Adrian Belew, Turning Point,
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Belew's discography would be a lot huger had he not been in demand since the late 1970s when Frank Zappa discovered the guitarist and made him part of his band. Since then, he's done work for David Bowie, King Crimson, The Talking Heads and Paul Simon, among others. His own catalog has picked up since the mid-1990s, including three discs ("Sides One, Two and Three") being released in the past two years. All three are extremely experimental (which fans want from the quirky guitarist when he's not backing others) and feature a rhythm section of Tool's Danny Carey and bassist Les Claypool. $40. The Turning Point, 468 Piermont Ave., Piermont, N.Y. (845) 359-1089.
The Roots, Toad's Place, 8 tonight
It is a hip-hop band, which while admirable in premise likely alienated it from the larger audience it deserves. The Roots first came together in Philadelphia while Black Thought and ?uestlove were still in high school. In time, human beat-box Rahzel would become a crucial member of the collective. The group has always been a powerhouse live (how could it not?) but the original scoop on the band was that its discs were unfulfilled jam sessions. That all changed with 1999's near-perfect "Things Fall Apart." Since then, The Roots have played against nearly every current supposed hip-hop rule but in a manner both inventive and accessible. With Miri Ben-Ari, an Israeli-born hip-hop violinist whose session work (most notably with Kanye West) has led to much interest in her solo career, and Pharcyde, the veteran and slightly off-kilter South Central crew. $15 in advance/$17 day of show. Toad's Place, 300 York St., New Haven. 562-5589.
Busta Rhymes, Foxwoods, 9 p.m. Saturday
It's been 10 years since Busta (aka Trevor Smith) split from Leaders of the School and began one of the most recognizable careers in rap. With a voice that owes much to his Jamaican heritage, Rhymes is spastic and unpredictable, two of the factors that made "Woo-Hah, Got You All in Check," his solo breakthrough, so memorable. His supremacy had gone largely unchecked until the shooting death of his bodyguard threatened to overshadow the release of this year's "The Big Bang," which saw him moving to a new label with a new look. The first single divided his audience but now the radio-sanitized "I Love My Chick" is threatening to become a midsummer anthem. $44 and $55. Fox Theatre, Foxwoods Resort and Casino, Mashantucket. (800) 200-2882.
Kool and the Gang, New Haven Green, 6:30 p.m. Saturday
Kool and the Gang, formed as a jazz group by brothers Robert "Kool" Bell and Khalis Bayyan in the mid-1960s, saw its greatest success with the addition of singer James "JT" Taylor in 1979. A string of hits, including "Ladies Night," "Celebration," "Cherish" and "Get Down On It," followed. The group no longer includes Taylor but has a surprising number of longtime members. With Blue Orchid Orchestra. Free. New Haven Green, New Haven. 946-8378.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and The Allman Brothers Band, New England Dodge Music Center, 6 p.m. Saturday
The timing is odd for Petty to be announcing this summer trek as his and the Heartbreakers' last major tour. After all, he just released the solo disc, "Highway Companion," and last summer's tour was a major event. Say what you want, he's always played by his own rules. He puts aside the lashing out at the corporate music business that dominated 2002's "The Last DJ" in favor of more universal themes of journeying. He's easily got 21Ú2 hours worth of great tunes and one of the best backing bands -- particularly guitarist Mike Campbell -- of the past few decades. The Allman Brothers Band is an institution: one that relies on a body of work more than personnel. The personnel is nonetheless very strong. The guitar tandem of Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks is as good a third (or fourth) generation as you're likely to get and Gregg seems revitalized by them. "Hittin' The Note" came out in 2003 and showed how strong this group remains. It was their best in decades. With The Derek Trucks Band, whose own group is even more free-flowing than the Brothers. $35-$85. New England Dodge Music Center, 61 Savitt Way, Hartford. 860-422-0000.
Jeremy Enigk, Toad's Place, 9 p.m. Monday
As his bandmates in Sunny Day Real Estate, perhaps the first great post-grunge band from Seattle, went on to become Foo Fighters, frontman Enigk released only one disc 10 years ago. "Return of the Frog Queen" was a hard one to figure. It was an acoustic disc, yet Enigk backed himself with a full orchestra and still screamed throughout most of the songs. Strangeness comes with the territory when a religious awakening helps derail one of the best bands of the 1990s just as it was taking off. With Titles. $15 in advance/$17 day of show. Toad's Place, 300 York St., New Haven. 562-5589.
Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young,
Mohegan Sun, 7 p.m. Tuesday
Given the political atmosphere and the fact that Young's recent disc is "Living With War," it's a pretty appropriate time for CSN&Y to get back together. Their harmonies have surely lost a little to age but chances are those in attendance haven't felt the concertgoing-as-activism urge this strongly in almost 40 years. $96-$201. Mohegan Sun Arena, Mohegan Sun, Uncasville. 888-332-5600.
The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Ridgefield Playhouse, 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 17
In the 1980s, the Fabulous Thunderbirds were a ferocious band capable of traversing a wide expanse of Southern music with authenticity and muscle. The 1986 success began to fray the band and by 1990, guitarist Jimmie Vaughan had left to record "Family Style" with his brother and began a solo career of Stevie Ray's tragic death later that year. Lead singer/harmonica man Kim Wilson is a bona fide bluesman and great student of the music. However, his roster choices and discs usually missed the mark. That changed when he enrolled hotshot young guitarist Nick Curran (who ditched a rising solo career to join) in time for last year's "Paint it On," possibly the strongest T-Birds record in 20 years. $55 and $65. Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 East Ridge, Ridgefield. 438-5795.
Dickey Betts and Great Southern, Levitt Pavilion, 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 18
