*BRUCE SPRINGSTEED AND THE E STREET BAND is confirmed for a concert at East Hartford’s brand spankin’ new Rentschler Field on September 16, according an announcement Wednesday morning from the press office at Madison Square Garden, which is managing the new station. On sale information will be coming soon.

*LUCINDA has a local show this weekend. The singer-songwriter, who was recently one of three performers featured during a Sony Records showcase event in Hartford, will be at the brand-new Borders Books in Wilton on Saturday. Showtime is 9 pm at the store, which is right on Route 7.

*If you’re one of the hundreds of thousands of people who will be visiting The Big E next month, you may want to schedule your trip to West Springfield, Mass., to coincide with some live music. The annual fair will be running September 12-28 this year; call 413-737-BIGE (2443) or visit www.TheBigE.com for full details of the event.

Meanwhile, some of this year’s musical highlights will include LYNYRD SKYNYRD on Saturday, September 13, at 8 pm; country singer DARRYL WORLEY, who’s been having a tremendous year, on Sunday, September 21, at 7 pm; fellow country performer MARTINA McBRIDE on Saturday, September 27, also at 7 pm; and r&b diva ASHANTI on Sunday, September 28, at 7 pm. These shows are all scheduled for the Comcast Main Stage and admission to the shows is included with tickets to the fair. Please visit the fair’s website to decipher the rate schedule.

(For anyone keeping track, Connecticut Day this year will be Wednesday, September 17.)

*ADRIAN LEGG has a pair of local shows this month. The first is an early show on August 15 at The Acoustic Café in Bridgeport. Tickets are just $15; call 203-335-3655 (FOLK) for reservations. Rob Suhosa will have a set after Legg’s that evening.

Legg then plays The Towne Crier Café in Pawling, N.Y., the following Friday. Tickets for the August 22 show are $20 and Buzz Turner will be opening; call 845-855-1300.

*PETER FRAMPTON will be at Foxwoods Casino’s Fox Theatre on September 5. Tickets are set at $22 and $33 for that show and are on sale now; call 800-200-2882.

MARIAH CAREY will be bringing her Charmbracelet Tour 2003 into Connecticut for two stops. Tickets for the September 12 show at the Oakdale in Wallingford went on sale a few weeks ago, but now a second show – on September 6 at Foxwoods Casino’s Fox Theatre – will be going on sale this week. Tickets are going on sale August 7 at 8 am; and are limited to two per person for this show.

Already on sale are tickets for BILLY IDOL, also at The Fox Theatre, on September 7. His prices are $38.50 and $49.50; use the same phone number listed above.

Also new this week is the announcement for “An Acoustic Evening: Carpenter, Colvin, Griffin & Williams,” featuring MARY CHAPIN CARPENTER, SHAWN COLVIN, PATTY GRIFFIN and DAR WILLIAMS on September 13. Tickets for that are $38.50 and $49.50.

*Tickets went on sale Monday for CROSBY, STILLS & NASH, who will play Mohegan Sun Arena on September 10 (yep, four days after their show at the Oakdale in Wallingford). Prices for the Uncasville show are $25 and $35; visit any ticket.com outlet online or in person or call 800-477-6849.

*This week’s shows at Mohegan Sun’s Wolf Den include THE OUTFIELD on Wednesday, August 6; THE GIN BLOSSOMS on Thursday; and EDDIE MONEY next Friday.

New on the schedule at the Wolf Den are the following: August 19, STARSHIP featuring MICKEY THOMAS; September 6, BILLY BOB THORNTON; September 13, SOUTHSIDE JOHNNY & THE ASBURY JUKES; September 26-27, CREDENCE CLEARWATER REVISITED; and September 28, THE BACON BROTHERS.

*Tuxedo Junction’s next big show will be THE WAILERS, Bob Marley’s original band, who will be in Danbury on Wednesday, August 13 for an all ages show. Tickets are available at Strawberries Music & Video (the Danbury store’s phone number is 778-9222 if you want to check before heading over), and I’m told they’re also going to be available through TicketMaster… but I’m not having any luck finding them at either vendor as of yet.

PARTICLE is scheduled to play at Tuxedo Junction the following week, on August 20, but I can’t find details on that show yet, either.

Meanwhile the club is hosting a show by RECKONING tonight to honor JERRY GARCIA’s birthday. This will be in the club’s front room, where live reggae is played every Friday night.

*Woodbury Ski Area is hosting Wingbat Records’ Skates Park Music Tour this weekend. The event, “The Boards As Hell Tour,” will run from 10:30 am to 8:30 pm on Saturday and it looks like Rod Taylor has another celebration of music and skating set up. Tickets are just $15, which allows use of the park’s skateboard facilities all day.

On the bill are LIFE TRIBE, LIQUID DESTRUCTION, CRITICAL CONDITION, BEFORE THE HOLY, DOWN TO XERO and THE BRAINLESS WONDER. The skate park, on Route 47, can be contacted at 203-263-2203 or www.WoodburySkateArea.com for details. Tickets will certainly be available at the gate.

