MUSIC
Pop & Rock
PINK: SUMMER CARNIVAL 2023 Y2K teenpop’s misfit grew up to be one of pop’s reigning elders, releasing songs that are disarmingly honest while remaining endlessly hooky. Her ninth album, “Trustfall,” which came out earlier this year, grapples with grief and self-consciousness while also providing a glimpse of how well her raspy bellow would handle more country-leaning cuts. July 31 and Aug. 1, 6 p.m. Fenway Park. 877-733-7699, redsox.com/concerts
THE DRUMS Now led by founding member Jonny Pierce, this band crafts speedy, hooky tweepop with shooting-star guitar lines and cutting lyrics. Their sixth album, “Jonny,” which homes in on Pierce’s childhood in a New York religious community, is out in October. July 31, 8 p.m. The Sinclair, Cambridge. 617-547-5200, sinclaircambridge.com
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FALL OUT BOY: SO MUCH FOR (TOUR)DUST The 2023 summer tour I’ve been tracking most closely is this Chicagoland foursome’s jaunt, which has so far boasted deep-cut-adorned setlists that show off their versatility and chops alongside arena-ruling smashes like the punchily anthemic “Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down” and 2023 gems like the glittering “Hold Me Like a Grudge.” Aug. 2, 5:45 p.m. Fenway Park. 877-733-7699, redsox.com/concerts
MAURA JOHNSTON
Folk, World & Country
LOWELL FOLK FESTIVAL A typically formidable roster of artists is on offer at this year’s edition of the all-free mid-summer festival. On my must-see list: the country/rockabilly sounds of former BR5-49er Chuck Mead, some sacred steel courtesy of Fran Grace, funk pioneer Fred Thomas, western swing trio Hot Club of Cowtown, kora griot Sona Jobarteh, Springfield Exit’s bluegrass/acoustic country mix, and the Haitian roots music of Lakou Mizik. July 28, 6:15 p.m.; July 29-30, noon. Free. Various stages, downtown Lowell. 978-275-1764, www.lowellfolkfestival.org
KYLE ELDRIDGE This Kentucky resident is an up-and-comer and a throwback at the same time; the music he plays is, he says, country and western, and he plays it on a custom, Joe Maphis-style double-neck guitar. Sean Mencher and Shaun Young, two-thirds of famed rockabilly outfit High Noon, will also perform. July 29, 5 p.m. $12. Askew, 150 Chestnut St., Providence. 401-270-4040, www.askewprov.com
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HOT CLUB OF COWTOWN It isn’t the easiest thing to see live western swing music these days, so if you’re partial to that almost-gone-but-not-forgotten form, every opportunity is worth grabbing. Veteran trio Hot Club of Cowtown is part of the Lowell Folk Festival this weekend, but if you miss them there or can’t get enough of their western swing-hot jazz mix, they’re also playing this in-town date. Aug. 3, 8 p.m. $25-$35. City Winery, 80 Beverly St. 617-933-8047, www.citywinery.com/boston
STUART MUNRO
Jazz & Blues
CAMBRIDGE JAZZ FOUNDATION EIGHTH ANNUAL FESTIVAL Two days of music: Saturday features guitarist Albino Mbie, flutist-composer Yulia Musayelyan, singer-songwriter Gabriela Cotter, and percussionist Eguie Castrillo’s Orchestra; Sunday includes pianist-composer Kris Davis with trumpeter Marquis Hill, Womxn featuring saxophonist Patricia Perez, Sound of Soul with saxophonist Bill Pierce and guitarist Bobby Broom, and culminates with pianist Danilo Perez and the Global Jazz Messengers. July 29-30, noon-6 p.m. Free-$750 (two-day gazebo rental). Danehy Park, 99 Sherman St., Cambridge. www.cambridgejazzfoundation.org
KNICKERBOCKER ALL-STARS This acclaimed nine-piece, horn-heavy blues band aggregates some of New England’s finest players and has performed and recorded with the likes of Marcia Ball, Duke Robillard, and Jimmie Vaughan. July 29, 8 p.m. $20. Knickerbocker Music Center, 35 Railroad Ave., Westerly, R.I. www.knickmusic.com/events; Aug. 4, 8 p.m. $20-$24. Bull Run Restaurant, 215 Great Road, Shirley. www.bullrunrestaurant.com
