Usher, Maroon 5 to perform TODAY 2012 summer concerts

NEW YORK — This summer, NBC's TODAY is the morning music destination, celebrating 17 years of bringing together the hottest hit-makers. On Friday, May 18 fans will certainly scream “Yeah!” when Usher kicks off the 2012 Toyota Concert Series on TODAY. In his first-ever TODAY concert, the seven-time Grammy award winner will put the rock in Rockefeller Plaza.

The Toyota Concert Series on TODAY continues its tradition of showcasing the biggest, boldest names in music. This year’s line-up includes Justin Bieber and Chris Brown, two superstars who set record-breaking crowds in previous TODAY concerts. The 2012 series also features two show favorites, rock bands Maroon 5 and Train, as well as newcomers Hot Chelle Rae in their first morning show concert. Crowd-pleasers Pitbull and Flo Rida will join the line-up, and TODAY gets a little bit country with stars Kenny Chesney, The Band Perry and The Zac Brown Band.

1. More from the Concert Series
   1. It's a 'Wild One'! Flo Rida, fans bring a dance party to TODAY
   2. One Direction fans take over TODAY and Rockefeller Center
   3. Rain? 'So What!' Pink turns the plaza into a party
   4. TODAY goes Gangnam style with Psy!
   5. Mark your calendars! One Direction to sing live on Nov. 13

This year, TODAY is partnering with Pandora to extend the concert series beyond the Plaza and into the digital space. Pandora, which has more than 125 million registered users, will create three music stations, NBC TODAY Rock, NBC TODAYCountry and NBC TODAY Pop, featuring each of the artists appearing in the TODAY concert series.

Here's a list of concerts scheduled to date. Tweet out your favorites using the hashtags below! All concerts are Friday performances unless otherwise noted.

MAY
18 Usher, #UsherTODAY
25 Pitbull, #PitbullTODAY
28 Bobby Brown, #BobbyBTODAY

JUNE
1 The Band Perry, #BandPerryTODAY

8 Chris Brown, #ChrisBrownTODAY

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15 Justin Bieber, #BieberTODAY

22 Kenny Chesney, #ChesneyTODAY

29 Maroon 5, #Maroon5TODAY

JULY
6 Flo Rida, #Only1FloTODAY

13 Zac Brown Band, #ZacBrownTODAY

20 Hot Chelle Rae, #HCRTODAY

AUGUST
13  The Fray, #TheFrayTODAY
14 Nicki Minaj, #NickiTODAY
15 Carrie Underwood, #CarrieTODAY
16 Lionel Richie, #LionelTODAY
17 98 Degrees #98DegreesTODAY
23 Carly Rae Jepsen and Owl City, #CarlyRaeTODAY
24 Train, #TrainTODAY
31 Jason Mraz with special guest Christina Perri, #MrazTODAY

SEPTEMBER
3 Matchbox Twenty, #Matchbox20TODAY
18 Pink, #PinkTODAY

Additional performances may be announced throughout the season.

Fans and visitors are encouraged to come to the plaza for the live performances. Viewing is on a first-come, first-served basis outside TODAY's window-on-the-world studio, located at 49th Street and Rockefeller Plaza in New York City. Fans should arrive by 6 a.m. for best viewing.

Jim Bell is the executive producer of TODAY (Monday-Friday, 7-11 a.m.). Melissa Lonner is the senior producer responsible for the "Toyota Concert Series on TODAY."

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