TUESDAY
What: “Yesterday and Today: The Interactive Beatles Experience”
Where: Delray Center for the Arts, 51 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach
When: 8 p.m.
Cost: $39
Contact: 561/243-7922, delraycenterforthearts.org
They don’t wear mop-top wigs, and they don’t speak with faux-British accents, but they’re dressed in snappy suits and they have a Beatles oeuvre deeper than a millionaire’s pockets. Billy McGuigan and his two brothers need to have a versatile body of work because, as the tribute act Yesterday and Today, they rely entirely on audience input to decide their set list for each show. Unique among America’s bottomless well of Fab Four tribute shows, the players collect request forms from audience members before the show and then at intermission—so if you’ve always wanted to hear “Happiness is a Warm Gun” or “Golden Slumbers” next to “Let it Be” and “Help!,” now’s your chance. Attendees are also encouraged to write the reason for their selection, which the musicians may integrate into their pre-song banter. Each show can run up to three hours and employ up to five keyboards and 19 guitars, to ensure the pinpoint accuracy of each song.
WEDNESDAY
What: Alice Cooper
Where: Hard Rock Live, 5747 Seminole Way, Hollywood
When: 8 p.m.
Cost: $34–$54
Contact: 800/745-3000, hardrocklivehollywoodfl.com
When he’s not spewing fake blood all over the stage of some unfortunate concert venue, Alice Cooper is a celebrity golfer. The thought of the bandleader who once boasted that “we drove a stake through the heart of the Love Generation” quietly putting to make par is about as incongruent as Bill Maher hosting an interfaith breakfast. Then again, Cooper is full of contradictions. A heavy metal pioneer whose Grand Guignol stage show weaves guillotines, electric chairs and boa constrictors into his theatrical set, he’s also an erudite intellectual and, yes, born-again Christian who has never really taken his shtick seriously. For evidence of that, look no further than his hilarious cameo in the cult classic “Wayne’s World.” The influential shock rocker, who turns 67 this month, shows no signs of slowing down, with a cover album slated for release this year; recent set lists have showcased his signature take on tunes by The Who, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors and, um, Judy Collins.
FRIDAY
What: “Shooting for the Stars” with Dana Leong Trio
Where: Plumosa School of the Arts, 2501 Seacrest Blvd., Delray Beach
When: 7:30 p.m.
Cost: $35-$75
Contact: plumosafoundation.org
Last year, Delray’s Plumosa School of the Arts booked a powerful and inspirational act for its inaugural “Shooting for the Stars” fundraiser: Black Violin, the South Florida-bred duo that has found an eclectic niche by combining hip-hop with classical string music. This year, the school’s foundation has scheduled a figure who similarly throws generic conventions to the wind: Dana Leong, a virtuoso talent who composes his own music on instruments as varied as cello, trombone and synthesizers. Dubbed a “master of all genres,” Leong has also been called a “hi-def Yo-Yo Ma” for his unassailable ability to combine beautiful string-music solos with pulsating rap beats, flirting with jazz and pop in the process. Considering that he’s sold out jazz festivals, been named “Most Stylish New Yorker” by Time Out magazine, and performed with the likes of Kanye West, Bjork and Yoko Ono, Delray Beach is privileged to welcome him for a night that will surely be remembered.
FRIDAY AND SATURDAY
What: Contra-Tiempo: “Full. Still. Hungry.”
Where: Arsht Center, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, and 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Cost: $40
Contact: 305/949-6722, arshtcenter.org
The provocative, self-proclaimed Urban Latin Dance Theater collectively known as Contra-Tiempo formed in 2005—and while its name translates in English to “against time,” the group is so cutting-edge that it’s perennially ahead of it. Cesar Alvarez, co-founder of the Los Angeles-based company, composes its soundtracks by mashing together deconstructed salsa, Americana, hip-hop, industrial and found sounds, which in turn inspire choreography that spans the spectrum from salsa, Afro-Cuban and hip-hop to modern and jazz dance. The multicultural result challenges dance’s form and function while addressing issues of politics, health and identity. Contra-Tiempo’s newest work is a perfect example, examining themes related to agriculture and consumption through movements that are tribal, frenetic and acrobatic. A modern-day Carmen Miranda brings her best fruit forward, chairs become airborne props, and the show even integrates pointed commentary from a bullhorn-toting revolutionary.