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GREG ABATE QUARTET The marvelous post-bop saxophonist served stints in the orchestras of Ray Charles and Artie Shaw and plays with the soul and virtuosity that those associations suggest. Aug. 3, 7:30 p.m. $15. Spire Center, 25½ Court St., Plymouth. www.spirecenter.org
KEVIN LOWENTHAL
Classical
TANGLEWOOD It’s one of the summer’s most eventful weeks at Tanglewood. Conductors Giancarlo Guerrero, Anna Rakitina, and Dima Slobodeniouk lead the Boston Symphony Orchestra from the Koussevitzky Music Shed podium, with the weekend’s programs including a performance of Julia Wolfe’s powerful “Her Story” and an appearance by acclaimed violinist Joshua Bell (July 28-30). In Ozawa Hall and at the Linde Center, the Tanglewood Music Center hosts the Festival of Contemporary Music, which prominently features the music of co-curators Reena Esmail, Gabriela Lena Frank, Tebogo Monnakgotla, and Anna Thorvaldsdottir (July 28-31). Still want more? The reliably scintillating Danish String Quartet visits Ozawa Hall next Wednesday (Aug. 2). Lenox. 800-266-1200, www.tanglewood.org
LOUD WEEKEND Tanglewood doesn’t have the only contemporary music festival in the Berkshires this weekend! At Mass MoCA in North Adams, Bang on a Can LOUD Weekend packs Friday and Saturday with performances by the Bang on a Can family and a slew of distinguished guests headlined by Kronos Quartet. Among the other attractions: a performance of Eve Beglarian’s “A Murmur in the Trees” for 24 double basses in a grove of trees, a portrait concert of Joan Tower, an electric guitar ensemble headed up by Mission of Burma’s Roger Clark Miller, and so much more. July 28-29. Mass MoCA, North Adams. 413-662-2111, www.massmoca.org
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BOSTON FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA The Boston Festival Orchestra closes out its summer performance season with an intriguing international program, featuring music by the Dallas-based composer Quinn Mason and the Polish composer Wojciech Kilar alongside Igor Stravinsky’s “Danses concertantes” and Manuel de Falla’s enchanting ballet “El amor brujo.” July 30. NEC’s Jordan Hall. www.bforchestra.org
A.Z. MADONNA
ARTS
Theater
BLUES FOR AN ALABAMA SKY This drama by Pearl Cleage revolves around the relationships among Angel Allen (Tsilala Brock), a singer in 1930s Harlem who’s been fired from her job at the Cotton Club and dumped by her gangster boyfriend; her best friend, Guy Jacobs (Brandon Alvión), a gay costume designer who wants to move to Paris and design clothes for the legendary Josephine Baker; Leland Cunningham (Deleon Dallas), a widower from Alabama who has his eye on Angel; Delia Patterson (Jasminn Johnson), a social worker at a family planning clinic; and Sam Thomas (Ryan George), a physician at Harlem Hospital. Directed by Candis C. Jones. Through Aug. 5. Barrington Stage Company. Boyd-Quinson Stage, Pittsfield. 413-236-8888; www.barringtonstageco.org
JUST ANOTHER DAY Dan Lauria, whom you may recall as the gruff but lovable dad on ABC’s “The Wonder Years,” wrote and costars with Jodi Long in “Just Another Day.” He plays an aging comedy writer who meets a renowned poet (Long) every day on a park bench, where they banter, share their mutual nostalgia for old movies, and “search their memories for how and why they are connected, at least for that day,” according to press materials. Aug. 3-13. Great Barrington Public Theater, Great Barrington. Original direction by James Glossman. 413-372-1980, www.greatbarringtonpublictheater.org
