Thanks to a network of strong comedy clubs, there’s always something good to laugh at in the metro area. But some weekends go above and beyond with even more shows and this is one of them. To wit …

• “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” veterans Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood bring their improv show “Asking For Trouble” to town at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18 at the Macomb Center, 44575 Garfield Road, Clinton Township. 586-286-2222 or macombcenter.com.

• The Go Comedy! Improv Theatre in Ferndale rolls out the limited-run “Big Fun Murder,” an improvised murder mystery in which a ghost gets help solving a 50ish-year-old murder, at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18. 261 E. Nine Mile Road. 248-327-0575 or gocomedy.net.

• Michael Blackson, Lavell Crawford and Earthquake are just some of the featured acts in the All-Star Comedy Festival at 7 and 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19 at the Fox Theatre, 2211 Woodward Ave., Detroit. 313-471-7000 or 313Presents.com.

• The provocative Dane Cook is back with what he says is “A Fresh New Flavor” on his current tour of that title, which stops Saturday, Oct. 19 at the Fillmore Detroit, 2115 Woodward Ave. Doors at 6:30 p.m. 313-961-5451 or thefillmoredetroit.com.

• Sweetest Day Laughfest is for the lovers at 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19, with Capone, Mike Bonner, JJ Williamson and Christian Johnson performing at 8 p.m. at the Flagstar Strand Theatre, 12 N. Saginaw St., Pontiac. 248-309-6445 or flagstarstrand.com.

• The rescheduled Comics For Kamala show takes place at 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 20, with Mike Geeter, Bob Phillips, Ann Duke and three others at the Crofoot Ballroom, 1 S. Saginaw St., Pontiac. 248-858-9333 or thecrofoot.com.

“Here’s another one you might know,” Jeff Lynne told fans on Wednesday night, Oct. 9, early during his Jeff Lynne’s ELO concert at Little Caesars Arena.

ELO is a livin’ thing again for Jeff Lynne, fans

Ya think?

During the 54 years since co-founding the Electric Light Orchestra in England, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer has amassed a set of enduring tunes that made Wednesday's show — part of Lynne's Over and Out farewell tour — a veritable jukebox of favorites, almost entirely from the 70s. The 95-minute, 19-song performance packed more bona fide hits than the Detroit Tigers-Cleveland Indians game that ended not long before Lynne and company took stage, a fat-free exercise in giving the near-capacity crowd exactly what it wanted.

On top of that, too, is Lynne's voluminous resume as a producer (George Harrison, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, etc.) which was celebrated with selections played over the PA between opener Rooney's well-received 40-minute set of power pop and ELO's arrival.

There were visuals to dress up the proceedings — lots of lasers and an extensive visual production that included a large, circular recreation of the ELO flying saucer with a video screen in the middle, accompanying the songs with a series of animated creations. But the night's greatest joy was the music, carefully recreated by a 13-piece band whose makeup — up to four guitars, three keyboards, three string-players — covered every nuance and texture of the arrangements with record-caliber accuracy and driven by Donavan Hepburn's monster drumming.

Backing vocalist and guitarist Iain Hornal was also invaluable in spelling Lynne, who sounded best on quieter fare such as a "Can't Get It Out of My Head" and a truly gorgeous rendition of "Strange Magic." And Melanie Lewis-McDonald, whose husband Milton played lead guitar, offered the operatic vocal touches that elevated "Rockaria!" above its 50s-style boogie.

If this truly is goodbye — and watching the 76-year-old Lynne guided on and off stage gave no reason to doubt it — ELO bowed out by keeping the hits coming in mostly faithful fashion, tweaked only in the occasional extended endings. There were a couple of deep digs, such as the opening "One More Time" from 2019 (the night's youngest song by a good 30 years) and the 1977 "Out of the Blue" track "Steppin' Out." The muscular, majestic "10538 Overture hearkened back to ELO's earliest days, though a snippet of the instrumental "Fire on High," which introduced "Livin' Thing," felt like a tease.

