Concert Previews

Taking its name from a Felice Brothers tune, the Big Surprise Tour gathers a passel of rambunctious Americana artists for a night of shape-shifting collaborations. Old Crow Medicine Show and the Felice Brothers are young roots revivalists, the former of jug-band Appalachian mountain music, the latter of boozy country balladry. Joining them is Justin Townes Earle (Steve's son), who last year released a very good debut of sharply written, twangy tunes, and the Dave Rawlings Machine featuring Gillian Welch, who are, perhaps, the biggest surprise here. Rawlings has been Welch's partner throughout her career, singing close harmonies and playing expert lead guitar, but now he's claiming top billing, and they've been playing lots of covers. The evening will feature two 90-minute sets, with everyone sitting in with everyone else. The specter of Basement Tapes-era Dylan and the Band hovers over the evening, and that's a good thing.

- Steve Klinge

After the 2002 album

Lord Willin'

, The Clipse - Virginia Beach, Va.'s grittiest, most happening hip-hop duo and best friends of The Neptunes - got lost in the ozone. Weird label deals. Mix tapes such as

We Got It 4 Cheap

. Sad, that. When the waters parted in 2006 and the gods granted us another Clipse full-length album in

Hell Hath No Fury

, all back to fine with MCs/brothers Malice and Pusha T. But before the chants of "Wamp Wamp (What It Do)" could be processed, they were gone again. Now it's 2009, producer du jour Rick Rubin is helming their third album, and all is right with the world. See The Clipse before they disappear again. And get there early, to catch not only SneakerPimps Presents' array of kicks and soulful soles (the biggest touring sneaker show on Earth, they say) but also J. Cole, too. Young Mr. Cole is the first signee to Jay-Z's new label, Roc Nation. Think Hova'd waste his time on anything unexceptional? I think not.

- A.D. Amorosi

Though not billed as a femme-power fete, this tour easily could have been. The three female-led acts on the tour highlight the various facets of rock - not Britney Spears pop or Missy Elliott hip-hop or even Sheryl Crow alt-rock, but balls-to-the-wall, emotion-laden rock. When Chrissie Hynde started the new-wave quartet the Pretenders in 1978, she was an engaging, bold woman who appealed to both sexes. Fast-forward 30 years, and while the band has gone through a number of changes, its classic rock songwriting and Hynde's raw vocals have remained. Cat Power and Juliette Lewis represent the next generation of compelling female artists. Cat Power takes on passionate, introspective songwriting with her ethereal, sultry voice, while Lewis and her brash, bansheelike vocals are as aggressive as they come.

- Katherine Silkaitis