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Chopin Festival
Features a piano recital by Juan Pablo Andrade, June 3, 5 p.m., National Theater.

Brazilian Singer Roberto Carlos in Concert
Ballads, June 3, 8 p.m., Palacio de los Deportes, Heredia, www.entradasparatodo.com.

Richie Kotzen in Concert
U.S. guitarist, June 3-4, 9 p.m., Latino Rock Café, Barrio La California, across from La Primavera gas station; June 5, 9 p.m., Bar Tabacón, Jacó, Central Pacific.

“Orfeo y Eurídice”
Based on the classical Greek myth, theater, dance, music show, June 3-5, 8 p.m.; June 6, 5 p.m., National Theater.

Speech by Dr. Muriel Schmid
Quaker peace observer for three months in Palestine, June 3, 4:30 p.m., Peace Friends Center, Ca. 15, Av. 8 bis. Info: 2223-6168.

Costa Rica's National Emergency Commission (CNE) declared a yellow alert on Wednesday for the Central Pacific and the Southern Zone as two distinct storm systems pounded the regions.

The yellow alert is the second of the country's three alert levels.

The National Meteorological Institute (IMN) is forecasting heavy rainfall and strong winds for both areas through Thursday.

The first of the two systems struck the Pacific Coast on Tuesday night and, as of Wednesday afternoon, had flooded 60 houses and downed large tree branches near the Central Pacific coast towns of Jacó and Quepos.

The Red Cross reported that a fallen tree along the highway in Quepos destroyed one home and damaged the roof of a hotel.

In total, 1,000 people have been affected by the storm systems. The CNE has sent supplies such as blankets and plastic tarps to communities where homes have lost roofs.

The Central Valley, the Northern Zone and the Caribbean are currently under green alert, the lowest of the country's three alert levels.

Costa Rica's ambassador to the United Nations, Bruno Stagno, resigned on Wednesday after he was accused of a conflict of interest by the country's Foreign Ministry.

Stagno had named himself ambassador to the United Nations days before he left his former post as foreign minister in the government of Oscar Arias. His appointment wasn't questioned at the time, but was later called a “grave error” in a report issued by the ministry, because he had signed off on his own appointment.

“Had he refrained from signing it,” the report read, “the situation could have been remedied.”

Stagno had also named the Costa Rican ambassador to the UN, Jorge Urbina, to a nonexistent post as ambassador to international organizations in the Netherlands.

President Laura Chinchilla accepted Stagno's resignation, but regretted the loss for Costa Rica's foreign service. She said he was one of the nation's most experienced diplomats, according to a statement.

Stagno had occupied the UN post once before when he served in New York between 2002 and 2005.

Steven Tyler is probably the only man in the world who, at age 62, is still considered cool wearing a wardrobe that consists of sequined tennis shoes, feathered burnt orange velvet pants and an undersized tank top. The only other man aged 60-plus capable of pulling off such a feat might be Mick Jagger, and sequins aren't really his style.

Tyler and his legendary rock band, Aerosmith, brought their high-energy show to La Guácima racetrack in Alajuela, west of San José, Tuesday night, enthralling the crowd of 26,000. With a set list comprised of 18 songs from their nearly 40-year anthology of hits, Aerosmith jammed for over two hours on the windy night, playing many of their most lauded songs, such as “Elevator,” “Dream On,” “Edge,” “Crazy,” “Sweet Emotion” and “Walk this Way.”

The show opened when the curtain rose, emblazoned with the wing-and-steering-wheel emblem of the band, and Tyler paraded up the catwalk into the crowd singing “Eat the Rich,” a song from the 1993 album “Get A Grip,” and swinging his trademark ribbon-laced microphone. At the conclusion of the song, Tyler pretended to begin coughing, only to then arch his back and belch, giving the crowd a laugh and setting the mood for the fun-loving, hit-saturated night.

Tyler endeared himself to the crowd early on with attempts at common Costa Rican phrases such as “pura vida” and “tuanis,” both of which loosely translate as “cool,” and by throwing two of his harmonicas into the crowd during the show. It was this element of showmanship, which included instrumental solos by each member of the group and a battle between guitarist Joe Perry and a digital version of himself in the popular video game “Guitar Hero,” that reaffirmed why Aerosmith is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, to which the group was inducted in 2001.

The energetic stage antics of Tyler and guitarist Perry mimicked the attitude of the canon of Aerosmith songs, all graced with a certain sing-ability that can be recognized by even a pedestrian fan of the band. Throughout the night, fans sang word for word with Tyler, belting out the chorus to “Cryin',” “Pink” and the melodic cheesiness of the ballad “I Don't Want to Miss A Thing” from the soundtrack of the 1998 film “Armageddon,” which starred Tyler's daughter Liv. “I Don't Want to Miss a Thing” was the band's first and only hit to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart, which it did for four weeks in 1998.

After the encore of “Walk This Way” and “Toys in the Attic,” Tyler told the crowd “Muchas gracias, Costa Rica” and fireworks burst into the night sky. If this is to be the last Aerosmith performance in Costa Rica, it was a memorable, joyous send-off that contrasted with the group's visit in 1994, when 19-year-old Robinson Gamboa was trampled to death by the rushing crowd. A minute of silence was held for Gamboa prior to this year's concert and his family sat in the front row for the show.