First it was Kaskade. Now a second world-class DJ is coming to the Expo Hall at the Florida State Fairgrounds: Afrojack.

The Dutch DJ/producer, who scored a global smash last year with Pitbull's Give Me Everything, and is currently the DJ List's 17th-rated DJ in the world, will be in Tampa on June 15. R3hab, Shermanology and other acts will also be part of the star-studded bill. Tickets go onsale Friday through Ticketmaster for $33.50. Click here for details.

Electronic music fans are going to have a busy summer, what with shows by Afrojack, Kaskade, Steve Aoki, Rusko, Avicii, the Sunset Music Festival and the just-announced Downtown Digital fest in St. Pete. And who'da thunk the Florida State Fairgrounds, of all places, would become Rave Central this summer?

-- Jay Cridlin, tbt* ... Read more

You might not know this, but there is a statue memorializing war veterans in Williams Park in downtown St. Petersburg. You may not know there's a fountain there, either. Heck, you may not have even noticed the giant green amphitheatre that sits across the street from historic First United Church St. Pete.

You may not know all of these things because, well, what reason have you ever had to visit Williams Park? Synonymous with St. Pete's ongoing struggles with the homeless, it's rarely been utilized for big, fun, family-friendly public events.

Enter Backline Music Group, which aims to bring Williams Park to life with a series of free pop and rock festivals throughout 2012. The first took place Saturday, with headliners Tonic, Will Hoge and Michael Tolcher (above).

Organizers had received more than 700 responses for VIP tickets, and were hoping for a crowd of 3,000. An unexpected rain shower on Saturday afternoon no doubt put a dent in those figures, but it didn't matter -- the vibe was fresh, fun and proof that Williams Park can absolutely be reinvented. ... Read more

As spring heats up into summer, we're starting to see more and more big-time DJs come to town. Last week it was Excision at the Ritz Ybor. In the coming weeks, we'll see SBTRKT, Zeds Dead, Rusko, Hot Pink Delorean, Ferry Corsten and Sander Van Doorn come to town. (To say nothing of DJ Pauly D this weekend!)

But this one has us scratching our heads.

According to his Facebook and Ticketmaster, dubstep superstar Kaskade is bringing his "Freaks of Nature Tour" to Tampa on July 13 for a show at ... the Florida State Fairgrounds' Expo Hall.

Huh? ... Read more

In what might be the most entertaining bit of Republican National Convention news so far this year, the convention's host committee has compiled an official list of potential venues for GOP parties during the last week of August.

Among the 73 venues that made the cut: Czar Vodka Bar. Yes. Ybor City's indie-electro haven for skinny-jeaned, feather-headbanded, trendily coiffed hipsters looking to dance themselves clean. Home to concerts by the likes of The Hold Steady, Kool Keith, Yelawolf, !!!, The Glitch Mob, Peter Bjorn and John, Matt & Kim and -- lest we forget -- after-parties for Fetish Con, pictured above.

We don't care which Republican group books Czar for a party. We now want an invite.

Other concert venues that made the list of 73 make more sense: The Dallas Bull, for sure, as well as Jannus Live, the Club at Treasure Island, the Mahaffey Theater, the Straz Center, the Cuban Club, the Improv, the Venue, Push Ultra Lounge and the Tampa Theatre. We also love the fact that Dolce Vita at Channelside Cinemas -- a hip-hop hangout where this recently happened -- is on the list.

For more, check out Jodie Tillman's story. ... Read more