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LOVE, LOSS AND WHAT I WORE A series of monologues, written by Nora and Delia Ephron, in which women reflect on the pivotal events of their lives through the lens of the clothing and accessories they were wearing at the time. Directed by Paula Plum and featuring Nettie Chickering, Barbara Douglas, Lauren Elias, Evelyn Holley, and June Kfoury. Through Aug. 5. Hub Theatre Company. At Club Café, 209 Columbus Ave. 203-530-2343, hubtheatreboston.ticketleap.com
DISNEY’S THE LITTLE MERMAID Fresh off artistic director Rachel Bertone’s terrific production of “Oklahoma!,” the Reagle Music Theatre of Greater Boston heads under the sea for “Disney’s The Little Mermaid.” Kayla Shimizu, who played farm girl Laurey in “Oklahoma!,” portrays Ariel, a mermaid whose yearning to see what life is like on dry land leads her to make a bad bargain with the villainous sea witch, Ursula (Katherine Pecevich). Directed and choreographed by Taavon Gamble. July 28-Aug. 6. 781-891-5600, www.reaglemusictheatre.org/
DON AUCOIN
Dance
JACOB’S PILLOW DANCE FESTIVAL This coming week, the Berkshire festival celebrates the 50th anniversary of hip-hop with a “festival within the festival” called Hip Hop Across the Pillow. In addition to free outdoor performances during the festival, the capper is a one-of-a-kind program featuring two specially-commissioned world premieres and performances by Rennie Harris Puremovement American Street Dance Theater, Rokafella and Kwikstep, and d. Sabela Grimes and the Ladies of Hip Hop. Aug. 2. Choose what you pay-$90. Becket. www.jacobspillow.org
THE RAINBOW SERPENT The multidisciplinary Pittsburgh-based collective presents an in-progress showing of their new “The Four World Ages.” The production uses projections, innovative light design, and augmented reality components to complement the dancers’ depiction of the four eras of human history from the perspective of Nigerian-Igbo tradition — the Age of Universal Oneness, the Age of Self-Awareness, the Age of Light, and our current Age of Suffering. July 29. $13-$33. The Yard at the Patricia Nanon Theater, Chilmark. www.dancetheyeard.org
BATES DANCE FESTIVAL Bessie Award nominee Vanessa Anspaugh headlines the festival this weekend with a new work entitled “mourning after morning,” which explores the communal experience of loss and grieving. Featuring a multi-generational cast, the work was inspired by a collection of death and mourning rituals, reflecting “the devastating, absurd, and sacred ways we come to care for bodies and ritualize endings.” July 28-29. $5-$25. Lewiston, Maine. www.batesdancefestival.org/performances
REACH For 33 years, Boston University’s Summer Outreach/Teen Apprenticeship Dance Program has been providing summer training and mentorship to teen dancers. The upcoming annual Outdoor Dance Performance showcases their progress alongside college interns and professional dancers. The eclectic program features original choreography in a range of styles, from modern and jazz to hip-hop, stepping, and tap. Aug. 2. Free. Parking lot at 766 Commonwealth Ave. (or BU Dance Theater if inclement weather). www.bu.edu/fitrec/dance/reach
KAREN CAMPBELL
Visual art
WOMEN AND ABSTRACTION: 1741–NOW Last chance for this survey, built almost entirely from the Addison’s formidable collection, which examines the mostly-Modern convention of abstraction with a broad lens, and suggests the idea, while claimed by a certain cohort of mid-century American men, has a much longer, less-masculine lifespan. Through July 30. Addison Gallery of American Art at Phillips Academy. 180 Main St., Andover. 978-749-4015, www.addisongallery.org
TINY TREASURES: THE MAGIC OF MINIATURES Technically, a miniature is just a petite version of its source object — a snow globe of Big Ben, say, or Doctor Evil’s Mini-me. But miniatures traverse broad boundaries, from curios and knick-knacks to rigorous conceptual explorations of material and scale. This show is just as broad, from a diamond-studded bicycle broach to a mini painting by Pablo Picasso. Through Feb. 18. Museum of Fine Arts Boston, 465 Huntington Ave. 617-267-9300, www.mfa.org
