On Saturday, tickets for all four of these shows, all at The Meadows in Hartford, will be going on sale at 10 am: THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND, June 25, showtime 7 pm, Hot Tuna opening, tickets $29 and $42 for pavilion seats, $23.50 on the lawn; STEELY DAN, July 9, 7 pm, $55 and $75 pavilion, $25 lawn; MOTLEY CRUE with MEGADETH and ANTHRAX, August 5, 7 pm, $22.50 to $41 pavilion, $17.50 lawn; and COUNTING CROWS and LIVE, August 23, 8 pm, $39.50 to $49.50 pavilion, $29.50 lawn. All of these tickets will be available over the phone at 860/422-0000, in person at any Strawberries Music & Video stores, or online at www.tickets.com.

Motley Crue is getting ready for to release its first album in over three years. New Tattoo is due out by June 20, in time for the band’s 48-date Maximum Rock Tour. While Tattoo will be the first album with new drummer RANDY CASTILLO, this won’t be the first time Castillo, Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx and Mick Mars will be on the road together. Castillo toured with the Crue last year, including the band’s sold out show at the Oakdale in Wallingford last November 1.

Counting Crows and Live will be co-headlining a summer tour that will have the two groups co-headlining North American amphitheatres, July 28 to September 3. Live is about to head out on an April 27-May 21 tour to continue supporting its latest release, The Distance To Here, with Tracy Bonham providing support the full tour, and Local H joining the bill for the May 3-16 dates.

Counting Crows, meanwhile, will be working its way around the Midwest May 17-31 supporting its latest, This Desert Life. Apparently both bands will take about six weeks ago before hitting the road for the first leg of the co-headlining tour. After a nine-day break, the second leg of the tour, September 12 through the end of October, will take the bands through the country’s South and West regions.

*Speaking of LOCAL H, which I did briefly a moment ago, the former radio 104 wunderkids will also be returning to the state this spring, with a show on May 27 along with STROKE 9 at The Webster Theatre in Hartford. Also new on that venue’s calendar are dates with UNION, May 5, open to all ages; STATIC X, May 6, also all ages; something called The Second Chance Ball on May 11, which is being promoted by radio station WKSS/95.7 FM, which I don’t listen to, but the event is open to age 25 and over only; and a May Luau on the 12th with KITTIE, and free admission.

On May 13, CLUB LUCY headlines; the 18th, it’s VERUCA SALT; and then on July 31, INCUBUS is back in town (the band will be co-headlining with 311 at the Oakdale in June).

*Back to shows that are going on sale this weekend. Summer just wouldn’t be summer without a swing through town by THE BEACH BOYS, am I right? This year the world’s oldest boy-band will be at the Oakdale in Wallingford on Friday, July 14. The Four Tops will open. Tickets are $28.50 to $48.50, and will be going on sale Saturday, April 29, at 10 am.

DON HENLEY is following up the impending release of his first full studio album in over a decade with… what else? A tour! Henley will be at the Oakdale on June 6, and his tickets go on sale Monday, May 1, at 10 am. Let me warn you now, before you read any further: Like the tickets that were being sold when he was touring with THE EAGLES, there are no cheap seats in the house. Henley’s tickets start at $48.50 and run up to $103.50, and that’s before any service charges are tacked on. Tickets will be sold online at tickets.com or over the phone at 203/265-1501.

*Going on sale early next month will be tickets for the Connecticut stop on what is being called the “Ultimate Progressive Rock Summer Tour,” at least by its promoters. KANSAS and YES announced this week that they will be teaming up for a six-week “dose of classic prog-rock divinity.”

Kansas will be touring this year to support a new album, Somewhere To Elsewhere. The new album is scheduled for a July 11 release, just 11 days before the tour hits The Meadows on July 22. Yes, meanwhile, is planning to pull out its more “epic compositions” of its 30+-year history, according to MSNBC reports this week. Which could mean that, with a number of tracks in its library that clock in at well over 15 minutes, the band could theoretically play five or six songs and call it a night. We’ll see….

*On the local music scene, TREBLEHOOK returns to The Fireside Inn next week, with a performance scheduled for Friday, May 5. The guys will be starting around 9 pm, and while the new album is nearing completion but not yet ready for release, this should be a good time to perhaps hear some of the new music.

