As summer approaches, musicians aim toward wowing hungry audiences with elaborate summer tours.

This particular summer is full of tours for all sorts of people – those who like human contact and those who really like it.

For starters, there is the obligatory Ozzfest, which will set foot July 19 in Floatrite Park in Somerset.

This year’s show has some really good talent to offer. Marilyn Manson and Korn are scheduled to join Ozzy. Both Manson and Korn are guaranteed to put on an amazing show. As for Ozzy, it’s a given that his stuff will be quality.

On May 24 and 25, Floatrite Park will host a rock show well known to residents of the Twin Cities and western Wisconsin – 93X Fest.

“X Fest” is a show you absolutely cannot miss. It’s going to have Ministry, royalty from the industrial music scene; Powerman 5000, a band that has undergone a major personnel change in the past few years; and Audioslave, the new band featuring Chris Cornell from the disbanded Soundgarden and musicians of the former Rage Against the Machine.

If you don’t like the other bands that are on the list, at least go to the festival to see Audioslave.

These guys essentially revitalized modern rock. Also, you can bet that they will perform “Like a Stone.” That song already conquered radio and MTV, and it will be marvelous live.

A notable pairing of bands is the Aerosmith-Kiss tour, which will hit the Alpine Valley Music Theater, East Troy. You’ll have to wait a while for this one, as the bands aren’t coming to Wisconsin until Sept. 6.

Now, I have never been a fan of Kiss, but many folks say that they put on an amazing show.

Aerosmith, on the other hand, is a band that I admire. Their vast catalogue is a valuable asset that will make for hours of fun.

For fans of 1980s arena rock, a trio of cheese metal will spread their wings June 14 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn.

Journey, Styx and REO Speedwagon were all really popular in the 80s, but neither Journey nor Styx have their original singers. It just feels weird seeing a Steve Perry wannabe fronting Journey.

It’s like watching some big-haired hipster going through a mid-life crisis singing karaoke to “Don’t Stop Believin.’ ”

A talented artist is making his return to the Twin Cities on June 12.

Beck was in town last November with the Flaming Lips, who not only opened for him, but also functioned as his backing band. That show was just plain phenomenal.

This time around, Beck has assembled his own backing band. It may not be as crazy as when he last visited the metro area, but he’s still so good that the show absolutely cannot be anything less than magnificent.

The last tour I will discuss will be that of Pearl Jam.

Pearl Jam, or “The Jam,” as I like to call them, will perform June 16 at Xcel Energy Center.

What’s cool about Pearl Jam’s live shows is that they allow you to buy the concerts on CD before the shows even occur.

The window of opportunity for such a product is small, but if you are resilient enough, you could buy every show they play this year. If that isn’t the best idea ever, I don’t know what is. It sure beats some security guard groping my pelvic area in search of recording devices. There are many other notable tours occurring this summer, but these are ones that actually matter.