Hardly Strictly Bluegrass: Featuring Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, Emmylou Harris and dozens of others, 2:30 p.m., Oct. 3, 11 a.m. Oct. 4-5, Speedway, Marx and Lindley meadows, Golden Gate Park, free, www.hardlystrictlybluegrass.com.

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New on sales from Ticketmaster:

On Sale Thursday, July 24, 2008 at 10:00 AM

Joe Satriani
Friday, November 14, 2008
Silver Legacy Casino
Reno , NV

William Saroyan’s 100th Birthday Celebration
Thursday, August 28, 2008
William Saroyan Theatre Fresno Convention & Entertainment Center
Fresno , CA

David Benoit Gala
Friday, October 3, 2008
Montalvo
Saratoga , CA

On Sale Friday, July 25, 2008 at 10:00 AM

Men of the 80′S
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Grand Theatre at Grand Sierra Resort and Casino
Reno , NV

KBLX Soul Music Festival with Earth Wind and Fire, Michael McDonald, Angie Stone
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Sleep Train Pavilion at Concord
Concord , CA
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(Official press release:)

SHOW CANCELLED.

EMMYLOU HARRIS
with Jimmy Gaudreau & Moondi Klein
Nob Hill Masonic Center
Saturday, July 26, 2008

Due to a scheduling conflict, the Emmylou Harris concert at Nob Hill Masonic Center on Saturday, July 26th, has been cancelled.
Refunds are available at point of purchase.

Please Note: The Emmylou Harris concert scheduled for Sunday, July 27th, at The Mountain Winery, is still happening. Tickets for the Mountain Winery performance are available now at www.mountainwinery.com.

Mark Knopfler, the sultan of sweet licks on the Fender Strat, put on an absolute guitar clinic on Saturday night (June 28) at the UC Greek Theatre in Berkeley.

The two-hour show, which I am estimating drew some 6,000 fans (venue capacity is roughly 8,500), was a joy from start to finish. The song selection was solid and Knopfler’s backing band was superb, but the main selling point, of course, was the guitar.

The list of players with as distinctive a style as that of Knoplfer’s would be quite short. There’s Carlos Santana and Dave Gilmour. If we are to stretch the list to include all-time greats, then we can definitely add Jerry Garcia. There are others (and feel free to post your picks here), but honestly you can probably count them on your fingers and toes. All it takes is one lick and you know it’s Knopfler.

Now, I like his singing voice, too. Yet, it’s grown increasingly mumbled over the years to the point where it’s often hard to pick out individual words in a song. Of course, it really doesn’t matter that he comes across like a sailor in the midst of a three-day bender when he’s singing a classic Dire Straits hit. The crowd at the Greek certainly didn’t need any help with the words when Knopfler performed “Sultans of Swing” or “Romeo and Juliet.”
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I love Emmylou Harris. She’s a great live performer and she’s been responsible for some truly fine records over the last 30-plus years. What has this critic currently wagging his tail over the Alabama songbird, however, is her work on behalf of animals.

Among her many animal-friendly activities, the 12-time Grammy winner runs her own fostering operation for hard-to-place dogs; volunteers at a shelter in Nashville; and put on a benefit concert for the Humane Society. She also made a substantial donation in support of the Humane Society’s rescue and relief work in Hurricane Katrina-swept New Orleans.

In honor of her good work _ as well as in celebration of her 60th birthday on April 2 _ the Humane Society is encouraging fans to contribute to the Keeta Fund, which is named after the singer’s rescued mixed-breed dog Keeta. Contributions will help provide care for animals-in-need and can be made online at www.hsus.org/keetafund.