Date: Fri 24-Apr-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: SHANNON

Quick Words:

Moppin-Spice-Meadows-104Fest

Full Text:

ON THE ROAD/SHANNON HICKS

It's the most wonderful time of the year.

No, it isn't back-to-school days or even my birthday. It's time for the

Meadows to start announcing concert after concert for its summer season. This

is when the fun starts.

Already we knew about the first outdoor concert of the season, next month's

radio 104Fest with SOUL ASYLUM, MIGHTY MIGHTY BOSSTONES and BARENAKED LADIES,

among those on the bill. Add SCOTT WEILAND, FASTBALL, HARVEY DANCER and 2

SKINNY J'S to the performers. The Hartford radio station will have 20 bands on

the various festival stages before the show goes on Sunday, May 17. Stay

tuned...

Until then, new announcements include THE SPICE GIRLS on July 3 (bet they'll

be wearing plenty of those awful red, white & blue stars & stripes outfit for

that show!). Tickets for their first-ever Connecticut concert are going on

sale this Saturday (April 25), at 10 am. Good luck -- the New York show sold

out in less than 15 minutes last Friday morning.

About a week after the Spice Girls concert, we will welcome the return of this

year's LILITH FAIR. Along with SARAH McLACHLAN, the Connecticut stop so far

has confirmed BONNIE RAITT, NATALIE MERCHANT, LAUREN HILL (of the Fugees fame)

and TRACY BONHAM. I am personally thrilled that Bonham is on the bill this

year; I was terribly disappointed she wasn't on the roster when the festival

came into Hartford last July.

Speaking of which, Lilith will be at the Meadows this year on July 11. Tickets

will not be going on sale until next month, but my guess is that with the tour

making its stop in our state on a Saturday, that's going to boost the audience

numbers -- especially during the earlier, outside stage performances -- than

last year's show, which was held on a Thursday.

ANI DiFRANCO returns to Connecticut for her third time in less than a year

when she goes back to the SNET Oakdale in Wallingford on June 23. DiFranco

just played at the New Haven Palace at the beginning of the month, and opened

for Bob Dylan at the Oakdale last August 4. Tickets for the Oakdale show are

on sale now.

MOPPIN' SAUCE, our favorite throwback to the 70s, has its next show this

weekend. The band will be at Fat Daddy's in Watertown on Saturday night, April

25.

For the Some-People-Really-Need-To-Get-A-Clue File: Woman gets stopped last

week on I-95 and ticked by a state police officer. She was cited with a moving

violation because she was applying make-up while driving. That's bad enough,

but do you know what the kicker is? This woman, according to the follow-up

report, was actually planning on appealing the ticket. She told the officer,

"But this is no more dangerous than talking on a cell phone"!! Some people

just don't get it.

Until next week, I'll be seeing you... on the road, with both hands on the

wheel!