FRIDAY TO SUNDAY
What: Palm Beach Opera’s “Enemies: A Love Story”
Where: Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday
Cost: $25-$135
Contact: 561/832-7469, kravis.org
If you ever thought that Isaac Bashevis Singer’s 1966 novel Enemies: A Love Story would make a great opera—with its Holocaust survivor protagonist juggling a wife, an ex-wife and a mistress in 1948 New York—you’re not alone. The story, which was also adapted into a hit 1991 movie, will enjoy its operatic world premiere this weekend, courtesy of Palm Beach Opera, composer Ben Moore and librettist Nahma Sandrow. Darkly comic and lyrically beautiful, this piece flies in the face of the atonality of much of this company’s operatic repertoire. Likewise, any new work is a risk for a company accustomed to producing safe operas from the standard repertory, and Palm Beach Opera should already be commended for taking a chance and fostering what may become a future classic.
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY
What: Lake Worth Street Painting Festival
Where: Lake and Lucerne avenues in downtown Lake Worth
When: Begins at 10 a.m.
Cost: Free
Contact: 561/585-0003, streetpaintingfestivalinc.org
Artists turning public streets into their personal canvases isn’t new; it’s a tradition that dates back to 16th-century Italy. Back then, the artists were calledMadonnari, and they painted on pavement as a way to make a living when their commissions at city cathedrals were complete. They’d re-create religious murals, and crowds of onlookers would toss them coins for their efforts. Today, the art is usually more secular, and the coins have, hopefully, given way to greenbacks, but the concept is fundamentally the same: Artists create transient masterpieces that remain on view only until the next rain shower. The largest street art festival in the country is in Lake Worth, where thousands gather to watch artists playfully distort perspective, so that avenues turn into gaping pits inhabited by dragons and snakes. Last year, the fest’s 20th anniversary honored cinema blockbusters with an adventure-movie theme; this year’s theme had yet to be announced at press time. Still, expect two days of live music, street performers, strolling minstrels, a festival food court and more than 200 paintings.
SUNDAY
What: Danny Brooks
Where: Arts Garage, 180 N.E. First St., Delray Beach
When: 8 p.m.
Cost: $25-$35
Contact: 561/450-6357, artsgarage.org
It’s hard to believe Danny Brooks hails from Canada, because his sound is so Southern American it’s practically Mexican. In fact, Brooks calls himself the Texassippi Soul Man, thanks to his impeccable cauldron of influences from both of those American states. The charismatic, longhaired singer grew up listening to Hank Williams and Taj Mahal, Solomon Burke and the Allman Brothers, and you can hear echoes of these legends in his band’s music, which he performs with a spiritual bombast akin to an old-time preacher. The distinctive gravel in his weathered voice is like the road-battered cherry on top. Brooks is supporting his third album, appropriately titled “Texassippie Soul Man,” with 16 eclectic tracks that span styles from Otis Redding to the Black Keys.
MONDAY, FEB. 23
What: “Heart of a Woman” luncheon
Where: Boca Raton Resort & Club, 501 E. Camino Real, Boca Raton
When: 10:30 a.m.
Cost: $135
Contact: 561/265-3727, avdaonline.org
Say what you want about the artistic merit of reality TV series like “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” but for Real Housewife Taylor Armstrong, her experience on the hit Bravo series potentially saved her life, and certainly altered it for the better. It was during the series, on which she co-starred from 2010 to 2012, that allegations of domestic abuse inflicted by her husband, venture capitalist Russell Armstrong, came to national light. The domestic battery became so pronounced that Taylor required a titanium mesh implant to hold up her damaged right eye. Russell later took his own life, and Taylor documented the painful experience, and her recovery, in the best-selling memoir Hiding From Reality. All of this makes her a compelling keynote speaker at this year’s “Heart of a Woman” luncheon, whose funds benefit Aid to Victims of Domestic Violence, or AVDA, which provides help and/or shelter to more than 8,600 people annually. Enjoy lunch while listening to Armstrong’s courageous story and supporting this essential nonprofit.
What: Lang Lang
Where: Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach
When: 8 p.m.
Cost: $35 and up
Contact: 561/832-7469, kravis.org
This impossibly accomplished pianist from China credits his introduction to music to an episode of “Tom and Jerry” that used as its soundtrack Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2. The rest is history—and quite a remarkable one. Lang won a local piano competition at age 5, an International Tchaikovsky Competition at 13, sold out Carnegie Hall at 19 and, later, madeTime magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people. He’s since scored music for video games and Golden Globe-winning movies, along with performing for dignitaries from Barack Obama and Queen Elizabeth II to Vladimir Putin. To have him in Palm Beach County, where he’ll perform compositions by Bach, Tchaikovsky and Chopin, is a true honor.
