NE-YO TO HEADLINE GLAMORAMA 2009
Macy’s announced that Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Ne-Yo will headline this year’s Macy's Glamorama rock/fashion extravaganza, which benefits the Children’s Cancer Research Fund. Joining Ne-Yo will be local jazz combo The New Standards. Friday, Aug. 14, 8 p.m., The Orpheum Theatre. Tickets range from $75-$1,000

TRACY CHAPMAN IN CONCERT
Singer/songwriter Tracy Chapman will be appearing in concert at St. Paul’s O’Shaughnessy Auditorium on Saturday, Aug. 15, as part of the venue’s Woman of Substance series. Tickets are $36.50-$46.50, and go on sale June 26 at 10 a.m.

TASTE OF MN ADDS LOCAL BANDS
Taste of Minnesota announced the addition of several popular local acts to fill out its band lineup. Among them: Throw the Fight, Tom Petty tribute band Free Fallin, The 757s, Ipso Facto, Martin Zellar & the Hardways, The Big Wu, and the ultimate ‘80s tribute band, Hairball. Also on the bill for the four-day festival are Staind, Judas Priest, Whitesnake, Elvis Costello, and the Bret Michaels Rock of Love Bus Tour. Taste of Minnesota runs from July 2-5, Harriet Island, St. Paul.

FIRST-EVER “GUY EXPO”
Come August, Minnesota men will have an opportunity to get even manlier at the first-ever Guy Expo, at the St. Paul RiverCentre Aug. 7-8. The event will have 13 themed exhibit halls filled with the latest home improvement gadgets, audio-visual equipment, recreational vehicles, outdoor gear, grilling supplies, and paintball products. Planners say the event aims to be “fun, loud, entertaining, and slightly irresponsible,” and includes such guy-like activities as a wing-eating contest (with contestants dressed as Elvis), a beer-tasting contest, and, afterwards, a beer-can-stacking contest. Admission is $12; kids get in free.

BURNSVILLE ART CENTER IN THE RED
The Star Tribune is reporting that the Burnsville Performing Arts Center—which was built for $20 million tax-payer dollars and opened in January—has lost $277,000 through the end of April, more than it expected to lose the entire year. The Iowa-based company that runs the center, VenuWorks, says the inflated deficit is due to unforeseen economic circumstances, and doesn’t mean the center will be more than a million dollars in hock by the end of the year. Programming at the center doesn’t begin in earnest until 2010. Until then, locals who want to support the center can yuck it up with comedian Marc Yafee July 10 & 11, see a production of Sweeney Todd July 16-Aug. 1, and look forward to a run of plays by The Chameleon Theatre Circle, to include Paper Dolls, Reefer Madness, Sylvia, Eurydice, and The Underpants.