They may not have the best digital media player on the market, or even the second best, but the folk at Microsoft's ZUNE do know how to throw a good party. First there were outlandish launch events last Fall to announce the would-be iPod Killer and then the off-the-hinges events in partnership with Levi's and Adult Swim at The Fader Trading Post during SXSW. Then things went quiet for a spell as the whole world eagerly awaiting the launch of certain mp3-playing, phonecall-making, web-browsing device to come out on June 29. But now that the iPhone is out there garnering pretty ecstatic reviews, Zune is back with their Live At The BBQ series of Summer concerts.

The idea is rather simple and well articulated by the folks at Zune:

LIVE AT THE BBQ - The Community Experience
Zune is presenting the "LIVE AT THE BBQ" concert series. We created "Zune - LIVE AT THE BBQ", to give back to our cultural core consumer. For us it's about connecting with that core and giving them the opportunity to participate in the Zune mantra which is to support Art, Music and Film in the digital space with technology and innovation. So in a way this is a reward to those who have come to support the digital platform. It's also a thank you to those individuals in the city who have come to support the local and national Art, Music and Film community. We'll do that by bringing music back to the community parks. It's a nod to time when this music was about community; community support and community interaction. We want to recreate that energy with the ultimate park jam experience.

The event takes place on July 12th in LA and will feature performances by Southern Rap kingpins UGK and David Banner, conscious emcee Common, Hyphy don E-40 and Bermudan dancehall phenom Collie Buddz. While details remain slim, the folks over at the Fader Blog are warning of upcoming Live At The BBQ events in Chicago and NYC to follow.

While you won't catch EMERGE using a Zune before pigs learn to fly, you very well may find us feeling that classic park jam experience sometime very soon.

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