*Radio station WPKN has another benefit concert coming into Newtown next month, and the station always puts together terrific shows, so heads up on this one: “An All-Star Tribute to RICK DANKO” will be performed Thursday, June 8, at Edmond Town Hall theatre.

Danko had actually been planning to perform a benefit for the listener-supported station before his death in December 1999, and friends and family decided to honor his commitment with this tribute to his memory. The concert, which will begin at 7:30 pm, will feature performances by former Band bandmate GARTH HUDSON, “PROFESSOR LOUIE” HURWITZ & THE CROWMATIX, THE HONKY TONK GURUS, ARTIE TRAUM, MICHAEL BACON, MARY ELLEN BERNARD, and others. Tickets are $30 each and can be purchased at Grand Union in Newtown, New Morning Natural Foods in Woodbury, and Trash American Style in Danbury.

Tickets are selling quickly. Station manager Harry Minot mentioned this week that he fully expects the show to be a sellout, in fact. “Some of our usual ticket outlets have already asked for restock supplies of tickets,” he said Monday afternoon.

*TREBLEHOOK will be returning to The Fireside Inn in Newtown next weekend. The trio has a show scheduled for Friday, May 26, at the 123 South Main Street/Route 25 establishment. The show will be starting around 9 pm.

*The musician LUCINDA continues to perform around the area, with more and more shows on her schedule in Boston and New York City. Fortunately, she also continues to remain faithful to her roots, and has announced a show in Kent later this month. The singer-songwriter who grew up in Newtown and still lives in neighboring Bethel, will be one of the featured performers of next weekend’s 8th Annual Kent Mayfair/Summer Arts Festival. She will be performing Saturday, May 27, on a stage that will be set up immediately off Main Street/Route 7. The entire weekend in Kent will be teeming with activities including a major book sale, a baked goods sale, faux painting demonstrations, drawings for an array of things (including a JOY BROWN sculpture)… and live entertainment. Lucinda is scheduled to be the featured performer from noon to 4 pm Saturday afternoon.

*A prediction: Promoters are going to cancel one of the two scheduled shows by THE MOODY BLUES in the state this summer. Honestly, how much sense does this make? The Moody Blues are scheduled to be at The Meadows Music Theatre in Hartford on Friday, July 14 (tickets $17.50 lawn, $32.50 and $45 pavilion), and then at Ives Concert Park in Danbury the following night (reserved tickets $40 & $60, adult lawn seats $25, children $10). One of those shows is going to go the way of the dinosaur.

*Here’s another surprising double-booking in Connecticut, that could go either way in terms of ticket sales or cancellations as show date gets closer: THE B.B. KING BLUESFEST. As mentioned in “On The Road” two weeks ago, King will be at Ives Concert Park in Danbury on Labor Day Monday, September 4. Now it has also been announced that the bill will also be at Mohegan Sun’s Uncas Pavilion the day before.

Tickets for the Sunday afternoon event in Uncasville will be going on sale Monday, May 22, and that bill includes performances by King, Buddy Guy, Susan Tedeschi and Corey Harris. The Danbury tickets are already on sale at $40 and $60 for reserved seats, $25 for adult lawn seats, and $10 for children’s lawn seats. The Danbury show’s line-up includes King and Guy, and sets by James Montgomery & The New England Blues All-Stars and The Blue in the Face Duo.

A third double-booking involves JETHRO TULL, who not only just played at the Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford in September, but now has two appearances set up in the state in July. Tull be at Foxwoods Casino in Ledyard on July 21, and then at Ives Concert Park in Danbury on the 29th.

*Speaking of Foxwoods, BRIAN SETZER returns to the state with a show there on July 11; PETER FRAMPTON will be in town on July 22; and CHICAGO has a pair of shows, August 12 and 13.

*A lot of tickets are going on sale for summer shows this weekend. KID ROCK will be at The Meadows in Hartford on August 10, which appears to be the performer’s only headlining appearance in the New England region this season. His tickets will be available Saturday morning beginning at 10 am through tickets.com, online or call 860/422-0000 or 800/477-6849. In-person purchases will be handled at all Strawberries outlets and the box office at The Meadows. Prices are $39.50 for the pavilion area, $33 for the lawn.

