THE WEEKEND GUIDE (SEPT. 30-OCT. 2): ‘The Crucible,’ Cereus Bright, Knoxville Turns 225, and More

In The Daily Dumpster Blog by Matthew Everettleave a COMMENT

Here’s a list of what to do this weekend: a llama race, L.A. punk royalty, Cereus Bright, the circus, a party on the Gay Street Bridge, and much more! Visit the Knoxville Mercury online calendar or pick up this week’s issue for a full list of the weekend’s offerings.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 30
Clarence Brown Theatre: The Crucible
Carousel Theatre • 7:30 p.m. • $26-$42
CBT picked just the right time—the totally bonkers 2016 election season—to revive Arthur Miller’s chilling drama about persecution, paranoia, and religion. Through Oct. 16.

Cirque Italia
West Town Mall • 7:30 p.m.
The first traveling water circus in the U.S. Completely animal-free. Performances continue through Sunday.

Mic Harrison and the High Score
Royal Oaks Event Center (Maryville) • 7:30 p.m. • $15ae_0929_highscore

Annie Clark-Rankin

Singer/songwriter Mic Harrison’s upcoming acoustic performance at the Royal Oaks Concert Series in Maryville will afford longtime fans an opportunity to preview some of the songs from his forthcoming record, Vanishing South, the follow-up to his 2012 album Still Wanna Fight. Don’t be fooled by the Royal Oaks series’ acoustic format, however; his trad-country roots notwithstanding, Harrison says his latest batch of tunes is situated squarely on the rock ’n’ roll side of the musical spectrum. With Josh Smith. Read our preview here.

Cereus Bright
Bijou Theatre • 8 p.m. • $18.50
calendar_0929_cereusbrightWith the band still reeling from a fire that destroyed their rehearsal space a few weeks ago, Cereus Bright’s upcoming concert at the Bijou Theatre may have extra poignancy. The Knoxville Americana band is ready to show the love to the fans who donated close to $15,000 to help them recover from the loss of their recording equipment (and all the worldly possessions of the two band members who had been living in the building and who still don’t have new homes). They’re promoting their debut album, Excuses, released in July.

Hal Holbrook: Mark Twain Tonight!
Tennessee Theatre • 8 p.m. • $54-$79
Hal Holbrook has been playing Mark Twain on stage for 60 years. That’s nearly as long as Samuel Clements played the novelist, social commentator, humorist, and all-around cantankerous cuss.

Kid Congo Powers and the Pink Monkey Birds
Pilot Light • 10 p.m. • $10 • 18 and up

Kid Congo Powers and the Pink Monkey Birds by Rick MarrRick Marr

Kid Congo Powers and the Pink Monkey Birds by Rick Marr

Brian Tristan, the California guitarist who performs as Kid Congo Powers, has one of the most impressive resumes in American punk—he started his career with an early incarnation of the Gun Club, joined the Cramps for the classic 1983 album Off the Bone, and played in Nick Cave’s backing band, the Bad Seeds, in the late 1980s. With Daddy Don’t.

 

SATURDAY, OCT. 1
The Great Llama Race
World’s Fair Park • 10 a.m.-4 p.m. • $5
Join the local nonprofit organization Casa de Sara for its annual llama race fundraiser to support at-risk kids in Bolivia.

Knoxville 225th Anniversary Celebration
Market Square • 10 a.m.-noon • Free
Happy birthday, Knoxville! Celebrate the city’s 225th anniversary with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, Visit Knoxville, the Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound, and the East Tennessee History Center. (You can also pick up this week’s special history issue of the Mercury.)

GO! Contemporary Dance Works: Transcendance
Clarence Brown Theatre • 7 p.m. • $15
GO! Contemporary Dance presents new pieces by Lisa Hall McKee and Daniel Chait at its annual fall show. (There’s a matinée on Sunday at 3 p.m.)

Junior Boys 
Pilot Light • 7 p.m. • $12-$15 • 18 and up
1-junior

The Canadian electronic pop/dance duo  burst onto the scene in the disco-friendly mid-’00s; on the recently released Big Black Coat, the group’s first album in five years, they incorporate krautrock, R&B, and art-pop influences without surrendering their basic dance floor-friendly identity. With Egyptrixx and Borys.

 

SUNDAY, OCT. 2
Knoxville Opera Goes to Church: A Celebration of Talent
Overcoming Believers Church • 5 p.m. • Free
Knoxville Opera’s annual outreach concert has become one of the most popular events on the company’s calendar, with a full-on gospel choir and visiting and local soloists performing classic spirituals and gospel songs as well as previews of the 2016-17 opera season, which will include The Pirates of Penzance, La Bohème, and Mary, Queen of Scots.

Arts and Culture Alliance Gay Street Bridge Dinner
Gay Street Bridge • 5:30 p.m. • $225cover_bridge_0625 copy

Courtesy Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection

Knoxville’s 225th anniversary celebration concludes with what’s probably a once-in-a-lifetime experience—a dinner party on the historic Gay Street Bridge over the Tennessee River, with views of downtown, South Knoxville, and the University of Tennessee campus. One of the highlights will be R.B. Morris’ presentation of his first poem as Knoxville’s Poet Laureate.

Blitzen Trapper and Real Estate
Bijou Theatre • 8 p.m. • $22

Blitzen Trapper by Jason Quigley, courtesy of Vagrant Records.Jason Quigley

Blitzen Trapper by Jason Quigley, courtesy of Vagrant Records.

The folky indie-rock bands Blitzen Trapper and Real Estate bring their 2016 co-headlining tour to downtown. With Kacy and Clayton.

Senior Editor Matthew Everett manages the Knoxville Mercury's arts & entertainment section, including the comprehensive calendar section—Knoxville’s go-to guide for everything worth doing in the area. You can reach Matthew at matthew@knoxmercury.com.

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