Who doesn’t love a good summer road trip? Especially if that road trip involves music. And I’m not just talking about turning up some old-school Madonna and rocking out in the car; I’m talking about days and days of awesome live music once you reach your destination.

Concerts are fun, but outdoor music festivals are memorable. They are life experiences. And they give you a lot more music bang for your buck. Looking to get away this summer? Why not grab some friends, pack up the car and head out to the biggest music festivals of the summer. Trust me, you don’t want to miss out. And if you’re lucky, you might even be able to hit them all!

Bonnaroo (Manchester, TN) -  June 11-14

You’ve likely heard of Bonnaroo, because it’s that good (and a total hippie fest). It’s actually become so successful that the people behind the festival bought the 7 acre farm where it happens every year! Although, I think the orginal owners were just getting upset about all the public urination and free love. But I bet you didn’t know that it’s a lot more than just music going on, from comedians, to art, workshops, and lots more.

But it’s really the music we care about, right? So, let’s get to it. My top choices performing at the Big Bon this year are: Wilco, MGMT, Phish, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Snoop Dog, Girl Talk, Of Montreal, Gomez, Jenny Lewis, Al Green, and plenty more.

Oh, and Jimmy Fallon is going to be there too. Not exactly sure what he’s got planned, but he’s in the lineup. All in all, a perfect summer weekend filled with music, friends and whatever other stuff you happen to stumble on while you’re there…

Lollapalooaza (Chicago, IL)- July 7-9

Lollapalooza is a definitely must-see festival for anyone who cares anything about music. It was once a traveling festival, but now it stands still for its 2 days. Luckily it stands still in Chicago, which is already an awesome place to visit. So, no complaints about getting to travel to Chicago AND getting to see tons of awesome bands at Lolla.

Who is it that’s so awesome? Gosh, where do I even start? Some of my favorites include The Killers, Kings of Leon, TV on the Radio, Neko Case, Band of Horses, Ben Folds, Vampire Weekend, Gomez, Lykke Li, and Bon Iver. Seriously, I could keep going but I’m containing myself. Also performing are Snoop Dogg, Asher Roth, Tool, Jane’s Addiction, Depeche Mode, Animal Collective, and tons and tons more. Basically, you can listen to all this amazing music while staring at the Chicago skyline. Sigh. Does it get any better than this?

All Points West (Jersey City, New Jersey)- July 31- August 2

It’s only the second year for the All Points West festival and it already has a totally rocking lineup. I mean, the festival is sometimes referred to as Coachella East, so you know it’s gonna be a good one.

Not only do you get to listen to fabulous music, but All Points West is working on taking the green initiative. They’re offering ferry service to get to the festival site, special parking for carpoolers, and a recycling program.

Some of the performers I’m more excited about at All Points West include Fleet Foxes, MGMT, Coldplay, the Gaslight Anthem, Beastie Boys, and Vampire Weekend. Not to mention, the kids from College Humor will be at the festival entertaining everyone. These are 3 days you will really regret missing.

Austin City Limits (Austin, TX)- Oct. 2-4

So, it’s not technically summer anymore, but I still think of Austin City Limits as being a summer tour. It’s actually the perfect time and location. Wherever you are, it could be starting to get cool outside come the start of October, but October in Austin is still nice and summery. So extend your summer and jam out at Austin City Limits.

The festival started in 2002 and gets bigger and bigger every year. This is one of my favorite festivals and it has some of the best music. For instance, this year’s Austin City Limits boasts Dave Matthews Band, Pearl Jam, Kings of Leon, John Legend, Sonic Youth, Bon Iver, Girl Talk, Brett Dennen, Andrew Bird, and about a billion more. Actually, there are about 130 bands, so you do the math. Lots of times, the best bands at Austin City Limits play secondary “secret” shows around town, so even if you can’t get close to the stage during the show, you can attempt to seek these out. And of course, you might be able to get up close and personal if you watch PBS’s Austin City Limits show, which often airs performances from the festival.

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?

I spent the better part of high school going to Backstreet Boys concerts. I made posters, convinced my mom to buy me hideous and overpriced concert gear (including a shimmery jean jacket with a studded gold “Backstreet Boys” on the back that I just HAD to have… I kid you not). I was smitten. I would daydream in Algebra class that they would just swoop into my school and serenade me (never happened), or that I would sit front row at their concerts (happened a few times thanks to my knack for sneaking up).

And while I grew up, and my musical repertoire changed, I have always held a soft spot for the Backstreet Boys. Maybe it’s that sweet pang of nostalgia, but the Boys gave me an escape, they started my love affair with music, and it would only be fair to admit that they even, in a way, helped start me on my career path in music, journalism and TV. Oh and their music is undeniably catchy.

So while people still give them flack and mainstream U.S. media doesn’t cover them nearly at all, there is no denying that the Backstreet Boys make you want to sing in your car. I’ve seen you (yes, YOU) at the bar belting out ‘I Want It That Way’ at 2am on Friday nights.

