Summer is the perfect season for live music. The weather is sunny and hot, the nights are cool and damp, the men are sweaty and largely shirtless, and usually the women are too. Most importantly, the audience often has a feeling of freedom that is harder to come by in the cold and lonely winter months. Concerts can suddenly be held outdoors, festivals can take place on large fields for days on end, and if it rains, you can always just strip down to your bathing suit.Summer 2004 promises another three months of festivals, friends and fantastic music. From touring bands to some of the best and most anticipated music festivals of the year, the following months will dazzle the ears of any music fan.

In fact, the summer music season may have already outdone itself. The annual Coachella Music Festival, held in Indio, Calif., might just end up being the best two days of music this year. The festival offered the craeme de la craeme of alternative and independent music, including performances by Stereolab, ... And You Shall Know Us by the Trail of Dead, Sahara Hotnights, Phantom Planet, Q and not U, Air, Belle and Sebastian, Basement Jaxx, Bright Eyes, Le Tigre, The Crystal Method, Muse, Danger Mouse, !!!, Pretty Girls Make Graves and The Killers.

However, each night's set of co-headliners is what designated Coachella 2004 as the concert to attend this year. Closing the festival on the second night were The Flaming Lips (whose performance included lead singer Wayne Coyne running around on top of the audience in a huge hamster ball) and The Cure. But critics and audience members agree, the closing duo for the first night topped everything. Radiohead and the newly reunited Pixies teamed up to make Coachella the hottest, trendiest and most talked about festival as of yet. The Pixies played before Radiohead and they stole the show with note-perfect performances of songs the band hasn't even played in a decade. While Pixies fans were nervous that the band couldn't recreate the magic that made them alternative icons, their fears were quickly put to rest as the band performed a scalding set. After so much excitement, Radiohead was a soothing balm on the souls of the crowd, as many audience members described laying on the grass and staring up at the stars as the music washed over them.

Coachella set the bar high for summer festivals and concerts, but there is plenty of competition vying for that top spot.
On the festival front, Bonnaroo is probably Coachella's stiffest competition, with Lollapalooza right on its heels.

Only two years old, the Bonnaroo festival made major waves from the moment it opened its gates. The festival focuses mainly on new jazz, blues and jam bands, but also opens its stages and tents to electronica groups, DJs, rock bands and basically any other artist or group that wants to perform. It will take place once again in Manchester, Ten., and will last three days from June 11 to 13.

Performers slated to appear include Calexico, Neko Case, Wilco, Ani DiFranco, Patti Smith, Bob Dylan, the String Cheese Incident, Yo La Tengo, Dave Matthews and Friends, Danger Mouse, the X-ecutioners, Gov't Mule, Ween, Primus, the Dead, moe., David Byrne, Maroon 5, Medeski, Martin and Wood and Trey Anastasio.

Attendees camp out at the festival site, and there is a multitude of other things to do when the performers aren't occupying their full attention. Centeroo, the village set up in the middle of the festival, offers everything from different groups and campaigns providing information and fliers, to a cinema tent and festival yoga classes. Food, drink and entertainment is provided by the festival and by the audience as well, as many festival-goers often hold parties after the final performances with the new friends they've made during the show. Universally recognized as one of the most fun, relaxed festivals of the summer, people travel from all over the nation to take part in the festivities.

Lollapalooza 2004 is also offering a killer lineup. Unlike Coachella and Bonnaroo, which are one-time affairs spread over multiple days, Lollapalooza is a two-day traveling festival. This year's lineup features Morrissey, Sonic Youth, Modest Mouse, Le Tigre, Broken Social Scene, the Walkmen, Danger Mouse, the Flaming Lips, the Polyphonic Spree and Wheat. Select dates will also feature performances by PJ Harvey, Basement Jaxx, Wilco, TV on the Radio and, of course, the Pixies.