*Saturday night, SOL DOG returns to Jimmies Seaside in Stamford.

*On Sunday, May 7, the Charles Ives Center will shake of winter’s dust with the return of with Annual Western CT West Fest Concert. This year’s guest band is WYCLEF JEAN & THE REFUGEE ALL-STARS. While I don’t have a ticket price for you, there is an information hotline being run by the school; call 837-8711. Showtime is 1 pm, and part of the proceeds from ticket sales will be given on behalf of WestConn’s students to local homeless centers.

Until next week, I’ll be seeing you... on the road.

Questions and comments should be sent to Shannon Hicks, c/o Bee Publishing Co., 5 Church Hill Road, Newtown 06470, or shannon@thebee.com. Include a phone number for confirmation, please. If you don’t have a stamp or a piece of paper or a writing utensil that works, give me a call! The phone number at the office is 426-3141. Shows listed on the calendar at club locations are for ages 21 and over unless specified.

UPCOMING CONCERTS

APRIL 28 — The Nerds at Tuxedo Junction, Danbury; Off The Hook at The Fireside Inn, Newtown;

April 29 — The Benjamins at Tuxedo Junction; Strangle Manic and Insane Clown Posse at The Webster Theatre, Hartford.

MAY 1 — Crystal Blues Twilight Circus at Laszlo’s Arts Café, Monroe; 

May 3 —The Vibrators at Tune Inn, New Haven;

May 4 —Nine Inch Nails at Hartford Civic Center, A Perfect Circle opening; Mustard Plug and Edna’s Goldfish at Tune Inn; Reveille at City Limits, Waterbury;

May 5 — Spring Heeled Jack USA at Toad’s Place, New Haven (all ages); The Zoo at Tuxedo Junction, Danbury; Adva and Third Rail at Laszlo’s Arts Café; Union at The Webster Theatre, Hartford (all ages);

May 6 — Sol Dog at Jimmies Seaside, Stamford; Darik & The Funbags at Tuxedo Junction; Off The Hook at Sogno, Newtown; Static X at The Webster Theatre (all ages);

May 7 — Wyclef Jean & The Refugee All-Stars at WCSU/Charles Ives Center (part of Annual West Fest Weekend, concert is 1 pm; call 837-8711 for tickets & details); Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen at Towne Crier Café, Pawling, NY;

May 11 — “Weird Al” Yankovic at The Bushnell, Hartford.

May 12 — Off The Hook at Sogno; Point of View at Laszlo’s Arts Café; Max Creek at Toad’s Place (all ages); FUBAR at Tuxedo Junction; Kittie at The Webster Theatre;

May 13 — Big Orange Cone at Tuxedo Junction; Moppin’ Sauce at Fat Daddy’s, Watertown; Club Lucy at The Webster Theatre;

May 18 —Gunga Din at Tune Inn; Veruca Salt at The Webster Theatre (all ages);

May 19 — Off The Hook at The Fireside Inn, Newtown; Simple Jim at Toad’s Place, Ink opening; The Nerds at Tuxedo Junction;

May 20 — The Wallbangers at Tuxedo Junction;

May 26 — Off The Hook at Sogno; Future Tense at Tuxedo Junction;

May 27 — The Benjamins at Tuxedo Junction; Stroke 9 and Local H at The Webster Theatre.

JUNE 1 — The Amazing Crowns at Tune Inn, New Haven;

June 4 — Colin Hay (of Men at Work) at Tune Inn;

June 6 — Don Henley at the Oakdale Theatre, Wallingford;

June 9 —Rane at The Webster Theatre, Hartford (performance & CD release party);

June 13 —Red Hot Chili Peppers at The Meadows Music Theatre, Hartford, Foo Fighters and Red Hot Blonde opening; Lynyrd Skynyrd at The Oakdale Theatre, Wallingford;

June 14 — 311 and Incubus at The Oakdale;

June 15 — Tina Turner at The Meadows Music Theatre, Hartford; Mary J. Blige at The Oakdale (no tickets yet);

June 16 — Poison, Cinderella, Dokken and Slaughter at The Meadows Music Theatre;

June 21 — Britney Spears at The Meadows;

June 25 — The Allman Brothers Band at The Meadows, Hot Tuna opening (tickets on sale April 29);

June 30 — Phish at The Meadows (no tickets until May 13).