Ah, summer. It’s so close I can taste it.

And hear it?

Days on the beach, drinks on patios, and BBQs with friends. And music, lots of music. One of the very best things about summer is going to outdoor concerts.  And there are so many amazing tours this summer, I have a feeling I’m going to be at a concert pretty much every single week. And concerts mean music, beer, and friends. Which is pretty much heaven for me. Here are some of the biggest and best summer tours you should keep your eye (and ear) on.

Blink 182
Remember Blink 182? Duh, obviously you do. I used to be absolutely obsessed. I mean, how cute was Mark Hoppus? I was heartbroken when they went on hiatus and waited a couple years for them to get back together before I gave up. Mark created the not overly successful +44, Travis joined him along with fighting with Shanna Mokler on Meet the Barkers, and Tom formed the semi-successful Angels and Airwaves. But now? Back together again.

I don’t know why they’re reuniting. Maybe it had something to do with Travis Barker’s near-tragic plane crash and their thankfulness he’s still alive. Whatever the case, it’s hard not to be excited by their upcoming tour (and alleged new album!). No official dates have been confirmed yet, but the boys have said they will be touring the world this summer and rumor has it, they will be sharing the bill with No Doubt, another pleasant blast from the past! I’m pretty excited to see what the crowd is like for this show. Lots of people in their 20s and 30s reminiscing about their teenage angst-filled days I’m sure.

American Idol
Yeah, yeah, the crowd is probably going to be filled with 10-year-old kids, but come on. I’ll be at the American Idol tour, and with absolutely no shame either. After obsessively watching the contestants for a ridiculous amount of hours every week for basically half a year, there’s no way I’m missing a night of seeing them live.

The top 10 American Idol contestants of 2009 will be touring around the country, and yes, that includes the winner (ahem, Adam Lambert). But I’m also super excited to see Danny Gokey (please sing “What Hurts the Most”!) and Anoop Desai. I’m cringing a little bit at the fact I’ll have to watch Michael Sarver and Megan Joy once again, but I can always go buy a beer during their sets. Wait, do they sell beer at American Idol concerts? Please say yes.

Kenny Chesney
Kenny Chesney shows are always, always a good time, even if you’re not particularly a country music fan. The best thing (in my opinion) about Kenny tours in the summer is the chance that he might take his shirt off. OK, OK, so the music is pretty amazing too (but seriously, his body is h-o-t) and this year he’s touring with Miranda Lambert, Lady Antebellum, Sugarland, and Montgomery Gentry.

Helloo, it’s like a whole country music festival.

You’re probably going to want to spend some serious time tailgating, so get to the show early and wear your favorite cowboy hat. Everyone is a country fan when it comes to Kenny Chesney and with songs like “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem” and “Beer in Mexico,” there’s nobody better to spend a summer night with than Kenny.

Elton John (and Billy Joel)
Hi, Legend. Attending an Elton John concert would totally be one for the books. Right up there with Bryan Adams and Mariah Carey.  How could this not be the most amazing concert ever? Elton’s going to be touring the world with Billy Joel and while Billy’s not my absolute favorite, he’s definitely another huge legend. I kind of think whatever stadiums and arenas they’re performing at are going to explode with all that major legend-ness.

Elton has had so many huge hits, and even his recent albums are pretty fabulous, so I am super psyched to see what songs he’s going to choose to perform and if this concert is going to last all night long. Seriously, I don’t think Elton and Billy would even have enough time to sing all their hits in one evening. In any event, I can’t imagine Elton John will be touring too much longer, so I would jump on this summer tour if I were you. Do you think Elton will wear some outrageously huge sunglasses? Let’s hope so. I can’t wait to Crocodile Rock this summer!

What tours are you looking forward to this summer?

Although I always hit my local festies (including Hookahville and any festival @ Nelson’s Ledges – check them out if you’re in the area!), after my amazing, mind-bending experience at Bonnaroo two years ago, I feel that it’s time to expand my horizons and venture out of state (and of my mind) another time.

But, while scouring the internet for my next super-hippie-indie-rock-y adventure, I realized that what I really needed was one list. A list that compared not only locations and dates, but also prices of the various festivals spreading good vibes and sweet music throughout the summer. So, I’m going to create it. Here is the first installment of my semi-comprehensive list of the major (and minor) music festivals still to come this summer: the Midwest.

So bust out the flowy skirts, a nice pair of Birkenstocks and some moonshine and hit the road. And act fast, cause most ticket prices increase the longer you wait to buy them.

Midwest Festies:

Name: Summer Camp

Date: May 23-25

Location: Chillicothe, IL

Ticket Price: Currently $155, $170 at gate

Who’s gonna be there? moe., Umphrey’s McGee, Flaming Lips, O.A.R., The Roots, Blind Melon, The New Pornographers and more

Website: www.summercampfestival.com

Name: Wakarusa

Date: June 5-8

Location: Lawrence, KS

Ticket Price: 4-Day passes currently at Level 4 (“Procrastinator”) for $159 while supplies last

Who’s gonna be there? The Flaming Lips, Emmylou Harris, Ben Folds, Sound Tribe Sector 9, CAKE, Built to Spill, Tea Leaf Green, Blackalicious and more

Website: www.wakarusa.com

Name: Bonnaroo

Date: June 12-15

Location: Manchester, TN

Ticket Price: On Sale Now. Priced at three levels. First level starts at $209.50. After that level is sold out, prices increase to $229.50 and then again to $244.50.

