MUSIC
Pop & Rock
VAN MORRISON The Irish troubadour has had a busy 12 months, releasing three albums meshing the old and the new — the bluesy “Roll With the Punches,” the standards-heavy “Versatile,” and the collaboration with organist Joey DeFrancesco “You’re Driving Me Crazy” — while touring the globe. Sept. 11, 7 p.m. $45 and up. Blue Hills Bank Pavilion. 800-745-3000, www.livenation.com
SAINT ETIENNE The British swank-poppers celebrate the 20th anniversary of their sublime, hook-heavy fourth album, “Good Humor,” which features shimmies like the brassy “Split Screen” alongside swings for the “Beatles-esque” fence like “Mr. Donut.” Sept. 9, 7 p.m. $25. Brighton Music Hall. 617-779-0140, www.crossroadspresents.com
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DILLY DALLY Katie Monks’s spindly yowl guides these Toronto rockers’ second full-length, “Heaven,” as its songs sparkle and pummel, blending the dank low ends of grunge with the feedback-borne shimmer of dreampop. They celebrate its release day with an opening set for Los Angeles chaos-punkers FIDLAR. Sept. 14, 7 p.m. $28, $26 advance. Paradise Rock Club. 617-562-8800, www.crossroadspresents.com
MAURA JOHNSTON
Folk & World
DIOGO NOGUEIRA The son of Brazilian samba great João Nogueira had designs on a professional soccer career, but an injury put an end to that. Soccer’s loss was samba’s gain, as the second-generation star has gone on to a career as a singer, composer, musician, and actor that has brought him two Latin Grammys. Sept. 9, 8 p.m. $30-$58. Berklee Performance Center. 617-876-4275, www.worldmusic.org
ROD PICOTT Singer-songwriter Picott, originally from Maine but now based in Nashville, just released the latest installment in his “circus of heartbreak and misery” — not only a double album, “Out Past the Wires,” but an accompanying book of short stories that play off the album’s songs. Apparently he’s not taking many days off. Sept. 9, 7:30 p.m. $15. The Burren, Somerville. 617-776-6896, www.burren.com
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BREWER & SHIPLEY Michael Brewer and Tom Shipley have been performing together, off and on, for 50 years, but if you’ve heard of them, it’s likely via their 1970 hit, “One Toke Over the Line,” which has the distinction of having been banned by several radio stations and performed “champagne style” on “The Lawrence Welk Show” (where the host characterized it as a “modern spiritual”). Go figure. Sept. 10, 8 p.m. $20-$30. City Winery. 617-933-8047, www.citywinery.com/boston
STUART MUNRO
Jazz & Blues
CUTOUT + KARAYORGIS/SMITH/ROSENTHAL TRIO Two sets of edgy and engaging compositions and improvisations from some of Boston and Chicago’s most adventurous players. Cutout features soprano and alto saxophonist Jorrit Dijkstra, trombonist Jeb Bishop, pianist Pandelis Karayorgis, bassist Nate McBride, and drummer Luther Gray; the Trio features Karayorgis’s piano, bassist Damon Smith, and drummer Eric Rosenthal. Sept. 12, 7:30 p.m. $10. Lily Pad, 1353 Cambridge St., Cambridge. 617-395-1393, www.lilypadinman.com
JASON PALMER QUINTET Hosted by Mandorla Music Series and Greater Ashmont Main St., the Dot Jazz Series kicks off its latest season with acclaimed, in-demand trumpeter, composer, and educator Palmer. With tenor saxophonist Noah Preminger, pianist Kevin Harris, bassist Max Ridley, and drummer Lee Fish. Sept. 13, 7:30 p.m. $15. Peabody Hall, Parish of All Saints, 209 Ashmont St., Dorchester. www.mandorlamusic.net
ANTHONY GERACI & THE BOSTON BLUES ALL-STARS The veteran keyboardist/composer helms his recently formed group of top Boston-area musicians: singer, guitarist, and harmonica player Dennis Brennan, guitarist-singer Troy Gonyea, bassist-singer Michael “Mudcat” Ward, and drummer-singer Jeff Armstrong. Sept. 14, 8 p.m. $15-$25. 9 Wallis, 9 Wallis St., Beverly. www.gimmelive.com
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KEVIN LOWENTHAL
Classical
COMMUNITY MUSIC CENTER OF BOSTON Ireland- and United States-based Trio Festivale whirls through the Community Music Center of Boston for a free, family-friendly concert, part of the center’s Kleshinski Series. The Ireland-focused program features arrangements of traditional music from the country, Frank Martin’s “Trio on Irish Folk Tunes,” and a new music and poetry work, “The Great Hunger,” by Irish composer Ian Wilson. Sept. 13, 7 p.m. Community Music Center of Boston. Free. www.cmcb.org
ISABELLA STEWART GARDNER MUSEUM The Borromeo String Quartet launches a two-year cycle of Felix Mendelssohn’s six string quartets with this weekend’s concerts. Quartets Nos. 2 and 6 are up first for the museum’s ensemble in residence. These beloved standards share a bill with two rarities; in keeping with Abrams curator of music George Steel’s stated goals for the season, these are 20th-century black composer Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson’s String Quartet No. 1, “Calvary,” and Borromeo violinist Nicholas Kitchen’s arrangement of Bernstein’s little reverie “Ilana, the Dreamer.” Sept. 15, 3 p.m. Repeats Sept. 16. 617-278-5156, www.gardnermuseum.org
