Warped speed
We dont have much space, and theres a zillion bands, so well get right to the dirt: Warped Tour 03 shows up on July 31 at the historic Brockton Fairgrounds, off Route 123 East in Brockton the horseracing season was extended this summer, so Suffolk Downs wasnt available and tickets go on sale this Friday. As always, the line-ups a mix of mallpunk rats, tenured vets, novelty acts, and fast-and-furious up-and-comers. Such as? Our boys Dropkick Murphys head a line-up that includes the Ataris, Simple Plan, Glassjaw, Rancid, the Used, Pennywise, Poison the Well, Suicide Machines, Andrew W.K., Thrice, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, All-American Rejects, Yellowcard, One Man Army, Coheed and Cambria, Count the Stars, Matchbook Romances, and Avoid One Thing. If your favorite band doesnt appear above, check www.warpedtour.com for the complete list. Tickets are $28.50 and go on sale this Friday at 10 a.m.; call (800) 477-6849.
The Izzard lounge
Currently garnering raves on Broadway in A Day in the Life of Joe Egg, for which he just received a Tony nomination, Eddie Izzard returns to his high-energy, cross-dressing stand-up comedy act the one that had him anointed as "the funniest man in England" by no less an authority than John Cleese with a one-man show titled Sexie that will arrive at the Shubert Theatre in October. If youre in need of a reminder, his Emmy-winning HBO special Dress To Kill is out on DVD; and this being his first appearance since 2000s Circle tour became a nationwide smash, expect tickets to sell briskly. Izzards at the Shubert, 265 Tremont Street, from October 21 through 25. Tickets are $40 to $60; call (800) 447-7400.
Pillow fte
When Jacobs Pillow, the nations premier modern-dance venue, kicks off its summer-long festival next weekend with its annual gala, therell be a little something extra to celebrate: the joint just became an official National Landmark. The gala, on June 13, will feature performances by the Martha Graham Dance Company the troupes first appearance there in nearly a decade as well as performances by the young physical-comedy troupe Velocity; a solo by New York choreographer Stephen Petronio; and a premiere by Dutch National Ballet artistic director Wayne Eagling. Tickets are $125 for the performance, or $300 for the full enchilada, including a pre-show dinner. The following week, the festival proper gets off with a bang courtesy of Twyla Tharp, who just received 10 Tony nominations for Movin Out, her Broadway hit based on the songs of Billy Joel. Ironically, her entire troupe is now tied up on the Great White Way, so shes put together a new repertory company including veterans of Mikhail Baryshnikovs White Oak Dance Company, the Dance Theatre of Harlem, and others for a retrospective program at the Pillow that runs June 18 through 22. Phoenix dance critic Marcia B. Siegel, whos completing a book on the choreographer titled Howling Near Heaven: Twyla Tharp and the Reinvention of Modern Dance, will give a lecture at the Pillow on June 21 at 4 p.m. Tickets to the Tharp engagement are $50 and $55; the lecture is free. Jacobs Pillow is at 358 George Carter Road in Becket. Call (413) 637-1322.
Protest and survive
The war in Iraq may be over, but in its aftermath, the grassroots political coalitions it engendered are staying vigilant the war on terrorism overseas, and the "homeland security" campaign here, seem just as worthy of protest. Local rock scribe/musician/activist David Wildman is the nexus of one branch here in Boston, and hes staging his most high-profile event later this month with "Voices of Dissent: A Concert To Benefit United for Justice with Peace," which has an all-star local-pop line-up Kay Hanley, Bill Janovitz, Thalia Zedek, the avant-folk duo Damon & Naomi, and roots-rocker Jake Brennan, to name a few plus a lecture by Howard Zinn. The shows at the Middle East, 480 Mass Ave in Central Square, Cambridge, on Sunday, June 22 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10; call (617) 864-EAST.
