Former Docksider owner Bob Nelson plans to get back into the entertainment game in Erie by presenting occasional shows. First up: Zydeco master Buckwheat Zydeco on Feb. 5 -- the day after the Super Bowl -- at his old stomping grounds, the Docksider.
Tickets will be $18 advance, available soon, and $22 at the door.

Buckwheat Zydeco hasn't played Erie since he closed the first CelebrateErie in 2002.

Nelson hopes to present more shows soon, not only at Docksider but other venues, as well.

Erie radio fans are still buzzing about Bob FM, which replaced Froggy 94.7. The new format favor a wide variety of music from the 1960s through today and surprise is a big part of its appeal. You may go from Gap Band to Steve Miller Band, from Cars to AIrplane, from Timbuk 3 to Maroon 5, from Steely Dan to Steeleye Span.

Ok: You probably won't hear Steeleye Span. But you never quite know, which is the beauty of this format and what I like about it so far. Most people's record collections contain a wider variety of music than strict radio formats usually allow. It's refreshing to hear rock, pop, funk, soul, R&B, even a bit of country, all mixed together from across time.

I like oldies and classic rock as much as anyone but hearing the same songs over and over made them stale. They lose their impact over time, you become desensitized to them. A Jimi Hendrix song should blow you away every time you hear it, never go in one ear and out the other because you're so sick of it.

So, Bob FM feels fresh, fun, exciting. I'm liking it. I just wish -- by moving a satellite oldies station to 1330, to appease oldies' fans -- that Erie didn't lose ESPN radio in the process. I liked hearing the sports talk guys; there is a place for that, and it's on AM. Music sounds horrible on AM; it doesn't belong there. I hope some other astute station picks up ESPN and returns it to Erie's airwaves.

The Boardwalk -- Erie's newest entertainment complex -- is off and running on North Park Row in the former Greyhound Bus Station. With a classy martini bar, front bar, and spacious dance club with massive ceiling, it adds another piece of fun to downtown Erie -- especially the midtown area, below Perry Square.

Yet another venue is nearing completion, as well -- this one in Harborcreek. Crabby Pat's -- a steak and seafood place, located next to Skateway -- is open and featuring bands on weekends. An adjacent sports bar with 7,000 square feet of space will open within two months. With Bootleggers Bar and Grill at 4935 E. Lake Road also becoming a hot spot, these places sure are livening up the east side.

Good news for Dixie Chicks' fans. "Shut Up and Sing," the acclaimed documentary about their notoroious President Bush comment and its atomic-sized fallout -- is part of the spring Guelcher Film Series lineup. Look for it on March 28 at Mercyhurst College.

Mercyhurst has yet another killer lineup, by the way. I'm also excited about "The History Boys" (March 14); "Last King of Scotland" (March 21); "Science of Sleep" (April 4); "Half Nelson" (April 11); "Notes on a Scandal" (April 25); "Pan's Labyrinth" (May 16); "Babel" (May 23); and "Volver" (June 13).

The series opens with "Thank You For Smoking" -- kinda funny, in light of Erie County Council's recent ban -- on Jan. 24. Also included: "Catch a Fire" (Jan. 31); "Jonestown: Life and Death of People's Temple" (Feb. 7); "Mongolian Ping Pong" (Feb. 14); "Water" (Feb. 21); "Death of Mr. Lazarescu" (Feb. 28); "Iraq in Fragments" (March 7); "Scanner Darkly" (April 18); "Cave of the Yellow Dog" (May 9); "Sweet Land" (May 30); and "Children of Men" (June 6).

Country star Kenny Chesney unveiled dates on his web site for a summer stadium tour that will touch down in both Pittsburgh and Cleveland.

He's bringing a lot of heavy-hitters with him for the trek, including Brooks & Dunn, Sugarland, Sara Evans, and Pat Green.

Chesney will open the tour at Pittsburgh's Heinz Field on June 9. He'll also play the Cleveland Browns Stadium on July 14. Tickets will go on sale Feb. 10 at Ticketmaster.

Erie's live scene jumps a bit more in early February. Pink Floyd Experience (Feb. 7), Sara Evans (Feb. 10), and the Temptations (Feb. 15) are all headed to the Warner Theatre.
Evans will likely fare best; she's current, and won the Academy of Country Music's Top Female Vocalist Award last year.
I'm not as confident about the other two. The last Floyd laser show didn't do well; neither did the last Floyd cover band (The Machine), which played the Warner to a paltry crowd in January 2004. Generally, fans don't like paying concert prices for cover bands, no matter how good they might be.

Temptations are a legendary band, no doubt, but they've been here before. If they were teamed up with, say, the Spinners or War, I think it'd be a hotter ticket.

Some other concerts are in the works for Erie, alas, Disturbed isn't one of them. They were on Erie's radar for awhile, but not anymore.