Mostly, however, one could go hoarse singing along to the parade of joyous favorites, including "Evil Woman," "Do Ya" (originally by Lynne's pre-ELO band The Move), "Last Train to London," "Sweet Talkin' Woman" "Telephone Line," the Motown-flavored "All Over the World," "Turn to Stone" and "Don't Bring Me Down. A disco ball on the video screen during "Shine a Little Love" was a reminder of how ELO straddled genre lines during the 70s, and "Mr. Blue Sky" ended the night with Merseybeat ebullience, one last song and dance before Lynne said over and out to this particular crowd.

He did not, per usual, have much to say, but early on he also noted that, "It's our last tour, this one, and I'd like to thank you for sticking with us all these years." The feeling, of course, was more than mutual.

Considering MC5’s sixth nomination for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame a couple of years ago, Wayne Kramer took a benign view of the honor.

“Either way, it’ll be OK with me,” Kramer, the band’s co-founder and guitarist — who died Feb. 2 at the age of 75 from pancreatic cancer — said at the time. “I’ve gone through all the arguments and cynicism and criticism, and, listen, if MC5 is recognized for their contribution, I think that would be a good thing. There’s a lot of people out there who love the band and love what the band represents.

“To have that appreciation confirmed wouldn’t be a bad thing. … But we’ve been here before, so let’s see what happens.”

It was not to be in 2022, when Kramer was launching a new incarnation of MC5. But it’s happening this year, on Oct. 19, when the iconic group from Lincoln Park will receive an Award for Musical Excellence from the Rock Hall, in a ceremony that will air live on Disney+.

That will, in fact, be the capper for a busy couple of weeks celebrating the band’s legacy — appropriate for October, since MC5’s lauded debut album, “Kick Out the Jams,” was recorded Oct. 30-31, 1968, at Detroit’s Grande Ballroom during the proclaimed Zenta New Year and established a notorious reputation thanks to a 13-letter epithet that led Hudson’s and other retail outlets to ban it from their racks.

Then again, MC5 — the musical embodiment of the White Panther Party and its mission of a “total assault on the culture by any means necessary, including rock and roll, dope, and (fornicating) in the streets” — wouldn’t have had it any other way.

In addition to the Rock Hall honor, a new book arrives Tuesday, Oct. 8. “MC5: An Oral Biography of Rock’s Most Revolutionary Band” offers a definitive account completed by Detroit area natives Brad Tolinski and Jaan Uhelszki from interviews first conducted by the late Ben Edmonds. Its publication will be marked by a series of events at the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Lincoln Park Bandshell and in Oak Park.

MC5 will roll into the Rock Hall festivities with the Oct. 18 release of “Heavy Lifting,” the fourth MC5 album and first new work under the band’s moniker in 53 years. Helmed by Kramer and featuring MC5 drummer Dennis “Machine Gun” Thompson on two tracks, the 13-song set is also fortified with guests such as Guns N’ Roses’ Slash, Tom Morello, Alice in Chains’ William DuVall, Living Colour’s Vernon Reid, Soundgarden’s Kim Thayil and others.

The combination of all this will make for a true testimonial of MC5’s impact and lasting legacy, “I believe the impact of the MC5 on all the subsequent rock ‘n’ roll cannot be overstated,” explains Don Was, the Grammy Award-winning producer and Oak Park native who was a longtime friend and collaborator of Kramer’s including on “Heavy Lifting.”

“They may not have sold many records, but it’s one of those bands where everyone who listened to them went out and started a band of their own. They were a very unique, very important band,” Was said.

Patti Smith, who was married to MC5’s other guitarist, Fred “Sonic” Smith, from 1980 until his death in 1994, concurs. “The MC5 is a revolutionary band, and of course, they enter the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in a revolutionary way,” says Smith, who was inducted herself in 2007. “Fred never expected to be in the (Rock Hall). We don’t do our work to get honors, but it’s nice when you get them.”

