*SAMMY HAGAR has lined up tour dates for the next leg of his Cabo Wabo Birthday Bash tour, according to his official web site, but things aren’t looking good for Connecticut fans. The veteran rocker is touring in support of his latest release, Ten 13 (Cabo Wabo/Beyond). After spending most of December on break, Hagar’s tour is set to kick back into gear on New Year’s Eve in Detroit.

Thirteen January dates have been added to the roster, comprising stops in the Midwest and the Northeast through the middle of the month, followed by a handful of stops in the South and Southwest before the tour returns to the West Coast late in the month.

Now here is the interesting thing: You may recall The Webster Theatre in Hartford was to have hosted a Halloween show by the former Van Halen lead singer, but the show was postponed just a week or so before the show was to have taken place. At the time, Hagar’s publicists reportedly said the Webster show, as well as the first six dates of the tour, was delayed for “unspecified reasons.” Ticket-holders for the Hartford event had to return their tickets because the October 31 tickets were not going to be honored, even though the shows were all supposedly going to be made up.

Now comes word that among those new January dates in the Northeast, Hartford is not among them. Hagar will be in Lowell, Mass., on January 12, Atlantic City on the 13th, Portland, Me., on the 14th, and the Verona, N.Y., on the 16th. From there the tour moves even further away from us. The reason for the skip over The Webster? Now it turns out the original dates of the tour had been postponed when it was discovered that several venues were not going to be able to accommodate the tour’s stage production.

*Tickets have already gone on sale to students for a February 9 BEN HARPER concert at UConn’s Jorgensen Auditorium in Storrs, but the public will not have the opportunity to purchase tickets for that show until January 10.

*CHEAP TRICK’s next return to Connecticut will be part of the band’s road trip of shows to clubs and casinos. The tour will start in Michigan on December 30, arrive in Indiana for a New Year’s Eve performance, then hustle over to Verona, N.Y., for a New Year’s night concert.

The band will be at Foxwoods Casino in Ledyard on January 16. Tickets for that show are already on sale and can be purchased through Foxwoods directly at 800/200-2882 or any TicketMaster outlet (including TicketMaster.com).

*Speaking of Foxwoods, here’s a flashback for ya: MORRIS DAY & THE TIME! I don’t know about you, but I hear that name and think immediately of the movie Purple Rain. Day, et al, will also be at Foxwoods, on January 2.

Also returning to the state in January will be B.B. KING. King will be at the casino on January 12 and 13.

*One band that will probably not have to postpone its show at The Webster (one hopes!) is VERTICAL HORIZON. The band that came out of the Boston scene back in 1992 hung in there and made it to the big game with its 1999 release Everything You Want. After opening for everyone from COLLECTIBLE SOUL and THIRD EYE BLIND to DAVE MATTHEWS BAND, Vertical Blind is heading up its own tour. The boys are going to finish some dates this month, including a New Year’s Eve gig at Walt Disney World’s Epic Theatre, take January off, and hit the road running on February 1 with a Rhode Island show. The following night the band will be in Hartford. Tickets for the February 2 show aren’t yet available from tickets.com, but the theatre should have them available soon. Sister Hazel, an acoustic band, will open.

*I read recently where one critic is now saying Sting’s newest album, Brand New Day, went to No 1 on the album sales chart thanks only to the fact the singer appeared in a Lexus commercial. If you know the commercial of which I’m speaking, you’ll also remember “Desert Rose” was playing in the background. Give me a break! Brand New Day is just the latest of a collection of great albums released by an extremely talented person. Until next week, I’ll be seeing you... on the road, where I will be pondering ridiculous remarks like the Lexus commercial-album sales connection while compiling my annual Top Ten Best and Worst Things of the Year for next week’s column.

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

DECEMBER 22 — Turn Styles at Hot Shots II, Newtown; Darik & The Funbags at Tuxedo Junction, Danbury; Rafter Bats at Acoustic Café, Bridgeport; Joe Proc at Carl Anthony’s, Monroe;

December 23 — The Zoo at Tuxedo Junction, Danbury; Acoustic Café Christmas Party (free admission, guest musicians playing all night);

December 26 — Teen Dance Night/Christmas Party at Tuxedo Junction (high school students/age 18 & under only);

December 28 — Mighty Purple at Toad’s Place, New Haven (all ages);

December 29 — Darik & The Funbags at Toad’s Place; The Nerds at Tuxedo Junction;

December 30 — Pre-New Year’s Eve/The Real Millennium with Max Creek at The Webster Theatre (all ages); Richie Havens at Towne Crier Café, Gregg Cagno opening; Bazooka Joe at Tuxedo Junction;

December 31 — Sol Dog at Classic Rock Brew Pub, Danbury; New Year’s Eve/The Real Millennium celebration with Max Creek at The Webster Theatre (all ages); Jack Mack and The Heart Attack at Foxwoods Casino Cinedrome; New Year’s Eve with Debbie Davis Band at Towne Crier Café, also Bill Perry Blues Band, Rob Carlson, and Von Em; The Zoo at Tuxedo Junction.

JANUARY 2 —Morris Day & The Time at Foxwoods Casino, Ledyard;

January 5 — Shakedown at Toad’s Place, New Haven (all ages), Sonic Plague and Eastside opening;

January 6 — Gig, Hyde, Thirty Stones, Facing Sideways and 8-Trak Mind at The Webster Theater, Hartford (all ages);

January 12 — Sol Dog at Café 127, Shelton; Gargantua Soul at Toad’s Place (all ages), Sonic Plague and Eastside opening;

January 12 & 13 — B.B. King at Foxwoods Casino;

January 16 — Cheap Trick at Foxwoods Casino;

January 19 — 2 Skinnee J’s at Toad’s Place (all ages); Clutch and Corrosion of Conformity at The Webster Theater (all ages); As-Is and Mr Superlove at Webster Underground (21+);

January 20 — Frank Black & The Catholics at Tune Inn, New Haven; Burn Thru, E Ver and Strychnine at Webster Underground.

January 26 — Max Creek at Toad’s Place (all ages); Quiet Riot at The Webster Theater (all ages);

January 27 — Percy Hill, Truckload of Tweed and Feed at The Webster Theater.

FEBRUARY 2 — Vertical Horizon at The Webster Theater, Hartford, Sister Hazel opening (all ages);

February 3 — G Soul, Toxic Field Mice, simple and Still Life at The Webster Theater (all ages);

February 16 — After Dark III featuring Rane, The Thang and Picasso’s Jelly at The Webster Theater (all ages).