Pop star Katy Perry has had the No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, "I Kissed a Girl," for five straight weeks.

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Katy Perry to play free CatFest, just to try it Pop singer Katy Perry to play at UA pep rally

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Pop star Katy Perry, who kissed a girl, if you believe her ubiquitous summer jam, will be playing a free show near the University of Arizona on Friday, Aug. 29.

As part of CatFest 2008, Perry will perform an hourlong set beginning around 7:30 p.m. in the Main Gate Square area. The outdoor show will follow Bear Down Friday — the pep rally series held the Friday before every home football game.

"Timing worked out well, to say the least," said Tommy Bruce, president of the Associated Students of the University of Arizona. "We got her far before she had the No. 1 song in America."

Bruce said he inquired about Perry in May after hearing "I Kissed a Girl" a couple times on the radio. She was available and in the right price range, so ASUA booked her for CatFest.

Since then Perry has blown up. Her hit is currently liplocked at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 for the fifth straight week.

— Kevin W. Smith

R&B songstress Alicia Keys is still coming Sept. 28, but not to the UA's Centennial Hall.

The show has been moved to the much larger Casino del Sol AVA, 5655 W. Valencia Road.

Tickets were to go on sale Friday for the Centennial Hall show. AVA officials on Wednesday had not set an on-sale date because contracts have not been finalized.

Keys' Tucson show is part of her swing through smaller theaters following a 2007 arena tour. Centennial Hall seats 2,500; the AVA can hold 5,000.

Also, it was announced this week that Keys will be dueting with Jack White of the White Stripes on the theme song to the upcoming James Bond flick, "Quantum of Solace."

— Cathalena E. Burch

Phoenix's The Love Me Nots were set for stardom a couple years ago and . . . they're still waiting.

One of the few Arizona bands to get national ink from magazines like Spin, The Love Me Nots have since swapped out half of their lineup.

In addition to the new bassist and drummer, the band has a new album, "Detroit," again helmed by Jim Diamond. The CD keeps the fuzzy, organ-driven garage rock that made its 2007 self-titled debut so much fun.

The 13-song "Detroit" also sounds more confident and quick-paced than last year's effort, relying less on ballads and more on straight-ahead rockers.

The band will celebrate the CD's release with a Friday night show at Club Congress. Tickets are $5. Opening are Tucson's The Mission Creeps and Wooly Bandits, a band out of Los Angeles. Doors open at 9 p.m.

Local folk artist Andrew Collberg is having a release party for his new EP Friday at Solar Culture. The self-titled EP is full of breezy, summery '60s-style numbers.

Also on the bill is Austin singer-songwriter Mario Matteoli, a former member of The Weary Boys. His latest CD, "Golden State," is likewise marked by a throwback, lovestruck style that harkens She and Him.

Rounding out the lineup is a promising new local act, The Fell City Shouts, who bring a kind of backroads blues with coed vocals that are equal parts rough and soft. Good stuff.

The show is $5 and begins at 9 p.m.

—Kevin W. Smith

Brooklyn's KaiserCartel isn't headlining the show Friday at Plush, but it should be.

The two-piece plays poppy and sometimes slow-paced, delicate, harmonic tunes that will ease the tension in your shoulders after a long week.

The band's reps say that by the end of a show, the duo makes it a priority to walk through the audience and serenade onlookers.

KaiserCartel plays at 10:30 p.m., followed by local act Redlands at 11:30. Local Jeremy Michael Cashman kicks off the show at 9:30.

Tickets are a cool $5.

Thao With The Get Down Stay Down sounds like Feist fronting a bouncy Americana band.

The band, which has roots in Washington, D.C., and San Francisco, will play Solar Culture at 9 p.m. Monday for $8.

Opening is Portland's Horse Feathers, a band that falls somewhere between Nick Drake and Andrew Bird.

—Kevin W. Smith

One of those bands that keeps on going despite all odds, Germany's Scorpions play AVA on Tuesday. The band that dominated charts worldwide for much of the '80s is perhaps best known for the 1984 song "Rock You Like a Hurricane."

Tickets range from $25 to $65 and are available at casinodel sol.ticketforce.com. The show starts at 7:30 p.m.

—Kevin W. Smith

If you were worrying, don't.

Kenny Loggins is all right. Nobody worry about him. Why you got to give him a fight? Why don't you just let him be?

OK, well, Loggins will get footloose at 7 p.m. next Thursday night at Desert Diamond Casino.

Tickets are $32-$45 at ticketmaster.com in advance.