Brighter spots

The assorted activities also are providing a kind of silver lining for what’s been a dark year for MC5.

Two months to the day after Kramer’s death, band manager and mentor John Sinclair died, and on May 9, Thompson died. With Smith, frontman Rob Tyner (1991) and bassist Michael Davis (2012) also gone, it means none of the band members will be in attendance in Cleveland, and only Thompson lived to hear that the group would be honored. He was “grateful” and “extremely happy,” according to Chris McNulty, the son he’d given up for adoption in 1969 and met in 2022.

Thompson also echoed the sentiments of many a fan when he told McNulty that, “It’s about f***in’ time!”

“Yes, it’s bittersweet — perhaps even the exact right thing at precisely the wrong time,” Kramer’s widow, Margaret Saadi Kramer, who helped manage the latter-day MC5 and co-founded Jail Guitar Doors USA with him, noted when the induction was announced in April. “Yet, I’m certain (Kramer) would have landed in gratitude for this recognition and received it like the beautiful free radical he was — an underdog victorious.”

Despite that, Becky Derminer, Tyner’s widow, adds: “We’re just so happy about it. This is, like, once in a lifetime. It’s unfortunate their physical bodies can’t be there, and to say they’ll be there in spirit is so cliché, isn’t it? But we have to celebrate this wonderful accomplishment of this fabulous band. They’re finally getting their due, and it’s about the MC5 — good job, good band.”

Of that, there is no question.

Over the course of just three albums between 1969 and 1971, MC5 established a body of work many describe as a root of punk rock, but that also incorporated R&B, blues and jazz, as well as political discourse in its lyrics. “I think the band represented a sense of unlimited possibilities that there could be a new kind of music and a new kind of politics, that there could be a new kind of lifestyle,” Kramer, who turned the band’s history into a song, “The Edge of a Switchblade,” for the “Heavy Lifting” album, said in 2018. “I think that spirit that anything is possible held up pretty well.”

Book co-author Tolinski, who grew up next to Lincoln Park in Taylor, adds:, “They were really revolutionary … true originals. The MC5 pioneered both the sound of metal and the attitude of punk while mixing in elements of free jazz and the showmanship of James Brown. That’s a hell of a package. And they were also cultural revolutionaries. I don’t know what other band you could say that about.”

Righteous resumption

Despite some MC5 reunions over the years — Davis, Kramer and Thompson, with all-star friends, for DKT/MC5 tours during 2004 and Kramer’s similarly guest-studded MC5 celebrations in 2018-19 — the idea of new band music seemed unlikely. But what began as a film and album project — “this very elaborate story about some criminals and about a heist and sticking it to the man and so on,” according to producer Bob Ezrin — morphed into a collection of songs that Kramer and his collaborators deemed more suited to the MC5 name.

“I thought this could be an MC5 project, and forget about the movie,” Ezrin, who got to know MC5 while in Detroit to produce Alice Cooper’s albums during the early ’70s, explains. “My feeling was MC5 wasn’t five individuals. MC5 was a state of consciousness, a state of mind and, in a way, a political position. My feeling was anybody who wanted to line up behind this banner was MC5. So that’s what ended up happening.”

“We Are All MC5” even became a campaign slogan as Kramer took out another lineup of the group in 2022, fronted by Brad Brooks, who also co-wrote most of the 13 songs on “Heavy Lifting” and was part of a core recording group that included Kramer, Was and Paul McCartney’s drummer Abe Laboriel Jr.

“”It’s not a retro record,” Brooks — who met Kramer during the spring of 2019 in his home base of Oakland, California — says of the album. “It was written about 2021, about the rise of Trump, George Floyd, the (Jan. 6) insurrection, about the homeless situation after COVID. It had to be about now; (MC5) was always about now. I felt a responsibility to honor the (MC5) name and try to, if I could, honor those guys and their commitment to the music and their commitment to the times.”

