Summertime and the music is easy

"Calling out around the world

"Are you ready for a brand new beat?

"Summer's here and the time is right

"for dancing in the streets. . . . "

— Martha & the Vandellas, 1964

It's that time again.

School's winding down. Daylight is stretching out. Nights are getting warm.

Summertime means summer concerts, and they commence shortly after commencement.

For the USANA Amphitheatre, and United Concerts president Jim McNeil, getting a top-notch summer schedule is always a challenge.

"Utah is a unique marketplace," McNeil said. "There are some shows that surprise me and do well, and some that I think are no-brainers that fall short. But I love what I do and I love live music, and that's why I'm still producing concerts."

This year, McNeil said he's looking forward to all the performances at the West Valley venue. "This is the fourth season for the USANA. There were more shows on tour than last."

Country music looks to be a major draw: Gretchen Wilson (June 3), Kenny Chesney (June 21) and Alan Jackson (Sept. 9) have all been confirmed.

Rock shows include the much-talked-about Def Leppard/Journey double-bill (Aug. 16) and the Poison/Cinderella event (June 27).

United Concerts recently finalized arrangements to bring in the Reggae Sunsplash festival, which will feature UB40, Third World and Maxi Priest (Sept. 4).

Another reggae-inspired show will be 311 and the Wailters (July 27).

Two other shows focusing on patouli rock will be Dave Matthews Band (Aug. 30) and Ben Harper (Aug. 22).

"We have a well-rounded season," said McNeil. "And we're in the process of booking additional concerts."

United Concerts shows at other venues besides USANA include the Delta Center, tapped in for the INXS show (June 7), which will feature new singer J.D. Fortune, and also for the Red Hot Chili Peppers (Aug. 16).

One of the challenges cited by McNeil is making each concert affordable for fans. "There are other shows that we could get here, but we'd have to charge $125 a ticket.