Chautauqua Institution has added two more shows — both with reality-show tie-ins —  to its summer amphitheater schedule.

“American Idol” stars Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard will team up on Aug. 6. In one of the more memorable “Idol” seasons, Studdard edged out Aiken for the “Idol” crown in 2003.

Also, Ballroom with a Twist stops at the Amphitheater on July 16. This show features performers from “Dancing with the Stars,” directed and choreographed by Louis van Amstel. Kristi Yamaguchi will be there, as well as Jonathan Roberts and Anna Trebunskaya, and Sabrina Bryan of Disney’s “The Cheetah Girls.” The show includes14 dancers and two “American Idol” singers.

Tickets are $37 for Aiken/Studdard and $38 for Ballroom with a Twist. They’re on sale now at www.ciweb.org and by phone at (716) 357-6250.

Tickets are on sale now for Walter Trout and the Radicals, who play Docksider on April 14. Tickets, $20, are available at Grasshopper, Docksider, and by phone at 864-0899. Rodger Montgomery will open.

Old-time Docksider fans surely remember New York jam band God Street Wine; they were terrific. They’re re-forming for 2 shows only in New York City on July 9-10 at Gramercy Theatre. Tickets go on sale Friday. They’re doing the gigs as a fund raiser for multiple sclerosis. According to livedaily.com, their longtime stage manager and lighting director has MS. Let’s hope they stay together. Erie always loved this band.

Rock legend Elton John and his band will play the Covelli Centre in Youngstown, Ohio, on May 1.

That’s a relatively small venue to catch Elton rocking out. He usually tours smaller venue sas a one-man show with piano, but not this time.

Tickets go on sale Friday at Ticketmaster, with prices at $139, $89, and $39. Too bad we couldn’t get this one for Tullio Arena.

The Parental Advisory Tour with Nashville P.  the P word rhymes with wussy),  Green Jelly, and Psychostick is headed to Sherlock’s in Erie on April 14. That should be a wild show.

Raw, lean-and-mean Nashville P. released “From Hell to Texas,” their first studio CD in four years, in 2009 after recording it at Willie Nelson’s studio.  Motorhead fans would love them. They rip it up live, as Reverend Horton Heat fans know. The two bands toured together for nearly a full year.

Stay tuned for more details when we get them. The show is not yet posted on Nashville P.’s web site but Bev Walker from Sherlock’s tells me she’s booked the date.

Michigan psychobilly band the GD Gallows will play the Crooked I on Tuesday, March 16. They describe their sound as “furious, twanged-out, punk rock gutterbilly.”   GD is our abbreviation for their real name… we can’t use profanity. Check them out at www.myspace.com/thegallowspdx

Congrats to Face Down in High Water, the latest Battle of the Bands winner at Sherlock’s. They won before a packed houe last Wednesday.

Billboard and Rolling Stone, among other sources, report that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has asked Train singer Pat Monhan to perform at the March 15 induction ceremony in New York.

Also invited to perform: Faith Hill, the Animals’ Eric Burdon, Maroon 5’s Adam Levine and Jesse Carmichael,  Ronnie Spector,  Peter Wolf, and Fefe Dobson.

There’s no word yet on which artist’s song Monahan might cover or who he’ll sing with. That info might be kept under wraps until the ceremony. Inductees include the Stooges, Jimmy Cliff, Abba, Genesis, and the Hollies.

The Rock Hall has confirmed the Stooges will play at the event.  Peter Gabriel has said he won’t appear with Genesis but even Genesis hasn’t confirmed it it’ll play. Phil Collins has been ailing. Odds are slim that Abba will play. They’ve turned down every reunion opportunity ever offered.

Hollies will likely play, though, along with Jimmy Cliff, who just announced a U.S. tour (no dates around here, sadly).

Cable’s FUSE network will air the Rock Hall proceedings on March 15.

Pittsburgh’s Elko Concerts has announced four new shows: Les Claypool (June 9) at Palace Theatre in Greensburg; Budgie on April 22 at Diesel; Stick Men on May 19 at New Hazlett Theatre, and Zoso on Oct. 1, also at New Hazlett Theatre. The latter three go on sale Saturday at www.ticketfly.com.

Claypool tickets go on sale March 11 at www.ticketfly.com.

Interpol will open for U2 when they play Toronto on July 3.  Looks like no area dates will be added to their 360 tour; we’ve missed it entirely.

Train’s “Hey, Soul Sister” inches up to No. 6, it’ s highest spot yet, on Billboard’s Hot 100.

Simon & Garfunkel have added Minneapolis/St. Paul and North Dakota dates, a sign they may be mounting a more extensive reunion tour. They originally announced just a one-off for New Orleans’ Jazz & Heritage Festival.

Carole King and James Taylor have added a date at Pittsburgh’s Mellon Arena on June 26. No on-sale date is posted yet.

ArtPark near Buffalo is getting arty this summer.

