If you like to reminisce or dig wearing cowboy boots, this might be your summer for music.

Nostalgia and country appear to be the trends among the big shed tours, with plenty of familiar names tucked in between.

Motley Crue, Poison and Judas Priest are back. So are Belinda Carlisle and Bryan Adams.

Billy Joel and James Taylor will make the rounds one more time (though it's rare to see Joel outdoors and not playing a stadium).

And vets Jimmy Buffett, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Lyle Lovett and Tom Petty will roll into their luxury buses or private planes to play to crowds who are ready to be wistful and old enough to have saved the dough to afford their tickets.

In the absence of most instant-sellout superstars (look for Madonna, Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen and quite possibly U2 to head indoors to arenas this fall), the other big draw among this season's amphitheater concerts is an abundance of country acts.

Many country stars who started small years ago are now able to (mostly) fill 20,000-capacity sheds. Even if it only sells half a venue's capacity, it's impressive to see Sugarland leap from 200-seat clubs in Georgia to national authority in the span of two multi-platinum albums.

Likewise Brad Paisley, who has nurtured a nine-year career (though he's been performing since he was a teenager) into a headlining romp that also features Jewel, who is seeing how a country hat fits her career, and 19-year-old Julianne Hough, only known until now as one of the hoofers on "Dancing With the Stars."

But there's still plenty of diversity to keep you zipping around the state - whether it's to placate your kid with another Jonas Brothers experience or get your ears pummeled by Slipknot.

Here's a look at the season's offerings.

(All times listed are door times)

VIRGINIA BEACH AMPHITHEATER
3550 Cellar Door Way, Virginia Beach
Information: (757) 368-3000 or
www.livenation.com
Today: Kanye West Glow in the Dark Tour with Rihanna, N.E.R.D. and Lupe
Fiasco, 6 p.m. $36-$81
May 22: James Taylor, 7 p.m. $26-$53
June 14: Tim McGraw, Jason Aldean and Halfway to Hazard, 7 p.m. $33.75-$63.75
June 17: Pearl Jam and Kings of Leon, 6:30 p.m. $42-$62
June 21: Billy Joel, 6:30 p.m. $29.50-$105
July 6: Crue Fest with M?tley Cr?e, Buckcherry, Papa Roach, Sixx:A.M. and Trapt, 4 p.m. $35.50-$101
July 15: Vans Warped Tour 2008 with Pennywise, The Academy Is . . . , Angels and Airwaves and about 35 other bands, 11 a.m. $31.83
July 17: Kenny Chesney and LeAnn Rimes, 6 p.m. $41.75-$80
July 22: 311, Snoop Dogg and Fiction Plane, 6 p.m. $37-$47.50
July 25: Counting Crows, Maroon 5 and Sara Bareilles, 6 p.m. $29.50-$132
July 26: Projekt Revolution Tour with Linkin Park, Chris Cornell, The Bravery, Ashes Divide and more, 1 p.m. $25.75-$76.75
Aug. 1: Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival with Slipknot, Disturbed,
Mastodon, Black Tide and more, 1:30 p.m. $33.75-$60.70
Aug. 7: Dave Matthews Band and TR3 (featuring Tim Reynolds), 6 p.m. $40-$70
Aug. 12: Journey, Heart and Cheap Trick, 6 p.m. $29.50-$131
Aug. 15: Toby Keith, Montgomery
Gentry, Mica Roberts and more, 6:30 p.m. $33.75-$73.75
Aug. 19: Jonas Brothers and Demi
Lovato, 6 p.m. $31-$71
Aug. 31: Brad Paisley, Jewel, Chuck Wicks and Julianne Hough, 6:30 p.m. Tickets TBA
Sept. 11: Rascal Flatts and Taylor Swift, 7 p.m. $35.25-$80
Oct. 5: Martina McBride and Jack Ingram, 7 p.m. Tickets TBA

