Summer Tour Guide

Tom Petty
Through October
Tickets: $20-$71 Opening Acts: Pearl Jam, John Mayer, Allman Brothers Band, Trey Anastasio
Tom Petty nearly decided not to tour this summer, and for good reason: One of his knees is shot. "James Brown used to wear kneepads," says Petty. "But I didn't know that. With all the knee drops and leaping off things, my knee is pretty much toast." But sucking it up for the sake of rock, Petty will lead his Heartbreakers on a summer tour celebrating the group's thirtieth anniversary. At each show - whether it's a headlining slot at the Bonnaroo Festival, a set at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota or a gig at Madison Square Garden -- there will be surprises around every corner. Petty says he'll debut songs from his upcoming release, Highway Companion, bust out old gems and incorporate opening acts such as Pearl Jam and the Allman Brothers Band, who, in various cities, are ready to pay tribute to the living legend. "It's very gracious of all those guys to come along," says Petty, who adds that this may be his last cross-country tour. "I mean, Pearl Jam certainly don't need to be opening up for us."

Fiona Apple
June 19th-August 10th
Tickets: $25-$80
Apple, who says being involved in planning a tour is too nerve-racking, is taking the hands-off approach for her summer trek by not even planning her own set list. "I just wait for someone in the band to tell me what we're playing," says Apple. "I'm trying to avoid meltdowns." Expect a healthy dose of tracks from last year's awesome Extraordinary Machine and a few surprise covers.

Bon Jovi
July 10th-29th Tickets: $38-$400
Everybody expected Bon Jovi's Have a Nice Day tour to be big when the Eighties hitmakers kicked it off last fall -- but nobody expected it to finish second to U2 on Pollstar's list of the top first-quarter tours of 2006. This summer the roadshow gets even bigger, with the Jovi playing seven stadium dates -- including three for hometown crowds at Giants Stadium in New Jersey. Says the tour's promoter, AEG Live CEO Randy Phillips, "Based on how big it's grown beyond our initial projections, I'd have to be honest and say neither Jon Bon Jovi nor Richie Sambora and the boys expected it to be this over-the-top."

Jimmy Buffett
Through September 14th
Tickets: $36-$251
It's not financially feasible for most performers to spread just fifteen summer shows over the course of 105 days -- but Buffett and his Coral Reefer Band have been redefining the word "leisurely" for years. "We've been lucky enough to still be on top as we're turning sixty," says Buffett, who adds that he feels rejuvenated by his recent performance at Jazz Fest and promises to bring the Big Easy's Mardi Gras spirit to towns across the U.S. "There's no other explanation of why people dress up in Cincinnati and Pittsburgh," he says. "The ability to revel is in our human nature -- everybody needs a couple days off."

Kelly Clarkson
June 30th-August 6th
Tickets: $23-$80
Clarkson is taking a break from the studio to hit the road this summer, and the former American Idol is psyched to test some of her new Prince-influenced material on a live audience. But fans of "Since U Been Gone" shouldn't worry: Clarkson will be busting out the hits -- along with Ray LaMontagne and Patty Griffin covers. And don't expect to see the same show twice: "I like to change it up," says Clarkson. "In the age of the Internet, everyone knows your set after the first show."

Elvis Costello
Through July 18th
Tickets: $30-$95
With the New Orleans pianist-producer Allen Toussaint, the Crescent City Horns and his longtime band the Imposters backing him up, the biggest challenge facing Elvis Costello on his summer tour will be narrowing down the set list. In addition to tracks from the new Costello-Toussaint CD, The River in Reverse, the band will play a bunch of Costello songs, with new R&B-flavored arrangements courtesy of Toussaint. Which ones? "I don't want to give the game away!" Costello says. "Put it this way - they range from quite well-known to songs we've never performed."

Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
July 6th-September 10th
Tickets: $34-$260
"This tour came together the way they all do," says David Crosby of CSNY's outing this summer in support of Neil Young's new protest album, Living With War. "Neil called and said, 'OK, let's do it,' " Crosby says. "When Neil came to us with the songs, I said, 'Are you asking me if I want to go out every night and sing "Let's Impeach the President?" Fuck, yes!' " Crosby estimates the group will play half the disc, in addition to numerous classics. "CSNY has such a powerful book of songs that it's really not fair," he says. "There are certain songs that you'd feel cheated if you didn't hear - like 'Wooden Ships' and 'Cinnamon Girl.' "

Dashboard Confessional
June 29th-August 13th
Tickets: $25-$35
Dashboard Confessional's new album, Dusk and Summer, will have been out only a couple of days when the band kicks off its summer tour in Montreal. But that's sure to be just enough time for the emo band's fans to have memorized all the lyrics in preparation for the massive singalongs that have become a trademark of Dashboard's live shows. "The first week, we probably won't play quite as many new songs," says singer-songwriter Chris Carrabba. "By the time we start working them into the set, the fans will know every word."

Dave Matthews Band
Through September 23rd
Tickets: $37-$65
After fifteen years together, the Dave Matthews Band have an extensive repertoire, and it's still growing. So for their fifty-three-date tour, they will bust out long-dormant tunes like "Digging a Ditch," "Dreaming Tree" and "Always (#40)," as well as introduce jams-in-progress like "The Idea of You," culled from recent sessions. "It's like 'DMB - the next phase,' " says violinist Boyd Tinsley. "Everyone's pumped. Bringing back the old stuff is bringing new life into the band."

Dixie Chicks
July 21st-November 11th
Tickets: $40-$90
Country-radio programmers remain perturbed with the Dixie Chicks since their 2003 anti-Bush comments, but that didn't stop the trio's new Taking the Long Way from hitting Number One in its first week. Promoters expect similar success from their first U.S. outing since the Vote for Change Tour. "I don't think they're as dependent on airplay as they were at the beginning of their career," says AEG Live CEO Randy Phillips, who is promoting the tour. "People are familiar with the songs and know what they're getting for the money."

Family Values Tour
July 27th-September 16th
Tickets: $7-$64
Five years since the last installment of the hard-rocking Family Values Tour, it's back -- and the "value" part isn't just semantics. "We really wanted to do a summer tour, and we wanted to charge really cheap tickets for the lawn," says Korn frontman Jonathan Davis, adding that ten-dollar lawn seats make the show "cheaper than going to the fuckin' movies." Though the second-stage lineup hasn't been announced, the main stage will host fellow Cali vets Deftones, whom Korn haven't toured with in a decade. "Deftones and us came up together," says Davis. "Fans have been waiting for this for ten years."

Gnarls Barkley
July 18th- September 23rd
Tickets: $20-$30
Don't be surprised if you show up at a Gnarls Barkley show only to find a hair-metal band called Brushfire taking the stage, complete with leopard-print spandex and platforms -- it's just funk-soul duo Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo goofing. The pair, along with their live band (which includes backup singers and a string section), appear onstage in a rotating lineup of alter egos, complete with costumes and fake names. "We're trying to make sure it's still fun for us and that it's special every time we play," says Danger Mouse. "A different band shows up each night -- only our stylists know who it'll be in advance." Among the fake groups are the Mean Ol' Lion and the Hearts (which involves Wizard of Oz costumes), and Mr. Twig and the Berries (tuxedos and masks). Only a handful of dates have been announced so far, but Danger Mouse promises more are coming.