So far the Flaming Lips and Further Band with Bob Weir and Phil Lesh are booked for summer concerts. LiveDaily.com lists a July 22 Lips’ show for ArtPark; the date is not yet posted on the ArtPark site. The Further show, is however. That goes on sale Friday.

Look for Flaming Lips to issue their song-for-song cover of “Dark Side of the Moon” on CD on May 4.

Looks like Pavement’s reunion tour won’t play near us. The newest itinerary shows nothing closer than the already announced Toronto show for June 19. They will play Chicago’s Pitchfork Music Festival on July 25.

Willie Nelson lists a May 8 date at Seneca Allegany Casino in Salamanca, N.Y. Tickets will go on sale March 12.

Larry the Cable Guy will return to Erie in April.

The former Blue Collar comedian will bring his Tailgate Party tour to Tullio Arena on April 5. Tickets are $43.75 each and go on sale Friday, March 5, at the Tullio Arena box office, by phone at 452-4857 or (800) 745-3000, and online at ticketmaster.com.

Larry the Cable Guy has emerged as the most popular of the Blue Collar comedians, at least in Erie. Ron White sold out the Warner in February but Larry the Cable packs in fans at a bigger arena. He pulled in more than 5,100 fans at his last appearance here in February 2008.

Alan Jackson will play Penn State’s Bryce Jordan Arena on May 21. Live Daily reports Maxwell and Jill Scott will open a joint headlining tour on May 21 in Cleveland. No venue was announced yet or an on-sale date.

James Taylor and Carole King are confirmed for July 7 at Quicken Loans Arena. Tickets go on sale Monday, March 8, at  1-888-894-9424 and www.theqarena.com.

Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers will tour extensively this summer behind “Mojo,” the band’s first studio CD in eight years.

The tour includes stops at three area venues. Drive-By Truckers will open for them at Cleveland’s Blossom Music Center on July 20 and at Pittsburgh’s First Niagara Pavilion on July 24. Crosby, Stills and Nash will open for Petty at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center in Darien Center, N.Y. on Aug. 14.

Tickets will go on sale March 15. Those who buy tickets online will also get a download of the new Petty album, starting with 2 tracks before the whole CD becomes available later. See www.tompetty.com for more details.

One track, the bluesy “Good Enough,” is already streaming on the web site. “Mojo” is due out this spring.

In other tour news, look for the Church to play Cleveland’s the Winchester on April 17. It’s an intimate acoustic tour, which explains the small venue. The band says it’ll play 23 songs, one from each one of its CDs, in reverse chronological order. That’s a new approach.

Echo & The Bunnymen will play the State Theatre in State College on April 28.

Beach House has added a June 16 show at Pittsburgh’s Diesel.

Stellar guitarist Tom Principato, who played the old Docksider back in the day, will make his first Erie trip in ages on April 8. He’ll play at Nelson’s.

Train’s “Hey, Soul Sister” is No. 1 for a third straight week on Billboard’s Adult Pop Chart. The song stays at No. 7 on the Hot 100.

Rolling Stone reports the Rolling Stones’ expanded re-release of “Exile on Main Street” will include 10 previously unreleased songs. Can’t wait to hear those; we’re talking Stones in their prime. Remember, “Tattoo You” was essentially a collection of outtakes, including “Start Me Up,” which sat around for years before they realized what they had.

Sherlock’s ninth annual Battle of the Bands  continues tonight.

Otis (10 p.m.), Orphean Son (11 p.m.), and Like Water (midnight) will be the first bands up. The winner, as determined by a panel of judges, will  move on to the semifinals.  Smoke & Mirrors was the first-week winner.

The rest of the schedule includes The DT’z, Face Down in High Water, and Scors of Ru (March 3) and  X-7, House of El, and Blind Society (March 10).

The contest takes a week off for St. Patrick’s Day, then resumes for the first semifinal round on March 24 followed by the second round on March 31.

Finals are set for April 7.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum has announced who will induct the class of 2010 nominees on March 15.

Look for Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong to induct the Stooges; Trey Anastasio to do the honors for Genesis; the Bee Gees’ Barry and Robin Gibb to induct Abba; Stevie Van Zandt for the Hollies; Wyclef Jean for Jimmy Cliff; and Carole King for songwriters Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil, Ellie Greenwich & Jeff Barry, Mort Schuman, Otis Blackwell, and Jesse Stone.

Cable’s Fuse network will broadcast the proceedings.

James Taylor and Carole King have added a July 7 concert at Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena, according to Pollstar. No word yet on when tickets go on sale.

Also, Public Image Ltd. with Johnny Lydon has announced its first U.S. tour in 17 years. The tour includes a May 14 show at Pittsburgh’s Club Zoo. Tickets go on sale either March 5 or 6, according to the PiL web site.

I caught Pil at Cleveland’s Agora long ago. Stood right up at the stage. The way Johnny Lydon sneered at me, eyes glowering, was scarier than any Wes Craven movie I’ve ever seen.

