The South Bay’s summer music lineup heats up this week with the arrival of the interesting mix of one of pop music’s biggest divas, tripped-out R&B and eardrum-blasting metal.

June 26: Erykah Badu at Mountain Winery
Inspired by hip hop, R&B and jazz, iconoclast Erykah Badu helped launch the neo-soul movement with her debut in 1997. The eccentric balladeer, with her Billie Holiday-textured voice and self-chosen surname inspired by her favorite scatting sound, has been redefining modern soul and her image ever since.

The four-time Grammy award-winner comes to the Mountain Winery in Saratoga this month just after a critically acclaimed collaboration with the Brooklyn Philharmonic and just before heading to SoCal to perform at BET Experience at L.A. Live.

Since releasing her fifth studio album, New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh), a couple years ago, the Dallas native has teamed up with other artists, including Flying Lotus, Rocketjuice and the Moon, Bonobo and Tyler the Creator for collaborations.

Judging by reviews from her shows earlier this spring, expect a lot of throwback Badu favorites, like “Tyrone,” and “On and On,” but also freestyling and psychedelic jams with her electro-funk band the Cannabinoids.

June 30: Mayhem Festival at Shoreline Amphitheatre
A legion of metalheads will flock to the Shoreline for the second stop of the Mayhem Festival 2013, a hard-and-heavy rock event whose main draws this year include Rob Zombie, Five Finger Death Punch, Mastadon and Amon Amarth.

Rob Zombie is the biggest draw this year, riding the high from the April debut of his fifth solo studio album, “Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor,” which landed at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 albums chart the first week of it’s release.

Event sponsor Rockstar energy drink will fuel up the crowd for a long day of headbanging by passing out free samples of the caffeine soda while setting up meet-and-greets with some of the 18-band lineup, which also includes Children of Bodom, Shores of Acheron, Attika 7 and Thrown Into Exile.

June 2: Beyonce at HP Pavilion
After a jaunt across Europe where she stunned the world with sequin-splashed golden-nippled costumes and explosive pyrotechnics, Queen Bey comes full circle back to Cali this summer to kick off the North American part of The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour. Beyonce touches down at San Jose’s HP Pavilion July 2–an already sold-out show–in her fourth global concert tour.

Critics have praised the Carter show for its mash-up of old-world grandiloquence (ermine-trimmed capes, caged skirts and other Louis XVI-style attire), Broadway-style dance numbers, big-budget special effects and a whole lot of ass shaking. All the focus on areola-accentuating get-ups and elaborate fireworks displays has overshadowed any mention of the pop queen’s voice, a less-miasmic but no less commanding counterpart to a lot of leading R&B divas.

A second Beyoncé show was scheduled at HP Pavilion for December 2 to meet demand. Tickets go on sale July 1 at 10am.

Beyonce fans who didn’t get a ticket to her sold-out show at HP Pavilion on July 2 will have another chance to catch Mrs. Carter in San Jose with a new show announced for December.

The show on December 2 is part of an extension of her “Mrs. Carter Show” world tour. Tickets for the show go on sale at 10am on July 1 for $45 to $250. The show scheduled for July 2 at HP pavilion sold out the first day tickets were released.

Mick Jagger knows how to personalize a show. In between cries of “San Ho-zay!” and a nod to the Sharks, Jagger recalled playing the San Jose Civic Auditorium all the way back in 1965. Either he has an amazing memory, or a good patter researcher.

Jagger regaled the large, all-standing crowd at HP Pavilion with a great (if surely apocryphal anecdote) about a ’70s tour when he met “two guys named Steve working with a bunch of wires in a garage,” who asked him to be part of an invention that would change the world.

“I said, no thanks, that’ll never work,” quipped Jagger.

Of course, by now, the Rolling Stones are the biggest rock & roll band in the world just as Apple is the richest company in the world (give our take the day’s stock price), and they gave a rousing two-hour-plus set to drive the point home.

After a dispensable video montage of Stones fans remembering their crush on the band, the show started just after 9pm with “Get Off of My Cloud,” as the trim if grizzled figures of Jagger, Keith Richards, Ron Wood and Charlie Watts (with Darryl Jones on bass) emerged in front of a large screen topped by a huge inflated upper lip.

PHOTOS: More images from the HP Pavilion concert

The opening numbers felt a bit unsteady, but “Paint It Black” was as rich and chilling as ever, with its downright apocalyptic plea: “I want to see the sun blotted out from the sky.”

Also from the band’s early days, “It’s All Over Now” sounded sharp, and was amped up with guest guitar work by John Fogerty. Richards, generally laid-back seemed energized by Fogerty’s roaring solo work and added his best licks of the night so far.

Also on the guest-star list was Bonnie Raitt, who is as weather-beaten as Richards these days, doing a nasty duet with Jagger on “Let It Bleed.”

