*Newtown Parks & Recreation recently announced the performers for its 2012 Summer Concert Series, which will return to Dickinson Park in about six weeks. Hopefully the band shell they were talking about earlier this year will be in place by then, which will be a nice amenity for the performers.

Concerts are all Thursday nights, from 6:30 until 8 pm, and are free of charge. Bring picnics (and bags to clean up after yourself with), and your own seating. Shows move under the pavilion of the Elm Drive park if there is light rain, and Parks & Rec and The Bee will have updates via Facebook and Twitter by the afternoon of a show if heavy rains cause a postponement or cancellation.

This year’s series will open on June 28 with BOPLICITY JAZZ BAND, will skip one week (during Independence Day festivities), and then resume on July 12 and continue weekly for the next eight weeks as follows: July 12, THE FRANK PORTO BAND, with of music of the 1930s and 40s; July 19, MACTALLA MOR, members of the Ofgang family, who combine traditional bagpipes and Gaelic singing with modern music styles including rock, blues, jazz, reggae and hip hop (count me in!); and July 26, a show by a group known only as THE IMPROMPTU TRIO.

Performances continue on August 2 with THE T.J. TOMLIN DIXIELAND ALL-STARS, offering New Orleans style jazz (count me in again!); August 9, ERICA HOWARD & MIDNIGHT RODEO, with covers of modern country music; August 16, REDSTONE RIDGE, with contemporary bluegrass, folk and Americana; August 23, THE MANNY PAVONE GROUP, with blues, country and southern rock; and August 30, MY DAD’S TRUCK, who describe themselves on their website as  “a group of acoustic players with diverse backgrounds ranging from porch playing to classical performance … [who] draw their musical selections from the best songs of the last 600 years, and perform them with a vigorous and contemporary edge.”

*In addition to the season opening show for Newtown Parks & Rec mentioned above, BOPLICITY JAZZ BAND has another pair of upcoming shows.

The band will return to My Place Restaurant, 8 Queen Street in Newtown, on Saturday, May 19, for a free performance to begin at 9.

Then on Saturday, June 9, the guys will be at Stone River Grille, 1 Glen Road in Sandy Hook, providing the entertainment for a special prix fixe dinner and dancing event. Give the restaurant a call at 203-270-1200 for details and reservations.

More information about the band and its upcoming events is available on Boplicity’s Facebook page.

*The Dome at Oakdale will host KORN’s Path of Totality Tour, with Sluggo and J Devil opening, on Sunday, June 17.

All tickets, general admission, $39.50 plus service charges, and go on sale Friday, May 11, at 10 am, through LiveNation.com.

*This summer’s American Idol Live! Tour — featuring Idol finalists COLTON DIXON, DEANDRE BRACKENSICK, ELISE TESTONE, ERIKA VAN PELT, HEEJUN HAN, HOLLIE CAVANAGH, JESSICA SANCHEZ, JOSHUA LEDET, PHILLIP PHILLIPS and SKYLAR LAINE — will hit Mohegan Sun Arena on Sunday, September 2.

Tickets are $61 and $71 and go on sale Friday, May 11, at 10 am, through TicketMaster online, Charge By Phone (800-745-3000), or any Ticketmaster outlet. Tickets will also be available at the Mohegan Sun Box Office starting Saturday, May 12, at 10 am, subject to availability.

*It looks like Gold Old War, Foreign Fields and Filligar will each have opening sets when THE COUNTING CROWS bring their Outlaw Roadshow to Ives Concert Park next month.

Tickets went on sale last week for the June 12 show in Danbury, from $35 to $60 plus service charges, and are available through PremierBoxOffice.com or by calling 866- 558-4253.

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

Questions and comments should be sent to Shannon Hicks c/o The Newtown Bee, 5 Church Hill Road, Newtown CT 06470, or shannon@thebee.com, or call the office at 426-3141. Shows listed at clubs are for ages 21 and over unless specified.

UPCOMING SHOWS

MAY 11 — Florence + The Machine at Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Blood Orange opening; The Dana Fuchs Band at Fairfield Theatre Company’s StageOne;

May 12 — The Beach Boys at Mohegan Sun Arena; The Cranberries at The MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods, Mashantucket; Loudon Wainwright III at Fairfield Theatre Company’s Stage One, Fairfield; Shoo Fly Blues at Fast Eddie’s Billiards Café, New Milford;

May 13 — Jarrod Cattey Brazilian Jazz Trio at McLaughlin Vineyards, Sandy Hook; Gomez&Sadlon at The Twisted Vine, Derby; Rick Derringer at Fairfield Theater Company’s StageOne; “Weird Al” Yankovic at The Palace, Waterbury;

May 16 — The Wailers at Infinity Music Hall, Norfolk;

May 17 — Maroon 5 at The MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods; Rusted Root at Infinity Music Hall (also May 18); Walter Trout Band at Fairfield Theatre Company’s StageOne; DJ Bongo Joe at Whiskey’s, Derby (Joe Proc, no vocals or guitars);

May 18 — Lady Antebellum at The Comcast Theatre, Hartford, with Darius Rucker and Thompson Square opening; Blink-182 at Mohegan Sun Arena, with special guests The All-American Rejects and Le Blorr; The Wood Brothers at The Ridgefield Playhouse, Ridgefield; Joe Proc at Two Boots Happy Hour, Bridgeport (solo acoustic performance);

May 19 — Boplicity Jazz Band at My Place Restaurant, Newtown; 106.9 WCCC Big Gig at The Comcast Theatre, Hartford, featuring Godsmack, Staind, Volbeat, Dead Sara, Black Stone Cherry, et al; Chickenfoot at Mohegan Sun Arena; New Riders of The Purple Sage at Fairfield Theater Company’s StageOne; Ronnie Spector at The Ridgefield Playhouse; Tim DeHuff at Fast Eddie’s Billiards Café; Midnight Rodeo Band at Redding Roadhouse;

