Roadtrips

edited by Matt Ashare

Most days, skateboarding in the multi-tiered cement canyon of Boston's City Hall Plaza will get you weird looks by the suits on their way to the Financial District at best, and a citation by the cops at worst. But for 48 hours this weekend, August 8 and 9, all bets are off as the second leg of the Triple Crown of Skateboarding sets up shop in the mayor's back yard. It's the first pro skate event in Beantown history, with competition beginning at 9 a.m. and a free concert each day at 4:30 p.m. On Saturday it's Bosstones-style skacore from Less Than Jake, and Matthew Sweet's kid brothers (well, not really, but they sound like it) Radish. On Sunday it's more skacore with former Taang! signees (now on TVT) Buck-O-Nine and a band to be named later. For info you gotta call long-distance, (760) 722-7777 extension 192.

New-England-to-California transplant and founding Throwing Muser Kristin Hersh turned down the Lilith Fair ("It's like the Phyllis Schlafly tour . . . it's wrong and it's wimpy," she told us last week). But she's hitting the road with another explosive singer-songwriter, Melissa Ferrick. Rest assured there'll be nothing wimpy about their shows at the Paradise (617-562-8800) in Boston August 8 and at the Call (401-421-7241) in Providence August 9.

The almighty punk rock party band Rocket from the Crypt are doing a quickie hit-and-run tour of the East Coast, with only a half-dozen shows (three of which are in Philadelphia, semi-home of the opening act, a buncha post-hardcore kids masquerading quite convincingly as a R&B/soul revue who call themselves the Delta 72). There's one New England date -- the Middle East (617-864-EAST) in Cambridge August 13 -- and it'll probably be the highest-energy show this side of the Rage Against the Machine/Wu-Tang Clan/Atari Teenage Riot bill. Buy your tickets accordingly.