As for the sound of “Heavy Lifting,” Brooks says Kramer “wanted to see what would be a more modern version of ‘High Times,’ MC5’s critically lauded 1972 album. Ezrin, meanwhile, targeted “that combination of funk, punk and power that was Detroit” for what is a decidedly aggressive but sonically varied work. “The idea of an MC5 album … you can’t take something like that lightly,” notes Vernon Reid, who plays on the track “Can’t Be Found.” “I listened to it, tried to absorb the tune and get a vibe for it, and it worked out.”

William DuVall, who’d played some dates with DKT/MC5 and appears with Slash on “The Edge of the Switchblade,” took a similar approach. “I was just going for that thing I feel like Rob Tyner and the entire band were able to embody,” he says, “that bridge between soul and rock ‘n’ roll and experimental … high-energy kind of ecstatic music.”

“Heavy Lifting” will, of course, be brand new as MC5 gets its Rock Hall honor. Family members and friends are planning to be in Cleveland to celebrate, though there’s no word yet on whether any of the group’s music will be performed in tribute. All agree that the band should have been inducted from one of its six nominations — “We’re like the Susan Lucci of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,” Kramer quipped in 2022 — but they’re hoping to make all of the October occasions more sweet than bitter.

“Losing Wayne’s a big hole. It’s been very, very hard,” Brooks says. “I’m pretty proud of what we did, but it also makes me sad because he should be here.

“It also kinda pisses me off. He should’ve been here way longer.”

Kicking out the jams

• “MC5: An Oral Biography of Rock’s Most Revolutionary Band” co-authors Brad Tolinski and Jaan Uhelszki celebrate the book’s release at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 11 at the Detroit Institute of Arts, including a performance by the Detroit Cobras. 5200 Woodward Ave., Detroit. 313-833-7900 or dia.org.

• An MC5 celebration takes place from 3-7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 12 at the Lincoln Park Bandshell, 3157 Fort St. The event includes speakers, performances by Sugar Tradition, American Rose and DJ Soul Deep and more. lphistorical.org.

• Tolinsky and Uhelszki hold a book signing from 3-5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 13, at Book Beat, 26010 Greenfield Road, Oak Park. 248-968-1190 or the bookbeat.com.

• “Heavy Lifting,” the first MC5 album since 1971, is released on Friday, Oct. 18.

• Tolinsky will be part of the Author’s Alley signings at noon Saturday, Oct. 19, at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland.

• The MC5 will receive an Award for Musical Excellence during the 39th Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at 7 p.m. Oct. 19 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland. The ceremony streams at 7 p.m. via Disney+, with a subsequent highlights special airing at 8 p.m. Jan. 1 on ABC. rockhall.com.

Given Broadway’s predilection to twist and contemporize and not often trust in the original source, a lot of bad decisions could have been made in turning Billy Wilder’s 1959 comedy “Some Like It Hot” into a stage musical.

It’s to the creative team’s credit, then, that “…Hot” — at Detroit’s Fisher Theatre through Oct. 13 — retains the film’s old school sensibilities, modernizing it only with present day production values and by gently but impact fully accentuating some of the (then) provocative themes only implied in its movie counterpart.

It’s that deft balance — as well as a solid script and batch of songs and fiery choreography — that scored it the Tony Award for Best Musical last year. And rest assured that the first national touring company is as, yes, hot as anything that graced the Great White Way.

“…Hot” is set in prohibition and depression era 1933, starting in Chicago and winding up in California as struggling musicians Joe (Matt Loehr) and Jerry (Travis Kordell, after witnessing a mob murder, flee by hiding within an all-female show band, as Josephine and Daphne respectively. What could possibly go wrong with that? Plenty, of course — which is the whole point, including a few twists that it would be unjust to spoil.

In the 2020s, meanwhile, society is generally able to deal with the undercurrents of Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond’s original story, and book writers Matthew Lopez and Amber Ruffin spotlight issues of feminism, equality, gender identification and acceptance without impeding the good time that “…Hot” is supposed to be.