*BEACH BOYS fans, something called “Beach Boys Fan Convention: Busy Doin’ Something!” will be taking place next weekend at the Southbury Hilton. The August 9 event will run from 10 am to 6 pm, and the cost is $50 – payable at the door by either cash or check. Organizers have put together a day of activities they hope will thrill fans of all ages, including listening stations with unreleased Beach Boys music, mixing stations where fans can mix BB songs with former studio engineer Stephen Desper, video stations with rare clips, a 30-minute opportunity to participate in a phone chat with Beach Boy ALAN JARDINE, a question-and-answer session with Grammy-nominated director and editor STEPHEN DESPER (Endless Harmony) and longtome band photographer ED ROACH, plus raffles, an auction to benefit The Carl Wilson Foundation and vendor tables.

The hotel can be contacted by calling 203-598-7600 (the building is apparently situated on the Southbury side of the town line, but the hotel’s phone number is Middlebury-based). For event details or registration contact event coordinator Susan Lang at fangathering@aol.com, or visit www.geocities.com/FanGathering/BusyDoingSomething.html

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 club locations are for ages 21 and over unless specified.

UPCOMING CONCERTS

AUGUST 1 — Off The Hook at Carl Anthony’s, Monroe; SideShow at Shenanigan’s, Norwalk; The Yardbirds at Toad’s Place, New Haven; Grey Cell Green at The Webster Theatre, Hartford, Look West and Doublethink opening; Rick Springfield at The Fox Theatre at Foxwoods Resort & Casino, Ledyard; Reckoning at Tuxedo Junction, Danbury; Ellis Paul at The Acoustic Café, Bridgeport; Eric Culberson at Black-Eyed Sally’s BBQ & Blues Café, Hartford;

August 2 — Aerosmith and Kiss at Meadows Music Centre, Hartford, Saliva opening; Huey Lewis & The News at Foxwoods’ Fox Theatre; 2003 Wingbat Records Boards as Hell Tour at Woodbury Ski Area, Woodbury, featuring Life Tribe, Liquid Destruction, Critical Condition, Before The Holy, Down To Xero and The Brainless Wonder; Lucinda at Borders Books*Music*Café, Wilton; Off The Hook at The GW Tavern, Washington Depot; Screaming Broccoli at Tuxedo Junction; Luciano at Toad’s Place (all ages); Round Robin at The Acoustic Café featuring Chris D’Amato (Smokin’ Opie), Matt Micklos, Pete Symanski, Steve Miller and Bob Csugie; Jimmy Burns at Black-Eyed Sally’s;

August 3 — The Allman Brothers Band at Meadows Music Centre, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe opening; Scream III Tour at Hartford Civic Center featuring B2K, Marques Houston, Mario and Nick Cannon, et al; The Toasters at The Webster Theatre, Half Your Luck opening;

August 4 — Bon Jovi at Meadows Music Centre, Goo Goo Dolls opening;

August 5 — The Beach Boys at Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville;

August 6 — Jeff Lorber at Toad’s Place; The Outfield at Mohegan Sun’s Wolf Den, Uncasville;

August 7 — India.arie at Foxwoods’ Fox Theatre, Mashantucket; Psychedelic Breakfast at Toad’s Place, Electric Mayhem and Buckwheat & The Feelgood All-Stars opening (all ages); Mickey Cooper at The Acoustic Café; The Gin Blossoms at Mohegan Sun’s Wolf Den;

August 8 — Off The Hook at 707 On Main, Monroe; SideShow at Captain’s Cove, Bridgeport; Eddie Money at Mohegan Sun’s Wolf Den; Roomful of Blues at The B.B. King Nite Club at Foxwoods, Ledyard (band also playing Aug 9, same location); Charisma at J.C. Hooks Bar & Grill, Waterbury; Cringe Fest 2003 at Toad’s Place featuring Deadwait, Broken Malachai, Slumlord, Dead Mine Dead and Curse The Son (all ages); Raisin Hill at The Acoustic Café; Kal David at Black-Eyed Sally’s;

August 9 — OzzFest 2003 at Meadows Music Centre featuring Ozzy Osbourne, Marilyn Manson, Korn, Disturbed, Chevelle, et al; Ginuwine at The Fox Theatre/Foxwoods Casino, Zane opening; Roomful of Blues at The B.B. King Nite Club at Foxwoods; Joe Jackson at The Webster Theatre; Off The Hook at Redding Roadhouse, Redding; Sister Hazel at Toad’s Place, Virginia Coalition and Gavin DeGraw opening (all ages); The Zoo at Tuxedo Junction; The Stephan Gaspar Band (early show) at The Acoustic Café, then Talking To Walls, This Blue Holiday and The Reservoir; Kal David at Black-Eyed Sally’s.

August 10 — Jethro Tull at Mohegan Sun Arena; Sol Dog at The Corner Pocket, Orange.