Those of you hip to colleague Charlie Amter’s blog on the subject already know the big news this week: Shoegaze legend My Bloody Valentine is once again a going concern and coming to the Santa Monica Civic for a two-night stand Oct. 1-2. Tickets go on sale Friday and all I can say is good luck on that one. You may need it.

There’s a bit more news in the not-so-recent reunion pile.

A Tribe Called Quest will headline Rock the Bells at the Glen Helen Pavilion on Aug. 9 along with Nas, De La Soul and the Pharcyde. Tickets for the hip-hop juggernaut go on sale Saturday.

And Cinderella and Warrant will co-headline a show at the Gibson Amphitheatre on July 4 of all days. Frankly I’m not sure that these bands actually broke up, but their longstanding irrelevance is just as good as a hiatus. Tickets for their aerosol metal fest go on sale Friday. Of course, real metalheads may want to hold out for the Metal Masters Tour with Judas Priest, Heaven and Hell, Motorhead and Testament, which stops at the Glen Helen Pavilion on Aug. 30, or perhaps even the Scorpions concert with Sammy Hagar & the Wabos at the Pacific Amphitheatre on Aug. 3; Tickets go on sale Saturday for both.

And in more noteworthy nostalgia, Hippiefest — with the awesome Jack Bruce of Cream, Eric Burdon & the Animals, the Turtles and whatever’s left of Badfinger — will be coming to the Greek Theatre on July 16, while the Zombies and Jefferson Starship will be teaming up for a show at the Grove of Anaheim on July 17; get tickets to both of these love fests on Saturday.

In other absolutely non-reunion-related news, a few cool indie rock shows were announced: The Fratellis at Key Club on June 15 (on sale Monday); Chromeo at the Music Box at the Henry Fonda Theatre on July 30 (tickets Saturday); the Black Keys at House of Blues Anaheim on Aug. 25 (on sale? now?); and Hot Hot Heat at the Roxy on June 27 and the 88 and Ima Robot who will play the Roxy on June 28 (on sale now).

So who’s the winner? I’ve got to give it to the Hollywood Bowl, which just announced a slew of noteworthy shows including: Gilberto Gil and Devendra Banhart on June 29; Feist on July 20; Diana Ross July 25-26; Gnarls Barkley with Youssou N’Dour and Deerhoof on July 27; Donna Summer Aug. 22-23; Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds with Spiritualized on Sept. 17; and Beck with Spoon and MGMT on Sept. 20.

-Liam Gowing

Photo of Spoon’s Britt Daniel by Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times

It was looking like another quiet week for Will Call during this recovery period between the psychedelic indie-rock funk fest of the Prince and Roger Waters-led Coachella Festival and the Eagles-summited Stagecoach country music festival. For a few days there, it seemed like the only notable announcement would be coming from ’70s studio geeks Steely Dan. And a notable announcement it was, with two big-venue dates for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famers — a July 23 show at the Nokia Theatre and another at the Honda Center on Aug. 4 — going on sale Monday.

But then all those publicists awoke from their desert hangover and opened the floodgates.

First up, local indie-pop institution Rilo Kiley will be playing a big show at the Greek Theatre on June 18, while Portland’s indie-pop champs Death Cab for Cutie will play the Nokia Theatre on June 23 with notable openers Rogue Wave. Get tickets for both shows on Saturday.

In slightly funkier news, UK dance-rock darlings Bloc Party announced two shows with up-and-comers Does It Offend You, Yeah? at the Glass House on July 28 (get tickets Friday) and the Mayan Theatre on July 29 (get tickets Saturday). And dropping presale tickets right now, Dim Mak Records announced news of the Hard Summer Music Festival with N.E.R.D., MSTRKRFT, Spank Rock, Kid Sister, A Trak, Steve Aoki and KCRW DJ Jason Bentley to go down July 19; public tickets go on sale on Monday for that one.

If that weren’t enough indie-dom, two new wave icons announced L.A. shows: Boy George will play the El Rey on July 15-16 (tickets go on sale Saturday), while Squeeze will play the Orpheum Theatre on Sept. 10 (tickets on sale Sunday).

And they’re not the only big names from the ’80s with upcoming local dates. John Mellencamp will play the Greek Theatre with Lucinda Williams on July 31 (tickets Sunday), while Bryan Adams will play — get this — the little ol’ Roxy on May 19. Get your tickets for that one on Thursday, if you can.