Casey Nicholaw’s ensemble dance numbers are a big reason for that, whether it’s the tap delight of “Take a Step,” the jazzy joy of “Zee Bap” or the sharp precision of the title song, “Let’s Be Bad” and “Fly, Mariposa, Fly.” Best of all is “Tip Tap Trouble,” a frenetic, full-cast chase that uses props and costume quick-changes to dizzying and delightful effect. And the sheer execution of those pieces is a testament to how solid the cast is from top to bottom.

That foundation allows “…Hot’s” leads put everything over the top with both talent and palpable chemistry that leaves the audience willing for their happen endings. Kordell, who’s fine as Jerry but, like the character, truly comes into his own as Daphne, making the audience feel his cathartic blossoming as a genuine and natural, and utterly believable, transition. The song “You Could’ve Knocked Me Over With a Feather” explains it all, and Kordell delivers it as an anthem of empowerment and discovery.

Loehr, meanwhile, shines in three different roles, each one distinguished from the other but without losing the core that makes them all the same person. Leandra Ellis-Gaston is a show-stopper as the band’s featured singer Sugar Kane, delivering powerhouse renditions of “A Darker Shade of Blue” and “Ride Out the Storm.” And even though he comes in nearly halfway through, Edward Juvier as the wealthy but lovelorn (and ukulele-playing) Osgood Fielding III offers expertly timed comic genius nearly every time he’s on stage while also conveying odd bits of wisdom that give the show an extra bit of emotional heft.

It’s a musical that rarely downshifts, and even its quieter moments are bolstered by the excellence of the performances. Forget the “Some” part; everybody will be able to stand, and enjoy, the heat generated by “…Hot.”

“Some Like It Hot” runs through Oct. 13 at the Fisher Theatre, 3011 W. Grand Blvd., Detroit. 313-872-100 or broadwayindetroit.com.

We might not have known it from the September heat wave, but summer has come to an end — and now so is the summer outdoor concert season, with just three shows remaining on the area amphitheaters’ concert schedule.

They are big ones, however.

Billy Strings, the Grammy Award-winning Americana star who was born in Lansing and raised in Muir, Michigan, is celebrating the arrival of a new album (“Highway Prayers”) and his first son, born last weekend in Nashville, with a pair of performances at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 4-5, that will close the Pine Knob Music Theatre’s 2024 season. Strings canceled his appearance at the Renewal festival in Colorado to welcome his baby, traveling back home on a plane Ringo Starr lent him.

The genre-blending Anderson .Paak and his band the Free Nationals will wrap things up for the Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre in Sterling Heights, playing songs from his four albums, as well as his Silk Sonic collaboration with Bruno Mars. The show is at 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5.

For more information, including tickets, call 313-471-7000 or visit 313Presents.com.

Other music events of note this weekend (all subject to change) include …

FRIDAY, OCT. 4

• Enrico Lopez-Yanez begins his tenure as the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s principal pops conductor with “The Music of Star Wars,” with four performances through Sunday, Oct. 6, at Orchestra Hall, 3711 Woodward Ave., Detroit. 313-576-5111 or dso.org.

• Detroit rapper Skilla Baby hosts a second night of his 2nd Annual Bday Bash at the Fillmore Detroit, 2115 Woodward Ave. Doors at 7 p.m. 313-961-5451 or thefillmoredetroit.com.

• The current incarnation of Blood, Sweat & Tears blows its own horns at 7:30 p.m. at the Macomb Center, 44575 Garfield Road, Clinton Township. 586-286-2222 or macombcenter.com.

• Richie Kotzen, a guitarist with Poison, the Winery Dogs and more plays at the Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale. Doors at 7 p.m. 248-544-1991 or themagicbag.com.

• The Georgia rap duo Coco & Clair Clair brings its Girl Tour to Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit. Doors at 7 p.m. 313-961-8961 or saintandrewsdetroit.com.

