Flaming Lips Rocking Earth Day Fest

The free event kicks off at noon and will also feature moe., Los Lobos, DJ Spooky and the Joy of Motion Dance Center’s teen hip hop company, Urban Impact.

In case you were wondering what Chevy Chase’s been up to – guess what? Mr. National Lampoon is hugging a tree or two himself and emceeing the event.

Organizers Green Apple Festival and Earth Day Network are putting on free concerts the same day in nine other major U.S. cities as a thank you to volunteers who participate in Earth Day environmental projects.

The volunteer projects are going down this weekend April 17-19 in Atlanta; Austin, Texas; Boston; Chicago; Denver; Los Angeles; New York City; San Francisco and Seattle, as well as in Washington D.C. Activities will focus on climate change solutions including tree planting, energy efficiency retrofits, water protection, urban gardens and forest restoration.

Artists participating in the volunteer concerts include Galactic, Travis Tritt, Soulive, Cracker, Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, Cary Brothers, Deep Banana Blackout featuring Fred Wesley, Bassnectar and the Blue Scholars. All artists will also be bringing along some special “friends” to each show.

All volunteer shows take place April 19 except for the Travis Tritt show in Austin, Texas, which takes place April 20. For a volunteer concert lineup, click here.
Hopefully Mother Earth is on her best behavior for her outdoor D.C. party.

Last year’s Earth Day concert in D.C. was halted by an electrical storm. After a 50-minute delay the event was back in business but was then canceled for good because of the bad weather, according to the Washington Post.

O.A.R., Umphrey’s McGee, Allman Brothers Band guitarist Warren Haynes and “American Idol” Season 6 finalist Blake Lewis squeezed in performances before the event was deemed a washout. Haynes’ southern rock/jam band Gov’t Mule didn’t get a chance to take the stage. Neither did Toots and the Maytals, Thievery Corporation, The Roots or special guests Doug E. Fresh and will.i.am.

Volunteers are still needed for the environmental projects taking place in parks, beaches, schools and forests. Head over to greenapplefestival.com to check out volunteer events in each city. A link will then take you to PlanetGreen.com to sign up.

For more info, check out the Green Apple Festival’s Web site here or its MySpace page here.