Justin Bieber Among Performers Set for TODAY's 2012 'Summer Concert Series'

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.

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 Today Country and NBC Today Pop, featuring each of the artists appearing in the "Today" concert series.

Following is a list of concerts scheduled to date. All concerts are Friday performances unless otherwise noted.

MAY

18 Usher
25 Pitbull
31 American Idol winner and runner up (special Thursday concert)

JUNE

1 The Band Perry
8 Chris Brown
15 Justin Bieber
22 Kenny Chesney
29 Maroon 5

JULY

6 Flo Rida
13 Zac Brown Band
20 Hot Chelle Rae
27 "Today" at the Olympics

AUGUST

3 "Today" at the Olympics
10 "Today" at the Olympics
17 TBD
24 Train
31 Jason Mraz with special guest Christina Perri

Additional performances may be announced throughout the season.
Fans and visitors are encouraged to join us on the plaza for the live performances. Viewing is on a first-come, first-served basis outside "Today's" Studio 1A, located at 49th Street and Rockefeller Plaza in New York City.

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."

ABOUT TOYOTA MOTOR SALES, U.S.A., INC.

Toyota partners with NBC's "Today" show for the tenth consecutive year. Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. is the marketing, sales, distribution and customer service arm of Toyota, Lexus and Scion. Established in 1957, TMS markets products and services through a network of nearly 1,500 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealers which sold more than 1.64 million vehicles in 2011. Toyota directly employs nearly 30,000 people in the U.S. and its investment here is currently valued at more than $18 billion. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.

ABOUT PANDORA

Pandora gives people music they love anytime, anywhere, through connected devices. (OK, we've added comedy as well so we're also up for playing some jokes you'll love.) Personalized stations launch instantly with the input of a single "seed" – a favorite artist, song or genre. The Music Genome Project®, a deeply detailed, hand-built musical taxonomy, powers Pandora's personalization – using musicological "DNA" and constant listener feedback to craft personalized stations from a growing collection of hundreds of thousands of recordings. Tens of millions of people in the United States turn on Pandora to hear music they love.

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