*The king of all Parrot Heads will be at Mohegan Sun Arena on June 17, which will be his first appearance in the state since 1999.

  Tickets for the Connecticut stop of A Salty Piece of Land Tour are $66, $96, $156 and $201, and will be going on sale Monday, April 18, at 10 am. TicketMaster is the vendor for all Mohegan Sun Arena shows.

  Sales at the Mohegan Sun box office on Monday will be conducted through a wristband system with a limited number of wristbands distributed at 7 am and tickets released at 10. All ticket sales are limited to six per customer.

  *For the first time in more than 15 years, JUDAS PRIEST will embark on a US headlining tour with original frontman ROB HALFORD.

  The legendary band will be hitting the road in May, and stopping at Mohegan Sun Arena on Saturday, June 11. QUEENSRYCHE will be opening.

  Tickets for this show will be going on sale Friday, April 22, at 10 am, through all TicketMaster vendors and at the Mohegan Sun Arena box office. Sales at Mohegan Sun on Friday will be conducted through a wristband system, with a limited number of wristbands to be distributed at 7 and then the tickets released at 10.

  *Also going on sale – although these are both going on sale Friday, April 15 – are tickets for two shows at the Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford.

  EARTH, WIND & FIRE and CHICAGO will share the bill on Wednesday, July 13; tickets are $45, $65 and $75, and go on sale at 10 am.

  Country superstar KEITH URBAN will headline on Thursday, August 4; his tickets are $35, $45 and $55.

  TicketMaster is also a vendor for these shows, or tickets can be purchased in person at the Oakdale’s box office.

   *A couple of big events – one a fundraiser for a hospital and the second a tribute to a much-loved musician – are coming up at Toad’s Place in New Haven.

   On Sunday afternoon the nightclub is hosting The Crush Cancer Benefit, a fundraiser for the research department at St Jude’s Children’s Hospital. Tickets are just $10 in advance and $12 at the door, and the show will feature performances by DEADWAIT, MEGAHERTZ, EYES OF THE DEAD, SYMPHONY OF SICKNESS and ON PATHS OF TORMENT.

   The show is open to all ages and is expected to get underway around 7:30.

   Then on Friday, April 22, Toad’s will host “The Doctor Is In... celebrating the life of Doc Cavalier.” This will also be an all ages event, with a major list of players.

   Music will be coming from MIGHTY PURPLE, MARSHALL CRENSHAW, PHOEBE SNOW, G.E. SMITH (of SNL Band fame), SYD STRAW, DAVID FOSTER & THE MOHEGAN SUN ALL-STARS (with TOP’s LENNY PICKETT), CHRISTINE OHLMAN & REBEL MONTEZ, THE REDUCERS, EDDIE SEVILLE & STEEL RODEO, PLAN 9, GLEN BURTNIK, THE SWAGGERTS, JAMES VELVET, VIC STEFFENS, ANDY YORK, BRUCE HENDERSON, THE VAN DUREN BAND, TAYLOR BARTON, THE NELSON ADELARD BAND, MIKE DEL GUIDICE (of Big Shot), JOE HURLEY, THE SIN SISTERS, RICKY BYRD, IAN CHRALES, ELAINE CASWELL, and TOMMY MARA, plus performances by members of THE SCRATCH BAND, THE BRAM RIGG SET, THE SHAGS, ECLIPSE, PULSE and THE B. WILLIE SMITH BAND.

   Tickets for this show are $10, regardless of whether they’re purchased in advance or the day of the show. Showtime is 8 pm.

   *Next month Toad’s Place will be hosting DARK STAR ORCHESTRA, a band that pays tribute to THE GRATEFUL DEAD, on over Memorial Day weekend. Shows are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, May 29-30.

   Special two-day passes are available for $40; admission for each show is either $22 in advance or $25 at the door.

   *Hard rockers and pop idols will headline over the course of three nights this month at Mohegan Sun’s Wolf Den. NIGHT RANGER will be at the Den on Friday, April 22, at 8 pm; chart-topping songwriter, recording artist and performer LOU CHRISTIE will be in Uncasville on Saturday, April 23, with two shows – 8 and 10 pm; and former New Kid On The Block JORDAN KNIGHT will be in town on Sunday, April 24, at 7 pm. Admission to all shows is free.

  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 club locations are for ages 21 and over unless specified.

 

UPCOMING SHOWS

APRIL 15 — Everclear at Toad’s Place, New Haven (all ages); Blue Oyster Cult at Mohegan Sun’s Wolf Den, Uncasville; Hat City Blues Band at The Lodge, Southbury; John Hammond at The Acoustic Café, Bridgeport; The Pietasters and Mustard Plug at The Webster Theatre, Hartford (all ages);

April 16 — Collective Soul at The Webster Theatre (all ages); Housewives on Prozac and Smoke The Prophet at The Acoustic Café; Green Machine at Tuxedo Junction, Danbury;

April 17 — Little Feat at Mohegan Sun’s Wolf Den; Gandalf Murphy & The Slambovian Circus of Dreams at The Acoustic Café; Hank Williams III at The Webster Theatre (all ages);

April 18 — Flogging Molly, Catch 22 and Ducky Boys at The Webster Theatre (all ages); Handsome Boy Modeling School at Toad’s Place (all ages);

April 19 — Pigface at The Webster Theatre (all ages);

April 20 — The Flow at The Acoustic Café;

April 21 — U-Melt at The Acoustic Café;

April 22 — Bob Dylan, Merle Haggard and Amos Lee at Foxwoods Casino’s Fox Theatre; “The Doctor Is In... celebrating the life of Doc Cavalier” at Toad’s Place (all ages); Hat City Blues Band at The Georgetown Saloon; Fall Out Boy at The Webster Theatre, Silverstein, Academy Is and Gym Class Heroes opening (all ages); Night Ranger at Mohegan Sun’s Wolf Den; This Blue Holiday at The Acoustic Café;

April 23 — Lenny Kravitz at the Oakdale Theatre, Wallingford; Sol Dog at The Top Side Café, Milford; X-It and Plum Crazy at The Acoustic Café; The Zoo at Tuxedo Junction; The Receiving End of Sirens at The Webster Theatre (all ages);

April 24 — Overkill at The Webster Theatre (all ages); Reel Big Fish at Toad’s Place (all ages), Pietasters opening; Jordan Knight at Mohegan Sun’s Wolf Den;

April 25 — Bob Weir & Ratdog at The Ridgefield Playhouse for Movies & The Performing Arts; Strapping Young Lad and Agony Scene at The Webster Theatre (all ages);

April 26 — Lifehouse at Toad’s Place (all ages); Flickerstick at The Webster Theatre;

April 27 — Less Than Jake at Toad’s Place (all ages); Hot Buttered Rum String Band at The Acoustic Café;

April 28 — Hoe at The Acoustic Café; Piebald at Toad’s Place;

April 29 — Ashanti at Foxwoods Casino’s Fox Theatre; Snoop Dogg and The Game at Hartford Civic Center, also Don Omar and Cuban Link; John Valby at Toad’s Place; Sevendust at The Webster Theatre (all ages); Connor Steward & Friends at The Acoustic Café; Hat City Blues Band at 95 North, Norwalk; Viva Mexe at Tuxedo Junction;

April 30 — Todd Rundgren and Joe Jackson at Foxwoods’ Fox Theatre; Sol Dog at 100 Church Hill, Sandy Hook; Quiet Riot at Mohegan Sun’s Wolf Den (two shows); Johnny A at The Acoustic Café; Luvbug at Tuxedo Junction.