Our weekly picks of the best things to do in Cleveland this weekend. Also check out our full Cleveland event calendar.
THU 02/09
Michael Bolton
This pop singer’s career dates back decades. Over the course of that time, the singer and songwriter has sold more than 65 million records globally and continues to tour the world, and his Michael Bolton Charities advocates on behalf of women and children at risk. Expect to hear hits that date back to the ’80s when Bolton performs tonight at 7:30 at MGM Northfield Park — Center Stage.
10705 Northfield Rd., Northfield, 330-908-7793, mgmnorthfieldpark.mgmresorts.com/en.html.
Ian Bagg
If you end up going to see Ian Bagg tonight at Hilarities, you might want to think twice about sitting in the front row. The comic loves to pick on audience members and make fun of their body language, or ask personal questions about their sexual preferences. Though he’s not nearly as manic as Robin Williams, he still possesses Williams’ unhinged energy. And he’s a talker. He’s been a regular on all the usual late-night shows and currently hosts his own podcast, The Ian Bagg Show, a program on which he and a couple of pals riff on popular culture for two hours at a time. He performs at 7 tonight at Hilarities, where he has shows schedule through Saturday.
2035 East Fourth St., 216-241-7425, pickwickandfrolic.com.
Cleveland Stories Dinner Party
Cleveland Stories Dinner Party is a weekly series that pairs fine food with storytelling. Through it, the folks at Music Box Supper Club hope to raise awareness of the mission of the Western Reserve Historical Society’s Cleveland History Center. The goal of the Cleveland Stories Dinner Party is to “bring to life some of the fun, interesting stories about Cleveland’s past — from sports, to rock ‘n’ roll, to Millionaires’ Row,” as it’s put in a press release. Tonight, WKYC’s Betsy Kling talks about the weather. Admission is free, with no cover charge, although a prix fixe dinner, designed to complement the night’s theme, is $20. Doors open at 5 p.m., dinner is served at 6, and the storytelling starts at 7.
1148 Main Ave., 216-242-1250, musicboxcle.com.
Connecting to Our Ecosystem, an Evening Event Featuring a Performance by the Moth Project
Today at 5 p.m., the Cleveland Museum of Natural History will present a program that blends science, music and nature. The evening begins with a presentation by the Museum’s Chief Science Officer, Dr. Gavin Svenson. He’ll discuss the importance of insects in our environment. Then, the Moth Project will give a unique multi-media performance. The group features Grammy-nominated keyboardist Peter Kiesewalter and Broadway and pop music violinist Whitney La Grange. The artists play a wide variety of music from Bach to Joni Mitchell and KISS in front of a large screen featuring moths. Food will be available for purchase at the museum’s new Origins Café. Beer and wine will be available for purchase at a cash bar during the event. The cost for this special event is $25 for members, $35 for non-members.
1 Wade Oval Dr., 216-231-4600, cmnh.org.
Destroy Lonely
At age 17, multi-instrumentalist Destroy Lonely began dropping fully realized projects, demonstrating an already visionary approach to rap. When his 2019 single “Bane” blew up, Destroy Lonely’s path to stardom began to solidify. He owes a huge debut to Playboi Carti who signed Destroy to his Opium label. On last year’s No Stylist, the 21-year-old weaves together video-game synths, thick bass riffs and elastic vocals. Tonight’s concert begins at 7 at House of Blues.
308 Euclid Ave., 216-523-2583, houseofblues.com.
Drink and Draw with Dr. Sketchy Akron
Founded in 2005 in a dive bar in Brooklyn, Dr. Sketchy’s has now spread to more than 100 cities around the world. Dr. Sketchy Akron, a monthly drink and draw event that takes place on the second Thursday of each month at Jilly’s Music Room in Akron, gives patrons the opportunity to “draw glamorous underground performers in an atmosphere of boozy conviviality.” The fun begins at 7 p.m.; it costs $10 to draw. second Thursday of every month.
111 N Main St., Akron, 330-576-3757, jillysmusicroom.com.
Hadestown
Winner of eight 2019 Tony Awards, including Best Musical and the 2020 Grammy award for Best Musical Theater Album, Hadestown comes to the Connor Palace for an extended run. Tonight’s performance takes place at 7:30; tickets start at $25. Performances continue through Feb. 19.
State Theatre, 1519 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.
Mahler’s Fifth
Mahler has called his Fifth Symphony a “foaming, roaring, raging sea of sound,” and at 7:30 tonight and at 8 on Saturday night at Mandel Music Hall, the Cleveland Orchestra will perform the piece.
