Concert

Matt Fortese came 75 miles from Hagerstown to meet Taylor Queen at Camden Yards. She drove more than three hours from Virginia. Their second date was going well, Queen said, until an hour of taunting from two fans boiled over into an altercation that left Fortese fighting for his life. Fortese, a lifelong Yankees fan who wore his team's cap to Wednesday's game, suffered severe head trauma and a skull fracture. He was listed in serious condition at Maryland Shock Trauma Center Saturday.

“Go back to the second verse,” J. Cole told his DJ late into his hour-long set Thursday night at Baltimore Soundstage. “Y'all asked for this, so you gotta rock with me.” Moments earlier, his microphone had malfunctioned during "Chris Tucker," a slithering, Timbaland-esque track from his recent “Truly Yours 2” EP. He bristled at first, but smiled once he realized the sold-out crowd was reciting the lines verbatim, even without the beat....

Due to what are being described as "unforeseen contractual issues related to the production," the Baltimore Symphony has canceled "Matrix Live," a concert that had been scheduled for July 13 at Meyerhoff Hall as part of the orchestra's summer season. "Matrix Live," which combines a showing of the 1999 Academy Award-winning film with live soundtrack, has been presented by several orchestras in this country and abroad. Patrons who purchased tickets to the BSO event will receive refunds.

A pair of entertainers with connections to the Orioles will be performing together Aug. 25 at the Maryland State Fair . Carly Rae Jepsen, singer of pop-hit “Call Me Maybe” will be taking the stage with The Wanted, singers of pop-hit “Glad You Came”. Rae Jepsen threw out the first pitch at Camden Yards during a game against the Minnesota Twins this April, and her hit was a ballpark staple throughout last summer. The Wanted's hit “Glad You Came” was the centerpiece of the Orioles' “thank you” video to fans at the conclusion of last season.

A Pikesville church is planning a concert fundraiser for earthquake-ravaged Haiti Saturday. Wisconsin singer-songwriter L.J. Booth will headline the show at New Hope Community Church, with local Doug Alan Wilcox opening. Doors will open at 7 p.m. Saturday for a wine and cheese reception; the concert follows at 8. The show is part of the Stone Songs concert series at New Hope's historic Stone Chapel, located at 18 Stone Chapel Lane off Reisterstown Road in Pikesville. Tickets are $20; all proceeds will benefit the work in Haiti of World Relief, the Baltimore-based relief and development agency of the National Association of Evangelicals.

Need a reminder of how lucky Baltimore music lovers are sometimes? Just pull out a calendar. Between May and September, thousands gather in West Mount Vernon Park to see rising bands, sip local beer and generally have a good time in the sun. Add the fact that the concert is free, and it has made WTMD's First Thursdays concert series - which starts this week - an essential spring and summer activity in the city. According to WTMD program director Scott Mullins, the planning for First Thursdays begins when we're all bundled up in heavy coats.

Beers at large-scale concert venues aren't cheap. Depending on the place, a cold one can run you close to $10. We compared the cost and size of a Budweiser draft at three local music spots. Here is what we found: Merriweather Post Pavilion: A 24-ounce draft Bud will run you $8 at the wooded amphitheater. It's a quarter more than 1st Mariner Arena, but it's also the only even price on our list. The other concession stands will give you back a quarter or two. 1st Mariner Arena: Old arena, contemporary prices: Here, a 24-ounce draft Budweiser costs $7.75, which is about the same as Merriweather.

Musician Andy Grammer will perform in concert at the APG Federal Credit Union Arena at Harford Community College on April 4 at 7 p.m. Known for his vibrant pop, rock, soul mix and free-flowing vocal delivery, Grammer is on his first headlining tour, selling out many venues. His debut album generated two Top 10 hits, "Fine By Me" and "Keep Your Head Up. " Named one of Billboard's 2011 Artists to Watch, he's on the fast track to another big year, according to a press release from Harford Community College.

Members of the 1960s band The Runabouts will once again rock in their hometown on Saturday, May 19, at the Havre de Grace Community Center. All members from the final lineup of The Runabouts will perform: Jim Skrivanek, Joe Pascuzzi, Don Laye, Lew Rothlisberger, Dennis Trimble, Mike Lynch, Ed Kelly and Tom Vincenti. The Runabouts, Then and Now 2012, will also feature guest appearances by musicians from other popular bands of the era including The Monterays, The Rogues, Soul Expedition, Congressional Rock, Orange Wedge, The Cautions, Dr. Soul and the Interns, State of Mind, The Epics, Jamtrax and others.

Jimmy Buffett's concert Saturday night at Jiffy Lube Live has been postponed over concern about Hurricane Irene, which is already making its presence felt on the Eastern Shore. The band Journey has also postponed its Sunday night concert at the same venue because of the hurricane's threat. The 9:30 Club in Washington has also moved a concert and birthday party for godfather of go-go Chuck Brown to Sunday night. The three are just the latest live music events affected by the hurricane.

