For most people, the weekend is a chance to unwind and enjoy life. Not coincidentally, itäó»s also when EVERY SINGLE COOL EVENT HAPPENS. That makes for tough choices some weeks, and specifically, this week. Best of luck.
Trevor Noah, Friday June 2nd
Heäó»s been at the helm of The Daily Show for a little under two years now, and the juryäó»s still out on whether Trevor Noah will grow into a worthy successor to unlikely icon John Stewart. But Noahäó»s recent book about his South African origins has garnered a lot of praise, and his standup has always been sterling. This may be a chance to catch him before he fully, really hits his stride.
8pm (Sold Out), 10 pm, $43-$69
Ruth Eckerd Hal, 1111 North McMullen Booth Road, Clearwater
Black Pulp! + Woke! Art Opening, Friday June 2nd
New Yorkers William Villalongo and Mark Thomas Gibson share a specific, but increasingly crowded, position in the Venn diagram of contemporary art. Both play with elements of the fantastic, even touching on pulpy genre symbolism, while maintaining the indeterminacy and fracture that separates fine art from illustration. These CAM events are a lengthy drive, but very worth it – pretty much everyone in the Tampa Bay art scene shows up.
Artist Talk at 6pm, opening at 7pm. FREE
USF Contemporary Art Museum, 3821 USF Holly Drive, Tampa
The Tales of Hoffman äóñ June 2nd, 4th, 6th
The 1880 Hoffman is a kind of Opera-as-omnibus, with composer Jacques Offenbach setting tunes to three of E.T.A. Hoffmannäó»s haunting Gothic stories, which are woven into a single narrative. Hoffmann was an inspiration for Sigmund Freud, and the stories here are often deeply strange, at least in their original versions. The most well-known of the adapted stories is probably äóìThe Sandman,äó a twisting tale of childhood nightmares and madness. Narrative strangeness aside, the music is essentially sinuous and floral 19th century pop.
(Side note: Hoffman was also the author of the source material for The Nutcracker, which is itself far darker than it may seem).
Various times, $22-$67
Hough Hall at the Palladium Theatre, 253 5th Avenue North, St. Pete
Fringe Creatives Art Opening, Friday June 2nd
Fringe is billed as an artistsäó» äóìagency,äó and weäó»re not sure exactly what that means, but they’ve put together a dozen or so young local painters and made a show happen, so god bless ’em. The show looks like a mix of weird, adventurous art (cool!) and pop culture homage, which, well, to each their own. Either way, it’ll beæa scene.
7pm, FREE
Flying Boat Brewing Co., 1776 11th Avenue North, St. Pete
Joe Jackson, Saturday June 3rd
If by chance you think you donäó»t know Joe Jackson, youäó»re probably wrong äóñ listen to ten seconds of the still-inescapable äóìSteppinäó» Outäó to correct your error. Jackson is most frequently compared to Elvis Costello, and his best songs hit a similar sweet spot of punk honesty and crafty catchiness. Perfect for old-timers and äóÖ80s revivalists alike.
8pm, $40-$70
Capitol Theatre, 405 Cleveland Street, Clearwater
Honorable Mentions:
First Friday St. Pete, Friday June 2nd, Downtown St. Pete. Info Here.
Largo Public Library Book Sale, June 2nd, 2-6pm. Info Here.
