*MELISSA ETHERIDGE will be returning to Connecticut on Wednesday, August 27, with a concert at Wallingford’s Oakdale Theatre. Tickets are going on sale Saturday morning at 10, priced from $35 to $82.50 apiece.

Charges will be handled at the Oakdale box office line (203-265-1501) and online at tickets.com. Your other option is to head into Wallingford Saturday morning and fight the crowds to purchase tickets in person. Call the box office ahead of time; I’m sure there will be a wristband lottery for this show.

*TIM REYNOLDS, considered by many to be one of the greatest guitar players in the world as well as a collaborator on three of DAVE MATTHEWS’s albums, will be doing an acoustic show at The Colorado Brewery in Danbury next month. Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door; I strongly suggest getting those early purchases done not just for the $5 savings but because anything with Reynolds’ name attached to it generally does very well.

The club is at 6 Delay Street in Danbury, in the CityCenter district. Call 791-1450 for details. To purchase tickets, call 800-594-TIXX – Colorado Brewery uses MusicToday.com for ticket sales, but call the venue first if you’re unsure about going online.

The show is open to all ages, but anyone under the age of 18 will have to be accompanied by a parent or other adult guardian.

Also coming up at The Brewery is a show this weekend by ZEN TRICKSTERS, a benefit for Darrell Roupp on June 14 by FURTHERMORE, and an appearance by former American Idol contestant JULIA DeMATO along with NEW YORK SOUL CO. on June 20.

*Tickets are now on sale for HOOTIE AND THE BLOWFISH, who will be at Mohegan Sun Arena on Tuesday, July 29. The band that was the first-ever to play on the Meadows stage in Hartford a number of years ago is now touring to support its latest album, a self-titled, quietly released effort. BIG HEAD TODD & THE MONSTERS will be opening. Tickets are $17.50 and $25; visit tickets.com or call 800-477-6849.

*Also on sale are tickets for RINGO STARR AND HIS ALL STARR BAND, which will be at the arena on Thursday, July 31. This year’s line-up includes JOHN WAITE, PAUL CARRACK, COLIN JAY, MARK RIVERA and SHEILA E. Tickets are $35, $50 and $65.

*Tickets for an August 25 STEELY DAN show at Mohegan Sun Arena, priced at $45, $60 and $70, are going on sale this morning (June 6) at 10 am. Purchase options are the same as outlined above.

*I’m still as surprised at the abrupt postponement of CHER’s show at Mohegan Sun Arena as any of Sunday night’s ticket holders must have been when they showed up for her May 25 show in Uncasville. I still don’t have an official response as to why the show was postponed, and the only thing the arena’s website is offering is a “to be rescheduled” note next to the diva’s picture.

Will let you know if I hear anything.

*First show of the season: The careerbuilder.com Meadows Music Centre finally opens this week. POISON will be onstage Wednesday, June 11, after opening sets by SKID ROW and VINCE NEIL. Tickets are still available.

*New on the Meadows calendar is a stop by JOURNEY, STYX and REO SPEEDWAGON on Sunday, July 13. Tickets are $25 for lawn seating, and $45, $55 and $75 for pavilion seating. If you want to purchase these immediately, contact the box office at the Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford (203-265-1501) or visit any tickets.com outlet. Once the Poison show takes place next week, the Meadows box office will also be open for business for the season, including ticket sales.

*Fresh from its fundraising show for Newtown Youth Services last month, HAT CITY BLUES BAND is back on the road this weekend. Ed Pryzby, Bill Morris, Gary LeVan, Ron Caruso and David Lott will be performing at Pequonnock Yacht Club on Saturday night. The club is on California Street in Bridgeport; call 203-334-5708 if you need specifics. The music starts at 7, but the grill will be running as of 3 in the afternoon.

Next weekend the boys are heading to Hartford to participate in the Connecticut Society Blues Challenge. The series actually opened on May 18, and continues each Sunday this month. Shows start at 7.

HCBB will be taking on the best of the state in blues bands in a competition that will have finals eventually being held in Memphis. Also on Sunday’s roster are Shorty & The All-Stars, Wanted and Ms Marci. Bands scheduled for June 22 at The Hoodoo band, Gina Gunn & The Bullets, and Larry Wiley & The Bluestalkers, and then on June 29 it’s The Brotherhood Blues Band, Ryan Heart & The Blue Hearts, Cobalt Rhythm kings, and Bluzberry Pi.

