Dark Star Orchestra

Once upon a time, your average Jam on the River was jammed with . . . jam bands. Dead Head-esque formations playing musical hacky sack, lollygagging through loping rhythmic passages. No more. While 2007's Jam features Dark Star Orchestra - drawing its inspiration from all things Jerry Garcia - to say nothing of The Disco Biscuits post-Dead meanderings, there's little left of the jam mentality save for some of the weekend's peeps taking their time playing long songs. Disco Biscuits do that.

The festival season at Penn's Landing takes off tomorrow and Sunday, bringing in that warm feeling of summer with the 21st annual Captain Morgan's Jam on the River. Alt band World Party, back in action after a four-year hiatus, is on the bill, as are Philly-based jam band the Disco Biscuits and Ween, taking a break from recording their new album at their home base in Bucks County. More than 20,000 people are expected along the waterfront, and - new this year - there also will be two evening concerts at the nearby Electric Factory.

The rolling hills and lush landscape of Lancaster County show off what nature has to offer. It's the green home of the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire, on the grounds of Mount Hope Estate, and it will play host to the first Great Green America Fest. Organizers are calling the festival a "35-acre think-tank," with music, games, food, and arts and crafts, all to promote the preservation of the environment. The festival starts tonight with a concert featuring the Dark Star Orchestra, a Grateful Dead tribute act that strives to stay true to the music and the spirit of the Dead's dedication to the environment.

Bally's Atlantic City, Boardwalk at Park Place, 609-340-2000, ballysac.com. Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, 1 Borgata Way, 609-317-1000, theborgata.com. Gabriel Iglesias, 8 and 11 tonight (sold out), 9 p.m. tomorrow (Music Box), $39.50. John Legend, 8 tonight (Event Center), $125, $95 and $75. Kris Allen, 8 p.m. tomorrow (Event Center), $39.50. Caesars Atlantic City, Boardwalk at Arkansas Avenue, 609-348-4411, caesarsac.com. Willie Nelson, 9 tonight, $85, $65 and $55. Black Eyed Peas, 7:30 p.m. tomorrow (Boardwalk Hall)

Some days Randy Cordero is soft-spoken Randy, a recovering electromechanical engineer. Some days - this Friday, for one, at the Theatre of Living Arts, and Saturday, for another, at the Trump Marina in Atlantic City - he's swaggering Surreal Neil, shimmying in bell-bottoms and a sequined shirt, belting out "Sweet Caroline," a song Neil Diamond first recorded when Cordero was 4 years old. Cordero fronts Super Diamond, a San Francisco tribute...

Kicking off with a bracing blast of mid-'90s rap-metal nostalgia, when Korn headlines the House of Blues next Thursday, the pop music scene at the Jersey Shore will be a busy one this summer. That will be particularly true in Atlantic City, where casinos hit hard by the recession and competition from Pennsylvania slots parlors are counting on marquee acts to help bring gamblers back to the beach. The dominant player, as usual, is the Borgata Hotel & Spa, where R&B stars Mary J. Blige and The Dream will sing on June 5 at the Event Center, which also will host Chicago with Earth, Wind and Fire , on June 12 and 13, Il Divo on July 3, an arsenal of Philadelphia International Records all-stars , including the O'Jays and Jerry Butler on July 17, and Depeche Mode with Peter, Bjorn & John on Aug. 1. At that resort's tinier Music Box, which essentially was turned into a comedy room, there will be Joel McHale (May 23)

Only sports teams have played the Spectrum more than the Grateful Dead. Back before Jerry Garcia died in 1995, the prototypical jam band sold out the now-slated-for-demolition arena a whopping 53 times, then did two more shows in its post-Garcia incarnation as the Other Ones in 2002. On Friday, the band now known as the Dead, who re-formed for an Obama benefit in State College last fall, opened another two-night, sold-out stand in South Philadelphia. Frosty-haired frontman Bob Weir kicked off the three-hour show with "Playing in the Band," which is pretty much what the 61-year-old, mellow-voiced singer has been doing since he met Garcia on a fateful New Year's Eve in Palo Alto, Calif.

'It's the vibe, and the vibe says we really, really, really want it. We want the magic and we want it badly. And making magic is one of those things where you just don't know how or when you do it. Magic happens when the stars are aligned and the energy flows brightly. " That's how Phil Lesh describes the wondrous interaction between fans and Furthur, his ensemble with fellow Grateful Dead member Bob Weir and young jam-band stalwarts who make their engines roar. Furthur hits the Tower Friday through Sunday, takes a day off Monday, and gets back at it Tuesday and Wednesday.