So who’s the winner? That’d be Steely Dan. Any band named after a steam-powered sexual aid envisioned by William Burroughs in “Naked Lunch” has my vote.

– Liam Gowing

Photo of Steely Dan’s Donald Fagen and Walter Becker by AFP Photo / Stan Honda

With Coachella coming up this weekend, it’s pretty obvious that a lot of the concert promoters, tour bookers and publicists in town are already packing, because this was a week of slim pickings.

The biggest show announcements came from ’90s acts whose stars have faded somewhat: Sheryl Crow, who’ll play the Greek on June 11; 311 and Snoop Dogg in an odd “Unity Tour” pairing at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre on June 28; Matchbox Twenty at the Pacific Amphitheatre on July 31 (all tickets on sale Saturday). And, of course, there are the classic rockers: Santana at the Nokia on July 31 (tickets on sale Saturday); and Boston and Styx, touring together without either of their signature lead singers and coming to the Gibson Amphitheatre on July 1 anyway (tickets on sale Sunday).

Of course, metalheads old and young, respectively, will be happy to note that Motor City Madman Ted Nugent has a June 17 show at the House of Blues Anaheim and a June 20 show at Canyon Club (tickets for both on sale now), and that Slipknot, Disturbed, Underoath and more will be teaming up for the Mayhem Festival at the Glen Helen Pavilion on July 13. Tickets go on sale Saturday.

So who’s this week’s winner? I was tempted to give it to Spaceland, which after weeks of keeping mum announced a slew of shows with cool, up-and-coming indie rockers. But that was before I saw that bass-playing funkmaster Bootsy Collins was playing two tributes to the late, great James Brown — at the House of Blues on May 28 and the House of Blues Anaheim on May 29.

Credit where credit is due.

– Liam Gowing

Photo of Bootsy Collins by Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times

There’s a theme this week but it’s hard to pinpoint: Bands reuniting? Check. Bands that never actually broke up but kind of disappeared for a while scheduling some new shows? Check. Bands that never actually broke up or disappeared for a while but are just past their prime scheduling some new shows? Check and mate.

First up, there’s Stone Temple Pilots. Back together after a five-year hiatus, the SoCal alt rockers couldn’t have planned their reunion any better, considering the timing of “troubled” lead singer Scott Weiland’s acrimonious split from the GN’R diaspora band, Velvet Revolver. It went something like this:

Slash: Hey everybody, we’re kicking Weiland out of Velvet Revolver.

Weiland: That’s a silly thing to do since I announced I was leaving the group at a show last month, and have already set up this big tour with my old band.

OK, the preceding is a rather loose paraphrasing (for a bona fide play-by-play go here), but still — Snap!

Anyway, the flaming bag of poo Weiland left on Velvet Revolver’s front porch was the perfect fertilizer for STP, who’ll be bringing their hard-charging-yet-infinitely-melodic bag of tricks to the Hollywood Bowl on June 24. Get your tickets Saturday.

And in less exciting, getting-the-band-back-together news, there’s R&B singer and lingerie enthusiast Sisqó, who popped up for a Dru Hill reunion coming to the Nokia Theatre with Blackstreet and En Vogue on June 29 (tickets Friday)

Then there’s Dilated Peoples, a hugely promising L.A. hip-hop group who experienced a world of trouble with their label as the music industry started eating its own young to stave off its hunger pangs — a story told beautifully by filmmaker Jason Goldwatch. The trio is active again and will be playing with Aceyalone and the Alchemist at House of Blues Anaheim on June 13 and House of Blues Sunset Strip on June 27; get tickets Saturday.

And reaching further back, there’s Mötley Crüe – adding Buckcherry and Papa Roach to their CrueFest (no, it’s not a colloquialism; that’s what it’s actually called) — at the Glen Helen Pavilion on Aug. 2 (get tickets Saturday); the karaoke-friendly triple bill of Journey, Heart and Cheap Trick coming to Verizon Wireless Amphitheater on July 16 (tickets Saturday); the “Lost ’80s Live” package tour featuring Dramarama, Missing Persons, When in Rome, Real Life and Animotion, which will be at House of Blues Anaheim on Aug. 29 and House of Blues Sunset Strip on Aug. 30 (both shows on sale Saturday); and Boy George, who has actually been lost since the ’80s, coming to the Grove of Anaheim on July 13 (tickets Saturday).