Their concerts are still packed with screaming girls, from 8-68. And it doesn’t hurt that despite losing a member, these Boys have only gotten sexier with age. Sounds too good to be true? Check out some footage CC shot at a BSB concert this past summer in Detroit:

So here I am, a college girl with a still-burning flame for BSB, and while the Boys didn’t swoop in and serenade me (yet), I did get to spend some time chatting it up with Howie Dorough of the Backstreet Boys. He called from the road of their latest tour, Unbreakable, and filled me in on the Boys’ lives, their music, their tour, and something very near and dear to his heart, the Dorough Lupus Foundation, which he started in memory of his sister Caroline, whose life was taken from the disease.

On Life as a Backstreet Boy:

CC: If you had to pick one all-time favorite BSB song, what would it be?

Howie: My favorite song of all time would probably be “All I Have To Give.” It’s like one of our earliest songs. It would probably be a cross between that and “Drowning.”

CC: It seems that when it comes to you guys, girls forget how to talk and everything just comes out as a high pitched scream! What is the craziest moment you’d say you’ve experienced as a Backstreet Boy?

Howie: There’s so many different fan moments that have happened that it’s kind of hard to narrow it down to one. But probably the craziest thing I think for us in our career was probably doing the 100 Hours Around The World trip that we did for Black and Blue. That was crazy. I was so jet-lagged for like a week I couldn’t stand it. I was…I didn’t know where I was, which country, time was so off, but it was actually lots of fun.

CC: That was a long time ago. I hear you’re planning another album – what can you tell me about it?

Howie: We’ve actually kind of made a conscious decision to go back to a little bit more of what we were known for back in the days, you know, great pop melody, a little bit more of a pop-R&B sound. We’re hoping for the album to come out during the first quarter of next year.

CC: What is the writing process like for the albums? Who’s the most hands-on in terms of songwriting?

Howie: In the earlier days it was maybe Brian, but we all actually really do a lot of writing, you know. Me and Nick just wrote a song the other day, and Brian and Nick have written together, and AJ as well; it’s sort of a collaborative effort.

CC: You’ve spent the past year (and your entire career) traveling all over the world – where has been your favorite place you’ve seen?

Howie: There are so many great, beautiful places it’s hard to pick really one place, I think if I had to go live somewhere else besides the States, I’d probably pick Australia– Sydney, Australia. The water is so beautiful, such clean air.

CC: And in the States?

Howie: Chicago is one of my favorite places to perform and party at.

CC: You guys were the front-runners of the pop scene and happen to be the only group left. Yet even though you’ve proven yourselves to the critics who said you wouldn’t last, you still get flack from critics here the U.S. Why do you think that is?

Howie: Yeah, you know, it’s America, I’ve come to realize it’s kind of a fickle market, and you know you’re only as hot as your last hit song. I respect that; you always have to set the standards and the bar high. So you just have to overcome that, and now we’re making music for our fans and for ourselves. If the critics like us, great, and if not, at least we’re making music.

CC: Well, your fans don’t seem to care what the critics think, after all these years, you really have such a huge, loyal fan base.

Howie: Yeah, we’re very, very blessed. Very blessed. Everyone just keeps us going. And you know, pretty much that’s why we’re doing this.

CC: What would you say are the biggest differences between the fans from now and the fans from the old school Backstreet days?

Howie: A lot of them have actually grown up with us, believe it or not. A lot of them that were in their teens are now in their 20s and 30s. Some of them are now coming to the concert with their kids. They’re married. It’s awesome, you know, it’s almost an extended family out there on the road.

CC: So everyone thought the BSB would be over for good along with so many acts of the late 90′s pop that have fallen to the wayside, but thankfully you’re still here! Can we expect you guys to be around forever? On stage with wheelchairs and dentures?

Howie: We’ve always said we’ve wanted to model ourselves after The Eagles, the Rolling Stones, you know, they were groups that have done it right. They’ve had their ups and downs, they’ve been really popular and times they just kind of like, you know, just went along, had solo careers here and there. We have a really, really great thing going on, especially with the music industry being as crazy at it is, and the economy, and for us to be able to still go out there and sell records and sell tours, we’re all very, very blessed.

CC: So I have to ask this. I know you and Brian are both happily married, but is there still hope for that 13-year-old girl inside all of us who thought we were destined to date a Backstreet Boy? Are AJ and Nick still single?

Howie: Haha, of course, they’re doin’ it. They’re definitely the single ones and enjoying it – now there’s plenty more left over for them.

On the Dorough Lupus Foundation and Rock Your Religion:

CC: What is the purpose of the Dorough Lupus Foundation? Is it more to educate, to donate… what’s the mission?

Howie: It’s a mixture of both. It’s definitely to educate people because it’s such a hush-hush disease. It’s affecting more people than the major diseases out there that have so much more attention. I want to educate people about it, and you know, try to create awareness of the disease. At the same time, a big portion of our mission is to donate money towards research.

CC: So you’ve teamed up with Rock Your Religion and created a pendant – tell us about that!

Howie: I wanted to create a merchandise item that meant something to me and so we created this symbol and, to me, Rock Your Religion just seemed like a really natural fit. Their beliefs in helping different causes are really cool to me, and that’s why a portion of the purchased proceeds of the necklaces are actually going out to the Dorough Lupus Foundation.

