The Outlaws

Northern Lights

It’s time to start practicing your sweet air-guitar moves—Southern rock band the Outlaws are back, and they’re going to invade the Capital Region. Three of the band’s surviving originals (out of about 14 different members) will be present, including Hughie Thomasson—the one member to actually stay throughout the entire tenure of the Outlaws. The seven-piece band are returning to memorialize the band’s first LP released in 1975, as the first rock band signed to Arista under Clive Davis. The bulk of the set list is to be from the first three albums, so get ready for a night of rockin’ ’70s revivals. (Oct. 21, 7:30 PM, $20, 1208 Route 156, Clifton Park, 371-0012)

The Strawbs

Sunday, Caffe Lena

They were a staple in folk-pop in the 1960s, spinning elaborately epic songs from their humble West London beginnings, then out into the great beyond. Their songs have offered comfort to easygoing folksters and have received nods from politically minded hipsters as well, and nearly 25 years after their initial “breakup,” the three remaining members still draw crowds. However, the souls of David Cousins, Dave Lambert, and Brian Willoughby have been soothed since the days of perpetual touring, when they entertained fans in every city from Middlesex, England, to Toronto. Today the trio have relinquished all things electric and now only strum acoustic, and their wizened vocals support their ageless lyrics with authenticity recognizable in such greats as Bob Dylan and Bonnie Raitt. From bluegrass to folk to progressive rock, the Strawbs are true connoisseurs of music, relying on their endless love of performance and their expansive fan base to nurture their talent. (Oct. 23, 7 PM, 47 Phila St., Saratoga Springs, $20-22, 583 0022)

Broken Social Scene

Pearl Street, Sunday

Though trying to revolutionize pop music may seem a lofty, even pretentious, goal, Toronto-based Broken Social Scene wholeheartedly took on the challenge with the release of their debut album Feel Good Lost in 2001. The heartbeat of the Scene lies within Kevin Drew of KC Accidental and Brendan Canning of Do Make Say Think and Cookie Duster, who combined their talents for the sake of the revolution. The group since have evolved into a rotating collective of musicians who released Forgot It in People in 2003 to rave reviews. This weekend, the band will bring their soundscapes to Northampton when they play Pearl Street. (Oct. 23, 8:30 PM, $20, 10 Pearl St., Northampton, Mass., 413-584-7771)

kenny rogers

Kristi Yamaguchi & Friends, featuring Kenny Rogers

Pepsi Arena, Tuesday

OK, most of you are already picturing a bunch of figure skaters in cowboy hats circling a dais, making exaggerated “know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em”-type hand gestures. But we hear rumors that Kenny’s busting out some of his experimental stuff on this tour with former Olympians Scott Hamilton, Kurt Browning, et al. He’s gonna perform a 40-minute theremin piece from a free-jazz concept record he’s working on called Lazy Whirlwind Inversion Chamber, then he and Ekaterina Gordeeva are gonna share vocals covering the entire first side of X’s Los Angeles. All right, absolutely none of that is true. It’s probably gonna be the skaters in the hats. (Oct. 25, 7 PM, $35-$55, 51 S. Pearl St., Albany, 476-1000)

Ween

Northern Lights, Tuesday

Look, we’d never go so far as to actually advise that anyone abuse inhalants. It’s a very, very dangerous thing to do. So, we’re not going to make any comments at all along the lines of “Mmmm, there’s nothing like the piquant—almost citrusy—burn of a well-aged single-malt Scotchgard.” That’d be completely irresponsible—in any context other than a plug for a sold-out Ween concert. Yes, Gene and Dean are returning; and, yes, it’s sold out. So, you can go mill around the Northern Lights parking lot and hope that some ticket holder passes out in his van full of nitrous balloons, freeing up a ticket; or you can sit around your house listening to The Pod and Pure Guava while hungrily eyeing the contents of the cupboard beneath the sink. You make the call. (Oct. 25, 7:30 PM, $25, 1208 Route 146, Clifton Park, 371-0012)

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