Celebrate a very ‘80s Halloween in West Palm Beach, a classic thriller at the Delray Playhouse, and a salute to tequila in Mizner Park. Plus, Lukas Nelson and more in your week ahead.
TUESDAY
What: ‘80s Halloween
Where: Respectable Street, 518 Clematis St., West Palm Beach
When: 9 p.m. to 3 a.m.
Cost: Free
Contact: sub-culture.org/locations/respectable-street
Most of this year’s “Halloweek” festivities have probably passed by the time you read this: Last weekend was really party central for ghouls and gals. But that doesn’t mean some intrepid venues haven’t saved their best events for All Hallow’s Eve itself. The veil is supposedly at its thinnest on Tuesday night, so leave the candy outside your front door, don your best costume, and dance into the wee hours of the morning with spooky tunes at West Palm Beach’s oldest nightclub, spun live by DJs Lindersmash and Danxiety. Eighties tunes will be front and center all night, from Michael Jackson (”Thriller,” anyone?) to Madonna and beyond.
WEDNESDAY
What: Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real
Where: The Parker, 707 N.E. Eighth St., Fort Lauderdale
When: 8 p.m.
Cost: $29.75-$41.75
Contact: 954/462-0222, browardcenter.org
As the son of Willie Nelson, singer-songwriter Lukas Nelson was born into country-rock royalty, and he further burnished his Americana bona fides by recording and touring with Neil Young as his backing band, the Promise of the Real, from 2015 to 2019. Willie’s amiable mien and Young’s nasally delivery are both present in Nelson’s approach to roots music, with a sound and a fan base that bridges folk, country and psych rock. At its best, Lukas Nelson and the Promise of the Real’s music echoes the barrier-breaking sounds of the Band, and one of their most iconic songs, “Turn Off the News (Build a Garden)” may well be the healthiest advice for the world we’re living in. The band is touring in support of this year’s acclaimed LP Sticks and Stones, a rock-centric follow-up to their more plaintive 2021 release, A Few Stars Apart.
THURSDAY
What: “Resistance From the Playing Field: How Sports Can Be a Powerful Force”
Where: Owl’s Nest at Schmidt Family Complex at FAU, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton
When: 4 p.m.
Cost: $15
Contact: 561/297-6124, fauevents.com
Politics and sports have been intertwined for pretty much as long as we’ve had both, with athletes often finding themselves embroiled, whether they instigated it or not, in hot-button issues: Think Colin Kaepernick kneeling against police brutality during the National Anthem; and Aaron Rogers coming out as a strong opponent of COVID vaccine requirements. Dave Zirin, sports editor at The Nation magazine, chronicles this interrelation in his weekly column “Edge of Sports.” A prolific thought leader, Zirin has penned 11 books dating back to 2005’s What’s My Name, Fool? Sports and Resistance in the United States, most of which cover terrain similar to his FAU lecture, which is titled, “Resistance From the Playing Field: How Sports Can Be a Powerful Force.” Exploring sports and politics from a progressive perspective, Zirin’s presentation marks FAU’s second-annual Fogelman Sports Museum lecture.
FRIDAY TO SUNDAY
What: “Wait Until Dark”
Where: Boca Stage at Delray Beach Playhouse, 950 N.W. Ninth St., Delray Beach
When: 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday
Cost: $39-$69
Contact: 561/272-1281, delraybeachplayhouse.com
Suspense is often best experienced in the movies, where careful editing, cinematography and a tense score contribute to what we see and how we experience it. It’s perhaps a more challenging to master on a stage, where the performances and direction—with assists from key lighting and sound choices—must do all the heavy lifting. Let’s see if Boca Stage will be up to the challenge in its season opener, when the company takes on one of the great thrillers of the late 20th century. In “Wait Until Dark,” a blind housewife in Greenwich Village becomes the target of three sinister con men, some of whom pose as friends and police officers, who believe she is harboring a doll filled with expensive imported heroin. Its twists are likely to keep your glued to your seat—when you’re not spooked into jumping out of it.
SATURDAY
What: Sunset Tequila Festival
Where: Mizner Park Amphitheater, 590 Plaza Real, Boca Raton
When: Starts at 3 p.m.
Cost: $75
Contact: sunsettequilafest.com
All things agave are celebrated at this annual food and drink fete in Mizner Park, featuring no less than 21 tequila and mezcal providers offering sample servings of their best liquors—from Tanteo to Yave, Tres Aromas to Xicaru, Costa to Casa Azul. The event is a great primer on today’s top agaves, and organizers say it appeals to longtime tequila buffs and those just discovering the libation. Fourteen food vendors will be set up as well, including Andale Mexican cuisine, Dalmoros pasta, Guaca Go, the Lazy Oyster and the Wolf of Tacos. Live music will keep the vibe spirited and positive for the whole festival, from the quirky hip-hop of Little Stranger to the Resolvers’ patented roots-rock-reggae fusion to the longtime reggae purveyors Spred the Dub to DJ Le Spam, on loan from his fellow genre hybridizers Spam Allstars.
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