Summer days filled with cookouts or escapes to the seashore are on the horizon.
But not all the fun has to take place in the backyard, in local parks or on the beach.
The Baltimore metropolitan area is host to concerts featuring some of this year's top talent and yesteryear's music trendsetters. From hip-hop to R&B, jazz to disco queens, our little slice of Interstate 95 pretty much will have it all.
Here's what's in store:
TODAY --Known for his 1989 Grammy Award-winning song "Don't Worry, Be Happy," Bobby McFerrin will host the World of Voices at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The show features an eclectic mix of acts, including the Grammy-winning South African a cappella group Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Sweet Honey in the Rock. The center is at 2700 F St. N.W., Washington. The show starts at 8 p.m. $12-$65. Call 202-467-4600.
JUNE 6-8 --Patti Austin, who won Best Jazz Vocal Album at this year's Grammys for her CD Avant Gershwin, is one of the hosts of the star-studded Capital Jazz Fest at Merriweather Post Pavilion. The roster includes contemporary jazz artist Jonathan Butler; singer Randy Crawford and pianist Joe Sample; '70s love diva Roberta Flack; "romantic pop" star Howard Hewett; jazz and R&B artist Diane Reeves; Grammy nominee Ledisi, who co-wrote and co-produced the music for The Color Purple; and the pop-jazz fusion group Spyro Gyra. The sensual sounds of singer Bryan McKnight and saxophonist Boney James will kick off the weekend. The venue is at 10475 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia. Times vary. $36.50-$160. Call 410-547-SEAT or go to ticket master.com.
JUNE 7 --The 2008 Starscape Festival starts in the afternoon but goes on into the wee hours of the next morning. With a smorgasbord of more than 50 musicians, there's bound to be something you'll like to hear, from the hip-hop and rap of Slick Rick to the work of DJ Roc Raider of the X-ecutioners. The list of performers is still growing. The festival starts at 2 p.m. and ends at 6 a.m. at Fort Armistead Park, 3999 Fort Armistead Road. $49.50-$125. Call 800-594-TIXX or go to starscape festival.com.
JUNE 15 --R&B and neo-soul superstar Alicia Keys brings her smooth vocals and piano to the 1st Mariner Arena. The Grammy Award-winning singer is on tour promoting her third album, As I Am. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. The arena is at 201 W. Baltimore St. $39.50-$100. Call 410-547-SEAT or go to ticketmaster.com.