Headliners: Pearl Jam, Metallica, Jack Johnson

Other popular acts include: Kanye West, Death Cab for Cutie, Against Me!, M.I.A., Tegan & Sara and many, many more

Website: www.bonnaroo.com

Name: All Good Music Festival

Date: July 11-13

Location: Preston County (Marvin’s Mountaintop Masontown), WV

Ticket Price: Weekend pass now $139.00

Headliners: Phil Lesh, Widespread Panic

Other popular acts include: Michael Franti & Spearhead, Keller Williams, Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi Soul Stew Revival, Gov’t Mule and more

Website: www.allgoodfestival.com

Name: Rothbury Festival

Date: July 11-13

Location: Rothburg, MI

Ticket Price: Weekend ticket $244.75

Headliners: Dave Matthews Band, Widespread Panic

Other popular acts include: John Mayer, 311, Snoop Dogg, Modest Mouse, Colbie Callat, Atmosphere, The Dresden Dolls

Website: www.rothburyfestival.com

Name: 10,000 Lakes Festival

Date: July 23-26

Location: Detroit Lakes, MN

Ticket Price: $130.00 for music and camping. Ticket prices increase on May 15

Headliners: Phil Lesh & Friends, The Flaming Lips, Michael Franti

Other popular acts include: Leftover Salmon, George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, Slightly Stoopid, Dark Star Orchestra

Website: http://www.10klf.com

Name: Lollapalooza

Date: August 1-3

Location: Chicago, IL

Ticket Price: Advance day pass currently $190, will go up to $205 when Advance sells out

Headliners: Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine, Kanye West

Other popular acts include: Nine Inch Nails, Wilco, G. Love, The Raconteurs, Bloc Party, Brand New, Girl Talk

Website: www.lollapalooza.com

Did I forget your fave festival? Post a link the comments to share with your fellow CC readers. Rock On.

Fortunately for me, Coachella is just the first of many insanely great music lineups hitting the spring / summer festival scene this year. And next week when finals are in the bag, there will be nothing stopping me from sitting in on the action. Rollingstone.com has pulled together a fantastic list of music fests, line-ups and the pros and cons of each. Here is a brief rundown of the ones that made the list and a few that didn’t.

The Bamboozle – May 5th – 6th (Meadowlands Sports Complex, New Jersey)

Lineup Highlights: My Chemical Romance, MC Hammer, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Hellogoodbye

Sasquatch – May 26th – 27th (George, Washington)

Lineup Highlights: Bjork, Beastie Boys, Arcade Fire, Interpol, Spoon, M.I.A., Neko Case, The Blacks Angels

Bonnaroo – June 14th – 17th (Manchester, Tennesee)

Lineup Highlights: The Police, Widespread Panic, The White Stripes, The Flaming Lips, Wilco, Franz Ferdinand, Damien Rice, The Decembrists, The Roots, The Black Keys

Summerfest - June 28th – July 8th (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)

Lineup Highlights: Toby Keith with Miranda Lambert, Bon Jovi, Roger Waters, The Fray with OK Go and John Mayer with Ben Folds

Live Earth - July 7th (Giants Stadium – Rutherford, NJ)

Lineup Highlights: Akon, Alicia Keys, Bon Jovi, Dave Matthews Band, Fall Out Boy, John Mayer, Kanye West, Kelly Clarkson, Ludacris, The Police, Rihanna, Roger Waters, Sheryl Crow, Smashing Pumpkins

Live Earth – July 7th (Wembley Stadium, London, UK)

Lineup Highlights: Beastie Boys, Black Eyed Peas, Bloc Party, Corinne Bailey Rae, Damien Rice, Duran Duran, Foo Fighters, Genesis, James Blunt, John Legend, Keane, Madonna, Paolo Nutini, Razorlight, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Snow Patrol

Pitchfork Music Festival – July 13th – 15th (Union Park – Chicago, Illinois)

Lineup Highlights: Sonic Youth, Cat Power, Girl Talk, De La Soul, Stephen Malkmus, New Pornographers, Iron and Wine, Grizzly Bear, Of Montreal, The Ponys

Rock The Bells - July 28th – 29th (Randalls Island, New York)

Lineup Highlights: Rage Against The Machine, The Wu-Tang Clan, Cypress Hill, The Roots, Mos Def

Rocklahoma – July 13th – 15th (Pryor, Oklahoma)

Lineup Highlights: Poison, Ratt, Vince Neil, Warrant, Slaughter, L.A. Guns, Winger, Dokken, Jackyl, Faster Pussycat, Firehouse

Lollapalooza – August 3rd – 5th (Grant Park – Chicago, Illinois)

Lineup Highlights: Pearl Jam, Daft Punk, Modest Mouse, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Snow Patrol, Spoon, Iggy Pop and the Stooges, Amy Winehouse

Bumbershoot - September 1st – 3rd (Seattle, Washington)

Lineup Highlights: The Shins, Wu Tang Clan, Panic! At The Disco, Crowded House, DeVotchka, Plain White T’s, Lupe Fiasco, Gogol Bordello

Austin City Limits – September 14th – 16th (Zilker Park – Austin, Texas)

Lineup Highlights: (TBD – May) Wilco, Kings of Leon, Bloc Party