BOB DYLAN and PHIL LESH & FRIENDS tickets will also be on sale this weekend, through the same outlets and beginning at the same time, for a concert on Friday, July 21. Tickets for this show are $42 for the pavilion and $29.50 for the lawn. Lesh’s friends this summer around include Billy Payne (of LITTLE FEAT) on keyboards, Paul Barrere (LITTLE FEAT) on guitar, Robben Ford on guitar, and John Molo (THE MICKEY HART BAND, BRUCE HORNSBY’s band and THE OTHER ONES) on drums.

Also on sale Saturday morning will be tickets for the YES and KANSAS bill coming to The Meadows on July 22. Prices run from $27 to $42 for the pavilion area, or $17.50 for the lawn; tickets through the same outlets.

*Oakdale shows are also going on sale Saturday at 10 am. MACY GRAY’s tickets for her June 16 appearance in Wallingford will be $30 for all seats; EARTH, WIND & FIRE, on July 7, run from $32 to $52 apiece; LYNYRD SKYNYRD’s July 13 tickets are $31 and $41 each; and THE RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS with AMERICA, August 25, run from $28.50 to $43.50. Oakdale tickets are sold through the theatre’s box office, over the phone at 203/265-1501, and through tickets.com.

Until next week, I’ll be seeing you... on the road.

Questions and comments should be sent to Shannon Hicks, c/o Bee Publishing Co., 5 Church Hill Road, Newtown 06470, or shannon@thebee.com. Include a phone number for confirmation, please. If you don’t have a stamp or a piece of paper or a writing utensil that works, give me a call! The phone number at the office is 426-3141. Shows listed on the calendar at club locations are for ages 21 and over unless specified.

UPCOMING CONCERTS

MAY 19 — Peter Obre at The Inn at Newtown; Off The Hook at The Fireside Inn, Newtown; Simple Jim at Toad’s Place, New Haven, Ink, Prezens and Mollycoddle opening; The Nerds at Tuxedo Junction, Danbury;

May 20 — Sol Dog at The Frog Pond, Stratford; The Wallbangers at Tuxedo Junction;

May 23 — Toots & The Maytals at Toad’s Place, Crucial Massive opening;

May 26 — Treblehook at The Fireside Inn, Newtown; Off The Hook at Sogno, Newtown; Future Tense at Tuxedo Junction;

May 27 — The Benjamins at Tuxedo Junction; Stroke 9 and Local H at The Webster Theatre.

JUNE 1 — The Amazing Crowns at Tune Inn, New Haven;

June 2 — Eiffel 65 at The Webster Theatre, Hartford, Reno opening (all ages);

June 3 — Shadablue, D-fused and Headstrong at Laszlo’s Arts Café, Monroe;

June 4 — Colin Hay (of Men at Work) at Tune Inn;

June 6 — Don Henley at the Oakdale Theatre, Wallingford;

June 8 — “An All-Star Tribute to Rick Danko” at Edmond Town Hall, Newtown, with performances by Garth Hudson, “Professor Louie” Hurwitz & The Crowmatix, The Honky Tonk Gurus, Artie Traum, Michael Bacon, Mary Ellen Bernard, et al (benefit for WPKN-FM);

June 9 — Peter Obre at The Inn at Newtown; Hour Zero and Point of View at Laszlo’s Arts Café; Rane at The Webster Theatre, Hartford (performance & CD release party);

June 10-11 — 28th Annual Woodbury Rock n’ Reggae Festival at Woodbury Ski Area;

June 13 —Red Hot Chili Peppers at The Meadows Music Theatre, Hartford, Foo Fighters and Red Hot Blonde opening; Lynyrd Skynyrd at The Oakdale Theatre, Wallingford;

June 14 — 311 and Incubus at The Oakdale;

June 15 — Tina Turner at The Meadows Music Theatre, Hartford; Mary J. Blige at The Oakdale, Jagged Edge opening;

