MUSIC
Pop & Rock
AYRA STARR This Nigerian singer and model has a rich, resonant voice that gives her music muscle; her 2022 track “Rush,” which melds the rhythms of Afrobeats with the lush production of modern R&B, was one of this year’s sleeper streaming hits in the United States. Sept. 1, 8 p.m. Royale. 617-338-7699, royaleboston.com
AESPA With a catalog full of gleaming dance-pop with a slight R&B edge — accentuated by their sumptuous harmonies — expect lots of movement, both onstage and in the crowd, at this Korean quartet’s Boston debut. Sept. 2, 8 p.m. MGM Music Hall at Fenway. crossroadspresents.com
ARCTIC MONKEYS “The Car,” last year’s album from these Brit rockers, is stretched out and meditative, with frontman Alex Turner’s world-weary vocals draped over late-night-lounge pianos and weepy strings. But don’t go to this show dressed to mope: Their setlists on this tour so far have included songs from that record alongside punchier bits of their discography like the siren serenade “Arabella” and the still crackling “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor.” Sept. 3, 8 p.m.. TD Garden. 617-624-1000, tdgarden.com
MAURA JOHNSTON
Folk, World & Country
KAITLIN BUTTS This Medford outpost is on a roll when it comes to showcasing rising women of country music. This week, it’s Oklahoma-born, Nashville-based singer-songwriter Kaitlin Butts, touring behind her new collection, “What Else Can She Do.” Sept. 1, 9 p.m. $15. The Porch Southern, 175 Rivers Edge Drive, Medford. 781-874-9357, www.theporchsouthern.com
THE FRIEL SISTERS Born in Glasgow but rooted in Ireland’s Donegal, this trio of sisters — Anna, Sheila, and Claire, variously playing flute, tin whistle, uilleann pipes, and fiddle, all singing and harmonizing together as only siblings can — have begun making a mark in the world of Irish traditional music. Sept. 3, 4 p.m. $28. The Burren, 247 Elm St., Somerville. 617-776-6896, www.burren.com
KASSI VALAZZA/MARIA MULDAUR If you’re not worn out by four days of Passim’s annual Labor Day campfire. festival, you can head back on Tuesday to see an icon celebrate via Maria Muldaur marking the 50th anniversary of “Midnight at the Oasis,” then return the next night to catch up-and-comer Kassi Valazza playing her psychedelic-tinged folk. Sept. 5, 8 p.m. $50; Sept. 6, 8 p.m. $20. Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Cambridge. 617-492-7679, www.passim.org
STUART MUNRO
Jazz & Blues
JOSE SOTO 5TET Costa Rican pianist and composer Soto leads his chamber jazz ensemble in a concert celebrating his new recording “The Ancestral Call.” Proceeds will benefit Si̱wa̱' Ujtékölpa Cultural Center of the community of Sös in Talamanca, Costa Rica, to raise funds and awareness for the Bribri people. Sept. 2, 7 p.m. Suggested donation: $20. Hope Central Church, 85 Seaverns Ave., Jamaica Plain. www.eventbrite.com
SONYA RAE TAYLOR A soulful singer, stinging guitarist, and savvy songwriter, Taylor has gathered accolades for her gigs with husband and fellow guitarist Ryan Taylor. Sept. 4, 10 p.m. $5. Plough & Stars, 912 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge. www.ploughandstars.com
THEO CROKER Two-time Grammy nominee, graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, grandson of trumpet great Doc Cheatham, and protege of singer Dee Dee Bridgewater, the trumpeter, composer, producer, and vocalist is renowned for embracing multiple genres from jazz to hip-hop in his unique 21st-century musical melange. Sept. 6, 7:30 p.m. $22-$35. City Winery, 80 Beverly St. 617-933-8047, www.citywinery.com/boston
KEVIN LOWENTHAL
Classical
CELLO AND PIANO Cellist Ji Young Lee and pianist Dina Vainshtein host an intimate concert of 20th-century music for piano and cello: sonatas by Debussy, Ligeti, and Rachmaninoff, with comments on the music and a Q&A. The concert is one of the first events at Somerville Music Spaces, which opened last month and provides studios and performance rooms for rent, walking distance from Davis Square. Sept. 2. 4 p.m. Somerville Music Spaces, Somerville. www.somervillemusicspaces.com
VALIS Tod Machover’s 1987 science-fiction opera based on Philip K. Dick’s novel of religious experiences and artificial intelligences reintroduces itself with a new production directed by Jay Scheib, starring baritone Davóne Tines and mezzo-soprano Anaïs Reno, brought to life with bespoke stagecraft developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab. Sept. 8-10, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Building W97, Cambridge. https://arts.mit.edu
