Although there's nothing inherently wrong with a beach, mountain or amusement park vacation, there's little chance any of those holiday options will lead to permanent hearing loss.
For that, you need the rock.
Fortunately, summer is also the season for killer concert tours, big festivals and trips to venues and historic sites with musical ties. Whether it's a few nights in now-drained Nashville or sweating to the oldies in a festival field, there's always some place to rock out when it's hot out.
Here are suggestions.
FESTIVALS
BAMAJAM
WHEN: June 3-5
WHERE: Enterprise, Ala.
WHAT: This festival skews toward country, but there's a lot of great rock to be found on the bill as well. The lineup includes Kenny Chesney, the Zac Brown Band, Train and blues legend Buddy Guy.
TYPICAL T-SHIRT: Vintage Skynyrd
LEARN MORE: $160 in advance or $179 at the gate; www.bamajammusicfestival.com
BONNAROO
WHEN: June 10-13
WHERE: Manchester, Tenn.
WHAT: One of the largest music events in the world is in its ninth year with a broad spectrum of music, film and comedy acts. Big names scheduled for this year include the Dave Matthews Band, Kings of Leon, Jay-Z, Stevie Wonder and Conan O'Brien.
TYPICAL T-SHIRT: Something tie-dyed
LEARN MORE: $249.50 plus fees; www.bonnaroo.com
SUMMERFEST
WHEN: June 24-July 4
WHERE: Milwaukee
WHAT: Though many of the 800 performances are by relatively unknown artists, there also is some significant star power, including Tim McGraw, Sheryl Crow, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Eric Clapton with Roger Daltrey, Santana, Offspring and Rush.
TYPICAL T-SHIRT: A big one. It takes a lot of cotton to list 800 acts.
LEARN MORE: $8 before 4 p.m. and $15 after 8 p.m. daily; amphitheater performances cost more and are priced by the performance, see www.summerfest.com
PITCHFORK MUSIC FESTIVAL
WHEN: July 16-18
WHERE: Union Park, Chicago
WHAT: Produced by Pitchfork Media, a popular online music site, this festival skews toward critical darlings and indie picks, including Modest Mouse, Pavement, Big Boi and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion.
TYPICAL T-SHIRT: Something ironic
LEARN MORE: $40 per day; www.pitchforkmusicfestival.com
THE SIREN MUSIC FESTIVAL
WHEN: July 17
WHERE: Coney Island, N.Y.
WHAT: Siren might not attract the marquee names of bigger festivals, but it more than makes up for shortcomings with location and price, as in free. This year's festival is scheduled to include performances by Matt and Kim, and by Ted Leo and the Pharmacists.
TYPICAL T-SHIRT: The Velvet Underground
LEARN MORE: Go to siren.villagevoice.com.
LOLLAPALOOZA
when: Aug. 6-8
WHERE: Grant Park, Chicago
WHAT: It's hard to believe that this sprawling festival started as a trimmed version of musician Perry Farrell's famous traveling concert carnival. This concert will feature Green Day, Arcade Fire, the Strokes, Lady Gaga and the recently reconstituted Soundgarden.
TYPICAL T-SHIRT: Jane's Addiction, because Farrell's mojo is strong.
LEARN MORE: $215; www.lollapalooza.com
ALL TOMORROW'S PARTIES
WHEN: Sept. 3-5
WHERE: Monticello, N.Y.
WHAT: It seem's fitting to close out the summer with the anti-festival festival in a resort that offers special one-off concerts and curated evenings of music. This year's event will feature Iggy and the Stooges playing the classic Raw Power in its entirety, an evening of music selected by filmmaker Jim Jarmusch.
TYPICAL T-SHIRT: Whatever the well-heeled record store clerk is wearing this season.
LEARN MORE: $110 for Friday night, $120 for Saturday night or $250 for the weekend, lodging is an additional $150; www.atpfestival.com
VENUES
THE 40 WATT CLUB
WHERE: 285 W. Washington St., Athens, Ga.
WHAT: One of the most famous club-size venues in the world, the Watt has inhabited several locations and seen countless historic acts on its stage. Summer dates include Broken Bells on June 11, Interpol on July 8 and Patton Oswalt on Aug. 20. See www.40watt.com.
THE TABERNACLE
WHERE: 152 Luckie St., Atlanta
WHAT: Once a house of worship, the Tabernacle has become Atlanta's top live music spot. Great acoustics and a varied and always intriguing calendar, the Tab is one of those magic rooms in which every act sounds special. Summer dates include Silversun Pickups on June 19, Hole on June 30 and Crowded House on Sept. 1.
GEORGIA MOUNTAIN FAIRGROUNDS
WHERE: Hiawassee, Ga.
WHAT: One of the state's great music secrets, this willfully low-key site regularly attracts top country talent along with the annual Georgia Mountain Fair and Georgia Mountain Fall Festival, both bluegrass favorites. Summer events include Ray Stevens on July 3, Blake Shelton on July 16 and the fair July 21-31.SPECIAL
Georgia Music Hall of Fame
WHERE: 200 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Macon (above)
WHAT: A visit to this modest museum is worth the effort. Small but well-stocked with memorabilia, the Hall of Fame has been known to display objects as odd or interesting as the recording console James Brown recorded Please, Please, Please through, B-52 Kate Pierson's distinctive beehive wig and a pair of Otis Redding's boots.
ROSE HILL CEMETERY
WHERE: 1071 Riverside Drive, Macon
WHAT: This historic cemetery is the final resting place of Duane Allman and Berry Oakley of the Allman Brothers Band. Interestingly enough, getting to the cemetery might require crossing the Otis Redding Bridge.
BONAVENTURE CEMETERY
WHERE: 330 Bonaventure Road, Savannah
WHAT: Towering live oaks and intriguing memorials make this historic cemetery worth a visit. The music connection is just gravy. Bonaventure is the final resting place for classic American songwriter and Savannah's favorite son, Johnny Mercer.
The Augusta Chronicle ©2012. All Rights Reserved.
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