Pop Music

Of all the many terms in pop music, “classic rock” is one of the most frustrating because it is usually limited by radio programmers to music from the ‘60s and ‘70s. In truth, many of the qualities of “classic rock,” including songwriting craft and passion, can still be found in select ‘90s bands. This summer’s lineup enables us to sample classic rock from various eras.

Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Van Morrison--three of the most influential artists of the modern pop era--team up in a dream bill for shows tonight and Friday at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion and Saturday at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim. Eric Clapton, whose guitar work remains among the most graceful and inspiring elements in popular music, will be at the Great Western Forum on Wednesday and the Arrowhead Pond on May 29.

Pearl Jam, a ‘90s band with “classic rock” virtues, headlines the Forum on July 13-14, its first Los Angeles area shows since 1992. . . . The Verve, whose “Bitter Sweet Symphony” was widely hailed as the single of the year in 1997, will be joined Aug. 14 at the Pond by Massive Attack, another vital English group.

Also circle: Kraftwerk, the godfathers of techno, at the Hollywood Palladium on June 8. . . . Peter Case, whose new “Full Service No Waiting” album has much of the melancholy reflection of Bob Dylan’s “Time Out of Mind,” will be at McCabe’s on June 12. . . . Sarah McLachlan, Natalie Merchant and Erykah Badu will be among the attractions when Lilith Fair plays the Rose Bowl on June 27. . . . Ani DiFranco, always compelling live, headlines UC Irvine’s Bren Events Center on July 3. . . . Janet Jackson, with Usher as the opening act, will be at the Forum on Aug. 20 and the Pond on Aug. 23. . . . Metallica checks into Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre on Aug. 28.