This one isn't a concert but it'll probably a good time: Erie Playhouse opens "Stand By Your Man: The Tammy Wynette Story" on Friday. Based partly on her autobiography, the show packs in plenty of drama as well as tunes -- 25 in all -- including a few Wynette/George Jones duets. The cast is first rate with Colleen Zandbergen as Wynette, and roots musician Brian Carroll-Hunt -- who previously played Hank Williams and Woody Guthrie -- playing George Jones. What a plus, too, that Brenda Evans is also onboard. She was a delight in both "Honky Tonk Angels" and "Always... Patsy Cline."

Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will be jammin' in February. In honor of Black History Month, it'll offer a month-long series of reggae programs.

Several events will likely fill up in advance, including the Feb. 20 talk by Chris Blackwell. As the founder of Island Records, he not only signed Steve Winwood, Traffic, Richard Thompson, Mott the Hoople, Cat Stevens, Roxy Music, and more but introduced Bob Marley to the world. You'll get to hear his memories of working with Marley -- he produced "Catch a Fire" -- and with other stars.

Black History Month will also include an evening of music and conversation with Toots Hibbert of Toots and the Maytals on Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. His 1968 single "Do the Reggay" is credited with giving the genre its name. The group was also featured in the classic "The Harder They Come."

Mikey Dread (Feb. 21) and The Mighty Diamonds (Feb. 23) will also perform at the rock hall. Other events include a reggae brunch, including music, with Carlos Jones and he Plus Band at Parkview Nite Club on Feb. 11; and a keynote address on "Rastafari and Reggae: A MArriage Madein Jamaica" by Kenyon professor Ennis Edmonds on Feb. 6 at 4:30 p.m. at Case Western Reserve.

Most events are free, except Mighty Diamonds ($10) and the reggae brunch ($5), but reservations are required. They will be accepted starting Jan. 23 at edu@rockhall.org or by phone at (216) 515-8426.

Billboard reports Neil Young has anotherlive recording set for release -- 'Live at Massey Hall' (as in Toronto). He recorded it before "Harvest" in 1971 and debuted several songs that would appear on that classic CD. The show also features solo Neil
renditions of "Ohio," "Down by the River," and "I Am a Child," among others. The CD will be released March 13.
Billboard also reports that Young's massive "Archives Vol. 1" set -- with eight CDs and two DVDS -- will be released in the fall by Reprise. It'll feature a treasure trove of previously unreleased songs.

Cleveland's Agora Theatre has added a March 4 show with Wolfmother. Tickets go on sale Friday at Ticketmaster.

Killswitch Engage, Chimaira, Dragonforce, and He Is Legend play the Agora on April 5. Those tickets also go on sale Friday.

Good news for Police fans. On Tuesday, they confirmed they will open the Grammy Awards telecast on Feb. 11 with a live performance. Presumably, they will announce an enusing world tour right around that time, as well.

Big question: Will they play stadiums or amphitheaters? Here's hoping they don't overestimate their importance and stick with amphitheaters, which are little more cozy than Heinz Field or Cleveland Stadium. However you look at it, though, 2007 is shaping up as a big one for concerts, with Van Halen (and David Lee Roth in the fold) and Genesis (with Phil Collins) also going out.

Erie's live concert scene could feature a really hip show in May, if details can be worked out.

Look for Staind's Aaron Lewis to play a solo date at House of Blues in Cleveland on March 2. Tickets will go on sale Friday at Ticketmaster.

Tickets also go on sale Friday for House of Blues' Jagermesister Music Tour with Stone Sour, Lacuna Coil, and Shadows Fall.

It's not yet February but dates are falling into place for 8 Great Tuesdays this summer. I'm hearing some pretty cool names so far by bands that not only have a name but remain viable, as in creating new work, not just resting on their reputations. That series is tricky to book because if you land someone too big, the venue will never hold everyone, not with it being a free concert. But so far, the series has navigated that tightrope pretty well.

Good luck to Ron Yarosz and the Vehicle, as they head to Memphis for the International Blues Challenge competition. They sizzled in their warm-up gig at Docksider last Friday. Randy Hetherington sat in with the band for a bit, which was a nice surprise. "$200 Car" -- with Ron going nuts on harmonica -- remains a tour-de-force crowd favorite.

Personally, I was glad to see WRIE-AM 1260 pick up ESPN Radio on Monday. Sports and talk belongs on AM more than music, and with 1330 now featuring oldies, there is less compelling need for the rather tired Music of Your Life format. Not that it won't be missed; every station develops a loyal following that feels betrayed when it goes away. But a rabid sports town like Erie -- deserves and needs a full-time sports station. So give me a C, give me an I -- etc. -- for Citadel bringing back ESPN (and also Jim Rome).