Fourth of July weekend brings a batch of all-American comfort-food rock and roll to New England. Over the past couple of years, self-proclaimed American bad-ass Kid Rock has become a bigger star on country radio than he has on the modern-rock airwaves (Sean Richardson’s review of his new Kid Rock is in "Off the Record"). But in concert, he transforms into a one-man musical melting pot, turning Southern rock, hip-hop, funk, and metal into a modern-day showband revue. He’s at the Verizon Wireless Arena (603-644-5000) in Manchester on Saturday.

George Thorogood gave the bad-ass ethos its sturdiest anthem in the mid ’70s, and the gravel-voiced motorblues singer of "Bad to the Bone" has remained more or less unevolved in the intervening decades. His greatest-hits album topped the Billboard blues charts on its release, and his latest studio album, Ride ’til I Die (Eagle), is a brisk and enjoyable romp through the same raucous bar-band territory he’s been traversing for years: it sounds as if it could have been recorded 20 years ago, which is a good thing. Thorogood and his long-time backing band the Destroyers are at Hampton Beach Casino (603-929-4100) in New Hampshire tonight (July 1), the Cape Cod Melody Tent (508-775-9100) in Hyannis on Friday, and the South Shore Music Circus (617-931-2787) in Cohasset on Saturday.

Perhaps piqued that their new album isn’t doing as well as the debut by their countrymen Jet, the Vines had another row and dropped off the Incubus tour — and were promptly replaced by former At the Drive-In dudes Sparta, who in turn had to drop off Lollapalooza (which hadn’t, at that point, been cancelled). Talk about great timing. Sparta’s sophomore album, Porcelain (Geffen), is out next week. And both bands hit the Dunkin’ Donuts Center (401-331-6700) in Providence on Friday and the Worcester Centrum (508-755-6800) on Saturday. Elsewhere in Providence, the Sunset Music Festival at the Newport Yachting Club (401-846-1600) brings in Howie Day tonight (July 1), Ben Folds on Friday, Lyle Lovett on Saturday, and Livingston Taylor for the Fourth.

Tigerbeat6 label honcho and techno-terrorist Kid 606 is at T.T. the Bear’s Place (617-492-BEAR) in Cambridge tonight (July 1), but it’s worth the drive out to Flywheel (413-527-9800) in Easthampton on Tuesday to see the Tigerbeat6 girl-group Dynasty. Produced by indie-rap impresario Gold Chains, featuring the drummer from SF robo-punks Numbers, and modeled after the Gravy Train!!!! school of house-rocking lo-fi rap, they play on a bill with the Kill Rock Stars cello-punk outfit Bonfire Madigan.

Next-wave Massachusetts metalcore dudes Unearth celebrate the release of their Metal Blade debut, The Oncoming Storm, at the Palladium (800-477-6849) in Worcester on Friday with All That Remains and Seemless (Sean Richardson’s interview with Unearth is on page 17 of the Arts section). And Boston rock faves Waltham and the Charms spend Saturday night at the Wellfleet Beachcomber (508-349-6055) down the Cape.