Tonight! Reality-TV Rejects, '80s Cheese, and Worthy Jazz

How the fuck did Ryan Cabrera fall all the way to Sullivan Hall? Five years ago, the MTV star was sitting happily in the Billboard top 10, hooking up with Elvis' granddaughter, ripping Ashlee Simpson's facile little heart into pieces. Tonight, he plays an acoustic set at a venue music-business students rent out for NYU bands and Led Zeppelin tributes.

Meanwhile, Def Leppard, Poison, and Cheap Trick rock Jersey's PNC Amphitheater. Note to music-business majors: '80s megacheese is always more reliable than reality-TV stars.

CMJ sensation MGMT are at the Prospect Park Bandshell. It's a paid, ticketed show, so it might not be so crowded.

Two worthy jazz sets: the peculiar flourishes of rising-star pianist Hiromi at the Blue Note, and the artfully staggered rhythms of Trio M at Smalls.