Finally, there’s a bunch of fantastic artists that don’t fit this week’s theme but deserve a mention: Goth-pop superstars the Cure, playing the Shrine Auditorium on June 1 (on sale Saturday); the awesome Britpop band Supergrass, playing the Avalon on July 12 (on sale now); country legend Dolly Parton playing the Greek Theatre on Aug. 3 (on sale Saturday); and Motown maestro Smokey Robinson at the Greek on June 13 (on sale Sunday)

– Liam Gowing

Photo of Stone Temple Pilots by Chapman Baehler

I was tempted to reserve this week’s blue ribbon for Daryl Hall & John Oates, who will be treating L.A. to something special and playing the little old Troubadour on May 22-23 (get your tickets Friday if you can). What can I say? I have a soft spot for their bastardized blend of Philly soul and not-quite-New Wave pop.

I even entertained the idea of giving the top slot to Crowded House, who will be playing their own two-night stand at the Orpheum on May 16-17 (get your tickets Sunday). The Antipodean combo put out a really excellent record last year, “Time on Earth” — a sweet tribute to the group’s original drummer, who committed suicide in 2005 — that hasn’t really gotten the press it deserves.

But how could I not give it to Radiohead, who announced they’d be playing the biggest two-night stand of all at the Hollywood Bowl on Aug. 24-25? Eleven years after the Oxford boys threw rock music the giant lifesaver that was “OK Computer,” they’re still the best, most innovative, most confounding, most consistently engaging band on the planet, and they are amazing live, particularly at the Bowl. Run, do not walk, to get your tickets Saturday.

That’s not all going on at Will Call, though. ’60s icons the Zombies will be at the Canyon Club on July 19 (tickets available now). Prog-rock forefathers Yes will be at the Honda Center on Aug. 20 (tickets Sunday) and the Gibson Amphitheatre on Aug. 22 (tickets Saturday). Hair-metal hooligans Poison, Dokken and Sebastian Bach will be at Gibson Amphitheatre on Aug. 23 (tickets Saturday). AOR icons Steve Miller Band and Joe Cocker will be playing the Nokia Theatre on Aug. 6 (tickets available now).

And hoarse-throated soul-popper Macy Gray gets a gold star for teaming up with two very different headliners for two separate shows: Earth, Wind & Fire at the Greek Theatre on June 22 and Seal at the Pacific Amphitheatre on July 27 (tickets to both on Saturday).

In smaller, indie-r news, it was a decent week: Calvin Harris will be re-creating disco again at the Music Box @ Fonda on April 23; whistling Swedes Peter, Bjorn and John will be at the Troubadour on May 3; and multi-instrumental nutter Dosh will play Spaceland with opener Anathallo on June 15. Tickets to these shows, which just skim the surface of what’s coming in the column Thursday, are available right now. So what are you waiting for?

– Liam Gowing

Radiohead photo credit: The Philadelphia Inquirer

With summer dates upon us, it was a big week for classic rock, classic pop and even classic funk at Will Call. In the first category, Chicago and the Doobie Brothers will team up for a Gibson Amphitheatre show on June 5 (get your tickets Sunday), while Boz Scaggs will have one for the road on Aug. 7 at the Grove of Anaheim (tickets Saturday). In the second, George Michael will have faith in the Forum on June 25 (tickets Monday), Pat Benatar, Berlin and Scandal will be hitting Pacific Amphitheatre with their best songs on Aug. 1, while Cyndi Lauper and the recently reactivated B-52s just wanna have a fun-plex at the Greek on June 28 (both on sale Saturday). And finally, there’s George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, who will be making your funk the P-funk at the House of Blues Anaheim on June 4 (Saturday) and the Crash Mansion on June 5 (now).

In not-yet-classic hip-hop news, RZA will be coming to the Music Box @ Fonda on June 20 (tickets Saturday), while Naughty by Nature, Coolio, Tone-Loc and Young MC will team up with Stevie B, Lisa Lisa, Trinere, Nocera, Klymaxx and Club Nouveau for Freestyle Explosion 2008 at the Honda Center on June 13 (tickets Saturday). And in positively new country news, there’s Kenny Chesney and LeAnn Rimes, who’ll be playing Staples Center on May 28 (tickets Monday).

As for the winner, on any other week that’d have to be Rock and Roll Hall of Famers R.E.M., who’ll be playing the glorious Hollywood Bowl with two powerhouse indie-rock openers, Modest Mouse and the National, on May 29 ; get your tickets Sunday for that one.