June 16 — Poison, Cinderella, Dokken and Slaughter at The Meadows Music Theatre; Macy Gray at the Oakdale; Sub City Project, Kurt/Underpass and Lloyd’s Hill at Laszlo’s Arts Café;

June 17 — Mighty Purple at The Arts Barn, Madison; Electric Monks and Crossroads at Laszlo’s Arts Café;

June 21 — Britney Spears at The Meadows;

June 23 — Peter Obre at The Inn at Newtown; Love Gun at Toad’s Place (all ages); Little Lilith event at The Webster Theatre with Swivel Hips, Sweeter Than Wine, Heavy 7 and Ruby Fruit;

June 23-25 — 5th Annual Gathering of the Vibes Festival at Seaside Park, Bridgeport, including performances by Ratdog, David Grisman, John Scofield, Merl Saunders & Friends, Max Creek, Harlem Gospel Choir, et al;

June 24 — The Trag Band at Laszlo’s Arts Café; radio104 fest 2000 at The Meadows featuring Creed and Sevendust, also Amazing Royal Crowns, Three Doors Down, et al;

June 25 — The Allman Brothers Band at The Meadows, Hot Tuna opening;

June 26 — The Limit at Laszlo’s Arts Café;

June 29 — Mighty Purple on the New Haven Green (part of annual Arts & Ideas Festival, free show, begins 5:30 pm); Far Cry Fly at Laszlo’s Arts Café.

June 30 — Phish at The Meadows.

JULY 1 — Phish at The Meadows Music Theatre, Hartford;

July 7 — Earth, Wind & Fire at the Oakdale Theatre, Wallingford;

July 8 — Kiss at The Meadows, Skid Row and Ted Nugent opening; Natalie Merchant at Ives Concert Park, Danbury, Wilco and Carrie opening;

July 9 — Steely Dan at The Meadows;

July 11 — Brian Setzer at Foxwoods Casino, Ledyard;

July 13 — Lynyrd Skynyrd at the Oakdale; Culture at Toad’s Place, New Haven (all ages);

July 14 — The Moody Blues at The Meadows Music Theatre; The Beach Boys at the Oakdale Theatre, The Four Tops opening;

July 15 — The Moody Blues at Ives Concert Park, The Peter Spink Group opening;

July 15-16 — Alternative Rock n’ Skate Jam Fest at Woodbury Ski Area;

July 17 — Robin Trower at Toad’s Place;

July 18 — The Neville Brothers at Toad’s Place;

July 19 — Less Than Jake at The Webster Theatre, Hartford (all ages);

July 21 — Bob Dylan and Phil Lesh & Friends at The Meadows; Jethro Tull at Foxwoods Casino;

July 22 — Yes and Kansas at The Meadows; Peter Frampton at Foxwoods Casino; King’s X at The Webster Theatre (all ages);

July 24 —The Slackers at The Webster Theatre, Hartford;

July 25 — Widespread Panic at Toad’s Place (all ages);

July 29 — Jethro Tull at Ives Concert Park, XRC opening;

July 31 — Incubus at The Webster Theatre (all ages); George Thorogood & The Destroyers at Toad’s Place.

AUGUST 3 —Burning Spear at Toad’s Place, New Haven (all ages);

August 5 — Motley Crue at The Meadows Music Theatre, Hartford, Anthrax and Megadeth opening;

August 9 — Santana at The Meadows Music Theatre, Macy Gray opening;

August 10 — Kid Rock at The Meadows Music Theatre;

August 12-13 — Chicago at Foxwoods Casino, Ledyard;

August 23 — Live and Counting Crows at The Meadows (tickets on sale April 29);

August 23-24 — Eddie Money at Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncasville;

August 25-27 — Dave Matthews Band at The Meadows, Hartford (tickets on sale May 6).

SEPTEMBER 4 — The B.B. King Bluesfest at Ives Concert Park, Danbury, with B.B. King, Buddy Guy, James Montgomery & The New England All-Stars, The Blue in the Face Duo, et al.