Music fests to the fore in the fall

AUSTIN, TEXAS

Austin City Limits: It appears that Austin City Limits is more than a long-running PBS music program. Who knew (aside from residents of Austin)? This well-respected festival, which borrows its name from the PBS show, is a bit more rowdy than its televised counterpart. This year’s lineup is a staggeringly diverse stable of artists with headliners such as the Dave Matthews Band, Pearl Jam, and Thievery Corporation. Before you write this three-day festival off as an “I Love the ’90s’’ kind of gathering, please know that there are plenty of bands from the current decade on the bill, including Kings of Leon, Lily Allen, the Decemberists, Passion Pit, and Bon Iver. Single-day passes for Friday and Sunday’s shows are $85 (Saturday is sold out). For all you big spenders, a three-day VIP pass is $850. Zilker Park, www.aclfestival.com.

SEPT. 5-7

SEATTLE

Bumbershoot: Taking its name from British slang for umbrella - appropriate given this party’s soggy location - Bumbershoot started nearly 40 years ago and has grown into a festival that sports top-shelf musicians such as Katy Perry, Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head, Matt & Kim, Sheryl Crow, De La Soul, Jason Mraz, Franz Ferdinand, and Modest Mouse. There are also ongoing comedy shows to check out when listening to Jason Mraz begins to depress you. Tickets are $80 daily; a three-day pass is $215. 305 Harrison St., 206-816-6444, www.bumbershoot.org.

SEPT. 12-13

MORRISON, COLO.

Monolith Festival: It’s a pleasant change of rock festival pace to see a big gathering that’s programmed around cutting edge pop and dance music rather than giant monsters of rock or cheesy DJs. With its misleading name, Monolith almost sounds like it should be some kind of heavy metal/biker rally. Instead, it’s one of the more interesting festival shows with acts such as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Phoenix, Chromeo, Girl Talk, Of Montreal, the Dandy Warhols (flashback time!), M. Ward, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, Wendy Darling, and Boulder Acoustic Society. All of this takes place in the wilds of the Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Single-day tickets are $52, and a three-day pass is $95 before Aug. 14. www.monolithfestival.com.

SEPT. 16-20

PORTLAND, ORE.

MusicfestNW: Portland’s clubs are taken over by an unwieldy number of bands filling nearly 20 venues throughout a long weekend of musical debauchery. Musicfest brings together an unlikely mash-up of music superstars (Arctic Monkeys) alongside newcomers such as the So So Glos. Other bands include Sunny Day Real Estate, Beach House, and Twilight Sad. The difficult part of the extended club-hopping festival is pacing yourself - and finding time to sleep. You can purchase tickets to individual shows. A $60 wristband gets you into as many shows as you can handle. www.musicfestnw.com.

PLAN AHEAD

OCT. 30-NOV. 1

NEW ORLEANS

Voodoo: We can’t think of a better way to spend Halloween than putting on Kiss make-up and thrashing about to “Rock and Roll All Nite.’’ Kiss headlines New Orleans’ Voodoo festival, along with Eminem (in his only 2009 live show), Jane’s Addiction, the Flaming Lips, the Pogues, Ween, and Silversun Pickups. Many of the tickets for this extravaganza have already sold out, but you can still purchase three-day passes for $169. Don’t be surprised if this party sells out very soon. City Park, www.thevoodooexperience.com.

CHRISTOPHER MUTHER

Events are sometimes canceled, rescheduled, or sold out. Call or check online to confirm. Contact Christopher Muther at muther@globe.com.