During the summer of 2011, plenty of music will be playing across this great land of ours. While by no means an exhaustive list of summer tours, we're shining our spotlight on some of the hottest tickets of the hottest season. Whatever your musical taste or monetary budget, there's bound to be something for everyone.

POP

U2 - One of this summer's most highly-anticipated events is U2's 360º Tour, especially considering that many fans have been waiting with tickets in hand since last summer, when the North American leg of the tour was postponed due to Bono's back injury. The tour begins wit...

Two years and 406 episodes later, Jimmy Fallon has just one complaint about the success of Late Night: His parents now crave Red Bull.

"I wish my parents would DVR my show or Tivo it. They're staying up too late," Fallon told TVGuide.com. Apparently, mom and dad watch the show live every night at 12:37 a.m. "They're becoming night owls. They're opening up a night club now. They're addicted to Red Bull. I'm afraid for their health."

But aside from his parents' sleep deprivation, Fallon had little to complain about at Friday's PaleyFest panel celebrating his two-year anniversary. "It's gone...

The original lineup of The Cars are back together and on the verge of releasing their first new studio album in 24 years.

"Move Like This" hits stores on May 10th and the album's first single, "Blue Tip," sounds as if the band hasn't missed a beat in all that time.

"This is not a reunion - it's more like a conjunction...I never thought I'd make another Cars record," frontman Ric Ocasek tells MTV.com.

The band officially broke-up in 1988 and Ocasek, until now, always refused to get back together with the band - guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson (b...

Motley Crue, The Cars and Green Day have made it onto a new magazine list of the Top 10 Best Rock Bands ever.

The three acts join the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Queen and Santana on the Parade magazine poll.

The Beatles topped the list, and along with Led Zeppelin are the only two that are no longer performing and recording together. The Cars recently reformed and are currently in the studio working on new material.

Green Day is releasing a brand-new live album, entitled "Awesome As F***," on March 22 on Reprise Records. It will include explosive performances captured during the band’...

The massive crowd at Centennial (Olympic) Park was dominated by red and maroon…red for the Alabama fans and maroon for the Virginia Tech fans. Their teams would square off later at the Georgia Dome for a college football week-one match up. Lucky for them - and everyone else here - Georgia's own Collective Soul had agreed to put on a free concert in the heart of the revitalized downtown Atlanta. This would be one of those shows for which the planets would align: the weather was perfecto, the sounds were exquisite, and the SEC fans were all amenable (even the Hokies, who would soon experie...

Pop superstar Prince ditched his post-Oscars bash at his Hollywood Hills home for a show at Hollywood's Avalon Ballroom.

Fans and famous friends paid $100-a-head to join the "Purple Rain" hit-maker at his Sunday midnight party, which doubled as the launch for his new website LotusFlow3r.com.

Prince dedicated his two-hour set to Oscar winner Penelope Cruz and performed a string of hits and covers from upcoming releases, including The Cars "Let's Go" and "Crimson & Clover", a chart-topper for Tommy James and the Shondells.

Oscars attendees Alicia Keys, Queen Latifah and nomi...

Since the surviving members of Led Zeppelin reformed last December for a one-off show to pay tribute to late Atlantic Records founder and legend Ahmet Ertegun, the man who discovered and brought us some of the most talented artists of all-time (seriously, we really could use another Ahmet right about now-- but since the almighty dollar overshadows the need for actual talent we can forget that) and gave a handful of folks in England the greatest holiday gift ever, there has been a weekly story about the band going on tour. And not going on tour. But wanting to tour. And not wanting to tour. ...

Rhino Entertainment and Sprint introduce Rock The Phone, a Website offering rockin' ringtones for every phone of legendary songs from some of rock 'n' roll's greatest bands, including The Doors, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, ZZ Top, Ramones, and more.

Not a subscription service, wireless consumers nationwide can visit www.rockthephone.com for access to over 100 classic rock ringtones for $2.99 each. For a limited time, the website will offer a free ringtone of The Doors' "Love Me Two Times," and Sprint customers will have exclusive access to eight ringtones until December 11.

In addit...

Aimee Mann's seventh solo release to date, '@#%&! Smilers,' is a return to form after the artistic detours of 2005's concept album The Forgotten Arm and 2006's Christmas CD One More Drifter in the Snow.

Featuring thirteen new original songs, producer Paul Bryan describes the record as "deceptively powerful...very rich and grand sounding". The songs range from the stripped-down-to-basics of "Columbus Avenue", to the almost Cars-esque synth-pop of "Freeway", along side the classic Jimmy Webb/Glen Campbell-era "Phoenix", and the hushed creepiness of "Little Tornado." The final song "Balla...

