After re-emerging for a tour last summer, the Rentals have returned to full speed and are now on an extensive tour to promote Last Little Life, their first studio effort in six years. "The tour last summer was basically trying to get a sense of where we came from and reconnect with our first two records," explains singer-guitarist Matt Sharp via phone from an Idaho tour stop. "This summer, we're touring behind our EP, so it's a little different." The EP was the result of a particularly prolific home-studio recording session and revisits the Rentals' retro synth-pop sound. The tender vocal harmonies (everyone in the band can sing) also help distinguish the group. For Sharp, who was in Weezer when he started the group, which includes Clevelander Dan Joeright, some 10 years ago, it's more of a band and less of a side project. "Well, it's quite a different situation this time," he says. "The first two albums, most of the people had other groups as their priority. This time, it's fundamentally different. We wanted to do it right from the start and have a group that was invested in what we're trying to do. And whatever pride we took in the music we were recording was with the idea that we would perform together as a group later." Copeland and Goldenboy open at 8 p.m. at the House of Blues (308 Euclid Ave., 216.241.5555). Tickets: $16-$18. - Jeff Niesel

FRIDAY, AUGUST 17

Projekt Revolution

Just as Linkin Park has managed to transcend the nü-metal/rap-metal genres it sprang from to continually find new angles in the blend of hip-hop and hard rock, so it's avoided turning its annual package tour, Projekt Revolution, launched in 2001, into a predictable testosterone-fest like the Family Values tour. Two hot young groups from the emo-punk camp - the grandly theatrical My Chemical Romance and the straightforward, hard-edged Taking Back Sunday - bring their star power to the Linkin Park-headlined main stage, joined by gothy Finns H.I.M., atmospheric glam rockers Placebo and electronic ensemble Julien-K. Mindless Self Indulgence, Saosin, The Bled, Styles of Beyond and Madina Lake rock the side stage starting at 1 p.m. at Blossom Music Center (1145 W. Steels Corners Rd., Cuyahoga Falls). Pavilion seats: $60 and $70. Lawn tickets: $24.50. Call 216.241.5555. - Anastasia Pantsios

SUNDAY, AUGUST 19

Beyoncé

Just when you think Beyoncé Knowles is at the peak of her success, she keeps on going. And this is a girl who knows when to call it over. After riding out a monumental wave of success with Destiny's Child, pursuing individual projects and coming together for one last reunion album and tour, Knowles parted ways with Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland in 2005. Though Destiny's Child decided to quit while they were ahead, Beyoncé moved on and was enormously successful with her debut solo release, 2003's Dangerously in Love. The past few years have been spent modeling, playing Deena Jones in Dream Girls, starting her own clothing line with her fashion designer mom, and adding nine Grammy awards to her long list of credentials. Her 2006 release, B'Day, continued to raise the bar, winning yet another Grammy and finding her at the top of the music charts once again. Ambitious, soulful and undeniably talented, Beyoncé is at Quicken Loans Arena (One Center Ct., 216.420.2000) with special guest R&B soul singer Robin Thicke opening at 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $39.75-$89.75. - Caye Burry

Budos Band

Saxophonist Jared Tankel has played with plenty of bands. But none of them has been able to lay down a track in the studio like the Budos Band, the Afro-soul act he's played with for the past five years. "Both of our records have literally taken two or three nights," he says via phone from his Harlem home. "We just kick it out. It's amazing to me to see how fluid it is. And you're talking about a band with 12 guys in it." The band's latest disc, The Budos Band II, is a collection of old-school grooves that sound like they could be the soundtrack to a blaxploitation flick. Bound to appeal to the same crowd that likes labelmates Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, the disc reflects the band's appreciation for late '60s soul and funk. "We had an interview yesterday where the guy was pressing us, asking us if we were nostalgic," Tankel says. "Maybe we are. To us, it just sounds like the best kind of music I've ever heard." DJ Franklin opens at 9 p.m. at the Beachland Tavern (15711 Waterloo Rd., 216.383.1124). Tickets: $10. - JN

MONDAY, AUGUST 20

The Budos Band - Knocking out the old-school soul grooves.

Dave Matthews Band

In the past 16 years, the Dave Matthews Band has proved itself over and over again as more than just entertainment for college kids. DMB has taken a grassroots approach to success, and this has always involved taking its music from the studio to the streets. There's no doubt its widespread popularity is largely due to the quality of its stage performances. It's what made Live at Red Rocks, Live at Luther College and numerous DVD releases as successful as studio-recorded efforts Under the Table and Dreaming and Crash. Its reputation as a phenomenal jam band earned DMB spots headlining the fourth annual Bonaroo festival, playing in Philadelphia as a part of Live 8, and more recently in New York City for Live Earth. For the true DMB fan, missing out on the live experience is inexcusable. DMB plays Blossom Music Center (1145 W. Steels Corners Rd., 216.241.5555) with Pete Yorn at 7 p.m. Tickets: $40-$65. - CB

TUESDAY, AUGUST 21

HR

Not sure why HR is touring without the rest of the Bad Brains, the notorious punk/hardcore/reggae act he's fronted since it formed in Washington, DC in 1979. After all, the band reconvened this year to issue Build a Nation. Produced by Beastie Boy Adam Yauch, it was a return to form after several ill-advised studio projects for major labels in the '90s. But then, Bad Brains has always been a volatile group that reunites and disbands on a whim. And HR has had a semi-successful solo career (that tends to be more dub-reggae-oriented) and, according to the Bad Brains Web site, he continues to write new material all the time. Dubb Agents and Broadview Gutters open at 9 p.m. at the Grog Shop (2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., 216.321.5588). Tickets: $14 advance, $16 day of show. - JN

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22

The Junior Varsity

The Junior Varsity has brandished the emo-rock blade since 2002 and nestled cozily on the Victory Records roster since 2004, so that pretty much makes them scene veterans by now. The Springfield, Illinois band took the DIY route by self-releasing a buzz-inducing EP while the members were still in college, then followed it up with an album, The Great Compromise, on British Records in 2004. Its star climbed higher when it contributed a cover of "Raining in Baltimore" to Dead and Dreaming, a Counting Crows tribute album. Regional touring helped ink the deal with Chicago-based Victory, the heavyweight in the world of pop-punk and emo. Wide Eyed followed in 2005, as well as a two-year support tour, which included stints on both the 2005 and 2006 Warped Tour. It released its third album, Cinematographic, this summer. This free show, part of the Rock Hall's Summer in the City Concert Series, also features Nicholas Megalis and the TV Oh Dees, who start the show off at 6 p.m. at the Rock Hall. - Brandon Lichtinger

Silverstein

Formed in blustery Bloomington, Ontario in 2000, Silverstein has built up the kind of pedigree to which most bands of its ilk aspire. It signed with Victory Records, former home to kindred spirits Thursday and Taking Back Sunday, in 2003, and did the Warped Tour in 2005, selling over a half-million records in the US. Silverstein continues to play by emo's rules on its new album, Arrivals and Departures, produced by Mark Trombino (blink-182, Jimmy Eat World). Vocalist Shane Told alternates between a plaintive, melodic tenor and the sub-genre's obligatory guttural growl; guitarists Neil Boshart and Josh Bradford channel equal parts of Refused's chugging power chord assault and Judas Priest's squealing virtuosity. Rise Against, Comeback Kid and Smoke round out the bill. The show starts at 7 p.m. at the House of Blues (308 Euclid Ave., 216.241.5555). Tickets: $23-$25. - BL