*VAN HALEN announced this week that it has rescheduled all of the previously postponed dates on its North American Tour. The show the guys would have played next week will now take place on Tuesday, May 20.

Tickets for the March date will be honored, and refunds are available at the point of purchase for anyone unable to make it to the new date.

*Mocha Coffee House will welcome the return of MICHAEL TOWNSEND this weekend, when “The King of Slide Guitar” returns to the Glen Road venue on Friday, March 21, Showtime is 7:30 and will run until 10 pm.

Then on Saturday Mocha will welcome a performance by jazz and a cappella vocalist AMANDA BLOOM, who lists Jeff Buckley, Jewel, Fiona Apple, Regina Spector and Joni Mitchell among her influences. Amanda and her voice will command attention at Mocha on Saturday night, also from 7:30 until 10 pm.

*Fresh off last month’s Grammy win, country and bluegrass legend RICKY SKAGGS will bring his concert tour with the renowned (and personable) pianist and songwriter BRUCE HORNSBY to the Palace Theater in Waterbury on Thursday, April 10, at 7:30 pm.

Tickets are $38, $48, $56 and $65 and are on sale now at the box office, 100 East Main Street in Waterbury. Tickets can also be charged by phone at 203-755-4700 or online at PalaceTheaterCT.org. Groups of 20 or more receive special discounts and should contact the Group Sales Hotline at 203-755-8483 extension 134.

*Grateful Dead bassist PHIL LESH AND FRIENDS and New Orleans legends THE NEVILLE BROTHERS, who celebrate 30 years of performing together, highlight the initial lineup for this summer’s Gathering of the Vibes. The 13th annual music, camping and arts festival is set for July 31 to August 3 at Bridgeport’s Seaside Park, and the event is again planning to support a number of local and national charitable and not-for-profit organizations.

Other confirmed artists include  DEREK TRUCKS & SUSAN TEDESCHI SOUL STEW REVIVAL, SAM BUSH BAND, ZAPPA PLAYS ZAPPA, DARK STAR ORCHESTRA; PORTER, BATISTE & STOLTZ; JACKIE GREENE BAND, DEEP BANANA BLACKOUT, NEW RIDERS OF THE PURPLE SAGE, ASSEMBLY OF DUST, DONNA JEAN & THE TRICKSTERS, RYAN MONTBLEAU BAND, STRANGEFOLK, KING FOR A DAY, and ALTERNATE ROUTES.  Many more artists to be announced.

Gathering of the Vibes 2008 marks the festival’s fourth stint at Seaside Park. Last year’s event drew nearly 25,000 revelers to the venue on Long Island Sound.

The all-ages, family-friendly event caters to both weekend campers and day-only guests.  Camping attendees can enjoy the park’s full 370 acres of plush fields, shaded groves, and peaceful beaches, while non-camping guests are offered convenient shuttle service to satellite parking lots and local hotels, as well as to the Bridgeport Metro North station and Port Jefferson Ferry.

Festival organizers have pledged $5,000 to Bridgeport charities as well as Connecticut Special Olympics. Attendees are also actively encouraged to help best the 3,300 pounds of nonperishable items that were donated to the Bridgeport Veterans Affairs Food Bank in 2007. On a national level, the Vibes has partnered with HeadCount, a not-for-profit organization devoted to voter registration, in its “Cents for Sense” campaign and will donate 50 cents from the sale of each ticket to help register voters at designated concerts and festivals throughout the country this summer. Additionally, the festival has introduced a bold Green Vibes environmental initiative to educate and equip fans with the tools necessary to raise awareness about global climate change.

Weekend Camping Passes are  on sale now at the Early Bird rate of $130. Early Bird Weekend Non-Camping Passes are $110. Admission for Thursday, July 31, will be free if weekend pass holders carpool with three or more individuals per vehicle; vehicles with fewer than three attendees will be charged an additional $20 per car.

Single day tickets will be made available when the schedule is finalized. The Early Bird tickets are available online at GatheringOfTheVibes.com or by calling 203-908-3030.

*TOWER OF POWER will play Mohegan Sun’s Wolf Den on Saturday, March 29, at 8 pm, and Sunday, March 30, at 7 pm.

Wolf Den shows are free of charge and reservations aren’t taken for the venue, so get there early (as long as you’re at least 21) for these shows if you’re interested in them.

*Fairfield Theatre Company has put tickets on sale for a special evening, “Women of Song: A Benefit for the Center for Women and Families,” coming Saturday, April 12. The event will take place within FTC’s StageOne.

Tickets are $23 which includes a silent auction and cocktail hour at 6:30, preceding performances by MELISSA MULLIGAN BAND, FUZZ and CARRIE from Rolla, LIZ McNICHOLL, ELLEN LALICATA, SUZANNE VICK, BONNIE LEE PANDA, and ELLEN SACKMAN.

These tickets can be ordered online through FairfieldTheatre.org or on the phone by calling

While at FTC’s website check out details for other upcoming shows including SCRAPOMATIC on May 15; the return of TAB BENOIT on May 30; MARCIA BALL, June 6; TINSLEY ELLIS, June 14; and PETER FRAMPTON on August 14 (who will be performing at The Klein Auditorium, sponsored by FTC).

Coming up this week at FTC are shows by RYAN MONTBLEAU BAND, on Saturday, March 22; THE SUBDUDES, March 27; and TIM REYNOLDS & TR3, March 28. Call the box office at 203-259-1036 or visit FairfieldTheatre.org for tickets and details.

*New York City band FIXER will bring its “high octane rock attitude” to Cousin Larry’s this weekend. The band will return to the bar at 1 Elm Street in Danbury on Saturday, March 22. I don’t have a showtime, but it’s Saturday night for the band that gets its influences from GNR, Stone Temple Pilots and Marilyn Manson to The Black Crowes and Green Day, and is expecting its Riker Hill Records debut (Before the Sun) to be released by early spring.

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

MARCH 21 — Michael Townsend at Mocha Coffee House, Sandy Hook; Robin Trower at The Ridgefield Playhouse, Ridgefield; Shakedown at Black-Eyed Sally’s BBQ & Blues Café, Hartford;

March 22 — Amanda Bloom at Mocha Coffee House; Johnny Rawls at Black-Eyed Sally’s; Ryan Montbleau Band at Fairfield Theatre Company, Fairfield; Fixer at Cousin Larry’s, Danbury;

March 25 — Drive-By Truckers at Toad’s Place, New Haven, The Felice Brothers opening (all ages);

March 27 — Say Anything at Toad’s Place, Manchester Orchestra, Biffy Clyro and Weatherbox opening (all ages); The Subdudes at Fairfield Theatre Company;

March 28 — Tim Reynolds & TR3 at Fairfield Theatre Company; Stanley Maxwell at Black-Eyed Sally’s;

March 29 — Johnny Winter at The Ridgefield Playhouse; Eight to the Bar at Black-Eyed Sally’s; Tower of Power at Mohegan Sun Wolf Den (also March 30);

March 30 — Tower of Power at Mohegan Sun Wolf Den.