• The musical “Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptation,” will be on stage at 8 p.m. at the Fox Theatre, where parts of the show are set. 2211 Woodward Ave., Detroit. 313-471-7000 or 313Presents.com.

• The Dearborn Symphony opens its new season, with guest pianist Gleb Ivanov, at 7:30 p.m. at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center, 15801 Michigan Ave., Dearborn. 313-943-2354 or dearborntheater.com.

• Hit-making Australian duo Air Supply won’t be all out of love when it performs at 8 p.m. at the Music Hall Center, 350 Madison Ave., Detroit. 313-887-7500 or musichall.org.

• Heavy metal hero Udo, former of Accept rocks at 7:30 p.m. at the Token Lounge, 28949 Joy Road, Westland. 734-513-5030 or tokenlounge.com.

• German rock/traditional hybrid outfit Faun visits the Majestic Theatre, 4140 Woodward Ave. Doors at 7 p.m. 313-833-9700 or majesticdetroit.com.

• Singer-songwriters Katie Pederson and Ryan Brewer team up at 8 p.m. at 20 Front Street in Lake Orion. 248-783-7105 or 20frontstreet.com.

• Dutch DJ Bart Skils tops a bill at the Magic Stick, 4120 Woodward Ave., Detroit. Doors at 9 p.m. 313-833-9700 or themajesticdetroit.com.

• The Maryland doom metal group The Obsessed celebrates the 30th anniversary of its third album, “The Church Within,” at the Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff, Hamtramck. Doors at 7 p.m. Restless Spirit opens. 313-462-4117 or sanctuarydetroit.com.

• The California electronic trio Laszewo plugs in at El Club, 4114 W. Vernor Highway, Detroit. Doors at 7 p.m. 313-757-7942 or elclubdetroit.com.

• Reggae troupe Artika Sound System, once which sued Dua Lipa for copyright infringement, plays in the Pike Room at the Crofoot, 1 S. Saginaw St. Doors at 7 p.m. 248-858-9333 or thecrofoot.com.

• Bassist Ben Rolston and his Quartet perform at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. at Cliff Bell’s, 2030 Park Ave., Detroit. 313-961-2543 or cliffbells.com.

• Saxophonist Duane Parham and his band perform through Saturday, Oct. 5 at the Dirty Dog Jazz Cafe, 97 Kercheval, Grosse Pointe. 313-882-5399 or dirtydogjazz.com.

• Captain Fantastic Detroit pays tribute to Elton John at 8 p.m. at The Roxy, 401 Walnut Blvd., Rochester. 248-453-5285 or theroxyrochester.com.

• The Cadieux Cafe will be in the tribute business this weekend, with the Detroit Doors at 7 p.m. and, on Saturday, St. Morrison’s Day (Van Morrison) at the same time. 4300 Cadieux Road, Detroit. 313-882-8560 or cadieuxcafe.com.

• The Diesel Concert Lounge is in the tribute lane, too, with Prowler (Metallica) and Powerage (AC/DC) (doors at 6 p.m.) and, on Saturday, Sept. 4, Paradise City (Guns N’ Roses) and BFT’s The Zoo (Scorpions) (doors at 7 p.m.). 33151 23 Mile Road, Chesterfield Township. 586-933-3503 or dieselconcerts.com.

• Buffalo singer-songwriter Davey O is joined by Hiroya Tsukamoto at 8 p.m. at the Trinity House Theatre, 38840 W. Six Mile Road, Livonia. 734-436-6302 or trinityhousetheatre.org.

• The Willy Porter Band commemorates the 25th anniversary of his album “Falling Forward” at 8 p.m. at The Ark, 316 S. Main St., Ann Arbor. 734-761-1818 or theark.org.

• Virtual: Soul Coughing streams its first hometown (Brooklyn) show in more than 25 years at 9 p.m. Tickets via nugs.net.

