Tuesday
Maroon 5 at Cruzan Amphitheatre, 601-7 Sansburys Way, West Palm Beach; 7 p.m.; $30 to $105; www.livenation.com
When I listen to a band like Maroon 5, it’s a reminder that ubiquitous pop fame doesn’t always equate to shallow music. Despite being the butt of a memorably cruel “Family Guy” joke, Maroon 5 is one of the more soulful and sophisticated acts to emerge on the top 40 charts during the 2000s. The band’s songs, particularly the flurry of megahits released on its 2002 debut “Songs About Jane,” burrow into your brain like pleasant termites and never leave. This tour celebrates Maroon 5’s 2010 release “Hands All Over,” and Train and Matt Nathanson will open the show.
Wednesday
Screening of “City Lights” at Boca Raton Museum of Art, 501 Plaza Real, Boca Raton; 2 p.m.; included with museum admission; 561/392-2500 orwww.bocamuseum.org
The Boca Museum has been shining a spotlight on silent films all summer, and it couldn’t pick a more beloved one to conclude the series than “City Lights,” considered by many to be Charlie Chaplin’s best film. Released in 1931 at a time when proto talkies dominated cinemas, “City Lights” is the apotheosis of Chaplin’s Little Tramp persona, discovered while sleeping on a newly unveiled city statue and eventually touching the lives of a blind flower girl and a suicidal millionaire. As this description suggests, “City Lights” is not your average comedy; it brims with social consciousness and deep dramatic pathos, and it directly influenced Federico Fellini to Woody Allen in its wake.
Thursday
John Vanderslice at The Speakeasy Lounge, 129 N. Federal Highway, Lake Worth; 9 p.m.; $10; 561/791-6242 or www.speakeasylounge.com
See my extensive preview of this show, posted on this blog last week.
Friday
Opening night of “If a Tree Falls” at Living Room Theaters at FAU, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton; show times vary; $5 to $9.50; 561/549-2600
or fau.livingroomtheaters.com
This compelling documentary charts the rise and capture of several members of the Earth Liberation Front, a militant environmentalist group whose arson attacks on environmentally unfriendly corporate buildings led to the term “eco-terrorism” in the 1990s and early 2000s. If you never thought you would find yourself sympathizing with a suspected terrorist, wait until you see how the ELF activists’ actions are handled by a post-9/11 justice department, wherein the “terror” label became more nebulous than ever. To his credit, director Marshall Curry maintains an evenhanded approach, presenting all sides of the debate and refusing to editorialize or propagandize the issue.
Opening night of “Greater Tuna” at Lake Worth Playhouse, 713 Lake Ave., Lake Worth; 8 p.m.; $26 to $32; 561/586-6410 or www.lakeworthplayhouse.org
The offbeat comedy “Greater Tuna” is described on the play’s website as the most-produced play in the United States and remains a favorite production for community playhouses. Set in a tiny, fictional town in Texas, the play features two actors playing some 20 characters, from politicians to arms dealers, “UFOlogists” to Klansmen, in an enduring satire of small-town cultural mores. It debuted, unsurprisingly, in Austin, Texas in 1981, and has been performed live on HBO, at the White House and everywhere rednecks are known.
Friday to Sunday
Finnegan’s Music Festival at Finnegan’s River, 401 S.W. Third Ave., Miami; show times vary; $10 to $15; 305/856-7881 or www.finnegansriver.com
After five years as a sports bar, Finnegan’s River is adding live music to its entertainment roster, and what an introduction it promises to be. The three-day Labor Day weekend festival features more than 20 local bands, beginning at 4 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, on an outdoor stage. The event also includes DJs spinning between sets and a special edition of the Miss Sinful Sundaze Bikini Contect at 5 p.m. Sunday. Bands slated to perform include Suenalo, MAYDAY!, Ketchy Shuby, Fusik, PALO, Albert Vargas and Elastic Bond. Visit the venue’s Facebook page for the entire schedule by date and time.
Saturday
Opening night of “The Brothers Size” at GableStage, 1200 Anastasia Ave., Coral Gables; 8 p.m.; $37.50 to $47.50; 305/445-1119 or www.gablestage.org
It seems most descriptions of this southeastern premiere are shrouded in mystery; “The Brothers Size” doesn’t appear to be the kind of show that lends itself to a linear plot description anyway. I can tell you that it’s an avant-garde play with music, set in the Louisiana bayou, and that it deals with two brothers and West African mythology. It also has a strong local connection: Playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney, who won the 2009 Outstanding Playwright Award from the New York Times, is a Miami native and New World School of the Arts graduate. Look for a review of this show on this blog next week.
Monday
Labor Day Pig Roast at Muddy Waters Restaurant and Raw Bar, 2237 W. Hillsboro Blvd., Deerfield Beach; 11 a.m.; prices vary per item; 954/428-6577 orwww.muddywatersrestaurant.com
Barbecue-loving foodies should flock to this respected Deerfield Beach raw bar, located off the beaten path near Century Village. The event showcases just what it says – a pig roast, which is pretty hardcore, a la “Lord of the Flies.” There will be food and drink specials throughout the day, including $6 hot dogs, $8 burgers, a $12 barbecue pork platter, $2 draft beer and $3 well vodka oyster shots, which sound disgusting but probably aren’t.
Flamingo Gardens Bird Festival at Flamingo Gardens, 3750 S. Flamingo Road, Davie; beginning at 9:30 a.m.; $9 adults, $6 seniors and students and $5 children; 954/473-2955 or www.flamingogardens.com
Flamingo Gardens opened its free-flight aviary in 1991 with 13 birds representing six species. Today, the aviary houses more than 250 birds of 45 different species. Celebrate the venue’s 20th anniversary at this Labor Day event, which includes a guided tour of the aviary, Raptor demonstrations and special talks and lectures about the aviary’s accomplishments, all for a half-price admission. Support one of South Florida’s great, and often overlooked, wildlife nonprofits.
