ABSTRACT:

HIT OF THE WEEK: Red Hot Chili Pepper’s “By the Way”.

DUD OF THE WEEK: “Freak of Nature” pop star Anastacia messed up the words to the national anthem at baseball’s ALL-Star Game.

TOUGHEST TICKET TO SCORE: Richard Thompson’s five-nighter at Joe’s Pub.

ONE-LINE WONDER: “I don’t need these horns,” joked “Horns and Halos” creator Dolly Parton. “I’m horny enough as it is.”

SHOW WE WISH WE’D SEEN: Neil Finn at House of BLues in L.A.