11001 Euclid Ave., 216-231-1111, clevelandorchestra.com.
New Soft Shoe
Thirteen years ago, on what local singer-songwriter Brent Kirby calls a drunken dare, a group of Cleveland friends and musicians showed up at the Happy Dog to play a couple sets of tunes by the late, great Gram Parsons. Dubbed the New Soft Shoe, the group has been at it ever since, spreading the gospel of what it refers to as “Gram’s Cosmic American Music.” Anything that Parsons played, the New Soft Shoe covers. As a result, the group plays tunes from the International Submarine Band, the Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers. It also plays songs from Parsons’ solo album GP/Grievous Angel. Tonight at 8, the band performs in the Waldorf Hall at Forest City Brewery. Tickets cost $5.
2135 Columbus Rd., 216-228-9116, forestcitybrewery.com.
Screening and Q&A: The Same Difference with Nneka Onuorah
This documentary, which influenced the work in artist Nina Chanel Abney’s series, Big Butch Synergy, explores “internalized heteronormativity” within African American lesbian and bisexual communities .A Q&A with filmmaker Nneka Onuorah follows the screening, which takes place at 6 p.m. at moCa Cleveland.
11400 Euclid Ave, 2164218671, mocacleveland.org.
FRI 02/10
Ain’t Misbehavin’
Under the co-direction of Mariah Burks and Kenya Woods, this tribute to jazz great Thomas “Fats” Waller features five triple-threat performers sharing Waller’s life through comedy and Jazz music, featuring some of Waller’s beloved tunes including, “Honeysuckle Rose”, “Handful of Keys,” “Your Feet’s Too Big” and many more. Performances take place at 7:30 tonight and tomorrow night and at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
6702 Detroit Rd., 216-961-6391, nearwesttheatre.org.
American Jazz
Jazz singer Aisha de Haas joins the Cleveland Pops and Pops Chorus tonight for a program of jazz standards tonight at 8 at Mandel Concert Hall.
Severance Music Center, 11001 Euclid Ave., 216-231-1111, clevelandorchestra.com.
Bush
In 1994, this British rock group delivered a hit from the get-go with its debut, Sixteen Stone. It notably achieved a six-times platinum certification. Despite being panned by critics, the band has kept at it. Last year, it released its ninth full-length offering, The Art of Survival. The lead single, “More Than Machines,” a tune that features the grunge-y sound of its ’90s hits, became the band’s seventh No. 1 single at radio. The group brings its tour in support of the album to MGM Northfield Park — Center Stage tonight at 7:30.
10705 Northfield Rd., Northfield, 330-908-7793, mgmnorthfieldpark.mgmresorts.com/en.html.
Cleveland Winter Beerfest 2023
An annual event that takes place here each winter, the Cleveland Beer Fest returns to the Huntington Convention Center today and tomorrow. There will be more than 150 craft beers, live music and local food vendors. Early admission both tonight and tomorrow night begins at 7. Doors open to the general public at 8 p.m. Consult the website to see your options.,
500 Lakeside Ave., 216-928-1600, clevelandbeerfest.com..
Alycia Cooper
Standup comic Alycia Cooper likes to talk frankly about both current events and her personal life. If you’re a fan of blunt delivery and unadulterated wit, you’ll like Cooper, who likes to laugh about how broke she is. (“I texted my cousin a picture of a gift,” she jokes in one routine.) She performs tonight at 7:30 and 10 and tomorrow night at 6:30 and 9 at the Improv. Check the Improv website for ticket prices.
1148 Main Ave., 216-696-IMPROV, clevelandimprov.com.
Flanagan’s Wake
No one knows grief and mourning like a Catholic, let alone an Irish Catholic. Now in its eighth year in Cleveland, Flanagan’s Wake transports the audience to an Irish wake where villagers tell tales and sing songs for their dearly departed Flanagan. Finding the humor in life and death, the wake acts as a dark backdrop to an otherwise hilarious show in which alcohol fuels the humorous reminiscing. Sort of like a tragic Tony ‘n’ Tina’s Wedding, the interactive and improvised show engages the entire audience as the guests are treated as the friends and family of the deceased. Tonight’s show starts at 8 and repeats tomorrow night at 8 at Kennedy’s Cabaret.
1501 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.
Monsters vs Belleville Senators
At 7 tonight and at 1 tomorrow afternoon at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, the Monsters take on the Belleville Senators. Every Friday night features the Monsters’ special 1-2-3 Fridays promotion, so there will be $1 sodas, $2 hot dogs and $3 beers.
