WED Wed. 7/30 Iron Maiden, Dio, Motörhead Run to the ...

Iron Maiden, Dio, Motörhead

Run to the hills and make sure you have an Ace of Spades up your sleeve. Iron Maiden, Dio and Motörhead are here to bang heads and bash skulls. Beer concession and quaalude sales will go through the roof. Mullets worn without irony will be on proud display, as will, no doubt, real-life Spinal Tap-like incidents. Will Madison Square Garden be big enough to contain this much rock? No. It will spill onto the streets and infect all five boroughs by week's end, making New York look like a cross between 28 Days Later and Heavy Metal Parking Lot. 2 Penn Plaza (32nd St.), 212-307-7171 7:30, $39.50-$52.50.

Thurs. 7/31

Black Panther Film Festival

The third-annual International Black Panther Film Festival starts today and runs through Mon., Aug. 4. The festival will feature dramas, documentaries and shorts?some made in the late 60s, others recent, such as the new Weather Underground documentary?as well as Q&As and discussions. Raoul Peck's Lumumba, St. Clair Bourne's John Henrik Clarke: A Great and Mighty Walk and Gloria Rolando's Eyes of the Rainbow are some highlights of this five-day exploration of Black and Latino struggles against racism, violence and poverty. $10, $7 st./sc. For locations and schedule see www.pantherfilmfest.com.

Paul Lowe

A veteran of Indian ashrams, Paul Lowe travels the world talking about his experience of living at higher levels of reality. His audiences are a diverse mix of gay, straight, rich and poor, and he treats them all the same. He's got some radical ideas about work, monogamy, how to fight terrorism and more, and his New York appearances are rare. Atmananda Yoga Center, 552 B'way, 3rd fl. (betw. Prince & Spring Sts.), 212-625-1515, 7:30, $40.

Fri. 8/1

Stellastarr*

For once, a couple of New York bands with a trajectory that could turn into something more than a feature in the Fader. Stellastarr*, playing their first local show since signing with RCA, sound like Echo & the Bunnymen and the Pixies on lithium and score bonus points for being much hotter than both those bands. Elefant's Diego Garcia is pretty fun to look at too, and he may soon challenge Stephin Merritt as downtown's most hopeful romantic. He's going to be huge on MTV2 at least. Bowery Ballroom, 6 Delancey St. (betw. Bowery & Chrystie St.), 212-533-2111, 9, $14, $12 adv..

Kaz Murphy

Elvis Costello bears an unmistakable resemblance to Kaz Murphy, albeit with more hair. And as it happens, had Elvis Costello been raised in Jersey before migrating westward and abroad to play a kind of country folk rock (or whatever the kids are calling it nowadays), he might've ended up sounding a lot like Kaz Murphy, too. Murphy's songs swing from rockin' two-steps to the weepiest of ballads, but they're all slightly smudged portraits of people and places that haven't quite made it. On his second solo album, Devil in the Barn, Murphy teams up with the likes of former X guitarist Tony Gilkyson to produce a collection of songs that are both hard-edged and heartfelt?including a surprisingly effective c&w cover of Jimi Hendrix's "Castles in the Sand." Tobacco Road, 355 W. 41st St. (9th Ave.), 212-947-1188, 9, $12, $10 adv..

Def Leppard

Don't waste time wondering why you've been afforded the opportunity to relive arena rock hysteria after all these years; just find some tickets and prepare to be so blown away by the Lep's voices and axes that you'll find yourself suspiciously counting arms behind the drum kit. Their three shows at the Beacon this spring rocked so hard that many concert-goers later claimed they had never realized how badly they'd been burned until they experienced a live rendition of "Love Bites." The band is still trying to settle damages after the enduring power and relevance of "Armageddon It" caused the crowd to run across the street and ransack Fairway for sun-dried tomato ravioli and pickled herring. Jones Beach Theater, Ocean Pkwy., Wantagh, L.I., 212-307-7171, 8, $36.50-$51.50.