But I have to give the blue ribbon to Mudcrutch, Tom Petty’s old band, three-fifths of which went on to form the Heartbreakers, leaving two original members out in the cold. Apparently not one to let them fade out Pete Best-style, Petty got the band back together to record its long, long, long-awaited debut album, which will come out April 29. In the lead-up to what is certain to be a heck of a release party, Mudcrutch will play a four-night stand (April 25-26 and 28-29) — not at some huge venue that Petty could have booked on the strength of his fame alone — but at the Troubadour. How cool is that? Despite what the print article says about tickets being available now (my bad), they actually go on sale Friday. Mudcrutch fans take note.

– Liam Gowing

Tom Petty photo by Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images

Not simply to aggravate all the readers who took exception to August Brown’s post on bro core, but the winner of this week’s on-sales info column is kid-core. Kids wearing Vans specifically. Yep, it’s that special time of year when teenage-centric punk, skating culture and quality footwear come together in a joyous, mobile orgy of noise and anti-consumerist consumerism known as the Vans Warped Tour, which will be making stops at the Fairplex in Pomona on June 20 and the Home Depot Center on Aug. 17.

If you’re into Angels & Airwaves, Reliant K, the Academy Is…, Every Time I Die, From First to Last, the Bronx, Street Dogs, Against Me!, Gym Class Heroes or any of the other bands on this year’s huge roster, pick up your tickets Saturday.

Yes, folks, this is the week that news of the big summer shows has started to trickle in. On the early side of things, there’s Wango Tango 2008 with Snoop Dogg, Miley Cyrus, Jonas Brothers, Danity Kane and Pitbull – coming to Verizon Wireless Amphitheater on May 10; get your tickets Saturday.

At Staples Center, tickets go on sale Saturday for a two-night stand with Dave Matthews Band, Aug. 19-20.

And at the Greek, there’s KC & the Sunshine Band on June 7, Erykah Badu and the Roots on June 12 (get tickets for both Saturday), and Crosby, Stills & Nash on June 14 (tickets Sunday).

Along the same blast-from-the-past line, though, my favorite news has to be about the Regeneration Tour, which features the Human League, Belinda Carlisle, ABC, Dead or Alive and Naked Eyes coming to the Gibson Amphitheatre on Aug. 5. Indeed, there’s always something there to remind you of the ’80s. And I’m here to remind you to get your tickets Saturday.

Finally, in a total surprise that’s just around the corner, Wu-Tang Clan member-producer RZA is playing the little old Knitting Factory on April 5. Tickets are on sale now, so run, don’t walk…

– Liam Gowing

Photo of Angels & Airwaves by Critter

P.S. — Having just been released from an oath of secrecy, I can now reveal some breaking news. Rod Stewart and special guest Bryan Adams will be performing at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater on August 1, and the tickets will go on sale Monday. It’s not quite a “stop the presses” moment, but I thought a few of you might want to know anyway.

Well, it may not amount to the Led Zeppelin reunion tour that a lot of folks have been hoping for, but the mighty Zep’s lead singer, Robert Plant, will be making a sojourn to the Greek Theatre on June 23 and 24, with his new musical partner in crime, bluegrass singer-fiddler Alison Krauss. Sure, the pairing seems weird, but it’s a classic concept — she’s a little bit country and he’s a little bit rock ‘n’ roll. Get your tickets on Saturday.

In more big news on the classic artist front, Sly & the Family Stone will be playing the House of Blues Anaheim on April 25 and the House of Blues Sunset Strip on April 26. If you’re a fan of funky soul — and you know you are — get your tickets to both shows Saturday.

And in less big news on the not-quite-yet-classic front, new wave icons Duran Duran will be hitting the Nokia Theatre on May 4. There may not be a new moon on Monday, but there will be new tickets for the show.

As for the winner, that has to be the Keep a Child Alive benefit show at the Roxy on April 11. And no, it’s not the winner because it’s for a good cause. It’s the winner because it’s possibly your only opportunity to see Glenn Frey share the stage with Malibu rapper Shwayze. It won’t be simultaneously — Shwayze and Cisco Adler are opening the show for the headlining Eagle along with Don Was, the Bird & the Bee, Hello Stranger and a few other cats. But it’s still weird. Run, don’t walk, for this one, because tickets are on sale now.