• Virtual: Punk veterans NOFX play their final weekend of shows, ever, at 10:30 p.m. though Sunday, Oct. 6. Tickets via veeps.com.

• Virtual: Snarky Puppy plays live from SFJazz in San Francisco at 10:30 p.m. Streaming ticks via nugs.net.

• Virtual: The Silents Synced series pairs Radiohead music with the 1922 silent classic “Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror,” premiering free via YouTube.

SATURDAY, OCT. 5

• Detroit’s own His Name Is Alive plays at home at El Club, 4114 W. Vernor Highway, Detroit. Doors at 7 p.m. 313-757-7942 or elclubdetroit.com.

• Najee and Alexander Zonjic headline the Smooth Jazz Fall Fest with Keiko Matsui and JazzFunk Soul at 7 p.m. at the Fox Theatre, 2211 Woodward Ave., Detroit. 313-471-7000 or 313Presents.com.

• Americana troubadour Niko Moon brings his These Are the Days Tour to the Fillmore Detroit, 2115 Woodward Ave. Doors at 7 p.m. 313-961-5451 or thefillmoredetroit.com.

• Iconoclastic singer-songwriter Jonathan Richman plays a sold-out show at the Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale. Doors at 7 p.m. 248-544-1991 or themagicbag.com.

• The Las Vegas rock troupe Palaye Royale gambols at Majestic Theatre, 4140 Woodward Ave. Doors at 6 p.m. I See Stars, Weathers and Diamante also perform. 313-833-9700 or majesticdetroit.com.

• The arty Oakland, California, trio Beats Antique and Haywyre are at Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit. Doors at 7 p.m. 313-961-8961 or saintandrewsdetroit.com.

• Ukranian DJ Miss Monique mans the decks at the Magic Stick, 4120 Woodward Ave., Detroit. Doors at 9 p.m. 313-833-9700 or themajesticdetroit.com.

• Detroit’s Smoke Jones croons at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. at Cliff Bell’s, 2030 Park Ave., Detroit. 313-961-2543 or cliffbells.com.

• The Tom Petty tribute band The Insiders plays an unplugged set at 8 p.m. at 20 Front Street in Lake Orion. 248-783-7105 or 20frontstreet.com.

• The Hourlies top a bill that includes Cherry Drop and Velvet Strokes at the Loving Touch, 22634 Woodward Ave., Ferndale. Doors at 7 p.m. 248-820-5596 or thelovingtouchferndale.com.

• Singer-songwriter Steve Madwell comes up from Ohio to play at 8 p.m. at the Trinity House Theatre, 38840 W. Six Mile Road, Livonia. 734-436-6302 or trinityhousetheatre.org.

• Playground Twist pays tribute to Siouxsie and the Banshees at Small’s, 10339 Conant, Hamtramck. Doors at 8 p.m. Clampdown and Blood & Roses also perform. 313-873-1117 or smallsbardetroit.com.

• “The Voice” finalist Laith Al-Saadi comes home for his annual Birthday Bash at 8 p.m. at The Ark, 316 S. Main St., Ann Arbor. 734-761-1818 or theark.org.

• Virtual: The Metropolitan Opera begins a new season of “Live in HD” at 1 p.m. with Offenbach’s “Les Contes of Hoffman” at 1 p.m. in movie theaters. metopera.org for locations and ticket information.

• Virtual: Country star Miranda Lambert streams her Music For Mutts benefit concert at 9:30 p.m. from Nashville for free viewing via nugs.net. Nate Bargatze hosts.

• Virtual: Coldplay will play songs from its brand new album “Music of the Spheres Vol. II: Moon Music” on “Saturday Night Live” at 11:30 p.m. on NBC (WDIV, Channel 4 in Detroit).