Sat. 8/2

Summer Daze 2003

Electronic music has never had it easy in this town. Especially techno. As one of the most uncompromising styles of dance music, it's generally been confined to gritty clubs, relishing in underground obscurity thanks in large part to being ignored by the majority of the yup crowd. Recently, Arc held host to techno dons Jeff Mills and Richie Hawtin, who rocked the place, and tonight it's time for a born-and-bred New Yorker to jack at Summer Daze 2003. Joey Beltram?responsible for "Energy Flash," the heavy-rotation club anthem that, even after 14 years, still sounds fresh?will hit the decks for an old-school techno set; expect an abundance of acid and hits from the good ol' 90s. Minimal techno head Function, whose sound is influenced by his frequent visits to Europe, will show how minimal can have maximum effect, and Chi-town's Terry Mullan will soften things up with a bit of house. 6 Hubert St. (betw. Collister & Hudson Sts.), 212-226-9212, 11, $25.

Ray Charles

Admittedly, his best song in the last 20 years was a Pepsi commercial. And didn't he do that duet with a Muppet? Despite the chinks in the armor, Ray Charles is still God. He's an American treasure, and he's got such a swinging soul?he'll tickle them there ivories and get everybody in a rejoicing mood. B.B. King Blues Club, 237 W. 42nd St. (betw. 7th & 8th Aves.), 212-997-4144, 8, $85-$150.

Sun. 8/3

Homesick For Space

Combining atmospheric music with ethereal vocals is a task bordering on impossible for most bands, but on their debut album Unison, NYC-based Homesick for Space really live up to the name and do it with ease. If you're still sitting there with your American Analog Set record and a beat copy of OK Computer, you might as well drop them already, because these guys manage to establish the same kind of moods?and make it a hell of a lot more convincing. The vocals are great, and their music is intricately woven with delayed guitars, touches of piano and other sonic art. Mercury Lounge, 217 E. Houston St. (betw. Ludlow & Essex Sts.), 212-260-4700, 7:30, $8.

Faceboyz Open Mic

The legendary comedy/performance open mic known as Faceboyz is settling in to its new home at Collective Unconscious, and if you've never been, there's no time like the end of July. Bring a bottle of booze and sit your judgmental self down for the show, or steel yourself to test your own skillz in front of the tough but ultimately supportive crowd of peculiar peers. Every Sunday the show guarantees a taste of the great, the sucky and the fugly, and it's almost always a good time. 145 Ludlow St. (betw. Stanton & Rivington Sts.), 212-254-5277, 8, $3.

Mon. 8/4

Kiss & Aerosmith

Lock up your grandmothers?Kiss and Aerosmith are in town. Weighing in at a total age of 476, Kiss and Aerosmith form a Voltron-like 70s entertainment juggernaut, the likes of which hasn't been seen since, the, uh, 70s. Expect lots of fireworks and shit, hokey lyrics about fucking groupies and possibly a Great White-style disaster caused by a malfunctioning onstage defibrillator. But check this. Here's the real deal: While your rockin' parents are at the show, you can throw a party! Invite your friends over and have soda and pie?and hope no bad people show up. Jones Beach Theater, Ocean Pkwy., Wantagh, L.I., 212-307-7171, 7, $45-$135.

Tues. 8/5

The Human League

Don't, don't, don't you want to see them play? Of course you do. Count the number of LES apartments you've been in that were furnished with early 80s analog keyboards. Those fauxhawkers act like they're taking part in some sort of electronic reformation, but rarely acknowledge the source material of their bleeps, blops and pulsing arpeggios?which are the Human League. So recognize. Cynics might note that most people would believe that Human League's greatest hit album should only be a one-sided cassingle. But they are fools and cowards. B.B. King Blues Club, 237 W. 42nd St. (betw. 7th & 8th Aves.), 212-997-4144, 8, $30, $25 adv.

Contributors: Adam Bulger, Katharine Crane, Lily Gordon, Jim Knipfel, Dan Migdal, Dennis Tyhacz, Lucy Udvardiyova and Alexander Zaitchik.