E-Mail This Article to a Friend Consolation prizes Lollapalooza's detritus regroups, plus a festival in Portland and more

Make-up-alooza

Slim-fasted from two days to none, the incredible disappearing Lollapalooza has left a big gaping hole in the summer touring schedules of, oh, a couple dozen or so of Alternative Nation’s best and brightest bands. Some, like Morrissey, have opted to stay home. But a couple of the bigger names have bounced back with headlining tours of their own. Sonic Youth were even nice enough to book a show at Avalon on August 14, the very day their half of Lollapalooza was to have hit town. Fellow woulda-been Lollapalosers Modest Mouse follow up their left-field alternative-heritage-station hit "Float On" with a headlining tour — also featuring Wolf Parade and Dischord-associated funkateers French Toast — that hits Avalon on August 7. Tickets are $22.75 for Sonic Youth and $22.25 for Modest Mouse. And Avalon is at 15 Lansdowne Street in Boston; call (617) 931-2000.

Portland passport

Don’t even bother thinking about trying to take the Nor’Easter to Portland next week — the only express you’ll catch out of North Station is the Secret Service direct-to-jail special, which doesn’t have a dining car. But Amtrak’s Portland route will be back up and running by August 7 and 8, in time for the city’s two-day "Festival of Cultural Exchange," a large and star-studded brouhaha of world, roots, and rock music encompassing 10 venues and 65 bands from 25 nations. The August 7 headliners include the Skatalites, Juliana Hatfield, Cyro Baptista’s Beat the Donkey, the Downbeat 5, and the Silver Leaf Gospel Singers (but not, as had been announced, They Might Be Giants). The Sunday bill includes Steve Earle, the Holmes Brothers, Kanda Bongo Man, Walter "Wolfman" Washington, and funky Berklee-faculty dude Al Kooper. Both days will feature a CyberFestival, ethnic arts and crafts, kids’ tents, and dance performances ranging from belly dancing to Brazilian martial arts, and from the Motion Pros Breakdancing Crew to something called Ductmonkey, which is apparently some sort of acrobatic daredevil ensemble combining kung fu choreography with "skateboarding, without the board." The action goes down on outdoor stages along Portland’s main drag, Congress Street, between Longfellow Square and Congress Square. Get your tickets before July 31 and they’ll be $20 for a one-day pass, $37.50 for both. Call (207) 761-0591 extension 102, or visit www.centerforculturalexchange.org

Brockton bombers

They liked it so much last year that they’re coming back: joining Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson on the calendar of Brockton’s Campanelli Stadium — home to the Bill Murray-co-owned Brockton Rox minor-league baseball franchise — are the B-52’s, who were one of the first acts to take a chance on the newly constructed joint last summer. And just to make it an event, Fred and Kate are bringing along a must-see opening act: bi-continental glam-rock sensations the Scissor Sisters, whose Cambridge debut was thwarted a few months back because of visa problems. Already a hit across the pond, their debut, Scissor Sisters (Universal), draws on Yellow Brick Road–era Elton John and disco-era Bee Gees for massive pop songs that could do for ’70s glitter what the Darkness did for ’80s metal. The B-52’s and the Sisters play Campanelli Stadium, 1 Lexington Avenue in Brockton, on July 29. It’s a 7 p.m. show, and tickets are $25 to $45; call (617) 931-2000.

Bebel’s bossa

Brazilian pop temptress Bebel Gilberto, daughter of bossa nova great João Gilberto, has been performing with her father and many others for years, but it wasn’t until the turn of the millennium that she ventured a solo album. Her sophomore effort, Bebel Gilberto (Six Degrees), plays down the percolating electronic backing of her debut in favor of traditional bossa sophistication. Bebel will be in town August 17 to support the disc with a show at Avalon, 15 Lansdowne Street in Boston. Tickets are $25.25; call (617) 931-2000.