Lots of other good shows in country (David Allan Coe), protest folk (Billy Bragg), indie pop (Mates of State) and Afrobeat neo-soul (Les Nubians), but you’ll just have to read the column if you want to know the specifics.

So there.

– Liam Gowing

Glenn Frey photo: Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times

With Austin’s mega-music-festival South by Southwest sucking up the collective energies of seemingly every booker, publicist and hanger-on in the country, it was a fairly quiet week at Will Call with a few notable exceptions.

There was news in the tween pop, R&B and hip-hop department from Raven-Symone’s Pajama Party Concert, which will be pillow-fighting its way to the Nokia Theatre on July 7 and the Honda Center in Anaheim on July9. If you’re a fan of Mitchel Musso, B5 or Clique Girlz, ask your parents for permission to buy tickets Saturday.

There’s news in the post-tween pop, R&B and hip-hop department too, and by this I mean Alicia Keys, Ne-Yo and Jordin Sparks, who will be teaming up for shows at the Honda Center on May 4 and Staples Center on May 5 (get your tickets Saturday).

And there’s news for country (and sorta country) fans, namely Brad Paisley and Jewel who’ll be playing June 14 at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater (get tickets Saturday), and George Straight, who’ll be playing the Honda Center on March 29 (for some strange reason, tickets are already on sale for this one).

But for me personally, the big news is all about the Skirball Center’s Bob Dylan tribute concert,  Like a Complete Unknown, which will feature Rage frontman Zack de la Rocha, X bassist John Doe, Spearhead dude Michael Franti and ex-Lone Justice singer Maria McKee paying their respects to the all-powerful Wilbury.

Now it’s true, Guide music man August Brown just blogged about this very show, but why should he get all the fun? Someone’s got to run the risk of being redundant and remind you all to buy your tickets on Thursday, since it’s likely they’ll be all sold out — to use some De la Rochian language — by Friday.

And last but not least, bucking Maxim’s baseless conclusion that they were all washed up, the Black Crowes have moved their March 20 show from the Avalon to the Wiltern. The original tickets are still good, but as the band is moving to a bigger venue, a bunch more will go on sale Friday.

– Liam Gowing

Zack de la Rocha photo: Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times

Reunion fever’s going around and Will Call’s got it.

First, one of the great non-grunge bands of the 1990s is back together for the first time in nearly a decade — Swervedriver. With all due respect to My Bloody Valentine and Ride, it was this Creation Records quartet that really blew the lid off the shoegazing movement. These guys were about more than just wall-of-sound guitars and shimmering production; they had amazing, almost orchestral songs and an innovative lyrical style. Two screwed-up record deals in a row led to things fizzling out. But the group is giving it another whirl and will be appearing at the Music Box @ Fonda on May 31. And if the reunited band sounds anything like front man Adam Franklin’s latest solo album, “Bolts of Melody,” it’ll be beautiful. Run, do not walk, to get your tickets Saturday.

If that weren’t enough good news, another great and underappreciated group will be making a comeback — this one after a hiatus of 25 years — Yaz. If you remember the group’s 1982 album “Upstairs at Eric’s,” you know that Yaz was more than just a way-station between keyboardist-programmer Vince Clarke’s departure from Depeche Mode and his launch of Erasure. With Alison Moyet’s bluesy vocals on top of Clarke’s warped synth lines, it was one of the coolest unions of man and machine since Steve Austin. Anyway, with the dance-rock movement they helped spawn in full swing, tickets for their two-night stand at the Orpheum Theatre –  July 10-11 — should go fast, so don’t sleep in too late Saturday when they go on sale.

From the ’90s and ’80s, we go to the ’70s and ’60s (and even ’50s) for another reunion of sorts — this one of some of the great rock ‘n’ roll, soul and R&B artists that put out records on Stax. As hip as Motown in its early days and racially integrated before the country was, the chic Memphis, Tenn.-based label went out of business in 1975 but relaunched recently under the auspices of Concord Records. The campaign’s timed to the 50th anniversary of Stax’s founding and comes complete with a celebratory concert featuring four of the artists from the old roster: Isaac Hayes, Booker T. & the MGs, William Bell and Mable John. They’ll be playing the Nokia Theatre on April 13, and you can get your tickets on (you guessed it) Saturday. This should be a treat. Where else can you expect to hear “Shaft” live?

– Liam Gowing

Yaz photo courtesy of Bill Silva Presents