Events

[ROCK] It seems like a strange pairing, but Blondie is enough of a universally liked band to charm the Melissa Etheridge clan. The New York City-based six-piece spent last year on the road in support of Ghosts of Download, a mostly electronic set of new songs released in conjunction with Blondie 4(0) Ever, which featured re-recordings of their most well-known material. Neither collection was quite up to snuff and the double-disc set suffered from poor distribution, but Blondie has little to prove, constantly filling venues since reforming in the late 1990s and charming the nostalgia crowd anxious to hear “Rapture” and “The Tide is High.” The 2015 incarnation of Blondie—featuring three original members—may not bowl you over with punk irreverence, but the band remains tight and Debbie Harry, turning 70 this week, is still very much a bewitching focal point. Etheridge, meanwhile, self-released her twelfth studio disc of original material, This is M.E., last fall. Assisted by co-producers RoccStar and Jerry Wonda, she tries some fun new tricks, vacillating between a shuffling hip-hop vibe and some blues-rooted fare that suits her well. The two come together at the Artpark Amphitheater on Tuesday, July 7.