*A second BACKSTREET BOYS show has been added at The Meadows, after the first show sold out in only a few hours a few weekends ago. The new show, on Thursday, June 28, actually precedes the original date (June 29). Tickets are going on sale this Saturday at NOON (original announcements last week had the onsale time set at 10) at the same denominations the original date’s tickets were sold at: $42.50, $62.50, $72.50, and a very limited number of Gold Circle seats at $104.

Tickets will be available at the ctnow.com Oakdale Theatre box office in Wallingford (the Meadows box office has not yet opened for the season), charge by phone at the Oakdale at 203-265-1501, charge by phone to tickets.com’s line (800-477-6849 or 800-422-0000), and online at ctnow.com. Showtime is 8 pm.

*New for the calendar at The Meadows is radio 104’s “Loud and In Your Face” concert. The May 12 show will feature sets by STAIND, DISTURBED, TANTRIC and BOY HITS CAR and will begin at 6 pm. Tickets are $35 for all seats, and are on sale now. There is no lawn seating for this show; it will be the first all-indoor show at the Meadows in four years. Tickets.com online, phone charge and in-store outlets are handling tickets for this show.

Also new, DIDO on Sunday, July 1, at 7:30 pm, with Travis opening. Tickets are going on sale this weekend — Saturday at 10 am — at $35 and $45 for pavilion seating and $19.50 on the lawn.

At the same time the Dido tickets are going on sale, so will the seats for “Glam Slam Metal Jam,” a show scheduled for Friday, June 15, at 6 pm, with POISON, WARRANT, QUIET RIOT and ENUFF ZNUFF. Tickets for this show are $25 and $35 for the pavilion and $15 for the lawn and will also be available through the Tickets.com options outlined above.

*Next Friday, tickets for PANTERA’s big Extreme Steel Tour will be going on sale. The show at New Haven Coliseum will be the kick-off for the band’s new national tour. Pantera will be in New Haven on Wednesday, June 20, with SLAYER, STATIC-X, SKRAPE and MORBID ANGEL all opening. All seats are $40.75 and tickets will be sold through TicketMaster.com, the ticket vendor’s charge lines (744-8100, 203-624-0033, 860-525-4500, TDD 800-943-4327), and in-store locations at Filene’s and Tower Records.

Pantera is, like U2 did earlier this year and DAVE MATTHEWS BAND has done repeatedly (among other bands), offering fans the opportunity for a limited number of presale purchases. Visit TicketMaster.com and click on the option for Pantera Presale. Visitors can sign up, receive a password, and for the New Haven show, presale will then begin on Wednesday, April 18, at 10 am (all time zones). Tickets are not guaranteed through presale (as I mentioned, there are a limited number of seats available with this option), but if you really like this band it’s worth a shot, and it doesn’t cost a thing. Details are available at TicketMaster.com.

*AMORTAR has a pair of shows it’s pretty excited about in the next few months. The first one will be at City Hall, the club behind Curtis House Inn in Woodbury (506 Main Street South; 203-263-6265) on April 21, and the second is a return to Laszlo’s Arts Cafe in Monroe (Main Street; 459-8889) on May 26.

This is a primarily rock band that plays songs that are also danceable (that’s my word, yes; I like to invent my own verbs sometimes). The band is lead guitarist Danny, Pete on rhythm, six-string bassist Reggie, drummer Jason, and Susan on vocals. Danny writes the songs and Susan handles the lyrics for the band’s original music, which has been recorded onto a four-song CD available at Amortar’s shows. Those attending the Monroe show in May will also be able to admire original paintings by Susan, which will be exhibited during the evening.

*Finally, the Boston band TREE will have a CD release party next week at The Webster in Hartford. No Regrets No Remorse, the latest full album from this group, has 14 songs yet clocks in at 44 minutes, 44 seconds. Tickets for the band’s show on April 20 are $10 in avance and will be $12 at the door. This is an all-ages show and will also include sets from THRONE and TOXIC FIELD MICE.

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; or call The Bee office at 426-3141.

Shows listed on the calendar at club locations are for ages 21 and over unless specified.

UPCOMING CONCERTS

APRIL 13 —Dar Williams at Garde Arts Center, New London; Cabeza de Vaca at Toad’s Place, New Haven, Kohath & The Uplight Ensemble opening; Brad Mehldau at Aldrich Museum, Ridgefield; Joe Proc at Carl Anthony’s, Monroe;

April 14 — The Samples at The Webster Theater, Hartford; Satan and Adam at Next Stop Café (Charlie Hilbert and Adam Gussow); Vicious Cirkill and Vitamin F at Players, Danbury (formerly Our Place Café).

April 19 — Overkill at The Webster Theatre;

April 20 — Billy Idol at Foxwoods Casino’s Fox Theater, Ledyard; Darik & The Funbags at Toad’s Place, Ink opening; Tree CD release party at The Webster Theater (all ages), Throne and Toxic Field Mice opening; Joe Proc & Abu at Mimi’s, Danbury;

April 21 — Sugar (formerly Playback) at Hot Shots II, Newtown; Of My Own…, Eventide and Dismay at Players (formerly Our Place Café); Amortar at City Hall, Woodbury; Tower of Power and Average White Band at Stamford’s Palace Theatre;

April 22 —Soulive at Toad’s Place (all ages).

April 24 — Mark Knopfler at the ctnow.com Oakdale Theatre, Wallingford.