If you're headed to M.I.A. at the Palladium tonight, get there early: Cool Kids have cancelled, but we're dying to see what C440R's monster party-rap duo have in store when they step in tonight as a last-minute opening act. Big Digits at the Palladium: who'da thunk it? For an idea of how much awesomeness is in store, check the video above to see what happened the last time someone offered TD and Mac Swell a nice big stage.

Sure, it was only two songs. (Turns out they had a third ready to go, but decided against it. What, the applause wasn't loud enough? "Exactly," said Chris Brokaw.) But since this was the first time Come have performed since their 2 1/2-hour farewell gig at the MidEast's downstairs room back in -- what, 1998? -- well, this was pretty fucking rad.

On Wednesday, I had a show in Boston opening up for Widespread Panic. I had never heard this band before, but I knew they were in genre of "jam band." I don't know anything about the jam scene really, which is part of the reason why I wanted to do the show. I knew it was going to be weird, which I guess was also part of the allure of doing it.

Bang Camaro at Avalon

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

The Cinematics

Silversun Pickups

Photos by Caitlin E. Curran

Most overheard comment when OTD first walked down Lansdowne St. last night: "Kings of Leon aren’t playing?!" Yep, KOL backed out at the last minute (minus many cool points for them) but it was truly their loss because the crowd at Best Music Poll was plentiful and apparently fueled by Red Bull - nearly seven hours after they trickled in, as the Cinematics played an ear-splittingly loud cover of a Beck track from Sea Change on the outdoor stage, Axis was packed to capacity as Silversun Pickups began their explosive set 15 minutes early, explaining that they were bored backstage and everyone was there already anyway.

Ever since we heard about Hollertronix taking root at the Ukranian Club in Philly, we'd been dreaming about a Boston party scene flowering at grimy, non-club-like venues. The obvious corollary was the Elks Lodge in Central Square: two basement rooms, no attitude (unless you count the gentleman's no-cursing rule enforced by the bartenders), a two-o'clock license, and -- dude -- paneling.

"Federline! Fries!"

Ehh. Since everyone's known the punchline for weeks, the K-Fed burger-flipping freestyle was all anti-climax. Still: good shew, lad. And rapping at the security cam was a nice touch. Plus, now we know what to taunt dude with when the former Mr. Spears shows up for an "anti-valentine's" promotion at Boston's Gypsy bar this week.

We’d like to apologize for what happened when we debuted Bang Camaro’s “Push Push (Lady Lightning)” back in June. It’s amazing what a little hyperbole (“mp3 of the decade”) and a catchy thumbnail description (“Polyphonic Spree meets Headbangers’ Ball”) can do in this town: all the sudden the band’s headlining awards shows and getting slapped on the covers of every fishwrap in town.

1. You always wanted to be at that party where Charlie Brown throws down with Jim Jones. So if you haven't already, point your browser at Lemon-Red, who's come out of hibernation to upload a dastardly X-mas mix from fellow Lab scientists Snack and C'mish. Elf people stand up.

2. Click 5, Christy Carlson Romano crash Q Division holiday bash

IF YOU GO:

THROWED
feat. Spank Rock, Chris Rockswell, E-Marce, David Day and !!!'s Justin Vandervolgen
Harpers Ferry, Allston
10 pm, 18-plus

Year-end lists won't reflect it (SORRY, DUH), but '06 was the year that PAPER broke through and turned hardcore's infamous "the kids" into non-rockist party-music ballers.

If you're working press at the BMAs, they hand you the list of winners when you walk in. Which usually makes for a serious anticlimax. But we can't front: maybe it was just that a bunch of bands we actually like won shit or played or bought us drinks, but this was the best year of the Avalon-era music awards. We know, big whoop: That and an undisclosed sum of money might someday get this event to break even mean something.

Don't even bother going to their MySpace page because there ain't no music there yet. But trust us on this: bonkers shit on the way. The Properazzi crew -- Red Foxxxworthy and that dude Mike Mistaker -- are making dreams come true. This is how they did it last weekend. Central Square, get ready for an invasion.