ELLE PÉREZ: INTIMACIES Just open, the photography of Bronx-born, New York-based Pérez is markedly intimate, whether for its interaction between subjects or the photographer themself. Working primarily with the Muay Thai, queer, and artist communities that make up their social sphere, their images have a deceptive documentary air; in fact, each of the pictures is the product of a deep collaboration between artist and subject, making each one an emblem of mutual trust. Closing TBD. Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, 1040 Mass MoCA Way, North Adams. 413-664-4481, www.massmoca.org
MURRAY WHYTE
ANDREA DEZSÖ: UNEXPECTED JOURNEY What do you do when the world changes and throws you into isolation? During the early days of COVID, Dezsö, a multimedia artist, turned to the materials she had at hand and started creating protectors and companions — cutting them out of paper and carving blocks of wood to make prints and sculptures. This show also features layered, cut-paper tunnel books and blown-glass sculptures. Through Sept. 3. Pucker Gallery, 240 Newbury St. 617-267-9473, www.puckergallery.com
CATE McQUAID
EVENTS
Comedy
COMEDY X MUSIC The latest edition of host Deby Xiadani’s variety series includes comedy from Gary Petersen, Demetrius “Big D” Hullum, Carolina Montesqueiu, and Zach Stewart, with music from Cindy Crawford Cult and a lip sync from Imani. July 27, 7:30 p.m. $15-$20. The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Somerville. www.therockwell.org
TED ALEXANDRO Living with his fiancée brought some big changes to Alexandro’s life. “When you’re in a couple, you eat the fruits and vegetables that you buy,” says the comic. “That was a revelation for me. ‘Cause when you’re single, if you buy a fruit or a vegetable, it’s like a wish that will very likely not come true.” With Bryan O’Donnell. July 28, 7:30 p.m. $25. City Winery, 80 Beverly St. 617-933-8047, www.citywinery.com/boston
JUNGLE COMEDY SHOWCASE Petr Liu hosts this monthly afternoon stand-up showcase in a music venue. Performers for July include Giancarlo Biondino, Chris Post, Emily Ruskowski, Andrew Vickers, and Mo Mussa. July 29, 5 p.m. $10. The Jungle Community Music Club, 6 Sanborn Court, Somerville. 617-718-0204, www.thejunglemusicclub.com
NICK A. ZAINO III
Family
STORYTELLING AND STEM Listen to your favorite animal tales with children’s author Yumi Izuyama. Families can watch her stories come to life against the sounds of nature before engaging with an arts and crafts presentation by Kendall Inglese. Participants can also enjoy coloring, origami, and paper weaving inspired by science and technology. July 28 and Aug. 1, 10 a.m.-11 a.m. Free with admission to the park. Stone Zoo, 149 Pond St., Stoneham. macaronikid.com
FAMILY FUN FAIR Join Quincy’s Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center for a family-friendly fair full of face painting, games, balloon animals, and bouncy-houses. Children can also enjoy a lion dance, a petting zoo, and a watermelon-eating contest. Wally the Green Monster, the Red Sox mascot, will also make an appearance at the event. The first 100 participants to arrive will be given free goodie bags. July 29, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. Cavanagh Stadium, 1-99 Birch St., Quincy. bcnc.net
PUERTO RICAN FESTIVAL Celebrate Puerto Rican culture at this annual festival at City Hall Square. The whole family can enjoy live music by local and international artists, Puerto Rican food, arts and crafts, and rides. July 29, noon to July 30, 10 p.m. Free. 1 City Hall Square #500. bostoncentral.com
ELENA GIARDINA