ASHMONT HILL CHAMBER MUSIC In recent years, powerhouse bass-baritone Dashon Burton has shaken the rafters at Jordan and Symphony Halls with local ensembles such as Boston Baroque and the Handel and Haydn Society, and he’s also appeared as a member of intrepid vocal ensemble Roomful of Teeth. This time he’s the only voice onstage, as he and accompanist Christopher Walter present a program titled “A Poet Speaks” in Dorchester. The program runs a wide gamut, from John Dowland to Robert Schumann to spirituals and gospel songs. Sept. 16, 4 p.m. Peabody Hall, Parish of All Saints, Dorchester. www.ahchambermusic.org Zoë Madonna
ARTS
Theater
KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN Eddy Cavazos delivers a vividly expressive performance as Molina, a gay window dresser who conjures fantasies about a glamorous movie star to help him survive in a Latin American prison. Cavazos is ably complemented by Taavon Gamble as Valentin, Molina’s political-dissident cellmate, and Lisa Yuen as Aurora, the film actress of Molina’s life-sustaining dreams. This stirring production of Kander and Ebb’s Tony-winning musical is directed and choreographed by Rachel Bertone. Through Oct. 7. Lyric Stage Company of Boston. 617-585-5678, www.lyricstage.com
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TRUTH VALUES: ONE GIRL’S ROMP THROUGH M.I.T.’S MALE MATH MAZE Writer-actress Gioia De Cari reprises the satirical solo show she presented at Central Square Theater nearly a decade ago, in which she recounted and reenacted her experiences as a graduate student in mathematics at MIT in the late 1980s. Those experiences included encounters with nerdy technocrats and sexist assumptions about women and science. In my 2009 Globe review, I described De Cari as “an appealing and nimble-witted performer’’ whose show amounted to a self-portrait of a youthful “Alice in Numberland’’ delivering a “guided tour through the quirky precincts of MIT, and of her own mind.’’ Directed by Joey Brenneman. Sept. 12-23. Nora Theatre Company. At Central Square Theater, Cambridge. 617-576-9278, www.centralsquaretheater.org
THE AGITATORS Jacqui Parker directs the New England premiere of Mat Smart’s drama about the close but sometimes-turbulent friendship and political alliance between two giants in the history of reform, social justice, and equality: women’s rights champion Susan B. Anthony (portrayed by Sarah Elizabeth Bedard) and abolitionist Frederick Douglass (played by James Ricardo Milord, seen recently as the cadet Christian in Gloucester Stage’s “Cyrano.’’). Sept. 14-Oct. 7. Gloucester Stage Company, Gloucester. 978-281-4433, www.gloucesterstage.com
DON AUCOIN
Dance
TINY & SHORT: A DROP IN THE BUCKET This intriguing offering explores just how much movement invention can flourish within a relatively small space — atop a 4-by-4-foot platform — over a restricted period of time, a brief five minutes. In various locations around intimate Studio 7, additional “short” performances also will unfold, and audiences get to vote for their favorites. More than two dozen dancers are in the mix. Sept. 14-16. $13-$21. Dance Complex, Cambridge. 617-547-9363, www.dancecomplex.org
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CAMBRIDGE CARNIVAL Dance is a driving force of this all-day celebration highlighted by a grand costume parade. Presenters say there will be engaging rhythms, brilliant costumes, tasty food, and a lively community spirit as thousands flock to Kendall Square for this colorful Afro-Caribbean gathering. Sept. 9. noon-6 p.m. Free. 300 Athenaeum St., Cambridge. 617-863-0476, www.cambridgecarnival.org
GENIUS AT PLAY Boston Ballet just opened the season with this colorful program celebrating the centennial of legendary choreographer Jerome Robbins. The program features Robbins’s octet “Interplay,” set to a jazz score by Morton Gould, the irrepressible “Fancy Free,” the first of his many collaborations with Leonard Bernstein, and the company premiere of “Glass Pieces.” Choreographed for 42 dancers, the ballet is an ode to urban energy set to music by Philip Glass. Through Sept. 16. $37-$169. Boston Opera House. 617-695-6955, www.bostonballet.org
KAREN CAMPBELL
Galleries
MUSEUM OF CAPITALISM This “museum” — really, a conceptual artwork — presents capitalism as if it were a vestige of history. Artworks and artifacts examine the economic system’s legacy regarding race, class, and the environment. Through Oct. 25. School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University, 230 The Fenway, 617-627-3518, smfa.tufts.edu/events-exhibits/galleries
STRATA Denise Marika, who made lyrical and penetrating video art, died in July. In her last project, a collaboration, mixed-media painter Luanne E Witkowski traces over and responds to Marika’s video projection of a volcanic landscape (and more) on a plywood floor panel. Through Sept. 30. Kingston Gallery, 450 Harrison Ave. 617-423-4113, www.kingstongallery.com
