Before you go, take a gander at what we’ve come up with as a parting gift, beginning with a preview of the next three days, stories about a cause close to Cyndi Lauper’s heart, a psychedelic blast from the past, Paul McCartney’s latest project, a gloomy Cat Power concert in Texas and a few minutes with Carlos Mencia.

Plus if you’re looking for something to do after your trip, we just added new dates for tons of acts, including Gogol Bordello, Confederate Railroad, Whitesnake and The Haunted with All That Remains.

Overnight Sensation …

So we did some negotiation with the head of the department we kidnapped our writer from (parking spaces, refrigerator real estate, pecking order at the water cooler, etc.) and we’re setting her free.

We’re even chipping in for her de-programming. But we did get her to come up with a few things to keep you entertained over the weekend before we took off the chains.

Saturday

Who’s The Boss? Mc Frontalot – The self-proclaimed “World’s 579th Greatest Rapper” and Nerdcore pioneer kicks off a fall trek.

Octopus Project Is Armed For Action – American indietronica outfit Octopus Project is bringing their trademark fuzzy guitar-driven pop across North America.

Sunday

Eternal Damnation – Add another one to your list of reasons to dig out those leather pants! The Damned is about to raise a ruckus.

The Comedy Festival Is Serious Business – Jerry Seinfeld, Ellen DeGeneres, Dane Cook, Katt Williams, Tracy Morgan, and Jeff Dunham headline a two-day Vegas chuckle-fest.

Monday

The Duke Spirit Prepares Tour Treats – England’s The Duke Spirit is crossing the pond to join Eagles of Death Metal on a North American tour.

Mates of State Offer More Dates – The husband and wife duo just added dates to their already loaded Re-Arranger tour itenerary.

Link-O-Rama …

The True Colors Tour may be over for this year, but Cyndi Lauper‘s fight for equal rights for lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgendered people goes on – CNN.com

“Hurdy Gurdy Man” Donovan is still going strong four decades later – Associated Press via The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Sir Paul McCartney unveils Electric Arguments, which will be released under the pseudonym The Fireman, and talks about flying by the seat of his pants in the studio – The Telegraph

Cat Power leaves fans in Dallas wishing they’d gotten to see her show. Literally – Dallas Morning News

A glimpse into the twisted mind of Carlos Mencia – The Seattle Times

Dates, Dates & More Dates …

The gypsy-punk brilliance that is Gogol Bordello is truly a world-wide phenomenon. In fact, the band just added dates for Brazil, Russia, the U.K. and Germany.

Swedish thrash metal rockers The Haunted are teaming up with American metalcore band All That Remains for an early 2009 world invasion. Countries at risk of bleeding ears include the U.K., Germany, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, The Netherlands, France, Belgium and Russia.

Atlanta country collective Confederate Railroad believes in planning ahead. Way, way ahead. The boys have filled in their date books well into next year with places like Edelstein, Ill.; Jacksonville, N.C.; Pigeon Forge, Tenn.; Beaumont, Texas; Biloxi, Miss.; and Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Whitesnake may not have Tawny Kitaen crawling around on the hoods of their cars anymore, but they still know how to rock as hard as any band with half their history. The band just added a six-week run of headlining shows and gigs with Alice Cooper that’s scheduled to touch down in countries like Israel, Cyprus, Swizerland, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, the Ukraine, Russia and Denmark.

And if that’s not enough potential shows for you to sift through, we also updated schedules today for Beastie Boys, Eric Clapton, Lupe Fiasco, Aiden, Bjorn Again, Wayne Brady, Lamb of God and zillions more.

Thanks for joining us today on our musical journey. We hope you have a great weekend, wherever it takes you and we hope you find your way back here bright and early Monday morning.