The 34th Annual RockyGrass Festival will feature more than 20 performers, including banjo legend Earl Scruggs, pictured below, folk troubadour Steve Earle & the Bluegrass Dukes and Yonder Mountain String Band. Held along the banks of the St. Vrain River in Lyons, the festival also features camping, kid-friendly activities and the RockyGrass Academy, which allows budding musicians to learn from the masters. The event runs July 28-July 30. Tickets are on sale now ($45 day pass or $115 three-day pass, bluegrass.com or 800-624-2422).
Taking Back Sunday crafts radio-friendly pop punk that’s more melody than snarl. The band’s mostly teenage audience propelled its 2004 album “Where You Want to Be” to the upper echelon of Billboard’s charts, peaking at No. 3. Its newest disc, “Louder Now,” isn’t out until April 25, but devotees can hear new songs when the band plays the Boulder Theater on March 31. Tickets for the all-ages show are on sale now ($20, bouldertheater.com).
R. Kelly has weathered sex scandals and tour dropouts to find critical and commercial success, releasing half a dozen albums in recent years. He’s currently supporting “TP.3 Reloaded,” which became his fifth No. 1 album with dance-friendly tracks like “Playas Only.” Tickets to his May 2 appearance at the Paramount Theatre go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. ($39.50-$84.50, Ticketmaster).
Kronos Quartet cited a scheduling conflict when it canceled its April 27 concert at the Boulder Theater. Whatever the conflict, it’s preventing the band from playing there until at least 2007, the Boulder Theater said in a statement. Tickets will be refunded. Visit bouldertheater.com or call 303-786-7030.
– John Wenzel
