THURSDAY, AUGUST 2
Bush Don’t judge Bush too harshly for touring with Nickelback — a band’s gotta eat, right? Singer/guitarist Gavin Rossdale continues to lead the British alt-rock band with original drummer Robin Goodridge, and newer ranking members, guitarist Chris Traynor and bassist Corey Britz, who took over for Nigel Pulsford and Dave Parsons when Rossdale re-formed Bush in 2010 and they declined to join him. Bush returns to the Ritz for a show presented as part of the “Jim Beam Live Music Series.” Expect a set featuring their Bush-stamped version of The Beatles’ “Come Together” (originally recorded for the series) along with cuts off 2011’s The Sea of Memories, their first LP in nearly a decade, and all the ’90s hits — “Glycerine,” “Everything’s Zen,” “Machinehead,” “Comedown” and the like. (The Ritz Ybor, Ybor City)

Rock the Park w/Johnny Cakes and the Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypso/Serotonic/Renee Proffitt THX Management kicks off the August edition of its monthly Rock the Park series with a percussive-fueled, brass-splashed blend of punk, ska, calypso and reggae rock by Johnny Cakes, along with delicate pretty acoustic folk-rock songstress Renee Proffitt and the sax sexy funk and jazz of Serotonic, which has been known to cover the likes of Galactic, Soulive and Medeski, Martin & Wood. Cellphone reps will be on hand pimping a cool new (and free) eMe Music app that delivers info about the local music and nightlife scene. (Curtis Hixon Park, downtown Tampa)

Afropop 2 A showcase of mic-rocking rhyming and singing emcees, spoken word artists and vocalists from around the Bay area, including Hittman & Manolo, Davida Belove, Ryell featuring AP, Venus Jones and Lioness. (Tampa Improv, Ybor City)

FRIDAY, AUGUST 3
Yo Majesty w/Aych/PF Gang/Heights NS Locals enjoy a rare hip-hop treat when the three original rhyme-flipping women of Yo Majesty — Shunda K, who’s also celebrating her birthday, Shon D and Jwl B — come together for a headlining gig at Crowbar to perform a mix of their crunkified-aggro tracks like “Kryptonite Pussy,” “Club Action,” “Monkey” and “Don’t Let Go,” among others. A strong lineup of support acts round out the Friday night bill. (Crowbar, Ybor City)

The Lacs Clay “Uncle Snap” Sharpe and Brian “Rooster” King are The Lacs (Loud Ass Crackers), a hip-hop duo from Georgia who proudly tout redneck ideals — blacking out on Wild Turkey, kicking up mud in their four-wheel drives, living in a country boy’s paradise with “wild women in white T-shirts” — and infuse their sound with Southern pop-rock swagger. Their 2012 sophomore album, 190 Proof, finds the usual mix of drawling dirt road rhymes with a bonus guest spot by Big & Rich on “Shake It” (“I ain’t never seen no country girl shake it like that”). Not thinking man’s music by a long stretch, but better than Uncle Kracker. (The Round-Up, Tampa)

Identity Fest II w/Eric Prydz/Wolfgang Gartner/Excision/Showtek/Eva Simons/Le Castle Vania/Arty/Noisia/Doctor P/The Eye/many more Big traveling festivals often offer a cross-selection of sounds reflecting what’s happening within a specific genre. Identity Fest (aka ID Fest) focuses on EDM and brings two stages worth of dance music acts to amphitheaters around the U.S. The second annual edition is headed up by Swedish-born, London-based progressive house heavyweight Eric Prydz, best known here for 2009 single “Call on Me”; the song’s main refrain riffs on a sample of Steve Winwood’s “Valerie” and its sexy aerobics video hit viral heights, clocking more than 36 million YouTube views. Among the other noteworthies, Wolfgang Gartner brings American electro house to the bill; Canadian export Excision’s integrates drum n’ bass, heavy metal, and hip hop into his dramatic brand of dubstep; Dutch brothers Sjoerd and Wouter Janssen deliver hardstyle dance as Showtek, while fellow countrywoman Eva Simons serves club bangin’ pop (and was the voice featured in Afrojack’s 2011 hit single “Take Over Control” and more recently in wil.i.am’s single “This Is Love”); and Le Castle Vania reps the indietronic angle direct from Atlanta. (1-800-Ask-Gary Amphitheatre, Tampa)

SATURDAY, AUGUST 4
Summer Jams 2012 Benefit & Awareness Concert St. Pete native Jermaine is a survivor of sickle cell anemia who grew up singing in the youth choir and now uses his powerful vocals and mix of R&B, gospel, and hip hop to uplift and inspire while spreading awareness about and raising funds for worthy charities and their causes. He’s joined by a variety of other musical performers, dancers and America’s Super Choir for this latest benefit concert, which benefits the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, West Coast AIDS Foundation, Lupus Foundation of Florida, Sierra Club of Tampa Bay, Florida Suncoast Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure and Jermaine’s own nonprofit, Evening Star Foundation. (Ferguson Hall at Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa)

Gypsy Star Band This particular locally based Latin and gypsy jazz sextet infuses worldly diverse instrumental flavor into their slinky, swaying compositions, which are marked by exotic flute flourishes, layers of rhythmic texture from claves, castanets, shakers, congas and other percussive instruments, finger-picked nylon-stringed acoustic guitar, and mesmerizing female vocals. (Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg)