Kevin Smith deserves points for audacity. For all his misguided projects (“Zack and Miri Make a Porno,” anyone?) and suffocatingly smug quirks, the “Clerks” writer-director is a nerdy fanboy at heart. It makes sense, then, that Smith is giving his own fans a chance to access him directly on the “Silent Bob Speaks” tour. Neither stand-up comedy nor lecture, the tour finds Smith interacting directly with fans from the stage, which means you’d better be ready for some audience participation. Tickets for the Nov. 21 show at the Fillmore Auditorium are on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday. ($35- $55, )
Steely Dan has extended its “Rent Party ’09” tour for a second leg, including a stop at the Wells Fargo Theatre on Oct. 29. The jazz-rock act will perform its album “Aja” in its entirety, with an opening set from Sam Yahel. Tickets are on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday. ($39.50-$124.50, Ticketmaster)
Mark Knopfler has carved a distinctive solo career for himself since officially disbanding Dire Straits in 1995, even though he’s been releasing albums and film scores under his own name for the past 26 years. Tickets for his April 20 concert at the Buell Theatre are on sale at 10 a.m. today. ($50.50-$90.50, Ticketmaster)
Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood practice a proudly accessible brand of improv made famous by their roles on “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” Instead of riffing on prepared material, the duo trades in one of the riskiest forms: the full-length comedy-skit show based on audience suggestions. They return for a Nov. 7 show at Boettcher Concert Hall. Tickets are on sale at 10 a.m. today. ($29.50-$49.50, Ticketmaster)
Dashboard Confessional may not be the hottest thing in emo-pop anymore, but Chris Carrabba locked down his fan base long before the billionth wave of Warped Tour clones washed ashore. The band visits the Fillmore on Nov. 9 to promote new album “Alter the Ending,” with New Found Glory, Never Shout Never and Meg & Dia. Tickets are on sale. ($29.99-$34, )
Stone Temple Pilots return to Denver for another set of shiny, grunge-derived frat-rock at the Fillmore on Oct. 13. Tickets are on sale at 10 a.m. today ($45-$50). Also at the Fillmore: White Zombie founder-turned-director Rob Zombie brings his “Hellbilly Deluxe 2” tour to Denver on Nov. 6. Tickets are on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday. ($36-$38, )
Puscifer, another of Maynard James Keenan’s mischievous projects, announced a Nov. 20-21 run at the Paramount Theatre. More free-form than Tool and A Perfect Circle, Puscifer is a multimedia art experiment that goes wherever its creator wants (Comedy? Burlesque? Why not?). Meet-and-greet and wine-tasting packages are also available. Tickets are on sale at 10 a.m. today. ($49.50-$90, TicketHorse)