MUSIC Beards and blues They may be dead last in the alphabetical scheme of things, but for more than four decades, los tres hombres from Texas who go by the collective name ZZ Top have been first in the hearts and minds of countless fans turned on by the trio's no-frills, high-energy brand of blues-based rock. Joining the trio on its "Gang of Outlaws" tour Saturday at Trump Taj Mahal will be '90s pop-rockers 3 Doors Down and country rabble-rouser Gretchen Wilson. Trump Taj Mahal, Boardwalk at Virginia Avenue, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, $150, $80, $70 and $60, 800-736-1420, ticketmaster.com.

In Concert 2126 The Highway, Wilmington; 302-475-3126. www.ardenclub.com . Goodman Fiske. 5/14. 8 pm. 227 Bridge St., Phoenixville; 610-917-1228. www.thecolonialtheatre.com . Al Stewart. $20-$39.50. 5/14. 8 pm. 414 Plush Mill Rd., Wallingford; 610-566-1713. www.communityartscenter.org . The Grape Escape. $75 per person. 5/15. 7:30 pm. 421 N. Seventh St.; 215-569-9400. www.livenation.com . Insane Clown Posse. $29.50 advance; $32 day of show. 5/19.

MUSIC Beards and blues They may be dead last in the alphabetical scheme of things, but for more than four decades, los tres hombres from Texas who go by the collective name ZZ Top have been first in the hearts and minds of countless fans turned on by the trio's no-frills, high-energy brand of blues-based rock. Joining the trio on its "Gang of Outlaws" tour Saturday at Trump Taj Mahal will be '90s pop-rockers 3 Doors Down and country rabble-rouser Gretchen Wilson. Trump Taj Mahal, Boardwalk at Virginia Avenue, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, $150, $80, $70 and $60, 800-736-1420, ticketmaster.com.

In Concert 2301 Boardwalk, Atlantic City; 609-348-7000. www.boardwalkhall.com . New Edition. $46-$127. 5/27. 8 pm.   9 S. Bryn Mawr Ave., Bryn Mawr; 610-864-4303. www.brynmawrtwilightconcerts.com . Beats Walkin'. $10; free 16 and under. 5/26. 7 pm.   1853 Wrightstown Rd., Washington Crossing; 215-493-6500. www.crossingvineyards.com . Fridays Unplugged. $10. 5/25.   421 N. Seventh St.; 215-569-9400. www.livenation.com . Thrice.

'It's the vibe, and the vibe says we really, really, really want it. We want the magic and we want it badly. And making magic is one of those things where you just don't know how or when you do it. Magic happens when the stars are aligned and the energy flows brightly. " That's how Phil Lesh describes the wondrous interaction between fans and Furthur, his ensemble with fellow Grateful Dead member Bob Weir and young jam-band stalwarts who make their engines roar. Furthur hits the Tower Friday through Sunday, takes a day off Monday, and gets back at it Tuesday and Wednesday.

Live music and more, tonight through Thursday, compiled by Shaun Brady, Tom Di Nardo, James Johnson, Sara Sherr and Jonathan Takiff. POP . . . plus James: When it comes to dishing out majestic, soaring-from-the-heart anthems, British rockers regularly trounce their Yank competitors. The reunited James proves the point anew, with a classy two-disk set of songs commingling dark themes and uplifting tunes "The Morning After the Night Before," sure to be featured in their rare show here tonight.

Bally's Atlantic City, Boardwalk at Park Place, 609-340-2000, ballysac.com. Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, 1 Borgata Way, 609-317-1000, theborgata.com. Gabriel Iglesias, 8 and 11 tonight (sold out), 9 p.m. tomorrow (Music Box), $39.50. John Legend, 8 tonight (Event Center), $125, $95 and $75. Kris Allen, 8 p.m. tomorrow (Event Center), $39.50. Caesars Atlantic City, Boardwalk at Arkansas Avenue, 609-348-4411, caesarsac.com. Willie Nelson, 9 tonight, $85, $65 and $55. Black Eyed Peas, 7:30 p.m. tomorrow (Boardwalk Hall)

Live music and more, tonight through Thursday, compiled by Shaun Brady, Tom Di Nardo, James Johnson, Sara Sherr and Jonathan Takiff. POP . . . plus "Weird Al" Yankovic: In this age of instant, YouTube postings, 50 wiseguys may beat "Weird Al" Yankovic to the punch with a parody of a new song, he pointed out recently. So the dude's given up on being first, focusing simply on being the best in lyrical cleverness, arranging and visual embellishment. Catch it all, onstage and in glorious 3-D!