A CULTURAL NARRATIVE Ceramicists Natalia Arbelaez, April D. Felipe, and Beth Lo, all children of immigrants, explore themes of migration, heritage, and integration — knitting together the disparate parts of their histories. Arbelaez and Felipe are emerging artists; Lo has exhibited internationally. Through Sept. 29. Lacoste/Keane Gallery, 25 Main St., Concord. 978-369-0278, www.lacostegallery.com
CATE McQUAID
Museums
MUTINY: WORKS BY GÉRICAULT Was the great romantic artist a forerunner of modernism? This show, featuring three paintings and roughly three dozen works on paper, suggests he was, portraying events of the day and depicting the violence and conflicts of ordinary life and society. Through Jan. 6. Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy St., Cambridge. 617-495-9400, www.harvardartmuseums.org
CONTEMPLATING THE VIEW: AMERICAN LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHS Since the advent of the medium, American landscape photographers have investigated the notion of a divide between culture and nature. Artists here include Ansel Adams, Marcia Resnick, and Edward Weston. Through March 3. Addison Gallery of American Art, Phillips Academy, 180 Main St., Andover. 978-749-4000, addison.andover.edu
CASANOVA’S EUROPE: ART, PLEASURE, AND POWER IN THE 18TH CENTURY Legendary seducer, wit, and man of letters Giacomo Casanova provides entryway to a world of opulence and romance in an exhibition of more than 280 objects, including masterworks by Tiepolo and Canaletto. Through Oct. 8. Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave. 617-267-9300, www.mfa.org
CATE McQUAID
EVENTS
Comedy
MATTEO LANE The former opera singer and current stand-up is in the just-released second part of the Netflix show “The Comedy Lineup” and cohosts the “Inside the Closet” podcast with former Boston comic Emma Willmann. Sept. 13 at 8 p.m., Sept. 14 at 7:30 p.m., and Sept. 15 at 7:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. $20-$25. Laugh Boston, 425 Summer St., Boston. 617-725-2844, www.laughboston.com
WHOSE LIVE ANYWAY? A show based on improv games, “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” keeps chugging along on The CW — the new season premiered earlier this month. To celebrate, current cast members Ryan Stiles, Greg Proops, Jeff B. Davis, and Joel Murphy take the show on the road. Sept. 14, 7:30 p.m. $52. Wilbur Theatre. 866-448-7849, www.thewilbur.com
TINDER NIGHTMARES The Riot Theater welcomes the Unmentionables, the house improv troupe of the Vermont Comedy Club, as they turn audience members’ stories about dating into improvised sketch comedy. Sept. 15, 10 p.m. $10. The Rozzie Square Theater, 5 Basile St., Roslindale. 617-942-0294, www.theriottheater.com
NICK A. ZAINO III
Family
MEOW MILE 5K RUN/WALK Finding an outdoor activity for the whole family can feel like herding cats — but you can stretch your legs at any pace on a flat, two-lap course around the Chestnut Hill Reservoir. Adults must register in advance to receive a bib, and funds raised support the Gifford Cat Shelter; kids and dogs can race untimed and without a bib for free. An animal-themed costume contest adds to the fun. Sept. 9, 9 a.m. $42. Registration near Reilly Memorial Swimming Pool, 355 Chestnut Hill Ave., Brighton. giffordmeowmile.org.
THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE PREPAREDNESS GAME Are you ready for the zombie apocalypse? Test your survival skills in this all-ages, mission-based game that encourages creative thinking. Form a team of five to six players and get ready for several hours of nonstop zombie fun as you explore mystery locations in Somerville (released to registered participants a few days before the game). Don’t forget an iPhone 4 or newer to download the game app, which enables teams to score points through missions and photo opportunities. Sept. 15, 2 p.m. Free. Union Square, Somerville. (Mystery locations revealed to registered participants only.) zombiegame.splashthat.com.
U35 POETRY WRITE-A-THON KICKOFF EVENT Get to know young poets (and inspire the kids) at this casual, meet-and-greet event catered to all ages. The event will kick off a six week write-a-thon and fund-raising effort for the poets and offers readers the chance to talk rhyme and reason with young writers; the occasion will also offer a venue for poets to share some of their work aloud. Feeling hungry post-mingling? Grab a bite or book at Trident’s recently reopened cafe and bookstore. Sept. 14, 6 p.m. Free. Trident Booksellers and Cafe, 338 Newbury St., Boston. tridentbookscafe.com.
KAYA WILLIAMS
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Sept. 19 Moose Blood at Paradise Rock Club ticketmaster.com
Sept. 25 Borns at Blue Hills Bank Pavilion ticketmaster.com
Oct. 6 Elton John at TD Garden ticketmaster.com
Oct. 10 Milo Greene at Brighton Music Hall ticketmaster.com
Oct. 12 Florence and the Machine at TD Garden ticketmaster.com
Oct. 14 Lil Pump at House of Blues ticketmaster.com
Oct. 17 Goo Goo Dolls at House of Blues ticketmaster.com
Oct. 20 Mitski at House of Blues ticketmaster.com
KAYA WILLIAMS