*Tickets are going on sale this weekend for an August 10 concert by PAT BENATAR at Foxwood’s Resort Casino. Benatar and husband NEIL GIRALDO hit the road before Benatar was able to complete her latest release. But that’s OK. Benatar has a three-CD compilation released in October, and CDNOW.com has described the song list of Synchronistic Wanderings as something that “reads like a greatest hits list of the 80s.” Benatar and guitarist-husband Giraldo are performing the summer tour with keyboardist Cindy O’Connor and drummer Dave Karasony, a change of pace for the singer’s usual backing band. As the current tour progresses, a few more songs from the upcoming album will be added to the show, but the show is more or less a greatest hits package for fans of any age to enjoy.

Benatar wil be at Ledyard on Thursday, August 10. Tickets are $38.50 and $49.50 each and will be available beginning at 10 am this Saturday morning; call 800/200-2882 or contact any TicketMaster outlet to purchase.

Also new at Foxwoods are the additions of shows by WANG CHUNG (yup!) on September 2, and ALABAMA, September 29 and 30.

*DON HENLEY already has a return date for Connecticut on this current tour of his. Tickets will be much less expensive this time around, too. Henley will be at Mohegan Sun Casino’s Uncas Pavilion on August 22; tickets are $35 and $50 apiece, a huge drop from the prices someone charged for the same concert to perform pretty recently at the Oakdale in Wallingford… a concert that only drew an audience of less than 1,500 people. Ahem.

*Speaking of the Oakdale, tickets go on sale over there this weekend for the REO SPEEDWAGON and STYX double bill on September 20. Tickets are $32 and $42 for this show; contact the Oakdale’s box office directly for reservations, 203/265-1501.

*An interesting addition to the Toad’s Place schedule caught my eye this week: Folk singer DAR WILLIAMS, no kidding, on September 12.

*Coming up next weekend is a choice of shows for SOL DOG, a classic rock-flavored band that does a lot of good work both on songs already well-known by others and the killer originals the four guys in the band have come up with among themselves. The band returns to Classic Rock Brew Pub in Danbury on Friday, August 4, and the TK’s American Café in New Haven the following night. Both venues are perfect for these guys. Later this month the band will be at Jimmie’s Seaside Café in Stamford, August 18, and then The Avenue Café in the Black Rock section of Fairfield on August 25.

*It’s down to less than a week for the big CD release party for Newtown band PLAYBACK. The rock band will premiere its second album, Urban Lullaby, on Thursday, August 3, at Colorado Brewery, in the CityCenter section of Danbury. Showtime is 8 pm and all ages will be allowed in. If you can’t make it to the first premiere of the second album on the 3rd, or if you have so much fun you want to do it all over again, the guys — David Goodwick, Joshua Swetts, Jason Hirou and Rich Donnelly — will be back at the club the following Thursday for a repeat performance.

*OK, local music news for this weekend: Two bands will be opening Saturday night’s JETHRO TULL show at Ives Concert Park in Danbury. First up will be XRC, or Extreme Rock Classics, a local group that offers vintage rock to blues classics on flute, violin, guitar and vocals. XRC is scheduled to be on the concert park’s satellite stage for a 30-minute set beginning at 7:30. Next up will be SMOKIN’ JOE BONOMASSA, a guitar prodigal who will be leading a trio on the mainstage before the headlining set by Tull around 9 pm.

Tickets for the reserved seating area are all sold out, and the lawn is filling up quickly. You can take a chance on purchasing tickets are the gate, but if you are interested in this show it might be a better idea to call TicketMaster or the Ives Park’s box office instead of just driving over to the westside campus of Western CT State University the night of the show. Remaining tickets are $11 for kids on the lawn and $25 for adults on the lawn.

*And finally this week, the 28th Rock n’ Skate Festival that was scheduled to be held earlier this month was postponed due to rain back on the 15th, and will be held this weekend instead. Don’t blame me for the late announcement; I’ve only just received notice myself. Performances are Saturday and Sunday, noon to 7 pm, and gates open at 11 am. Tickets are $15 at the gate, good for both days; if you want to bring in a cooler it’s another $10 for the park’s so-called “clean-up fee.” Appearing will be, among others, FLIPSIDE, CATFISH HUNTER, NEXT TO NOTHING, JIMMY’S SPEED RANCH and KUNG PAO.

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

JULY 28 — Peat Moss & The Fertilizers at Tuxedo Junction, Danbury; Anthony Gomes Band at Blues Alley, Danbury; Off The Hook at Carl Anthony’s, Monroe; Gargantua Soul at Toad’s Place, New Haven, (all ages), E-Town Concrete and American Trashed opening;

July 29 — Jethro Tull at Ives Concert Park, Danbury, XRC and Smokin’ Joe Bonomassa opening; Reggae Summer Splash Festival at The Meadows, Hartford, with Beres Hammond, Luciano, Cocoa Tea, et al; Shadablu and Syphter at Laszlo’s Arts Café, Monroe; John Kay & Steppenwolf at City Limits, Waterbury; Big Orange Cone at Tuxedo Junction; Anthony Gomes Band at Blues Alley;

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

AUGUST 3 — Playback at Colorado Brewery, Danbury (CD release party, all ages); Burning Spear at Toad’s Place, New Haven, The Lightning opening (all ages);

August 4 — Sol Dog at Classic Rock Brew Pub, Danbury; Tragically Hip at The Webster Theatre, Hartford (all ages); Seed Cycle and Zero Chance at Laszlo’s Arts Café, Monroe; Darik & The Funbags at Toad’s Place, Ink, Hype and Public Disturbance opening;

August 5 — Motley Crue at The Meadows Music Theatre, Hartford, Anthrax and Megadeth opening;  Sol Dog at aTK’s American Café, New Haven; Sic Boy and Adva at Laszlo’s Arts Café;

August 6 — Duran Duran at the Oakdale Theatre, Wallingford;

August 7 — Dave Davies’ Kinks Kronikles at Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncasville; punk rock festival at Laszlo’s Arts Café (five bands featured, call for details, 459-8889);

August 8 — Buju Banton at Toad’s Place (all ages);

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

August 10 — Pat Benatar at Foxwoods Casino, Ledyard; Playback at Colorado Brewery, Danbury; Kid Rock at The Meadows Music Theatre; King Diamond at City Limits, Waterbury;

August 11 — Fishbone at Toad’s Place (all ages), Slackjar and 6 Under Par opening; Beastie Boys and Rage Against The Machine at The Meadows Music Theatre; Sweet Lucy at Laszlo’s Arts Café; Off The Hook at Mimi’s, Danbury;

August 12 — Dave Mason Band at Summertime Festival of the Arts at CityCenter, Danbury (free outdoor concert, begins 7:30 pm; call 792-1711 after 3 pm if rain); Eric Johnson & Alien Love Child at The Webster Theatre, Hartford; Siment, Saffron and Amnesty Underground at Laszlo’s Arts Café;

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

August 13 — Dixie Dregs & Steve Morse Band at Toad’s Place.