But the signal add-on of the night was Mick Taylor, the Stone’s guitarist from 1969 to 1974. Taylor helped the band scorch its way through “Midnight Rambler” and “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” The latter was given added depth by the SJSU Choir, which provided the necessary soaring backup vocals.

Aside from a few clunkers—“Emotional Rescue” has never worked, and never will; Richards’ vocals on “Before They Make Me Run” and “Happy” were desultory; Mick needs to jettison the feather cape on “Sympathy for the Devil,” it makes him look like Big Bird in mourning—the show felt thrilling and alive, even if these were songs most of the audience knew by heart. There’s a fine line between nostalgia and timelessness, and the Stones know which side to come down on. Otherwise, the spectacle of a 70-year-old man in tights gesturing like a spastic mime and imitating snake slithers with his arms would be ridiculous by now—but somehow It never grows stale.

The centerpiece of the night—and proof that the Stones still matter a hell of a lot—was a sensational version of “Gimme Shelter.” The song, with its heartfelt cries for relief from the overwhelming tragedies of history, nature and evil (including the devil we are supposed to sympathize with), can raise the hackles on one’s neck. Lisa Fisher injected the song with her full-bore upper-register vocals, proving a worthy match for Jagger in the “it’s just kiss away, kiss away” section.

Other memorable moments: Ron Wood’s sensational turns on slide guitar and general sense of joyous abandon; and Richards’ penetrating solo on “Sympathy for the Devil.”

The night wound up with, naturally, “Satisfaction,” another song that has never lost its relevance—the world is more full of “useless information/supposed to fire my imagination” than ever, thanks to the Internet and the world-changing invention Mick supposedly saw in that garage.

Taylor returned to the stage for some powerhouse guitar work, and Wood, Taylor and Richards, pressing together in front of Watts’ drum kit, looked like they were having the time of their lives—proof that you can turn back the clock again and again.

The buzz around San Jose yesterday reached a peak when the Rolling Stones hit the stage at HP Pavilion for the final Bay Area stop of their “50 Years and Counting” tour.

Photos by Metro photographer Aron Cooperman.

In the months since Seattle hip-hop duo Macklemore and Ryan Lewis released their debut album, The Heist, last October, their rapid rise to pop stardom has been fueled primarily by the sleeper success of their single “Thrift Shop.”

Equipped with a catchy hook and infectious sax melody, and a playful video tailor-made for a viral world (it currently sits at 250 million views on YouTube), the song and group are now inescapable.

But Macklemore and Ryan Lewis are more than just the latest meme to score a few million hits on YouTube and fade to static. The duo has emerged as one of the loudest voices in pop music to stand in support of gay marriage with its latest single, “Same Love.” The track has become an anthem for the cause for straights and gays, alike.

The unlikely pop stars make a stop in San Jose on May 9 at HP Pavilion as part of Wild 94.9’s Wild Jam, an unlikely pairing with Chris Brown headlining. It’s quite the upgrade considering their last local gig was at Santa Cruz’s Catalyst in October.

Love Supreme

Chances are, those who have followed the Macklemore and Ryan Lewis video trail on YouTube have already seen the particularly potent video for their fourth single, “Same Love.”

The humanizing clip follows a gay man throughout his lifetime, following him initially coming to terms with his sexuality, finding love with another man and enjoying that partnership through his final days.

“When I was in third grade, I thought I was gay / ’cause I could draw, my uncle was, and I kept my room straight,” confesses Macklemore in the song’s opening lines. As he’s quick to note, though, his mother soon shot down his hypothesis. “I told my Mom, tears rushing down my face. / She’s like ‘Ben, you’ve loved girls since before pre-K.'” This important childhood moment helps the rapper better understand his young perceived reality. “I remember doing the math, like ‘Yeah, I’m good at Little League,’ a pre-conceived idea of what it all meant.”

It’s a fearless statement properly contextualized by Ellen DeGeneres when she declared, “No other artists in hip-hop history have ever taken a stand defending marriage equality the way they have, ” before their Ellen performance. Released last July, the video currently has 37 million views.

“I cried and listened to it three times,” says San Jose Pride CFO and publicist Eydie Mendoza when asked about her initial response. “It was very exciting to hear a very current, modern, beautiful representation of that struggle.”

When gay marriage equality profile pictures started popping up on Facebook after the U.S. Supreme Court first heard the case arguing California’s Prop. 8, Mendoza used the song to help promote the campaign on SJ Pride’s Facebook page.

“Same Love” has struck a chord at an important crossroads for marriage equality, with the Supreme Court Prop. 8 decision due soon, and the recent news of NBA player Jason Collins announcing that he is gay.