NISSAN PAVILION

7800 Cellar Door Drive, Manassas
Information: (703) 754-6400 or
www.livenation.com
Today : Radiohead and Liars, 6:30 p.m. Sold out
May 31: WMZQFest with Sugarland, Phil Vassar, Tracy Byrd and more, 3 p.m. $29.50-$59.50
June 8: Tom Petty and the
Heartbreakers with Steve Winwood, 6 p.m. $49.50-$125
June 15: Tim McGraw with Jason
Aldean, Halfway to Hazard and more, 6 p.m. $34-$64
June 28: Dave Matthews Band with
Michael Franti & Spearhead, 5:30 p.m. $40-$75
July 12: Brad Paisley with Chuck Wicks, Jewel and Julianne Hough, 6 p.m. $25-$54.50
July 13: Crue Fest with M?tley Cr?e, Buckcherry, Papa Roach, Sixx:A.M. and Trapt, 4 p.m. $29.50-$95
July 19: Rush, 6:30 p.m. $29-$119
July 20: 311, Snoop Dogg and Fiction Plane, 5:30 p.m. $25-$46.50
July 26: Rascal Flatts and Taylor Swift. Time and tickets TBA
July 27: Projekt Revolution Tour with Linkin Park, Chris Cornell, The Bravery, Ashes Divide and more, 1 p.m. $24.75-$70.75
July 31: Poison, Sebastian Bach and Dokken, 6 p.m. $20-$45
Aug. 7: Judas Priest, Heaven and Hell, Motorhead and Testament, 4:30 p.m. Tickets TBA
Aug: 9: Toby Keith with Montgomery Gentry. Time and tickets TBA
Aug. 16: Counting Crows, Maroon 5 and Sara Bareilles, 6 p.m. $30.50-$126
Aug. 17: Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival with Slipknot, Disturbed, Mastodon, Black Tide and more, 1 p.m. $25-$49.50
Aug. 18: Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato, 5:30 p.m. $25-$75
Aug. 24: Rod Stewart, 7:30 p.m. $35-$175
Aug. 27: Journey, Heart and Cheap Trick, 6 p.m. $25-$125
Aug. 30 and Sept. 1: Jimmy Buffett & The Coral Reefer Band, 6 p.m. $36-$136
Sept. 27: Martin McBride with Jack Ingram and Jason Michael Carroll. Time and tickets TBA

CHARLOTTESVILLE PAVILION
700 E. Main St., Charlottesville
Information: (434) 245-4910 or www.charlottesvillepavilion.com
June 23: Emmylou Harris, 6 p.m. $27-$67
July 5: The Black Crowes and Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, 6 p.m. $31.50-$41.50
July 8: Phil Lesh & Friends, 6 p.m. $41.50-$51.50
July 29: Willie Nelson, 7 p.m. $31.50-$51.50
July 31: Crosby, Stills & Nash, 6 p.m. $44-$115
Aug. 6: B.B. King, 6 p.m. Tickets TBA
Aug. 12: George Thorogood & The Destroyers, 6 p.m. Tickets TBA
Aug. 23: Kenny Rogers, 7 p.m. $34.50-$61.50

nTELOS WIRELESS PAVILION
901 Crawford St., Portsmouth
Information: (757) 393-8181 or
www.pavilionconcerts.com
July 12: Rockin' the Colonies Tour with The English Beat, The Fixx and The Alarm, 7 p.m. $25
July 18: Bryan Adams and Foreigner, 7 p.m. $23.75-$49.75
July 19: Widespread Panic, 7 p.m. $35
July 27: O.A.R. and Beautiful Girls, 7 p.m. $30.50
July 28: Poison and Dokken, 8 p.m. $20-$43.75
Aug. 1: Crosby, Stills and Nash, 8 p.m. $29-$79
Aug. 16: Anita Baker, 7 p.m. $35-$69
Aug. 28: Regeneration Tour with The Human League, Belinda Carlisle, ABC and Naked Eyes, 7 p.m. $20-$35

WOLF TRAP
1645 Trap Road, Vienna
Information: (877) 965-3872 or for a complete calendar, www.wolftrap.org (all show times are 8 p.m.)
May 28: Ben Folds. $28-$75
June 11: Trisha Yearwood. $22-$40
June 12: Kenny G. $25-$42
June 13: Anita Baker. $25-$48
June 15: Boz Scaggs. $22-$40
June 25: Ricky Skaggs and
Bruce Hornsby. $22-$75
July 2: Lyle Lovett. $25-$42
July 5: Donna Summer. $25-$45
July 8: Chicago. $30-$45
July 16: Earth, Wind & Fire. $30-$45
July 18: Pat McGee Band. $25-$75
July 22: Mark Knopfler. $30-$45
Aug. 6: Jethro Tull. $25-$42
Aug. 11: Herbie Hancock. $25-$75
Aug. 18: Backstreet Boys. $25-$45
Aug. 21: Chris Isaak. $25-$40
Aug. 25: UB40. $22-$75