Comin’ Soon…

Fresh from their closing night performance at Coachella and their national television appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” Saratoga Springs electro-popsters Phantogram play something of a homecoming concert at the McNeil Room at RPI’s Student Union in Troy at 7:30pm on Saturday, May 7.

Syracuse-bred alt-rockers Ra Ra Riot will kick off the summer-long season of free concerts in Ballston Spa’s Wiswall Park at 6pm on Thursday, June 23. The six-piece chamber-pop combo last visited Nippertown for an impressive show at Jillian’s back in December. (Read our review here.)

A Dweezil Zappa Plays Zappa show is pretty cool all by itself. But when you add special guests Flo & Eddie for their only Zappa show in the northeast, then you’ve really got something special. Dare they do “Billy the Mountain”? It’s all happening at the Bearsville Theater in Woodstock at 9:30pm on Thursday, July 28. Tix are $50.

Recent Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Alice Cooper brings his “No More Mr. Nice Guy” Tour to the Calvin Theatre in Northampton at 8pm on Thursday, August 25. Priced at $35, $45, $55 & $75, tix go on sale to the general public on Friday.

Club Helsinki Hudson beefs up its concert slate with the additions of the churning Cuban music ensemble Yunior Terry & Son de Altura at 9pm on Saturday, May 7 ($TBA): the soulful gospel sounds of Naomi Shelton & the Gospel Queens at 9pm on Saturday, May 28 ($18); the rootsy rock ‘n’ roll of the Fred Eaglesmith Band at 9pm on Friday, June 17 ($20); and the acoustic folk-blues of Eric Bibb at 9pm on Saturday, July 9 ($TBA).

The Levon Helm Band rambles into the Ulster Performing Arts Center in Kingston at 8pm on Friday, May 27. And as usual, a few special guests will be tagging along with Mr. Helm and his marvelous band. Folks like Marc Cohn, Donald Fagen and Natalie Merchant. And you never know who might drop by unannounced… Priced at $65 and $100, tix go on sale to the general public at 11am on Wednesday, May 4.

Update: And speaking of the former drummer for the Band, Arlo Guthrie has been added as special guest to the Levon Helm Band’s Concert to Fight Fracking at the Ommegang Brewery in Cooperstown at 5pm on Friday, May 13. The Horseshoe Lounge Playboys will open the show. Tix are $45 in advance; $55 at the gate.

Playin’ it for laughs: Stand-up comic Eddie Griffin steps into the spotlight at the Palace Theatre in Albany at 8pm on Friday, June 17. Priced at $35.50 and $45.50, tix go on sale to the general public on Saturday… And although the Palace hasn’t officially announced it yet, Lewis Black brings sputtering comic rants to the Palace on Friday, October 21. According to his website, tix won’t be going on sale until Friday, July 29, but we thought we’d better give ya the heads-up anyway.

Underoath thunders into Northern Lights in Clifton Park at 7:30pm on Tuesday, July 12, with support acts Times of Grace, Stray From the Path and letlive. Tix are $18 in advance; $20 at the door. Also new on Northern Lights’ schedule is the return of John “Dr. Dirty” Valby at 9pm on Friday, June 3. Tix are $13 in advance; $15 at the door. Tix for both shows will go on sale at 10am on Saturday.

Sold out: The Sunday, July 3 show by James Taylor at Tanglewood in Lenox is now officially sold out. And there are only lawn tix available for Taylor’s Thursday, June 30 performance.

In case you missed it: Live Nation announced that Kings of Leon would be rolling into the Saratoga Performing Arts Center with Band of Horses. And although, it hasn’t officially been announced yet by the folks at Live Nation, Train is headed into SPAC with Maroon 5 and Gavin DeGraw.