The 2010 Roar on the Shore will feature a Southern-rock flavor.

Blackfoot was already confirmed for July 16. Today, organizers announced that Molly Hatchet will headline the July 17. Rock n’ Roar concert at the hub in Perry Square. Opening up will be Hollywood Nights, a terrific tribute to Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band.

As previously announced, Robbie Kneivel will lead the Roar on the Shore bike parade on July 15. Erie’s M-80s headline the downtown party that opening night.

Sugarland and Jake Owen will team up at First Niagara Pavilion (formerly Post-Gazette Pavilion) near Pittsburgh on May 14. Tickets go on sale Saturday at www.livenation.com.

Friday is the on-sale date for area Dave Matthews Band shows: PNC Park in Pittsburgh with opener Zac Brown Band on July 10;  Blossom Music Center near Cleveland with opener Martin Sexton on June 25; and Darien Lake Performing Arts Center with Felice Brothers opening up on June 2 in Darien Center, N.Y. They’re also on sale through www.livenation.com.

Goo Goo Dolls are confirmed to play Penn State Behrend’s Junker Center on April 17 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25, general admission, and go on sale to the public March 8 at the school’s Office of Student Activities in the Reed Union Building, by phone at 898-6171, and online at http://pennstatebehrend.psu.edu

Tickets will be $30 at the door. An opening act will be announced later.

Tickets for all Chautauqua Amphitheater specials go on sale March 1. The calendar has some holes to be filled but nothing new was added as of Monday by 4 p.m.

Was it the cold or was it the show that caused the goosebumps on my skin after leaving the Warner Theatre on Friday night?

Definitely the show.

“Jesus Christ Superstar” delivered and then some before a sold-out crowd. Though it’s told almost exclusively through song on the barest of sets — just a steel bridge and raised tiers, until the huge cross at the end — it achieves a fervent power.

The cast was uniformly excellent, including Ted Neeley as Jesus, who played the role in Norman Jewison’s film and has starred in countless Broadway and touring Broadway productions.

He’s in his 60s, far older than Jesus  when he died, but it hardly matters His voice remains strong and pliable, able to convey wrenching agony and righteous accusatory power toward Judas, his betrayor. Neeley has an aura about him and a gentleness with his followers and apostles that shines through on stage. It’s hard to conceive of anyone else playing the role as sensitively and splendidly.

Friday was also a huge night for Erie native Darrel R. Whitney, who played Caiaphas the high priest. He saw Neeley as Jesus in “Superstar” in 1997 and vowed to become an actor and hopefully play the Warner in this very show. There he was, with Neeley, his hero on stage, clearly relishing every moment.

And he was fantastic, too, playing the sinister priest who delivers Jesus to Pontius Pilate. His deep bass and authoritative delivery made Caiaphas a commanding presence. Whitney fist-pumped and hugged Neeley during the well-deserved standing ovation.

John Twiford as Judas was exceptional, delivering the torment and conflict inside him with a passion and fevered intensity. He made the top 52 in “American Idol.” After hearing him, it’s hard to understand why he didn’t go further. The man can sing but his acting was just as strong.

Kudos, as well, to Sarah Hanlon as Mary Magdalene, who delivers one of the show’s best numbers,  the anguished “I Don’t Know How to Love Him.” Her clear, powerful voice was a pleasure, including “Could We Start Again, Please?” with Simon and the company.

So many of these songs are staples it’s still hard to believe this was the first Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice success. The title number remains thrilling.

This was the third time I’ve caught “Superstar” on stage and arguably the best show of the lot, thanks to its across-the-board superb cast. Wouldn’t surprise me if most the audience marches directly to church on Sunday. It was a pretty inspiring show, a glorious triumph.

Pollstar lists the Goo Goo Dolls for an April 17 show at Penn State Behrend. A calendar on Behrend’s web site confirms the date.

We’ll let you know more details when we get them. The band releases “Something for the Rest Of Us” in the spring.

Can’t make Sunday’s benefit for Greg Pianka at East Erie Turners? No problem. A second one is now scheduled for March 13 at the Polish Sharpshooters Club. Akoostikatz, Shag Nazty, Letters to the Dead, Sacred 13, Hakoosta Matata, Scarwork, OPM, and an All Musicians Jam are planned, as well as games and raffles. Proceeds go to Pianka’s only child.

Donations will be $10 at the door. Show starts at 6 p.m.

Walter Trout and the Radicals are confirmed for Docksider on April 14.

 Alt country/rockabilly artist Joe Buck is the first confirmed national act for the new Crooked I club. Look for him on April 18. He formerly played with Th’ Legendary Shake Shackers and with Hank Williams III.

Crooked I opens with a free show on Feb. 27 featuring RumbleDaddy, My 3 Scum, and Mala Sangre.  Look for more on what owner Marty Schwab plans for the place in the Feb. 25 Showcase. It’s located at 1013 State St., the former site for Nicky’s Pub and before that State Street Tavern.