Nori Herras, who works in administration and outreach at the Billy DeFrank Silicon Valley LGBT Center, admits she and many in the LGBT community have been “white-knuckling it” the past two years. From the possibility of Mitt Romney taking presidential office to the upcoming rulings on the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and the court fight over Prop. 8, it’s been an uncertain road toward equality. Yet the success of “Same Love” looks to be helping.

Herras, who identifies as transgender, says the song’s recent recognition has been a big deal for the community. “Same Love” has been mentioned many times among youth at the center. She remembers being blown away when she first heard the song on the radio.

“This song has the ability to have a major shift in consciousness toward the current negativity toward the LGBT community as well as same-sex marriage,” she states. “Hopefully, it can reduce bullying in schools as well and it can give an opportunity for growing and burgeoning gay-straight alliances to be stronger.”

In the Bay Area, the song has received overwhelming support. According to Live 105 on-air DJ Dallas, the station has only received one negative response since it hit Bay Area radio waves. “It’s one of our most requested songs, and it gets a lot of people thanking us,” he said.

Students at San Jose State University might see a few familiar faces when the Rolling Stones hit stage at HP Pavilion on May 8.

For the Rolling Stones’ “50 & Counting” anniversary tour dates in New York and London last year, they tapped the Choir of Trinity Wall Street and the London Youth Choir to sing the intro to “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.”

The experiment worked, and now the Stones have asked the San Jose State Choraliers to back them up at Oracle Arena on May 5 and HP Pavilion on May 8.

Dr. Jeffrey Benson, director of the SJSU choral program, received a call from London before the tour hit California.

“They had asked their buddies in southern California, ‘Who’s the best choir in northern California?’ and we were highly recommended,” Benson says.

The Choraliers have long been considered on of the best in northern California and recently backed Andrea Bocelli at HP last November in front of 20,000 people.

Benson’s recently retired predecessor, Dr. Charlene Archibeque, significantly developed the program after her arrival in 1970. What started as a small group of 12 madrigal singers quickly became a larger auditioned chamber ensemble. The SJSU Choraliers went on to win Choir of the World in 1991 as well as six other first prizes at European festivals.

Those trying to see the Stones might consider joining the SJSU choir in the next couple weeks. Tuition at SJSU looks cheaper than some tickets.

Rihanna shined bright, loud and long Saturday night as San Jose played host to the pop star’s ‘Diamonds’ World Tour, a showcase of the singer’s resume of hits, theatrics and her well-groomed image as one of pop music’s leading provocateurs.

The singer, who emerged as Jay Z’s protege in 2005 and unleashed a string hits that continues to dominate the charts today, showed off the many turns of her career during the nearly two hour performance, from the cute reggae “Pon de Replay” vibe from her early years to the blunt-smoking, tattooed S&M bad girl image she promotes today in magazines and Instagram photos.

Opening in a prayer-like pose dressed in a black cape, Rihanna started with her good-girl look, solemnly singing “Mother Mary” with dancers in modest, neck-to-toe black clothing surrounded by staged ancient Roman décor.

Channeling the hardness from her most recent album Unapologetic, Rihanna moved into her next sequence shedding the cape and singing sexed-up hits including “Birthday Cake” and “Cockiness.” It was all tough and sexy business, complete with crotch grabbing and booty popping, yet withholding mystery as her outfit revealed only the slightest of skin.

PHOTOS: More Images from Rihanna’s Diamonds World Tour at HP Pavilion.

As a rock ‘n’ roll motif emerged, RiRi came out in a sexy NASCAR jumpsuit and broke out the air guitar with a rock-ified version of Ginuwine’s R&B hit “Pony” with bursts of fire warming the crowd. Musically, the band and backup singers did most of the heavy lifting until the coke-bottle songstress brought out more hits like “My Love is Your Love” and “Rude Boy.”” This time, dancers reappeared in oversized baseball jerseys, hoop earrings and baseball caps circa 1990s Mary J. Blige.

The good girl gone bad slowed it down in a red-hot dress singing the sensual “Love and Affection” off her latest album, immediately rendering a loud roar from the crowd cheering on her every body roll against the mic stand. Followed by a sequence of fast, high-energy dance dance tracks, complete with lasers. A few minutes into “Where Have You Been” the Barbadian beauty made a tour around the crowd in front of the stage, swiping audience hands and even giving hugs.

As the nearly two-hour show reached its end just before midnight, the crowd didn’t lose energy as Rhianna started her tour’s namesake “Diamonds” in an encore.

“You have truly set the bar for the rest of the tour and I’m not just saying that,” she told the crowd. “I’ve been wanting to come to the Bay for a while and now we can’t wait to come back.”

Despite relying heavily on backup singers (and possibly prerecorded tracks), the unapologetic singer gave us a big, bright, memorable show. And with so many musical merits including several Grammy’s, it’s easy to forget she’s only 25.

