*Country superstar TOBY KEITH is returning to Connecticut in March. Tickets are on sale, at $85 and $110, for a Friday, March 4, show at Mohegan Sun Arena. Showtime for this stop of The Big Throwdown Tour, which also features TED NUGENT opening, is 8 pm.

Tickets can be purchased in person in Uncasville and through any TicketMaster vendor.

*SOL DOG’s next show in Connecticut is Friday, February 4, at The Avenue Café in Black Rock. That show is tentatively scheduled to double as the band’s second Release Party.

After that the guys will also be at The Georgetown Saloon on February 25.

*Kicking off Playhouse on The Green’s “February at The Playhouse” series is THE HIGHLAND ROVERS on Friday, February 4, at 8 pm. The Bridgeport theater will host Connecticut’s own Irish rock band, known for its great selection of rock classics, Irish favorites and original music. All tickets are $20 and available through www.PlayhouseOnTheGreen.org or by calling the Bridgeport Bluefish box office, 203-345-4800 extension 150.

Later in the month THE GLAMOUR GIRLS will offer their re-creation of the best female pop artists of the 60s, 70s and 80s, including Madonna, Pat Benatar, The Go-Go’s, The Bangles and many others. Three girls front a four-piece band with an array of costumes and choreography. Tickets for the February 19 show, also starting at 8 pm, are also $20, available through the same options outlined above.

*THE RADIATORS – and I meant to mention this last week – will be at The Webster Theatre in Hartford on February 18.

Also fairly new on the schedule is TESLA on February 26; RUSTED ROOT, March 31 (lead singer MICHAEL GLABICKI is at Café Nine in New Haven for a special solo acoustic show on April 4); and ZAKK WYLDE’S BLACK LABEL SOCIETY on April 3.

Local performer LUCINDA has her opening set at that venue this weekend. She is one of three openers – in addition to Secret Smile and Mending Wall – who will be opening for PATTY SMYTH & SCANDAL on Saturday night. Tickets for the all-ages are $15.

*Also this weekend, blues legend DAVID “HONEYBOY” EDWARDS will be at Café Nine for two shows Saturday night. Edwards will be joined by special guest Rocky Lawrence for the 7:30 and 10:30 performances. Tickets are $15. Call the café for details or reservations at 203-789-8281.

A reminder too that Tuesday night is the big IGUANAS show at Café Nine. Tickets for that one are $10 in advance or $12 the night of the show.

*And people think my musical tastes run eclectic: Three recent additions to The Warner Theatre’s calendar run the gamut from WAYNE NEWTOWN and THE BEACH BOYS to THE PAT METHENY GROUP.

Mr Las Vegas will headline at the Torrington theater on Friday, March 4. Tickets for Wayne Newtown, who has been working hard for more than 50 years, are $49.50 and $59.50.

The boys of summer will return to Connecticut on Thursday, March 24. Tickets for their show are $49.50 and $59.50. And tickets for Metheny’s concert, which will be the following Thursday evening, are $39.50 and $49.50. All shows will start at 8 pm. Call the theater at 860-489-7180 or visit www.WarnerTheatre.org for a full schedule.

*SETH HORAN will be hosting the open jam each Wednesday this month at The Acoustic Café in Bridgeport (2926 Fairfield Avenue; telephone 203-335-3655 or visit AcousticCafe.com). Horan, who sings and plays bass, will open the weekly jams with his own performances from 8 to 9 each week – during the sign-up – and then host the jams with guest musicians from 9:30 until they run out of notes. If you want info or want to sign up in advance, send Seth an email at SethHoran@yahoo.com. Advance sign-ups are not necessary, however. Musicians are also welcome to show up at the café each week and join in.

Additional café highlights in February will include a show by LISA LOEB on Friday, February 4 (tickets $22); DYLAN CONNOR on February 11, which is a rescheduled show originally planned for last Saturday night (but was snowed out); the return of LIZ McNICHOLL on February 12, with guests Hoe and Liam Bailey; PENCILGRASS, who calls themselves “not your average Latin-punk–funk-ska-mariachi-folk-jazz-prog-R&B-glam-soul band,” on February 19; STEPHEN KELLOGG AND THE SIXERS the following night; HOME BY MIDNIGHT and JADE HORIZON opening on February 25, followed by THROWBACK & LARISSA DeLORENZO at 10; VANCE GILBERT, February 26; and FERRON on the 27th.

March shows will include REID GENAUER on the 3rd; “Women of Song,” a benefit for abused women on March 5; ZEN TRICKSTERS, March 17; PATTY LARKIN, March 20; and DUKE ROBILLARD, March 25 as part of the 2nd Annual Black Rock Blues Festival – details on that two-day event will be coming next week.

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

JANUARY 28 — Tsunami Benefit Concert at The Garage, Newtown, featuring Salanum, There Goes Bill and Kamikaze Pilots; The Nerds at Toad’s Place, New Haven, Sick Ticket and Sector 7G opening; The Jazz Mandolin Project at The Webster Theatre, Hartford; Lucy Bonilla at Black-Eyed Sally’s BBQ & Blues Café, Hartford; The Alternate Routes at Acoustic Café, Bridgeport, with special guests Todd Martin and Down Dexter; Jay Stollman & The Black Rock All-Stars at The Georgetown Saloon;

January 29 — Patty Smyth & Scandal at The Webster Theatre, Secret Smile, Mending Wall, Lucinda, et al opening (all ages); David “Honeyboy” Edwards at Café Nine, New Haven, with Rocky Lawrence (shows at 7:30 and 10:30 pm); Popa Chubby Band at Black-Eyed Sally’s; The Benjamins at Tuxedo Junction, Danbury; Smokehouse at The Georgetown Saloon; Vivino Bros. Band at Towne Crier Café, Pawling, N.Y.;

January 30 — The Iguanas at Café Nine, New Haven; Gwar at Toad’s Place, Alabama Thunderpussy and Mensrea opening (all ages).

FEBRUARY 3 — The Dresden Dolls at Toad’s Place, New Haven, Regina Spektor and Diamond J & The Rough opening (all ages); Three Days Grace at The Webster Theatre, Hartford, C4, Novus Dae and Drawn Inward opening (all ages);

February 4 — Queensryche at The Webster Theatre, Hartford (all ages); The Marshall Tucker Band at Toad’s Place, Bounty Hunter, American Trash and Bobby T & The Electric Circus opening; Sol Dog at The Avenue Café, Black Rock; Lisa Loeb at The Acoustic Café, Bridgeport; Concord Jazz Festival at The Ridgefield Playhouse featuring Diane Schuur, Oleta Adams and Karrin Allyson; The Highland Rovers at Playhouse on The Green, Bridgeport;

February 5 — Joe Cocker at Foxwoods Casino’s Fox Theatre, Ledyard; Tony Trischka, then Brian Kingston at The Acoustic Café; Roamer and The Rafter Bats at Café Nine, New Haven.