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Music

Summer music festivals from sea to sea

By SHARON KENNEDY WYNNE
Published June 1, 2006

The Coachella Valley Music Festival in Southern California, which started in 2000 and this year kicked off Madonna's tour, showed you can present a great mix of alternative music, small cult followings and rock mainstays.

And other fests have begun to acknowledge that fans come from all walks of life, so they offer kids tents, a mixed lineup of acts, cozy settings and a chance to see up-and-comers along with safe bets.

Here's a look at some of the highlights of summer festivals worth traveling for.

Chicago Blues Festival, JUNE 8-18, free, Chicago's Grant Park

One of the largest free blues happenings in the world, this series regularly draws crowds of more than 150,000. But the main attraction for many is the chance that someone like Keith Richards may stop by for an impromptu performance, or a future star might give a jaw-dropping set on a makeshift stage. At night, the festival carries on in clubs all around the city. Check out the lineup at chicagoblues festival.org.

CMA Music Festival, Nashville, JUNE 8-11, single tickets from $30, four-day passes available, www.cmafest.com.

The biggest country festival by far is the CMA series with a huge number of major artists in downtown Nashville. The highlight this year is an opening-night show with Hank Williams Jr., Brooks and Dunn, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Gary Allan, Sara Evans and Blake Shelton. Among others in the lineup: Trace Adkins, Martina McBride, Brad Paisley, Wynonna, LeAnn Rimes, Ronnie Milsap with Los Lonely Boys, Trisha Yearwood and Carrie Underwood.

Bonnaroo, Manchester, Tenn., June 16-18, $184, bonnaroo.com.

Alternative icons Radiohead and rock icons Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers headline the fifth year of this growing festival at a 700-acre farm 60 miles south of Nashville. Among the other 80 acts scheduled are Beck, Elvis Costello, Bonnie Raitt, Bright Eyes, Death Cab for Cutie and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. A big event like this also offers around-the-clock amenities like a comedy tent with Lewis Black and others, game and Internet tents, jungle gyms and more. The logistics so revolutionized the modern rock festival that Rolling Stone named it one of the 50 moments that changed the history of rock 'n' roll.

Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Colorado, June 15-18, $175 pass, Www.bluegrass.com/telluride.

Telluride hosts two summer music festivals that get high marks for the artists' quality: the jazz festival in August and the bluegrass fest in June. The bluegrass festival is the best-known and this year brings Bonnie Raitt, Sam Bush, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Emmylou Harris, John Prine and eclectic pop from Nickel Creek and the Barenaked Ladies. The fact that artists are encouraged to take risks means the audience is regularly rewarded with unique blends of voices and styles.

Essence Music Festival, Houston, July 1-3, $45-$297, essence.com.

This celebration of black pop and R&B moves from New Orleans to Houston. Headliners include Mary J. Blige, Steve Harvey, LL Cool J, Earth, Wind & Fire, a reunion of Bobby Brown and New Edition, Diddy, Toni Braxton, Yolanda Adams and Maze featuring Frankie Beverly. Known as the "party with a purpose," the festival combines nightly hip-hop, R&B and soul concerts with daytime "empowerment seminars," a crafts marketplace and trade show.

Lollapalooza, Chicago, Aug. 4-6, $140 pass, Lollapalooza.com.

The original Lollapalooza tour that defined alternative rock in the '90s was rescued from extinction by Perry Farrell of Jane's Addiction. He reworked it as a two-day event in Grant Park with no tour. It turned out to be a destination festival last summer, so this year it's staying put and getting bigger. The biggest names are Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kanye West, Wilco and Death Cab for Cutie, but there's also depth with the Raconteurs, the Flaming Lips, the Shins and many more.

Rock 'N the Rally, Sturgis, S.D., Aug. 6-10, $50 Daily, www.rockntherally.com

Stockbrokers and accountants mount their $30,000 Harleys every summer to join thousands of other bikers. More than a half-million fans show up for classic rock and country in an $11-million facility on 34 acres. The lineup includes Big & Rich, Sammy Hagar, the Black Crowes, Keith Urban, Nickelback and, for Born to be Wild fans, John Kay and Steppenwolf.

10,000 Lakes Festival, Detroit Lakes, Minn., July 19-22, $135 includes camping, www.10klf.com

Jam band favorites such as Trey Anastasio, Phil Lesh and Friends, and Medeski Martin and Wood join String Cheese Incident, Keller Williams and Shooter Jennings in the relaxed countryside with real on-site camping, not just a converted parking lot. The festival showcases bands on multiple stages, from hilly overlooks to the intimate Saloon Stage.

Austin City Limits Music Festival, Austin, Texas, Sept. 15-17, $115 pass, www.austincitylimits.com.

Named by Pollstar as 2005's Festival of the Year, ACL - put on by the Austin City Limits TV show - has reduced the number of tickets to make it more comfortable. But there's no limit on the variety and talent of the artists. So far the list includes the Flaming Lips, Massive Attack, Son Volt, Los Lonely Boys, the New Pornographers, the Shins, Willie Nelson, Van Morrison, the Raconteurs and Ben Harper.

[Last modified May 31, 2006, 12:32:33]