I know what you should do this summer

~ Ryan King gives you some concert options for that tight entertainment budget

Summertime is a joyous time. The Beach Boys immortalized it, Husker Du celebrated it, and now businessmen profit off it, or at least their wallets are fattened by the many packaged tours that roll across the country annually. But if your budget's anything like mine, the cash available for entertainment expenditures often runs a bit thin. So I took the liberty of singling out four events this summer that are worth some portion of your time. Thank me later.

Bonnaroo, June 16-18, Manchester, Tenn.

I look at Bonnaroo as a music festival, but doing so kind of sells it short. With acts like Radiohead, Tom Petty, Beck, Elvis Costello, Bright Eyes and Sonic Youth, it can be easy to overlook the great comics that are there -- like Lewis Black and John Reep -- and also things like the classic arcade, the beer festival and all of the great lesser-known bands. This four day event includes the cost of camping in the ticket. Bonnaroo is in Manchester, Tenn., only about four and a half hours away by auto.

Vans Warped Tour, July 25, St. Louis

Warped Tour is a touring music and extreme sports festival. The "extreme sports" means that the type of music that's played is easily guessed: loud and mostly fast. A lot of the bands are up-and-coming types, so it's likely one or two bands seen at Warped Tour will be rocking MTV soon. Some of the more established bands playing this year are AFI, Thursday, NOFX, Rise Against, and Relient K.

American Idols Live! Aug. 13, St. Louis

I'm not a huge "American Idol" fan; if anything I prefer the crashing and burning tryouts to the actual competition. But seeing how at least a couple "American Idol" winners and runners-up become true stars, this tour featuring the top 12 -- including winner Taylor Hicks -- should be good to watch, especially if you're with me among the 64 million who cast a vote in this year's finale (I voted twice for Taylor).

Lollapalooza Aug. 4-6, Chicago

Some of the same acts playing Bonnaroo will be at Lollapalooza this year, but there are enough differences to make a trip to the Windy City worthwhile. Among this year's notables are the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kanye West, the Raconteurs, Queens of the Stone Age and Panic! At the Disco. There was a rumor that the Smashing Pumpkins would be making an appearance as well, but it seems unlikely. If they do, it'll be one of the greatest days I've ever known, for sure.