A.Z. MADONNA
ARTS
Theater
TALL TALES FROM BLACKBURN TAVERN Gifted local playwright John Minigan (”The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” “Noir Hamlet”) drew on folklore from Gloucester’s four-century history for “Tall Tales from Blackburn Tavern,” incorporating the Gloucester Sea Serpent, the Ghost Army, and the Witches of Dogtown. Directed by Bryn Boice. Sept. 1-24. Gloucester Stage Company, Gloucester. 978-281-4433, www.gloucesterstage.com
A NEW BRAIN William Finn (music, lyrics, and book) and James Lapine (book) collaborated on this 1998 musical, which is based on Finn’s struggles with a life-threatening neurological disorder that struck the composer when he was at the peak of his career. Directed by Joe Calarco. Through Sept. 10. Barrington Stage Company in association with Williamstown Theatre Festival. At Boyd-Quinson Stage, Pittsfield. 413-236-8888, www.barringtonstageco.org
PRAYER FOR THE FRENCH REPUBLIC In this play by the talented Joshua Harmon (”Bad Jews,” “Admissions,” “Significant Other”), a Jewish family in Paris debates whether to stay or leave France after the son, who wears a yarmulke, is the victim of an antisemitic assault. The large cast includes Amy Resnick, Will Lyman, Jared Troilo, Phyllis Kay, and Tony Estrella. Directed by Loretta Greco. Sept. 7-Oct. 8. The Huntington. At Huntington Theatre. 617-266-0800, www.huntingtontheatre.org
THE THIN PLACE Play by Lucas Hnath (”A Doll’s House, Part 2,” “Hillary and Clinton”) about the complex interactions between a psychic (D’Arcy Dersham) and a client (Stacy Fischer) seeking to connect with her mother, who suddenly disappeared one day, and her beloved grandmother, who had coached her in ways they might communicate after the grandmother’s death. Also featuring Brenda Withers and Robert Kropf. Directed by Jeff Zinn. Through Sept. 3. Harbor Stage Company, Wellfleet. 508-349-6800, www.harborstage.org
DON AUCOIN
Dance
OOZING Multimedia Artist Kledia Spiro’s most recent body of work, on display at Boston Sculptors Gallery through Oct. 1 as part of Donna Dodson’s “SHEROES” exhibit, is a series of video performances she calls “Oozing.” It examines the weighty responsibility of family legacy and inheritance. On Sept. 1, she presents a live performance, “In the Heels Of,” which showcases how we stand on the shoulders of those who have come before us. Sept. 1, 6 p.m. Free. Boston Sculptors Gallery. www.bostonsculptors.com
JACOB’S PILLOW GALA FARE The internationally-acclaimed dance festival’s season-opening galas have traditionally offered a fabulous slate of “one-time-only” performances. This new Jacob’s Pillow Dance Interactive playlist offers a brilliant sampler of genres with 24 performance clips spanning four decades, from a lovely tribute waltz to Gower Champion by his wife Marge and son Blake to Lil Buck’s iconic version of “The Swan.” Free. https://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/
PVDFEST The Sunday headliner for Providence’s free signature outdoor arts festival Sept. 8-10 is the 11th annual Afrika Nyaga Drum & Dance Festival. In addition to renowned Malian musical stars, the festival will feature performances by Cape Verdean percussion and dance group Projetu Batuku and Haus of Glitter Dance Company, a Providence-based group that combines contemporary dance with other styles, including traditional West-African/Afrobeats, house, vogue, and hip-hop. Sept. 10, 2-6 p.m. Free. 195 District Park, Providence. www.sidymaiga.com/events
KAREN CAMPBELL
Visual art
SIMONE LEIGH This is the last weekend to see (or revisit) the first-ever comprehensive survey of the work of Simone Leigh, which arrived at the Institute of Contemporary Art Boston April 6, a landmark in the ever-expanding career of one of the country’s most respected artists. The exhibition follows a recent international coup: Leigh and the ICA were deep in planning this show when they decided to submit Leigh in competition as official American representative for the 2022 Venice Biennale, which opened there to broad accolades. Leigh’s show in Boston brings almost every element of that powerful display home, with significant additions. Always at issue for Leigh is Black representation and history, which she explores through a variety of media; but ceramics is her first language, and always at the heart of any of her exhibitions. Through Sept. 4. Institute Of Contemporary Art Boston, 25 Harbor Shore Drive. 617-478-3100, icaboston.org