Blondie will hit the road to mark the 30th anniversary of their classic album Parallel Lines, two years after singer Deborah Harry announced the band would no longer tour.

The day after the group was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in March 2006, the "Heart Of Glass" singer announced that Blondie's then-upcoming U.S. tour with the reformed The Cars would be the group's last.

But now the band will commemorate its landmark 1978 disc Parallel Lines with dates in U.S. and Europe this summer.

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)

Happy Birthday to "Home Improvement" actor Jonathan Taylor Thomas (1981), pop star Pink (1979), Keane drummer Richard Hughes (1975), actor David Arquette (1971), model/tv host Brooke Burke (1971), musician Neko Case (1970), solo artist and former 'til Tuesday singer Aimee Mann (1960), "The Fall Guy" actress Heather Thomas (1957), The Cars guitarist Benjamin Orr (1947; d. 2000), the Grateful Dead's original keyboardist Ron "Pigpen" McKernan (1945), The Association bassist Brian Cole (1942; d. 1972), country legend Patsy Cline (1932; d. 1963), "The Pink Panther" series star Peter Sellers (192...

Poison will hit more than 50 U.S. cities this summer on their "POISON'D! 2007" tour. The national tour, with RATT and special guest White Lion joining Poison for most of the dates, rolls out on June 13 in Greenville, SC, with stops in and around New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Detroit, Washington, DC and other major tour markets across the country.

Poison's new studio album, POISON'D!, will be released June 5 on CD and digitally by EMI America Records/Capitol. Featuring Poison's original members, POISON'D! presents the band's first new studio recordings since 2002's Hollyweird....

Former model Paulina Porizkova became the first celebrity voted off talent contest Dancing With The Stars last night. Porizkova and her partner Alec Mazo were eliminated at the end of the fourth season of the hit TV show's first results special.

An upset Porizkova, who is married to former Cars frontman Ric Ocasek, was tearful as she said goodbye to fellow dancers like Joey Fatone, former model Heather Mills and ex-Cheers star John Ratzenberger.

She said, "I feel like the kid on the playground that's made, by their parents, to go home - and they're not ready yet.

"I'm like, '...

Happy Birthday to "Into The West" actress Keri Russell (1976), New Jersey Nets basketball star Jason Kidd (1973), "21 Jump Street" star Richard Grieco (1965), film actress Hope Davis (1964), "Pulp Fiction" actress Amanda Plummer (1957), soul singer Chaka Khan (1953), The Cars lead singer Ric Ocasek (1949), folk singer David Olney (1948), Japanese film director Akira Kurosawa (1910; d. 1998), and silver screen siren Joan Crawford (1905; d. 1977).

...In April, Billy Corgan announced that Smashing Pumpkins will reunite and begin recording a new album... Rihanna released her sophomore disc, Unfaithful, featuring the single S.O.S., which includes a sample of Soft Cell's Tainted Love... and Cee-Lo and DangerMouse's collaboration, Gnarls Barkley took the U.S. by storm, as their hit single Crazy stormed the charts and took off as one of 2006's most popular tunes.

Bands that released new albums include: The Flaming Lips, Daft Punk, Gorillaz, Blue October, Lacuna Coil, Lamb Of God, Pink, Queensryche, The Vines, Eagles Of Death Metal, Qu...

Talk about being hooked on The Feeling. This U.K. band delivers an amalgam of harmonic melodies and catchy choruses that reaches full fruition on its Cherrytree/Interscope debut, Twelve Stops and Home, which has already produced a pair of Top 10 international hit singles in "Sewn" and "Fill My Little World."

The quintet's sonic touchstones range from the classic (the Beatles, the Stones, the Kinks, Queen, The Carpenters and the Beach Boys) to the more esoteric (10cc, Abba, the Human League and the Pet Shop Boys) to the timeless (Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Harold Arlen).

"I'm very...

"The New Cars are a pleasant surprise combining both the drive of the original with the power of the new members." - Mitch Lafon, Bravewords

"The show was a joyride. The New Cars played with a palpable glee." - Erik Pedersen, The Hollywood Reporter

Heavily influencing current bands such as Fountains of Wayne, The Vines, The Killers, Interpol and Franz Ferdinand, The Cars are one of the most distinct acts in rock n' roll history. It's been 17 years since The Cars last toured, but The Cars' material has remained popular to this day, both on radio and on national commercials such ...

