Concert Previews

Best known to West Philadelphians as the N2N Fest, this free annual all-day block party starts off holy and ends on a hot and sexy note or two. Hosted by State Sen. Anthony H. Williams (rumor has it he's especially good at making elaborate balloon animals for children), the day starts with a prayerful Gospel Hour starring the Abundant Life Youth Choir, Calvary Baptist Church Ensemble, and Kevin Jarido & Nu Virtu. Amen to that. It continues with carnival rides and balloons for kids, karaoke for adults, and Philly native singer Tamika Patton, the Urban Guerilla Orchestra, and the Universal Dance & Drum Ensemble for all. By dusk, the noise heats up. As the sun goes down, soul-hop chanteuse Chrisette Michele appears with songs from

I Am

and

Epiphany.

For those who like their first-generation neo-soul artists weird, wonky, and delightfully psychedelic, there's hitmaking Macy Gray, a wild child whose recent CD,

The Sellout,

should not be ignored.

- A.D. Amorosi

Jackson Browne and multi-instrumentalist musical cohort David Lindley have a connection that stretches back almost as long as the singer-songwriter's near-40-year recording career. Browne's current tour - which ties in his recent two-disc live set,

Love Is Strange

- allows fans to experience the best of his extensive catalog both acoustically (with just him and Lindley onstage) and, later, via the strength of a five-piece band and two gospel-infused backing singers. Touching on all eras of his career, the youthful 61-year-old Browne has pretty much shied away from his more political tunes this time out, instead focusing on his many "road" songs ("Running on Empty" and "Take It Easy" among them), some well-placed covers, and the aching, often autobiographical story-songs that made him a star to begin with.

- Nicole Pensiero

One can, of course, see plenty of top-notch bluegrass at the 39th annual Delaware Valley Bluegrass Festival. This weekend's stars include Cherryholmes, the superb family band; Kathy Mattea, the country star who has returned to her coal-mining-region roots; and the Seldom Scene, who have a near 40-year tradition of giving rock songs a bluegrass spin. But don't miss the Quebe Sisters Band, led by a trio of fiddling siblings who sound like the Andrews Sisters backed by Bob Wills' band, and the Red Stick Ramblers, the Louisiana quintet who will turn the wood stage of the Salem County Fairgrounds into a Cajun dance floor. And Sunday's Kids Academy performance could be great fun, too.

- Steve Klinge