Music notes: Travel Back to Woodstock at the Arcada

Memory lane

Fans of rock from the 1960s and 1970s should not miss Back to Woodstock, a concert featuring original members of Big Brother & the Holding Company, the band that backed the late Janis Joplin. Acclaimed rock/blues singer Lynn Asher will deliver lead vocals.

7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 18, at the Arcada Theatre, 105 E. Main St., St. Charles. Tickets start at $19. Go to oshows.com.

Rock innovators

Yeasayer takes a kitchen-sink approach to pop music, mixing in a bit of everything — '80s synth pop, garage rock, soul, etc. (The band has also become known for its inventive and sometimes surreal videos.) Its last full-length record, “Odd Blood,” was a critical smash in 2010, and the band follows it up with “Fragrant World” (Secretly Canadian), out next week.

8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 22, at the Vic Theatre, 3145 N. Sheffield Ave., Chicago. $24. Go to jamusa.com.

Monkees on tour!

Fans of 1960s pop group the Monkees, saddened by the death of Davy Jones earlier this year, have reason to cheer once again: Michael Nesmith, who has rarely performed with the band since leaving it decades ago, will reunite with surviving members Mickey Dolenz and Peter Tork for a fall tour. Nesmith was a key force in the band's early days. He penned some great songs (“Mary Mary,” “You Just May Be the One,” “The Girl I Knew Somewhere”) and gave the group's sound a unique country-rock kick with his twangy lead guitar and Texas-accented vocals. The band will arrive in town this November, and there's no telling whether Nesmith and Co. will do this again, so get your tickets now!

Tickets on sale now for the Monkees, who will perform on Nov. 16 at the Chicago Theatre, 175 N. State St., Chicago. $63 to $78. Go to ticketmaster.com.