Due to what are being described as "unforeseen contractual issues related to the production," the Baltimore Symphony has canceled "Matrix Live," a concert that had been scheduled for July 13 at Meyerhoff Hall as part of the orchestra's summer season. "Matrix Live," which combines a showing of the 1999 Academy Award-winning film with live soundtrack, has been presented by several orchestras in this country and abroad. Patrons who purchased tickets to the BSO event will receive refunds.

There are only a few more opportunities to hear young local musicians in concert before the close of the school year on June 14. The Clarksville Elementary School chorus will present a concert at the school on Monday, June 10. The Clarksville Middle School orchestra is scheduled for its concert on Wednesday, June 12. Happy birthday to Mun Pan Sumlat. The perky young lady turned 4 on June 3. Have a great year, Mun Pan. Clarksville Middle held its second annual Family Fun Run recently.

Amy Schumer can tell a story. Knowing how to craft a short narrative and make it pay off with a laugh has, after all, helped make her one of the hottest comedians on TV and the concert circuit these days. So, let the star of Comedy Central's “Inside Amy Schumer” explain how it came to be that she finished her work for a bachelor's degree in theater at Towson University in 2003 but didn't receive her diploma until 2007 - in the lobby of Baltimore's Lyric Opera House. “I say I graduated in 2003 from Towson, but that's not actually true,” the 31-year-old New-York-born performer says in a recent interview.

The Handbell Choir of Holy Trinity Church in Laurel will participate in a combined handbell choir concert with Trinity Lutheran Church, Sunday, June 2, at 6 p.m., at 11200 Old Georgetown Road, in North Bethesda. A freewill offering will be taken, and a reception will follow the concert. For information, contact the church at htlc.laurel@verizon.net .

As afternoon light tried to filter through the thick, stained-glass windows of Sharp Street United Methodist Church last weekend, Marco K. Merrick pounded out the bass line of a spiritual on a raw-sounding piano, singing along in a raspy voice: "Great day, the righteous marching. Great day, God's going to build up Zion's walls. " From the tightly packed pews in front of him, basses and baritones of the Community Concert Choir of Baltimore picked up the vocal line tentatively at first, but gained in confidence with each measure.

Chorus of the Chesapeake presents spring show May 11, Students from Calvert Hall College High School and Notre Dame Preparatory School team up for Operation Clean Stream, David "Shepherd" Warren, named a 2013 Carson Scholar, J.C. Lazzaro selected 3rd chair viola in the All-Eastern Honors Orchestra. Looking for some wonderful entertainment to celebrate spring? Timonium resident Bill Day announced that The Chorus of the Chesapeake's annual spring show is scheduled for Saturday, May 11 at 7:30 p.m. at Parkville High School.

Dan Deacon's live shows have always incorporated the crowd, whether it's a dance battle among fans or a call-and-response chanting session. But now he's taken the crowd interaction a step further with his first app. Available for iPhone and Android systems, the free app turns a user's phone into a color-changing glowstick. The app - developed by Deacon and other Wham City members including app-programmer Keith Lea, Patrick McMinn, Alan Resnick and Robert O'Brien - is available now, and it doesn't require Wi-Fi or data usage.

Dangerously Delicious Pies in Canton will host a benefit concert on Sunday to aid the One Fund Boston organization, which formed in the wake of the April 15 bombings at the Boston Marathon. The event will be held 3 to 8 p.m., and will feature bands including Carrie and The Dirty Pillows, The Highballers, Danny Kay, Robert Fireball Mitchell, Mark Whiskey and The Sours and others. Donations and a portion of sales will go to the victims' charity, The One Fund Boston . This week Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Menino announced the formation of The One Fund Boston, with purpose of raising money to help the families affected by the events of Monday's Boston Marathon.

We have a pair of tickets to give away to the Kenny Chesney concert , which is Saturday, May 25, at FedEx Field. Parking pass included. If you'd like them, please email your name and phone number to khenry@baltsun.com and be sure to put "Kenny Chesney" in the subject line.  We'll pick a winner at random on Thursday at 3:00 p.m.. Tickets must be picked up by 4:00 p.m. Friday at The Baltimore Sun's downtown office. 

At last month's Academy of Country Music Awards, Brad Paisley performed his single, “Beat This Summer,” alongside John Mayer. The audience held up cell phones - the modern version of the lighter at concerts - that displayed bright, flashing colors that changed in time with the song. It was an eye-catching trick, and it wouldn't have been possible without Wham City. Yes, the same Wham City responsible for some of Baltimore's most wonderfully surreal music, comedy, theater, art and more since the mid-2000s.