Virgin Records electro-rockers Ima Robot are joining All-American Rejects on the road for a series of dates that spans most of the month of October. The tour follows the release this week of the second Ima Robot album, "Monument To The Masses," and the conclusion of a summer tour series with She Wants Revenge.

The band is penetrating every level of new and old media in the early phase of album release: The album's irresistibly danceable kick-off single, "Creeps Me Out" is already pulling Top 5 phone requests at Los Angeles' Indie 103, and is currently listed as No. 2 alternative specia...

Happy Birthday to "Home Improvement" actor Jonathan Taylor Thomas (1981), pop star Pink (1979), Keane drummer Richard Hughes (1975), actor David Arquette (1971), model/tv host Brooke Burke (1971), musician Neko Case (1970), solo artist and former 'til Tuesday singer Aimee Mann (1960), "The Fall Guy" actress Heather Thomas (1957), The Cars guitarist Benjamin Orr (1947; d. 2000), the Grateful Dead's original keyboardist Ron "Pigpen" McKernan (1945), The Association bassist Brian Cole (1942; d. 1972), country legend Patsy Cline (1932; d. 1963), "The Pink Panther" series star Peter Sellers (192...

According to their website, the Smashing Pumpkins are currently in the studio recording a new album, this comes a few months after the news of a reunion tour.

The short post on their site reads: "The Smashing Pumpkins are currently in the recording studio with legendary producer Roy Thomas Baker (Queen, The Cars, The Darkness), at work on their first new album since 1999."

Building upon tremendous critical acclaim and consistently sold-out performances, Brazilian Girls return with the eagerly anticipated Talk To La Bomb. Verve Forecast releases the new album September 12.

Late last fall, the band entered Jimi Hendrix's famed Electric Lady Studios in New York City with producer Mark Plati (David Bowie, The Cure, Deee-Lite). Ric Ocasek of The Cars produced the song "Last Call." The band was inspired by their surroundings and quickly began composing material. With the resulting 12 new tracks, they push their innovative fusion of electro, dub, pop, punk and ...

The Cars founder Elliot Easton is convinced the group's legacy won't be ruined by former bandmates who refused to take part in a reunion tour this summer - because he spent two years making sure everyone was OK with his plans.

Easton and Greg Hawkes are the only original members in The New Cars, but he insists ex-bandmates Ric Ocasek and David Robinson and the estate of late vocalist Ben Orr have all given their blessing to the project.

The guitarist promises fans there will be no The Doors-like scandal, which saw drummer John Densmore sue his former bandmates for reforming and ...

Happy Birthday to "Into The West" actress Keri Russell (1976), New Jersey Nets basketball star Jason Kidd (1973), "21 Jump Street" star Richard Grieco (1965), film actress Hope Davis (1964), "Pulp Fiction" actress Amanda Plummer (1957), soul singer Chaka Khan (1953), The Cars lead singer Ric Ocasek (1949), folk singer David Olney (1948), Japanese film director Akira Kurosawa (1910; d. 1998), and silver screen siren Joan Crawford (1905; d. 1977).

The new-look Cars made a clever decision to recruit former Tubes drummer Prairie Prince - he's also the reunited band's set designer.

After the Tubes split in 1985 Prince and bandmate Michael Cotten started a stage set business and were hired to create ambitious platforms for Michael Jackson and the Atlanta, Georgia, Summer Olympic Games, among others.

And now Prince is developing a superset for his new group The New Cars, when they hit the road with Blondie in America this summer.

The New Cars frontman Todd Rundgren says, "The Tubes were a hugely theatrical act with quite el...

US rockers The Cars will end months of speculation by announcing plans to reform with Todd Rundgren as their frontman in Los Angeles on March 14.

The Cars will stage a press conference at the House of Blues hours before Genesis stars Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks reportedly announce their plans to reform, also in Los Angeles.

The Cars reunion has been top gossip in America for the best part of a year, and now group founders Elliot Easton and Greg Hawkes are getting set to announce their new line-up for a US tour.

The reunion won't feature bassist...

Singer/songwriter Todd Rundgren will lend his talents to a reunion of 80s new wave rock band The Cars. Band members Elliot Easton (guitar) and Greg Hawkes (keyboards) have recruited Rundgren to fill in for lead singer Ric Ocasek, who will not be joining his former bandmates on the road. Instead, Ocasek will produce a Cars documentary film. The band will also be without bassist Benjamin Orr, who died from cancer in 2000; and drummer David Robinson.

Rundgren's fan base has been teeming since the announcement of the collaboration. The singer acknowledged that he knew fans were "countin...