GUADALUPE MARAVILLA: MARIPOSA RELÁMPAGO Also ending this week is the ICA’s summertime special at the Watershed: When Maravilla was 8 years old, he fled El Salvador’s then-raging civil war and picked his way north to the United States, where he was eventually reunited with his family. In the years following, he suffered bouts of illness, both mental and physical, that he attributes to the trauma of war and migration; in searching for ways to heal, he discovered the therapeutic potential of sound, which he incorporates in his work. “Mariposa Relámpago” is part of the artist’s Disease Thrower series, a talismanic enterprise built from materials the artist collects revisiting the hazardous byways of his path to freedom all those years ago — and, of course, a series of gongs to make the healing complete. Through Sept. 4. The Institute of Contemporary Art’s Watershed, 256 Marginal St. 617-478-3100, www.icaboston.org
TENDER LOVING CARE: CONTEMPORARY ART FROM THE COLLECTION This fresh installation of 100 pieces from the MFA’s contemporary holdings includes works both recently acquired and never seen in its galleries despite entering the collection years before. Collections are unwieldy things, growing by trend, happenstance, and less by intention than you might think; backtracking can help reveal old ideas and new ways forward. The exhibition is built around five themes: threads, thresholds, rest, vibrant matter, and adoration, and includes works by artists like Sheila Hicks and Howardena Pindell. Through July 28, 2025. Museum of Fine Arts Boston, 465 Huntington Ave. 617-267-9300, www.mfa.org
MURRAY WHYTE
ZACH HORN: THE ARC OF THE MORAL UNIVERSE In August, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters ratified a new labor contract with shipping giant UPS, averting a strike. To mark Labor Day, Horn pairs portraits of members of Boston’s IBT Local 25 with the words of labor movement champion Martin Luther King Jr. State Senator Paul R. Feeney sponsors the exhibition. There will be a public reception on Sept. 6 from 3 p.m.-4 p.m. in State House Room 222. Sept. 5-15. Massachusetts State House, 24 Beacon St. www.zachhornart.com
CATE McQUAID
EVENTS
Comedy
THE WEEKEND SHOW Union Comedy shows off its house improv teams. Friday night, it’s Babe, Milkshake, and an improvised show about awful neighbors and roommates. Saturday, it’s Big Allowance, Clyde, and Medusa. Sept. 1-2, 7:30 p.m. $15. Union Comedy, 593 Somerville Ave., Somerville. www.unioncomedy.com
LENNY CLARKE The Boston legend is back at his home club for three shows with three different lineups this weekend. Friday, he’s with Artie Januario and Jimmy Cash. Saturday, Cash and Christine Hurley. Sunday is the annual Labor Day blowout with Hurley and Cash, plus Tony V., Steve Sweeney, and Johnny Pizzi. Sept. 1-2, 8:30 p.m. Sept. 3, 8 p.m. $32-$35. Giggles Comedy Club, 517 Broadway (Route 1), Saugus. 781-233-9950, www.princerestaurant.com/giggles-events
BALLPIT COMEDY This showcase of queer and POC comedians happens the first Saturday of the month at the Rockwell, and does feature an actual ballpit that the comics can choose to utilize in their performances. On the bill this month, Fredo Cruz, Jacqueline Wall, Emily Mame Ford, Caroline Moore, Jack Simon, Alexa Albanese, Steph Dalwin, and Amma Marfo. Sept. 2, 6 p.m. $15. The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Somerville. www.therockwell.org
NICK A. ZAINO III
Family
DOWNTOWN MOVIE NIGHT Enjoy a film under the starry sky in Boston Common for the Mayor’s Downtown Movie Night. “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” will be on the big screen at dusk. Sept. 1, 7:30 p.m.-9 p.m. Free. Boston Common Frog Pond, 38 Beacon St. boston.gov
SCITUATE LABOR DAY PARADE Celebrate the end of the summer with the Scituate Visitors Association for their annual Labor Day Parade. Parade-goers can enjoy the floats and costumes from the sidelines, or they can participate in competitions for the best floats, costumes, and best-decorated home. Sept. 3, 1 p.m.-3 p.m. Free. 88 Scituate Ave., Scituate scituatevisitorscenter.com
MARLBOROUGH LABOR DAY PARADE Take part in New England’s largest Labor Day parade! It starts on Pleasant and Lincoln streets. Participants can enjoy music, decorated parade floats, community organizations, and entertainment. Sept. 4, noon. Free. Pleasant and Lincoln streets, Marlborough mommypoppins.com
ELENA GIARDINA