From a trio of classic pop/rock acts to an Americana icon, to a festival celebrating African culture and a musical about a game-changing ‘Prom,’ there is a lot to see and do this weekend.
Here is a partial rundown.
Classic pop/rock icons head to Bay Area
It’s going to be a big weekend for classic rock and pop in the Bay Area.
First up is Air Supply at the historic Mountain Winery on Friday. So, that means that the Airheads (the moniker of choice for Air Supply’s very passionate fanbase) will turn out in force to hear the pop-rock duo — consisting of guitarist-vocalist Graham Russell and lead vocalist Russell Hitchcock — perform such late-’70s and early ’80s winners as “Lost in Love,” “All Out of Love”, “Every Woman in the World,” “The One That You Love,” “Even the Nights Are Better” and, best of all, the amazing showstopper “Making Love Out of Nothing at All.”
Details: 7:30 p.m.; tickets start at $67; mountainwinery.com.
Then REO Speedwagon rolls into Shoreline Amphitheatre at Mountain View for a co-headlining bill with Train on Sept. 7. The latter is a Bay Area favorite, of course, but the former is the one with a catalog rich with such classic rock radio staples as “Time for Me to Fly,” “Keep On Loving You” and “Ridin’ the Storm Out.”
Details: Showtime is 6:25 p.m.; tickets start at $48.65; livenation.com.
Finally, San Jose’s own Doobie Brothers are set to take over Toyota Pavilion at Concord on Sept. 8. It’s your chance to see this still-excellent live band do the 4-0-8 proud as it performs such Top 40 hits as “Listen to the Music,” “China Grove,” “Black Water,” “Long Train Runnin’” and “Jesus Is Just Alright.”
Details: Showtime is 7 p.m.; tickets start at $34; livenation.com.
— Jim Harrington, Staff
Opera San Jose sneak peek
Get an early peek at Opera San Jose’s upcoming production of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” as the company throws open its own doors at the California Theatre and surrounding streets for the annual Downtown San Jose’s SoFa District’s “South First Friday” evening art walk and street market this weekend. Multiple events from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. include performances of music from the opera (opening Sept. 14) that will star tenor WooYoung Yoon as the prince Tamino and baritoneRicardo José Rivera as the goofy birdcatcher Papageno and be conducted by the young prodigy composer Alma Deutscher. Festivities begin with an onstage concert by organist Jerry Nagano playing the theater’s mighty Wurlitze and continue with the opera excerpts and all manner of tricks and sleights of hand by the magician/mentalist David Martinez. Galleries in the area will be open as well. The event is free, but to assure yourself of a seat at the theater, visit operasanjose.org/event/the-magic-flute-first-friday. Find more information at southfirstfridays.com.
— Bay City News Foundation
More classical picks: S.F. Opera, Jonathan Khuner, celebrating Schoenberg
The weather may be cooling, but the classical music scene is heating up: here are three events you won’t want to miss.
A big opera weekend: San Francisco Opera has a full schedule for the weekend, beginning with its annual Opera Ball and the company’s opening night production of Verdi’s “Un Ballo in Maschera,” both on Sept. 6. On Sunday, the company returns to Robin Williams Meadow in Golden Gate Park for its free annual outdoor “Opera in the Park,” conducted by company music director Eun Sun Kim and featuring stars scheduled to appear in productions throughout the SFO season. Details: Sept. 6-8; “Ballo” tickets $28-$438; sfopera.org.
Khuner conducts Schoenberg: Leading Bay Area conductor Jonathan Khuner, who just finished leading an outstanding summer production of “Legend of the Ring” at West Edge Opera, is now deep into the music of Arnold Schoenberg. This weekend, he’ll be leading a program of the Austrian-American composer’s songs as part of Series 20c’s “Celebrating Schoenberg.” Saturday’s event is part of a larger series, running through Sept. 29, that will also survey Schoenberg’s chamber, choral and cabaret works. Details: 7 p.m. Sunday; Hillside Club, Berkeley; $15 general, $10 seniors/students; hillsideclub.org.
Looking ahead: Next week brings the San Francisco Symphony’s annual “All San Francisco Celebration,” and this year’s event offers a great lineup. Under music director Esa-Pekka Salonen, the program includes Sibelius’ “Karelia” Suite, Grieg’s “Peer Gynt” Suite No. 1, Ravel’s “Daphnis et Chloe” Suite No. 2, and Debussy’s “Danses sacrée et profane.” Order now; tickets are going fast. Details: 7:30 Sept. 12, Davies Hall, San Francisco; $12; 415-864-6000; sfsymphony.org.
— Georgia Rowe, Correspondent
Beloved utensil gets its due
Forks, is there anything they can’t do?
You can use them to scratch an itch, fend off a weak mugger, get a signal for your transistor radio – and you can eat with them, too, which will be happening a lot at Pleasanton’s Forkful food festival.
On Sept. 7, 5 of the city’s restaurants are gathering to serve diners the “perfect forkful” of their cuisine. Love bite-sized portions? This is the fest for you. Kick it off with a champagne reception at the Museum on Main Street, then stroll the city’s downtown while snagging artfully curated orts of food.