Saturday’s show gave us a taste of her multiple music personalities, putting us on a pop hit bender and proving she’s not slowing down anytime soon.

The Rolling Stones announced this morning that they will stop in San Jose on their latest world tour.

The “50 and Counting” tour starts in Los Angeles at the Staples Center (date TBA), followed by a May 5 concert in Oakland at Oracle Arena and and a stop at HP Pavilion on May 8. Tickets for the Bay Area shows go on-sale on April 8 at 10am through the band’s web site, rollingstones.com. After the Bay Area dates the tour will continue in Las Vegas, Anaheim, Toronto, Chicago, Boston and Philadelphia.

If those shows sell quickly, as expected, more dates could follow in global markets.

The first time I heard about Pink was when my 7th-grade choir teacher in suburban Doylestown, Pa., was freaking out about her former student, Alecia Moore, having a video on MTV. This was during the time of flash-in-the-pan boy bands like NSync and 98 Degrees, and flaxen-haired Tiger Beat staples like Mandy Moore and Brittany Spears. I figured Pink was more of the same.

Thirteen years later, she has proven to be one of the most consistent and entertaining pop stars of the last decade. Pink’s success includes three Grammys, several popular tours, and six studio albums that have sold 40 million copies worldwide.

PHOTOS: More photos from Pink’s concert at HP Pavilion

Through it all, she has been herself—a hard-working musician and performer who always maintains an edge but never causes tabloid-fodder drama. During her “The Truth About Love” tour stop at HP Pavilion on Monday night, it was clear why she was always meant for bigger things. Despite the fact that there were 13 large, image-rich screens and about 20 backup singers, dancers and band members all vying for the audience’s attention, you couldn’t take your eyes off Pink.

The show kicked off with a game show host/ringmaster plucking the singer out of the crowd as a Truth About Love Show contestant. After a couple minutes of a funny intro video, she emerged onstage in a leather-studded body suit and was lifted up into the air by three beefy dancers, swinging and twirling and bungee-jumping over the crowd.

She showed off her six-pack abs for most of the concert (after you see how much everyone sweats during the show, they are definitely hard-earned), as well as her pipes. You know you’re watching an amazing singer when she can belt out half a song while hanging upside-down with her legs entwined in ropes.

The concert’s acrobatics rivaled those of the Olympic gymnastics trials that were held in the same venue back in the summer. Both the singer and her multiple, sculpted dancers were often doing flips in harnesses 40 feet above the stage and crawling around in blinking cages as they flew through the air.

Judging by applause, most of the crowd members had been to her show before, and this time they came bearing gifts: screaming, pink-coiffed fans handed Pink stuffed animals and hand-made T-shirts throughout the performance, which she humbly accepted.

While she’s impressive on the radio or in videos, it’s hard to truly appreciate Pink until you’ve seen her live. The way she effortlessly busts out tear-jerking ballads, glides across the stage as she dances and banters with the crowd while genuinely appearing to have a good time is something you don’t see with just any Clive Davis-anointed singer.

View more photos of Pink at HP Pavilion.

Watch the throne, and kiss the ring. There is no escape: 2013 is shaping up to be the Year of Beyoncé. Taking a page from the Madonna playbook, Queen Bey announced today that she’s hitting the road for an international tour that will stop in San Jose.

After a mostly unremarkable halftime show with her Destiny’s Child cohorts (although, those outfits were quite impressive),  Beyoncé used the Monday morning post-Super Bowl buzz to announce the Mrs. Carter World Tour.

The tour stops in San Jose at HP Pavilion on July 2. Tickets go on Sale February 11 with pricing at $253, $128, 88 and $48. It should sell out quickly.

http://youtu.be/CEuNrxeRz6M

More details from Live Nation:

With stops in twenty European cities, including Dublin, Ireland; Berlin, Germany; Paris, France and a four-night stint at The 02 in London, UK, this is Beyoncé’s first multi-city tour in over three years.

Beyoncé’s North American Tour begins on June 28 in Los Angeles, California. The tour will travel to over twentycities throughout North America this summer, including Brooklyn, New York at the Barclays Center, Atlanta, Georgia, at the Gwinnett Center, Houston, Texas at the Toyota Center, Toronto, Ontario at Air Canada Centre, and Boston, Massachusetts at TD Garden.

On June 28, Beyoncé returns to Los Angeles, California as part of the BET Experience At L.A. Live at the Staples Center.  She is set to headline the first of the three-night STAPLES Concert series.   And continuing her successful run at international music festivals, following a headlining night at Glastonbury in 2011, she is confirmed to headline at the world’s largest music festival, Rock in Rio, on its first night, September 13 at the “City of Rock” in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.   Rock in Rio has set records for its massive crowds and its powerful media drive.

Beyoncé at the Super Bowl.

Beyoncé at the Super Bowl.