Raleigh has a new outdoor amphitheater, and the North Carolina Symphony will be there this September to help break it in. The orchestra, led by Maestro William Henry Curry, will wave goodbye to summer and kick off its bold new concert season with “Pops in the City,” a free concert in Raleigh Amphitheater, Sunday, Sept. 12, at 7:00 p.m.

Families and friends can bring a picnic, grab a lawn seat in the heart of downtown Raleigh and prepare for a musical world tour. First, in collaboration with the Independent’s Hopscotch Music Festival, Minneapolis-based multi-instrumentalist Dosh opens at the performance beginning at 5:45 p.m. with his electronic blends of folk keyboard and experimental sampling. Then the Symphony takes over with a globe-trotting symphonic showcase.

The lineup first transports concertgoers to the golden age of classical music, including Handel’s joyous Overture to Music for the Royal Fireworks—a powerhouse selection to launch the Symphony’s debut in the city’s newest venue. The fireworks don’t stop there, as Curry turns to the trumpet section to bring two Latin-flavored brass showcases to life: Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona’s “Andalucia” and his legendary jazz standard, “Malagueña.” Henry Mancini’s classic serenade “Moon River” then paves the way for a charming tribute to Mancini’s legacy and selections from Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story. With a closing note by John Williams, as well as “America the Beautiful,” this free concert offers Raleigh residents an unforgettable night on the town.

The North Carolina Symphony’s 2010-11 season opens in downtown Raleigh’s Meymandi Concert Hall with renowned guest artists Navah Perlman, Giora Schmidt and Zuill Bailey joining the Symphony to perform Beethoven’s “Triple” Concerto on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 24-25.

On Saturday, September 18, Tom Petty will be in Raleigh after all, as he returns to the Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek. ZZ Top opens. This is a “rescheduled” event, so if you had tickets to the earlier-planned show, Ticketmaster should have contacted you by now. If you don’t have tickets, they are on sale now.

On Thursday, September 23, Lady Antebellum will return to the area. This time it is a headlining date at Cary’s Booth Amphitheater. Tickets are on sale now.

On Sunday, October 17, Paul Simon Vampire Weekend will play the downtown Raleigh amphitheater. Slowcore fave Beach House opens. Tickets went on sale yesterday, but as of this posting, tickets in the center of the 26th row are still available.

Mike Posner is a Detroit-native, but his academic career at Duke had to be put on hold recently because his music career began to explode. His CD “30 Minutes to Takeoff” sits at #8 on the Billboard 200 chart, led by the single “Cooler Than Me”. Posner is a guest on tonight’s “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon”, airing at 12:30am on NBC. (Will Ferrell is the primary guest, but his Raleigh ties are for another post).

The people behind the movie “Drumline” are bringing the black marching band tradition back to the stage with Drumline Live II. The tour hits Raleigh’s Memorial Auditorium on Friday and Saturday, February 25 & 26. No word on tickets yet.

On Tuesday, October 5, we’ll all just hum along as The Stone Temple Pilots hit Raleigh’s new downtown amphitheater. Tickets go on sale tomorrow (8/20) at 10am.

I got dragged to see STP at the Dean Dome on the Tiny Music tour. I have to say I was thoroughly impressed with them live. Every song played was better than the recorded version, and the staging, lighting, and creative execution kept the show interesting from start to finish. If you watch the show on Palladia that was recorded earlier this year in Chicago you’ll get the gist of what I’m saying, but it is no substitute for their great live show. My “run-pee” suggestion is to take a break during all of the songs from their terrible new CD.

The Pour House is the location for tonight’s Rock Show event to benefit Hamid, of Mo’s Diner fame. (Hamid is dealing with Stage IV lung cancer). The event begins at 4pm and goes until midnight (or so) with performances by eight bands. Most notable on the list are acoustic sets by Greg Humphreys and The Connells, but there is much more!

• 5:00 Mommie
• 6:00 Starmount
• 7:00 Greg Humphreys (acoustic)
• 8:00 Connells (acoustic)
• 8:40 Richard Bacchus and the Luckiest Girls
• 9:30 Maldora
• 10:20 Static Minds
• 11:20 Jeanne Jolly

All it takes is a $10 donation at the door to get in (but of course you can do as much as you want!)

From the Midtown Lowdown concerning tonight’s Wedding-Reception Band of the Week installment at North Hills:

Unfortunately, the Beach Music Concert scheduled for tonight, Thursday, August 12th, has been postponed due to a heat advisory and impending storms.  Please join us next week for Jim Quick and Coastline- same time, same place!

However you CAN catch the Old Habits over at Piola, in North Hills East at 8:30p.