May 20 — Liz & The Crickstones at McLaughlin Vineyards; Preservation Hall Jazz Band at The Ridgefield Playhouse; Glenn Frey at The MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino, Mashantucket; Fishbone at Fairfield Theatre Company’s StageOne;

May 22 — Collective Soul at The Ridgefield Playhouse;

May 24 — Sons of Cream at Infinity Music Hall; The McLovins at Fairfield Theatre Company’s StageOne; The Wailers at The Ridgefield Playhouse; Off The Hook at My Place Restaurant;

May 25 — Greg Brown at Infinity Music Hall; Jeff Pitchell and Texas Flood with special guest J Geils at Fairfield Theatre Company’s StageOne;

May 26 — The Pears at Fast Eddie’s Billiards Café; The Way-Back Machine at The Black Duck, Westport;

May 27 — ZZ Top, Three Doors Down and Gretchen Wilson at The MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods; Dangermuffin at Fairfield Theatre Company’s StageOne;

May 28 — Gomez&Sadlon at McLaughlin Vineyards;

May 31 — Tower of Power at Infinity Music Hall (two shows, 6:30 and 9:30 pm); Ivan Neville & Dumpstaphunk at The Ridgefield Playhouse.

JUNE 1 — Dar Williams at Fairfield Theatre Company’s StageOne, Fairfield; David Cassidy at The Ridgefield Playhouse, Ridgefield;

June 2 — Brad Paisley at The Comcast Theatre, Hartford, The Band Perry opening; Boogie Wonder Band at Infinity Music Hall;

June 3 — Shawn Taylor at McLaughlin Vineyards, Sandy Hook; New Orleans Suspects at Fairfield Theatre Company’s StageOne; Bela Fleck and The Marcus Roberts Trio at Infinity Music Hall (two shows, 3 and 7 pm); .38 Special at The Ridgefield Playhouse;

June 6 — Robert Cray at Infinity Music Hall, Norfolk; Lindsay Buckingham at The Ridgefield Playhouse;

June 7 — Dar Williams at Infinity Music Hall; Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo at The Ridgefield Playhouse;

June 8 — Jimmy Cliff at The Klein, Bridgeport; Caravan of Thieves at Fairfield Theatre Company’s StageOne;

June 9 — Bonnie Raitt at Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Mavis Staples opening; The Queen Experience at The Oakdale Theatre, Wallingford; An Evening with Leo Kottke at Infinity Music Hall; Midnight Rodeo Band at The One-Eyed Pig, Newtown;

June 10 — Cinnamon Sky at McLaughlin Vineyards; Dickey Betts & Great Southern at Infinity Music Hall (two shows, 4 and 7:30 pm); Melissa Etheridge at The MGM Grand at Foxwoods, Mashantucket; Simone Felice at Fairfield Theatre Company’s StageOne;

June 11 — Drake at The Comcast Theatre, Hartford, with J. Cole, Wakka Flocka Flame, Meek Mills, 2 Chainz, French Montana;

June 12 — Counting Crows at Ives Concert Park, Danbury, Gold Old War, Foreign Fields and Filligar opening;

June 14 — Earth, Wind & Fire at Mohegan Sun Arena; Peter Mulvey with Andy Friedman at Infinity Music Hall;

June 15 — Rascal Flatts at The Comcast Theatre, Little Big Town, The Eli Young Band and Eden’s Edge opening; Paula Cole at Fairfield University’s Quick Center for the Arts, Fairfield; Robert Randolph and The Family Band at Infinity Music Hall;

June 16 — Crosby, Stills & Nash at the Oakdale Theatre, Wallingford; Matthew Sweet at Infinity Music Hall; John Sebastian at Fairfield Theatre Company’s StageOne;

June 17 — Eclipse at McLaughlin Vineyards; Ringo Starr & His (17th) All-Star Band at Mohegan Sun Arena; Korn at The Dome at Oakdale, Wallingford, Sluggo and J Devil opening;

June 18 — An Evening with Willie Nelson & Family at The Shubert, New Haven;

June 19 —Reel Big Fish and Goldfinger at Toad’s Place, New Haven;

June 21 — Lez Zeppelin at Fairfield Theatre Company’s StageOne (also June 22); Vertical Horizon at The Ridgefield Playhouse;

June 22 — Fiona Apple at The MGM Grand at Foxwoods; Lez Zeppelin at Fairfield Theatre Company’s StageOne; Shawn Colvin at The Ridgefield Playhouse;

June 23 — Kaskade at The Festival Stage at The Comcast Theatre, Hartford; Rebirth Brass Band at Fairfield Theatre Company’s StageOne (also June 24);

June 24 — Liz & The Crickstones at McLaughlin Vineyards; Rebirth Brass Band at Fairfield Theatre Company’s StageOne; The Fabulous Thunderbirds at Infinity Music Hall; Gov’t Mule and moe. at The Festival Stage at the Comcast Theatre, Hartford;

June 27 — Stephen Kellogg and The Sixers at Infinity Music Hall;

June 28 — Boplicity Jazz Band at Dickinson Park, Newtown; LMFAO at Mohegan Sun Arena, with special guests Far East Movement, The Quest Crew, Sidney Samson, Eva Simmons and Natalia Kills;

June 29 — Roger Waters (The Wall Live) at the XL Center, Hartford; Fiona Apple at Ives Concert Park, Danbury, Blake Mills opening; Ambrosia at Infinity Music Hall; Mystic Bowie at The Ridgefield Playhouse; Midnight Rodeo Band at West Haven Green Bandstand;

June 30 — Demi Lovato at Mohegan Sun Arena.