One Center Court, 216-420-2000, rocketmortgagefieldhouse.com.
Sense & Sensibility
The Great Lakes Theater’s adaptation of the Jane Austen novel comes to the Hanna Theatre tonight at 7:30. Performances continue through March 5.
2067 East 14th St., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.
SAT 02/11
12th Annual Sweetheart Showcase
The 12th Annual Sweetheart Showcase: Pillow Talk welcomes royalty in the form of the reigning Queen of Burlesque (Miss Exotic World) no. 2 on the 21st Century Burlesque Top 50 Most influential global figures in burlesque. It all goes down tonight at 7:30 at the Beachland Ballroom.
15711 Waterloo Rd., 216-383-1124, beachlandballroom.com.
22nd Annual Tri-C High School Rock Off
When the annual High School Rock Off launched some 20 years ago at the Odeon, the promoters at the local Belkin Productions (now Live Nation) saw it as a way to reach out to area high schools and provide the kind of outlet that students might not have. Two decades later, the event, held this year at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, continues to thrive. panel of music industry judges will pick three bands from each round to move on to the Final Exam. All finalists will receive the opportunity to record one original song at Tri-C’s Gill and Tommy LiPuma Center for Creative Arts with producer Jim Stewart and students from Tri-C Recording Arts and Technology program. These songs will be available as free downloads at the time of the Final Exam. Tonight’s battle begins at 6.
1100 Rock and Roll Blvd., 216-515-8444, rockhall.com.
Cavaliers vs. Chicago Bulls
The Cavaliers take on their division rival Chicago Bulls tonight at 8 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. The Bulls have struggled to play .500 ball this year, so the Cavs should have the edge tonight.
One Center Court, 216-420-2000, rocketmortgagefieldhouse.com.
An Evening of Love & Soul
The Whispers, the Dramatics, Angela Winbush and Howard Hewitt will perform at 8 tonight at the State Theatre as part of a concert dubbed an Evening of Love & Sou.
1519 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.
Groundswell Fest
The first-ever Groundswell Fest is a one day only winter celebration of all things movement, self- love, and self-care at the Gordon Green events center in Gordon Square. Groundswell Fest is a creation of the team at Harness Collective, a real estate developer rooted in empowering neighborhood brick + mortar entrepreneurs through coaching and management support. The fest will also celebrate the launch of Harness Collective’s new digital platform Groundswell, which houses an assortment of at-home cycling, yoga and dance classes. It all begins at 9 a.m. A portion of all event proceeds will benefit the Ohio City chapter of Girls on the Run, helping to aid in their youth participant scholarship fund.
5400 Detroit Ave., 216-406-2461, groundswell-fest.com.
Ice Fest
Located in Voinovich Bicentennial Park, this free event will feature the Inaugural Hot Cocoa 5K & 1 Mile Walk, an array of immersive ice sculptures, carving demonstrations and ice bars around the inner harbor walkway and along E. 9th Street Pier. Sculptures will be on display by 10 a.m. and the festival concludes at 6 p.m.
End of E. 9th St., northcoastharbor.org.
International Day of Women and Girls in Science
Today at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, women scientists will share stories of how they became involved in STEM, what it means to them to be women in science and the mentors who encouraged them along the way. Museum guests are invited to participate in a variety of programs celebrating science-minded women, including planetarium shows, animal presentations, 3D-scanning demonstrations, and fun activities in our science lab. This family day is sponsored by the Ohio Lottery Commission and included with general admission. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
1 Wade Oval Dr., 216-231-4600, cmnh.org.
The Prince Project
Led by singer and performer Shane Golden, this group pays tribute to the late, great Prince. Also a songwriter, actor and speaker, Golden has performed all across the U.S. in local, regional, and national productions and shows. Tonight’s performance begins at 8 at Music Box Supper Club.
1148 Main Ave., 216-242-1250, musicboxcle.com.
Nate Saggio
Local singer-songwriter Nate Saggio celebrates the release of this new single, “White Picket Fences,” a moody song that features crooning vocals and stuttering synths, with tonight’s concert at Mahall’s. The show begins at 8 p.m., and tickets cost $10 in advance, $12 at the door..
13200 Madison Ave., Lakewood, 216-521-3280, mahalls20lanes.com.
SUN 02/12
Gotta Dance!
Highlights from Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake featuring Cleveland Ballet and special selections from Inlet Dance Theatre make up this family friendly program. The event takes place at 2 p.m. today at Mandel Concert Hall.
11001 Euclid Ave., 216-231-1111, clevelandorchestra.com.
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