There’s Zachary’s Chicago Pizza, Experience Burma, Beer Baron Whiskey Bar & Kitchen, Primrose Bakery, Bocado: Un Petit Bistro and many more (including some with alcohol pairings). Vote for your favorite restaurant at the end to nominate 2024’s Forkful winner.
Oh – and the best part? Everyone who participates gets to take home a commemorative event fork.
Details: Festival takes place 3-5 p.m. Saturday; visitors asked to check in at the Museum on Main, 603 Main St., Pleasanton; $60.54; pleasantondowntown.net/forkful-2024.
— John Metcalfe, Staff
T Bone takes a turn
A funny thing happened to T Bone Burnett as he was working on a new album that, at the time, was envisioned as the final chapter in a trio of recordings addressing such somber subjects as technology and dystopia. But the follow-up to 2019’s “The Invisible Light: Acoustic Space” and 2016’s “The Invisible Light: Spells,” reportedly spiraled in a new direction after he went on a guitar-buying spree that brought him in touch with instruments that reflected on different periods in his career.
Thanks to all that reflecting, and a few creative breakthroughs, “I found a hole in the dystopia that I was able to pass through,” says Burnett. “And when I passed through that hole, all of these songs on this record started pouring in.” The result is an entirely different album — “The Other Side,” described as an ethereal, bittersweet recording that has a loosely structured love story at its core and, like his storied career as a singer-songwriter and producer, touches a wide array of Americana sounds.
Now Burnett — who has collaborated over the years with Counting Crows, Gillian Welch, Greg Allman, Roy Orbison, and Robert Plant and Alison Krauss among many others — is on tour in support of “The Other Side,” with two stops at the legendary Freight & Salvage in Berkeley.
Details: 8 p.m. Friday (Saturday show sold out); $59-$64; thefreight.org.
— Randy McMullen, Staff
Dances with LGBTQ+ rights
In 2010, a student at Itawamba Agricultural High School in Mississippi was banned from her senior prom because she wanted to bring her girlfriend. When she challenged the decision, the school board canceled the dance entirely. After further legal challenges, a court ruled the school board had violated the student’s First Amendment rights. The dance was reinstated but moved from the school grounds to a country club and only seven people attended. Local parents secretly scheduled another dance for the rest of the students. The deplorable turn of events became a pop culture phenomenon with stars such as members of Green Day, boy band singer Lance Bass and celebrity chef Cat Cora all issuing support for the student and contributing to a follow-up dance to which everyone was invited. The controversy also inspired a musical, “The Prom,” which gets a new production beginning this week in Berkeley. Created by Chad Beguelin (book and lyrics) Bob Martin (book) and Matthew Sklar (music), “The Prom” followed four past-their-prime Broadway stars who show up at a small Indiana town to champion a young student’s quest to bring her girlfriend to a dance (and, of course, to earn themselves a boatload of free publicity. Berkeley Playhouse is presenting the show, co-directed and co-choreographed by Megan McGrath and Christina Lazo, Friday through Oct. 13 at the company theater, 2640 College Ave., Berkeley. Tickets are $19-$55; go to berkeleyplayhouse.org.
— Bay City News Foundation
Celebrating African art, dance and music
A free family-friendly festival comes to San Francisco this weekend that puts a spotlight on the dances, music, art, food and other cultural aspects of Africa. The fifth annual African Arts Festival, presented by Duniya Dance and Drum Company and the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, runs 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Great Lawn at Yerba Buena Gardens in San Francisco. The event will feature a variety of African musical and dance performances, including a sneak peek at a new work titled “Raices et Resistance,” a co-production by Duniya and the Arenas Dance Company that looks at the history of African dance and music in response to slavery and colonization. The work will get its full premiere next month in San Francisco. Also featured will be a performance by Guinean funk band Bongo and the TonTons, as well as several vendors selling African cuisine, arts and crafts and clothing. More information on the event is available at ybgfestival.org.
— Bay City News Foundation
Sax man comes back to the Bay
So renowned are Mike Zilber’s talents as a composer and a saxophone player that it sometimes seems like he has to move around the country to keep up with musicians’ demands to play with him. Born in Canada, Zilber spent an early part of his career in New York, where he collaborated with such luminaries as Mark Feldman, Dave Dlouglas, Wayne Krantz, Rachel Z, and many more. After moving West and establishing himself as a mainstay in the Bay Area jazz scene, Zilber formed a longtime association with the great drummer Steve Smith, releasing the 2003 album “Reimagined Jazz Standards, Vol. 1.” He also collaborated with guitarist John Stowell, with whom he released the acclaimed recording 2016 “Basement Blues.” Zilber has since relocated to Los Angeles, but he will be back in the Bay Area this weekend to present his latest project, a reimagining of a wide variety of Lennon and McCartney tunes, featuring keyboardist Otis McDonald. Zilber has shows booked for 7 and 9 p.m. Friday at Keys Jazz Bistro in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood. Tickets are $35-$40 and seating is first-come, first-served; it’s advised that you plan to arrive at least 30 minutes before the show starts. For more information, go to https://keysjazzbistro.com/. And on Sunday, Zilber will be a guest musician with the 17-member Bay Area band Electric Squeezebox Orchestra at the California Jazz Conservatory in Berkeley. The show runs 5:30-7 p.m. and tickets are $20. Go to cjc.edu.
— Bay City News Foundation