By Jeanne Sager
BETHEL — May 5, 2006 – Country, rock and bubblegum pop are coming to Bethel.
The much-anticipated line-up for the first summer at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts is complete . . . almost.
Although officials remain mum on the complete line-up for summer (the performing arts center’s Web-site once promised details on Woodstock Weekend sometime in April, and it’s since been changed to May), five more weekends of music have been spelled out for fans looking to buy their way onto the grounds.
The March announcement that the New York Philharmonic would indeed be opening the center with a July 1 performance and announcements of a planned jazz festival and Woodstock reunion weekend were augmented this week with a long list of other performers and ticket prices.
Officials hope pop princess Ashlee Simpson (sister of well-known Newlywed-headed-for-divorce Jessica) will bring a younger crowd into Bethel Woods on July 21.
Simpson will perform along with Australian identical twins the Veronicas, whose full-length debut album was released earlier this year by Sire.
Tickets for the show will go on sale Saturday, May 13, at 10 a.m.
Country singer Brad Paisley, whose “The World” is currently sitting on the Billboard Hot 100, is expected to round up the county’s country fans.
Paisley’s Time Well Wasted tour will roll into Bethel on July 28 with Eric Church (whose “How ‘Bout You” is currently on Country Music Television’s Top 20).
Tickets for that show will also be on sale next Saturday.
Rock stars the Goo Goo Dolls will be making a second appearance in Bethel on August 9 – the band who just released a new album last month was one of the top names at A Day in the Garden in 1998.
The Dolls are touring with Counting Crows this summer, the band that became an overnight sensation in the mid-1990s with the release of “Mr. Jones.”
They’ve enjoyed popularity most recently with “Accidentally in Love,” featured on the soundtrack for “Shrek 2.”
Fans can start buying up tickets for the show on May 13.
Phil Lesh, a founding member of the Grateful Dead, will bring along “and Friends” as well as Trey Anastasio and Mike Gordon (who will be featuring the Benevento Russo Duo) on July 9.
Lesh and Friends has toured with Bob Dylan in the past and features Callicoon Center resident Joan Osborne (best known for her hit “One of Us” back in the ‘90s).
Tickets for that show will also go on sale on Saturday, May 13.
Another add-on to the schedule is the August 26 performance of the Boston Pops, who will appear with popular conductor Keith Lockhart (who hails from Poughkeepsie).
The Pops will bring Broadway to Bethel with tunes from “Chicago,” “Guys and Dolls” and “42nd Street.”
Tony Award-winning singer Faith Prince will accompany the Pops for a tribute to Leonard Bernstein and the musicals of Jerome Robbins.
Tickets for the show will be on sale on Tuesday, May 9 at 10 a.m.
Officials have also spelled out more of the details for the Jazz Festival set for July 22 and 23.
Curated by Dianne Reeves (seen most recently in Academy Award-nominated “Good Night, and Good Luck”) the festival will host George Benson and John Pizzarelli on the 22nd and nine-time Grammy Award-winning trumpeter Wynton Marsalis on the 23rd.
The following schedule is the most complete, up-to-date listing available:
• New York Philharmonic with Audra McDonald and Lang Lang on July 1 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $55, $35, $20 for lawn
• Phil Lesh & Friends with Trey Anastasio & Mike Gordon featuring The Benevento Russo Duo, July 9 at 5:30 p.m. (no ticket prices listed yet)
• Ashlee Simpson and The Veronicas July 21 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $35 and $15 for lawn
• Jazz Festival Weekend July 22 & 23 at 2 p.m. Tickets for the July 22 show are $55, $35, $20 for lawn, and tickets for the July 23 show are $65, $35 and $20 for lawn seating. An $80 two-day reserved seat pass is also available
• Brad Paisley and Eric Church July 28 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $46 or $30.50 for lawn seating
• Goo Goo Dolls and Counting Crows, August 9 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $65, $45, $35 and $25 for lawn
• Woodstock Weekend, August 12 & 13 (no more info released yet)
• Boston Pops with Faith Prince August 26 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $55, $35, and $20 for the lawn.