*Rock and pop icon TODD RUNDGREN will be at Stamford Center for the Arts on September 9 to perform his seminal 1973 album A Wizard, A True Star live in its entirety. Ticket information is available at www.AWATSlive.com.

*The Webster (the Hartford venue has apparently dropped “Theater” from its name) announced this week a September 26 show by RUSTED ROOT. Tickets will be on sale Friday morning (July 31), all priced at $25.

Also on Friday, radio 104.1 will host The Airborne Toxic Event ($15).

Among the theater’s calendar highlights in upcoming months KING’S X returns to Hartford on August 11 ($15), STRYPER’s 25th anniversary tour will make a stop on September 13 ($26, with Flight Patterns opening), JIMMIE’S CHICKEN SHACK headlines The Webster Underground on September 30 ($12, The Energy will open); STREETLIGHT MANIFESTO will headline the main theater on October 3 ($15); and INSANE CLOWN POSSE will be in the city on December 7 (6:30)

*Visitors to Foxwoods Resort Casino will soon have even more opportunities to win, thanks to Deal or No Deal. The popular NBC game show will hold auditions at the property on August 20 from 1 to 5 pm, callbacks the following day, and US residents 18 and older with IDs are invited to participate.

On Deal or No Deal, contestants select one of 26 sealed cases containing various amounts of money. Throughout the program, contestants must choose to either keep their cases or take an offer from the “banker.” The show offers players the chance to win cash prizes up to a million dollars using only their intuition and good old-fashioned luck. No word yet on whether show host Howie Mandel will be at the auditions (I’d say probably not), but of course he’ll be on set when it comes time to tape the show.

The auditions will be held in the Grand Ballroom on Thursday, August 20, and callbacks will be on Friday, August 21. The casting crew is looking for enthusiastic, excited, and animated contestants with unique motivations for being on the show. There is no advance contact number or website to visit. It looks like this will be a first-come, first-served deal. Foxwoods’ website had no additional information about this as of Monday morning.

*Road Note: So I was in Kent over the weekend, watching as a few hundred bicyclists rode their choice of 30, 50 and 100-mle long courses that began in New York, crossed into Connecticut, and then returned into New York for its finish. It was wonderfully interesting to see the myriad ages and shapes of people – some of these folks gave me hope, considering they were obviously in this thing just for the fun, not the competition (or maybe they were in it for the accomplishment), because not every rider I saw had steel calves and rock hard, umm, bottoms.

The most unusual one, however, was the fool who stopped at one of the rest stations and actually pulled out a cigarette. I couldn’t understand the juxtaposition of someone doing something so healthy for the morning and best part of his afternoon, only to smoke a butt in the middle of it.

Until next week, I’ll be seeing you… on the road. Maybe on my bicycle. But definitely without a smoke.

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

JULY 31 — Jason Mraz at Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, with G. Love & Special Sauce and K’naan with Bushwalla; The Airborne Toxic Event at The Webster, Hartford.

AUGUST 1 — Gov’t Mule at Ives Concert Park, Danbury;

August 2 — Incubus at Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, The Duke Spirit opening; Apache Stone at Lakeview Tavern & Grille, Branford;

August 5 — Progressive Nation 2009 at The Comcast Theatre, Hartford, with Dream Theater, Zappa Plays Zappa, Pain of Salvation and Beardfish;

August 6 — Off The Hook at Chao Chao, Sandy Hook; Sugar Ray at Columbus Park, Stamford, Fastball, Aimee Allen and Super Satellite opening (5 pm start);

August 7 — The Pretenders at The Chevrolet Theatre, Wallingford, Juliette Lewis opening;

August 8 — John Legend at The MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods; Hall & Oates at Mohegan Sun Arena; Mayhem Festival at Comcast Theatre, Hartford, with Marilyn Manson, Slayer, Killswitch Engage, Bullet For My Valentine, et al; Vanilla Fudge at The Ridgefield Playhouse;

August 9 — Bonnie Raitt & Taj Mahal at The Chevrolet Theatre, Wallingford;

August 11 — King’s X at The Webster, Hartford;

August 13 — Off The Hook at Chao Chao; Kenny Chesney at The Comcast Theatre, with Miranda Lambert and Lady Antebellum opening;

August 14 — Off The Hook at Redding Roadhouse; Phish at The Comcast Theatre; Heroes of Woodstock at The MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods, featuring Jefferson Starship, Canned Heat, Big Brother & The Holding Co., Ten Years After, Ton Constanten and Country Joe McDonald;

August 15 — Popa Chubby at The Ridgefield Playhouse; The Rebirth Brass Band at Black-Eyed Sally’s BBQ & Blues, Hartford;

August 16 — The Wallflowers at The Ridgefield Playhouse; The Moody Blues at Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville;

August 17 — Collective Soul at Ives Concert Park;

August 19 — Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band at The Comcast Theatre;

August 20 — Creed at the Chevrolet Theatre;

August 21 — Mambo Sons at Black-Eyed Sally’s;

August 22 — Lynyrd Skynyrd with The Doobie Brothers at the Chevrolet Theatre; Steve Miller at The MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods; River City Slim & The Zydeco Hogs at Black-Eyed Sally’s;

August 23 — B.B. King at Ives Concert Park, with Marcia Ball, John Lee Hooker Jr, The Christopher Robin Band and Eran Troy Danner;

August 27 — The Heaven & Hell Tour at The Chevrolet Theatre featuring Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice, with Coheed and Cambria;

August 28 — Taylor Swift at Mohegan Sun Arena, Kellie Pickler and Gloriana opening; Donna Summer at The MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods;

August 29 — Blink 182 at the Comcast Theatre, with Weezer, Taking Back Sunday and Chester French opening; Counting Crows at Mohegan Sun Arena, with special guests Michael Franti & Spearhead and Augustana;

August 30 — Allman Brothers Band at Comcast Theater, Widespread Panic opening.