CC: What does the design of the pendant actually mean?

Howie: We used the actual signature of Kairos symbol, which is a really unique symbol. It’s an ancient good luck charm that was linked to the Greek phrase “En Touto Nika” which when translated in English means, “In this sign you will conquer.” So we decided to also put my signature on the back to really just endorse the emblem and the phrase.

CC:What are your future plans for the Lupus Foundation,

Howie: I’m doing a couple different fundraisers possibly throughout this tour here, as well as we’re going to be possibly doing one out in LA pretty soon.

CC: Is there a way for College Candy readers to get involved? What can we do to help contribute?

Howie: We have an open-door welcoming policy for anyone who wants to come in and put together a fundraiser. They can be as small or as big as they want it to be, it’s just about spreading the word out there and raising money for the cause. Anybody that has ideas are welcome go to our website (www.doroughlupusfoundation.org).

To get the Howie Pendant which benefits the DLF click here

For more info on the Backstreet Boys check out their website: Backstreetboys.com

While Hannah Montana star Miley Cyrus has been on the radar of the ‘tween set for quite some time, she really became a mega-uber-superstar in the course of the last year. It’s been a good twelve months since I first started hearing her single, “See You Again,” blasting from every room on my hall.  She made headlines when famed photographer Annie Lebowitz shot questionably tasteful photos of her for Vanity Fair. With a fiercely devoted fan base, bestselling albums and a movie and memoir in the works, you’d think Miley was the certified Queen of the Teenyboppers, pink tiara and all.

But not so fast, Hannah Montana. There’s another gal in town who’s ready to knock the spurs off your rockstar cowboy boots. Taylor Swift has been garnering press left and right about her sophisticated music and style. She’s been called the “most remarkable country music breakthrough artist of the decade,” and has upheld the honor by promising not to end up in rehab like some of her musician peers. And while she’s determined to stay out of the tabloids, she hasn’t always been successful–her tumultuous breakup with Joe Jonas has been providing intense gossip fodder this week.

So who is really on top of the tween rock scene? Billy Ray’s daughter steals the spotlight with her fun and kitschy persona, but Ms. Swift commands attention with her sweet and sincere lyrics. Who’s more likely to be rocking out on your iPod earbuds?

Just another reason to hate Keith Olberman and the rude ladies at The View.

We are so happy that Holly Madison isn’t hung up on Hef anymore.

Mod makeup has been popular since the 1960s and is back again.

Apparently, being a lesbian is way worse than being bi.

The Super Bowl is now going to wreck more women’s lives than usual.

Michelle and Barack Obama scoped out their new pad today.

Being green can be dangerous, especially for James Cromwell.

Watches, to wear or not to wear?

Oprah has taken over the world, well almost.

If only this worked to change water into wine too!

There are actually 10,000 students that believe the show would clash with Asian values and more specifically Islamic. Believing that the company sponsoring the show, Maxis is responsible for exposing youth to a moral decay. Apparently Stefani is believed to contribute to the systemic erosion of morality in Malaysia when in the states we thought all she did was make great dance/rock music and design cute clothing lines.

Apparently a subject of great controversy “The Sweet Escape Tour” will not be escaping to Malaysia anytime soon. Stefani has cancelled the dates because of the stirring controversy being reported. But none the less Gwen has always been moral, never overly overtly sexual or disempowering.

If anything Stefani was always the great role model, the fabulous mother or the talented musician never ever the smut-peddler! Looks like Stefani will be sitting this one out in Malaysia but the show must go on. The sweet escape tour continues to Australia and then she is off to Japan for a much sweeter reception from millions of screaming Harajuku lovers. But we mustn’t forget she is after all Just a Girl, not with a moral vengeance, just a great musical talent and flawless public persona.

Yes, I have always been a big advocate for the return of teeny-bopper bubblegum pop (and whether you want to admit it or not, you’re excited. Note: this CC article says it all).

So needless to say, I was pretty excited to hear that the Spice Girls have made their reunion official. Sporty, Posh, Baby, Ginger and Scary Spice are teaming up for an 11 date cross continent reunion tour. Kicking off December 7th in Los Angeles and ending January 20th in Cape Town, the Girls will hit the US in LA, Vegas (December 8th) and NYC (December 11th).

Want tickets? Not so fast. (Oh, and don’t pretend like you aren’t excited, nothing beats nostalgia). The Gals have set up a website where you can click the city where you would want to go see the show and fans will be chosen at random for who gets to buy the tickets.

In a press conference the girls held in London, they said they will sing songs from all three of their albums (who knew they had three?) as well as songs from all of their solo CD’s. A Top Hits album and a made-for-TV documentary are also in the works.

But let’s be real, we are all want to go see the Spice Girls sing about, uh four songs. You know, the ones we danced to at Bar-Mitzvahs and birthday parties, while sucking on our Spice Girl decorated Chupa Chups (I can’t believe they still make those!) and fighting over who got to dress up as Ginger Spice for Halloween.

Maybe Hanson and 98 Degrees will reunite as opening acts.