As the Live Nation summer concert season fills in, it looks like the proper attire will be Stetson hats and black metal T-shirts.

When the summer lineup is presented today in a press luncheon at Station Square, there will be seven country shows and a fistful of metal. This year again, there will be no mid-level venue as the proposed Amphitheatre at Sandcastle is a non-starter.

The country season begins with Kenny Chesney at Heinz Field and moves on to regulars like Toby Keith, Brad Paisley and Rascal Flatts at the Post-Gazette Pavilion. One of those country shows, Brooks & Dunn on Sept. 12, comes complete with the legendary ZZ Top, a band you would think could do its own headlining show in Pittsburgh.

On the metal side, there's been a changing of the guard: Rather than a tour, Ozzfest is expected to be a festival, possibly in Dallas. Instead, the Pavilion will see the Rockstar Energy Mayhem Tour, with such grizzled Ozzfest veterans as Disturbed, Slipknot, Dragonforce and Mastodon.

"I think we're all pretty much in agreement it was time to take a break," Michael Belkin of Live Nation said of Ozzfest.

Also in the metal vein will be the Projekt Revolution tour with Linkin Park and Chris Cornell, Poison with Dokken and dates to be announced soon for Motley Crue and a Judas Priest/Motorhead bill.

The reunion of The Police that passed us by last year makes up for it this summer with the great Elvis Costello in tow. On the teeny-bopper front, the Jonas Brothers, fresh from opening for Miley Cyrus at the Mellon Arena, are selling briskly for an August show.

The lineup is filled out with regulars, such as the Dave Matthews Band, Jimmy Buffett and the Vans Warped Tour, and such semi-regulars as Tom Petty, Rush, Counting Crows/Maroon 5 and the return of Steve Miller with Joe Cocker.

Among the tours we're not getting are R.E.M./Modest Mouse, the Glow in the Dark tour with Kanye West, and Radiohead, which headlines the Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, on Aug. 4.

Is there no demand for Radiohead in Pittsburgh?

"I think there's a demand for them everywhere," Belkin said. "I'd like to get a show in Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. I'm happy to get a show in Cleveland on a Monday. They did a successful show there a few years ago and wanted to return."

The Amphitheatre at Sandcastle, originally scheduled to open last year to replace the now-defunct tent at Station Square, once again is a no-go. Last year, there were delays in obtaining permits and the staff for a mid-sized venue, including director Ed Traversari, was let go. This year, Live Nation never moved to make it happen. Belkin declined to comment on the record.

"We're still working towards it next year," said Mary Lou Rosemeyer, a spokesperson for Kennywood/Sandcastle. "It's still in talks with the [Live Nation] folks out in California. We're all set. We really want this to happen."

The lack of a mid-sized venue means a number of tours will either bypass Pittsburgh or move indoors.

Cleveland has two mid-level outdoor venues, which this summer are playing host to such shows as Robert Plant & Allison Krauss, Death Cab for Cutie, Panic at the Disco, Megadeth, and Chicago.

Nonetheless, Belkin has an upbeat take on the summer lineup.

"I think you can look at the summer and say we have some A-level country shows, hard rock, classic rock, the creme de la creme of the touring industry. I think it's a pretty cool summer. Are we missing a few things? Yeah, but not much."