You may have noticed listings in the On The Road calendar for Black-Eyed Sally’s over the years (350 Asylum Street; telephone 860-278-7427), and there’s good reason for that. For some reason we don’t seem to be able to keep our hands on a good blues bar in the greater Danbury area for too long. And eateries with good southern style food? Forget it! Those last about as long as a toy out of a Happy Meal.

Black-Eyed Sally’s, which opened in 1995, continues to serve fantastic food and host blues bands that cover the range – locals, newcomers, established national acts and legends. The prices are good, the music is consistent, and the atmosphere is something to get lost in. I’ve been thrilled with every Black-Eyed Sally’s experience I’ve ever had, and that’s an unbiased, unpaid opinion. I don’t know the owners, any of the staff, etc. If you ever have the time to go to Hartford – and next weekend may be something to make the time for – I strongly recommend Black-Eyed Sally’s.

*Speaking of next weekend’s show choices, GIA will be part of a Locals Night at Toad’s Place in New Haven next Saturday. The July 14 show, al all ages event, will also feature sets by CO2, Slap That Kid and Route 66.

*For those (like me) working on plans for Fourth of July weekend, here’s a thought: I received an email last week from Katie Goff, a Bristol-based member of Nelson Street Team-Connecticut, that announced a July 4 show by MATTHEW & GUNNAR NELSON at Mohegan Sun’s Wolf Den. “It’s going to be an awesome, upbeat concert with really great music” promises Ms Goff of the performance by the twin sons of Ricky Nelson. “Afterwards Matthew and Gunnar [will] offer a meet and greet where fans can have them sign autographs, have their pictures taken with them, etc.” Details on the show and tour are available at www.TheNelsonBrothers.com.

Until next week I’ll be seeing you… on the road. I’m still working on those Independence Day plans.

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 club locations are for ages 21 and over unless specified.

UPCOMING CONCERTS

JUNE 6 — Off The Hook at Cheffield’s, Newtown; Sol Dog at Café 127, Shelton; Phil Guy Blues Band with The Nutmeg Horns at Black-Eyed Sally’s BBQ & Blues Café, Hartford; The McKrells at Towne Crier Café, Pawling, N.Y.;

June 7 — Off The Hook at The Blue Heron, Brookfield; Hat City Blues Band at Pequonnock Yacht Club, Bridgeport; Earth, Wind & Fire at Oakdale Theatre, Wallingford; Zen Tricksters at The Colorado Brewery, Danbury (18 and older show); Hype at Toad’s Place, New Haven, Bent, Liplock, Link and Out Cold opening (all ages); The Zoo at Tuxedo Junction, Danbury; Modern Man at Towne Crier Café;

June 8 — Wes McDonough at The Webster Theatre, Hartford; Gaelic Storm at Towne Crier Café;

June 9 — Blackalicious at Toad’s Place, Burn Dem Up opening (all ages);

June 11 — Poison at The Meadows Music Centre, Hartford, Skid Row and Vince Neil opening;

June 12 — Garaj Mahal at Black-Eyed Sally’s BBQ & Blues Café;

June 13 — Off The Hook at The Rathskeller, Southbury; Brothers Past at The Colorado Brewery (18+ show); Martin Sexton at Toad’s Place (all ages); Stray Allusions at The Webster Theatre.

; Jimmy Thackery & The Drivers at Black-Eyed Sally’s BBQ & Blues Café; Larry Coryell Trio (featuring Mark Egan & Paul Wertico) at Towne Crier Café;

June 14 — Off The Hook at 707 On Main, Monroe; Wayne Keenan at The Acoustic Café, Bridgeport, with guest vocalist Vesta Williams; Darik & The Funbags at Tuxedo Junction; Furthermore at The Colorado Brewery (18+ show); Locals Night at Toad’s Place, featuring Gia, CO2, Slap That Kid and Route 66 (all ages); Big Al & The Heavyweights at Black-Eyed Sally’s BBQ & Blues Café; Professor Louie & The Crowmatix at Towne Crier Café;

June 15 — CT Blues Society Blues Challenge at Black-Eyed Sally’s BBQ & Blues Café featuring Hat City Blues Band, Shorty & The All-Stars, Wanted and Ms Marci.