Catering mainly to the alternative scene, the decade old Lollapalooza (founded by Jane's Addiction frontman Perry Farrell) is one of the most respected summer festival tours in existence. This year's lineup is one of the most promising offered in recent years, and the draw of the Pixies and Wilco should bring audiences out in droves. Morrissey is also a highlight of the tour, especially since the former Smiths leader has just released a new album entitled You Are the Quarry, and will certainly be playing most of the album live for his devoted fans. Modest Mouse also promise to be an attraction, and paired with the massive airplay of "Float On," the first single off their newest album Good News for People Who Love Bad News, they are sure to attract droves of old and new fans alike.

If you're in the mood for a little punk action, the Vans Warped Tour has a lineup a page long. Every punk fan will find their flavor in this eclectic tour, featuring performances by Alkaline Trio, Anti Flag, NoFX, Good Charlotte, Yellowcard, Taking Back Sunday, IMA Robot, New Found Glory, International Noise Conspiracy, Sahara Hotnights and Rancid, among others.

If you're in the mood for something a little more intimate than a large music festival, there are plenty of bands and artists gearing up to tour the nation.

Aside from their festival outings, the Pixies have announced dozens of dates in both Europe and the United States. While they have not yet announced any dates for their home city of Boston, they officially return to the United States in September, starting on the West Coast and working their way through the south and, finally, the East Coast. The band will be playing several high-profile festivals in Europe this summer, like the Pinkpop festival, and making a stop in California and New York as part of the Lollapalooza tour.

Now that Jeff Tweedy has completed a stint in rehab for painkiller addiction, Wilco are making good on the tour dates they announced earlier this spring. Spanning the nation, the group will be previewing material from their soon-to-be released album, A Ghost is Born, as well as revisiting 2002's brilliant Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. This tour is a hot ticket-almost all of their shows have sold out quickly.

Staying in that alternative vein, several other bands have announced shows that will quickly be labeled as must-sees. Modest Mouse have their own solo national outing planned, as do the Shins (who just announced another leg of their tour), Spoon and the Unicorns. Clinic has already garnered rave reviews on their joint tour with the Constantines, and the Decemberists will also be making the national rounds. Tickets to those shows will disappear surprisingly quickly as well, so make sure to buy yours in advance.

Like the Pixies, two other music icons are resurrecting their touring careers this summer as well. Prince will be touring to support his newest album, Musicology.

Reports from critics and fans who have already seen him all agree that Prince's live shows have lost none of it's magic. While the shows have prominently featured most of the songs from Musicology, the soul/pop icon still isn't afraid to revisit his past glory, and has happily performed hits like "Purple Rain" and "Kiss."

The Cure will also be hitting the road this summer after a long break from live performances. While their reviews from Coachella were mixed at best, longtime fans who have never had a chance to see them perform live will no doubt be delighted by Robert Smith and his catalogue of dark music. They will be joined by Interpol, the Rapture and Mogwai.

No Doubt and Blink182 have announced a joint venture, which will traverse the country this summer, and Linkin Park is touring as well. If you're looking for a real blast from the past, Fred Durst has announced that Limp Bizkit will be touring this summer as well. And Talib Kweli's summer tour promises to be the best traveling hip hop act, hands down.
These are just a tiny sampling of the tours that will blaze trails across our fair land this summer. Keep an eye on your local clubs and venues, and keep your ear to the ground for local festivals or group concerts. If you're in Washington D.C., the Fort Reno Festival, held every July and August, features local bands playing for free every Monday and Thursday.

The concert series also features an annual free performance by punk icons Fugazi. Every city has something like Fort Reno, whether it be organized concert series or just random shows featuring five or six bands in a night. Keeping an eye out for these easily missed opportunities will ensure a surprising and exciting summer music season.

In the summer the sun comes out and the clothes come off. Families reunite, friends hang out at the beach, and bands go on tour. There are dozens of bands and artists who will be coming your way this summer; cast your net and catch as many shows as you can.