Summertime represents so many things: a cornucopia of bathing suits, boogie boarding, posh Hampton parties, and above all, music, music and more music. From alternative to hip-hop, pop, old-timers who many think should have quit long ago (and proceed to blow you away—again) and the almighty festival, there's a little bit for everyone. As Labor Day has come and gone, I again find myself a lot tanner, financially drained, slightly more deaf, but with a completely full musical belly. Here's a recap of some of the finest moments of my summertime, and how all of the above have begun to dip their toes into the alternative waters—where all are welcome and no genre is safe.

      In the old-timer category, I caught Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers a few times this season. He managed to mix in numbers from his new solo album, Highway Companion, with his pop hits the way only a seasoned veteran could. Battling knee trouble and possibly doing his last tour, Petty not only rocked Madison Square Garden, but the behemoth Bonnaroo Music festival in Manchester, Tenn. (June 15-18). He led sing-alongs and recreated old classics, including a stripped-down "Learning to Fly." If this is a man past his prime, I sure couldn't tell.

      What truly stood out for me about his Bonnaroo performance was that he headlined one night, surrounded by other "alternative" artists: Radiohead, Bright Eyes, Death Cab for Cutie, My Morning Jacket, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Beck, to name a few. The thing about Bonnaroo was that in five short years, it has become the epicenter of the music festival world. It has grown from a jam band gathering to incorporating acts such as Deadboy and the Elephantmen and Sonic Youth. That'll scare the patchouli off you in a hurry. Going back to my last article, we see that all things music are inherently linked to the past—whether that be hip-hop, pop, rock, emo or alternative.

      From Bonnaroo, we move to Lollapalooza, hosted by Jane's Addiction frontman Perry Farrell. It was held in Chicago's Grant Park over the weekend of August 4-6. Unlike big brother Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza began as the alternative music festival of summertime in the 1990s. But, buying into the same idea that music is universal, Farrell, too, branched out and began incorporating different bands into his lineup. This year boasted the Disco Biscuits, the Benevento-Russo Duo, Umphrey's McGee and Ween. Those four bands seemed to be a much better fit in a Bonnaroo lineup, not Lollapalooza. But alas, my friend, the times they are a-changin'.

      Camp Bisco V, hosted by the aforementioned Disco Biscuits, took place August 25-26 from Hunter Mountain, N.Y. The Biscuits booked a lineup that ranged from rock to trance, DJ, alternative and everything in between. Artists such as the Brazilian Girls, Thievery Corporation, RJD2 and Simon Posford filled the rainy weekend with that intoxicating, universal drug that pulses through the veins of all of us: yep, still music.

      All in all, this represented the festival trifecta. Three horses from different bloodlines, but all still entered in the Derby and the Run for the Roses.

      Business is business (as I witnessed at every festival I attended this summer), but music is still music. Barriers are no longer as sturdy as they once were, and genres are being torn down. And that is the reason why I love my job. That is a reason I love music. That is a reason I love being able to think with my own mind. Alternative, jam band, emo, hipster, hip-hop, pop, classical—now all under one roof called an iPod, or a field somewhere in the middle of nowhere.

      What else has the power to convince tens of thousands to brave traffic, weather and a million other logistical nightmares? Yes, music. Whether their favorite artists play a ukulele, a keyboard or a beer-bottled slide guitar, it is the spirit, the understood brother- and sisterhood, and universally understood common language that speaks to all races, colors, nationalities and ages. It is the reason I am as big a fan of Bob Dylan or the Grateful Dead as my dad is. It is the reason that college radio continues to play the classics, while flourishing with the new artists dominating today.

      Over the last few years, the collective soup has become much spicier. But whether you like salt, pepper or a ton of hot sauce, chances are you'll find something to your liking in the special seasonal blend called summertime.