheatus has intermittently sprinkled records through the last three decades — their last "proper" record came in 2013, but the band offered up a holiday EP last year (complete with Christmas-themed "Teenage Dirtbag"), and frontman Brendan B. Brown continues to embrace the spirit of what Wheatus meant to early adopters.

Gabrielle Sterbenz shares the bill. Tickets are $20. Visit https://rosemusichall.com/ for details.

Aug. 10: Goo Goo Dolls and The Fray at the Missouri State Fair

Give credit where it's due: After critiquing concerts brought to Sedalia the past few years, I want to praise the fair's instincts here, programming a bill that both scratches a nostalgic itch and boasts a wealth of great songs.

Yes, the Goo Goo Dolls ruled the '90s (and beyond) with hits such as "Name," "Iris," "Slide" and "Black Balloon." But Johnny Rzeznik and Robby Takac soldier on in a perpetual spirit of resilience, harnessing the toughness of their Buffalo, New York punk background while showing how tenderness keeps blooming over the long haul.

Openers The Fray (of "How to Save a Life" and "You Found Me" fame) didn't break through till 2005, but always seemed like a natural extension of the pop-rock bands like the Goos established in the '90s.

Tickets are $60-$70. Visit https://www.mostatefair.com/locations/state-fair-grandstand/ to learn more.

What's ahead, just after summer

Perhaps the summer spirit can stretch a bit into the fall, when Everclear buys listeners a new life (or a new version of a familiar life) and Marcy Playground plays its delicious indie-pop confections Oct. 19 at the MU Health Care venue in Jefferson City. Fellow '90s rockers Jimmie's Chicken Shack share that bill.

If and when more acts who hit big in the '90s and early 2000s announce local summer dates, we'll update the online version of this story.

Aarik Danielsen is the features and culture editor for the Tribune. Contact him at adanielsen@columbiatribune.com or by calling 573-815-1731. He's on Twitter/X @aarikdanielsen.