JUNE 11 R.E.M., Modest Mouse And the NationalMerriweather Post Pavilion, $40-$75

To paraphrase a song title from R.E.M.'s new album, living long is the best revenge. After losing original drummer Bill Berry in 1997, this alt-rock exemplar entered an experimental phase, yielding three albums of limited appeal. The new and aptly titled "Accelerate" puts the focus back on energetic guitar and immediate songs, including such grabbers as "Supernatural Superserious." Of course, the trio also has nearly 30 years of back catalogue, from its mumbly early classics to such mainstream crowd pleasers as "Losing My Religion."

Don't skip the openers: Modest Mouse, another indie band that could, and the National, whose sound is big and brooding.

JULY 2 ColdplayVerizon Center, $49.50-$97.50

Although this British quartet is unlikely to disappoint fans of "Clocks," don't expect a greatest-hits show. The band has a new album, "Viva la Vida," that was recorded with Brian Eno, the favored producer of musicians who want to switch things up. The sound is denser and more diverse, with techno, orchestral and African elements, and frontman Chris Martin unveils a lower vocal timbre. Some are comparing the band's retooled style to Radiohead's, but fans will benefit from one difference: Unlike Radiohead, Coldplay is playing an indoor venue -- so let it rain.

JULY 8 Boris and CloudsBlack Cat, $13

Just about every metal band that ever alarmed a 12-year-old's parents has reunited to tour this summer, but hard-rock connoisseurs know that some of the heaviest sounds come from the Japanese cult act Boris. The trio borrowed its name from a song by the Melvins, another group that distilled metal into something as abstract as it is physical, and both groups take their music slow and sludgy. Boris has its experimental side and has collaborated with various Japanese specialists in psychedelia and noise. The band's latest album, "Smile," is unusually vocal-oriented, which makes it approachable.

JULY 25 Spiritualized9:30 club, price not yet listed

Last year, this neo-psychedelic British band did an acoustic tour, but it plugs back in for this jaunt, which marks the release of "Songs in A&E." It's always hard to anticipate the latest direction of the group's only permanent member, Jason Pierce (Spacemen 3), yet sonic grandeur is a given. Whether playing elemental drones or orchestral pop songs, Spiritualized embraces arty minimalism and emotionally direct rock and sometimes even ventures into gospel.

AUG. 9-10 Virgin Mobile FestivalPimlico Race Course, Baltimore; $97.50 for one day, $175 for two days ($250, $450 VIP packages)

For music devotees with no fear of overstimulation (or sunstroke), this two-day fest is a banquet of contemporary sounds, heavy on rock but also featuring hip-hop, techno and more. Saturday's top-billed acts are grunge-goes-popsters the Foo Fighters, surfer-songwriter Jack Johnson, countrified art-rock band Wilco and bouncy punkers Offspring.

Sunday's headliners are more diverse: industrialists Nine Inch Nails, hard rockers Stone Temple Pilots, preppy rapper Kanye West and the near-immortal Bob Dylan. Yet there's plenty of variety on both dates. Day 1 includes Underworld's literary-minded electronica, Gogol Bordello's Slav punk and rock-and-roll forefather Chuck Berry backed by Japanese Beatles impressionists the Silver Beats. On Day 2, the music includes Iggy and the Stooges' AARP-age punk, Southern-rap mix-tape master Lil Wayne and Andrew Bird's old-timey jazz and pop. That's just the sort of head-spinning contrast that fests like these should provide.

AUG. 11 Rancid and Big D & the Kids Table9:30 club, price not yet listed

The Clash's biggest fans have lasted a lot longer than their heroes: This is California punk quartet Rancid's 18th year. That longevity doesn't come from conserving energy, since the band's albums overflow with short, spiky songs, and its shows are legendary for barely bridled intensity. Rancid's upcoming album is its first in five years. This show is the second-to-last stop on a two-month tour, so the band should be loose and the set tight.

-- Mark Jenkins