SUNDAY, OCT. 6

• The Macomb Symphony Orchestra kicks off its 50-year celebration with Carlos Simon’s “Tales: A Folklore Symphony,”  Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition” and Berlioz’s “Le carnaval Roman” at 3 p.m. at the Macomb Center, 44575 Garfield Road, Clinton Township. 586-286-2222 or macombcenter.com.

• DJ Lo Down Loretta Brown (aka Erykah Badu) will be on hand as part of Dilla Fest Detroit 2024, celebrating the late James “J Dilla” Yancey at 6 p.m. at Russell Industrial Center, 3434 Russell St., Detroit. Moodymann, Dez Andres and DJ Killa Squid will also be spinning. 313-914-1104 or dillafest.com.

• The Average White Band cuts the cake for its farewell tour at 8 p.m. at the Music Hall Center, 350 Madison Ave., Detroit. 313-887-8500 or musichall.org.

• Kansas City’s The Get Up Kids celebrates the 25th anniversary of its sophomore album, “Something to Write Home About,” at Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit. Doors at 7 p.m. 313-961-8961 or saintandrewsdetroit.com.

• You can get so into the Atlanta Rhythm Section when the group plays at 8 p.m. at the Flagstar Strand Theatre, 12 N. Saginaw St., Pontiac. 248-309-6445 or flagstarstrand.com.

• New York’s The Hot Sardines plays jazz standards at El Club, 4114 W. Vernor Highway, Detroit. Doors at 7 p.m. 313-757-7942 or elclubdetroit.com.

• British indie rock group Bears In Trees paws into the Pike Room at the Crofoot, 1 S. Saginaw St., Pontiac. Doors at 6 p.m. 248-858-9333 or thecrofoot.com.

• Winnipeg heavy rock troupe KEN Mode brings the noise to the Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff, Hamtramck. Doors at 7 p.m. with four other bands also playing. 313-462-4117 or sanctuarydetroit.com.

• Little Stranger, Wax, Jarv and Damn Skippy bring the weekend to a dancing close at the Magic Stick, 4120 Woodward Ave., Detroit. Doors at 7 p.m. 313-833-9700 or themajesticdetroit.com.

• Kai B., JunKi and Shaii David triple-bill at 7:30 p.m. at the New Dodge Lounge, 8850 Jos Campau, Hamtramck. 313-638-1508 or thenewdodgelounge.com.

• Bill Edwards, Kathy Wieland, Jim Perkins and Cheryl Burns Perkins will perform with audience members at the monthly Empty Chair Night at 7 p.m. at the Trinity House Theatre, 38840 W. Six Mile Road, Livonia. 734-436-6302 or trinityhousetheatre.org.

• The Dallas alt-rock duo Jackopierce comes north to play at 7:30 p.m. at The Ark, 316 S. Main St., Ann Arbor. 734-761-1818 or theark.org.

• Streaming: Green Day, Mariah Carey Jennifer Hudson, Gladys Knight, Brad Paisley and Stray Kids are among the performers slated for the “American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special” at 8 p.m. on CBS and streaming via Paramount+. A variety of other performances and interviews will be part of the show, while the American Music Awards, which have been dormant since 2022, will return in May.

• Virtual: Artemis plays at 7:30 p.m. from Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club in New Hampshire. Streaming tickets via veeps.com.

Nine bands rocked Pine Knob for nearly nine hours on Saturday, Sept. 28, as part of radio station WRIF-FM’s annual Riff Fest.

But there was no question that Godsmack ruled the day.

That’s no surprise, of course. As the closing act, the Massachusetts-formed quartet has been a rock radio and chart staple since the release of its debut album 26 years ago and has a body of work that makes it a leader — creatively as well as commercially — in the genre. And with a set that was more than twice as long as any of the others on the bill — even Seether, another rock stalwart that was limited to a mere eight of its more than two dozen Top 10 singles on Saturday — Godsmack had ample opportunity to lay some metal-leaning waste on the 12,000 or so who braved rainy weather to be there.

It was, fortunately, one of the most interesting shows conceptually that Godsmack has presented. When the group played at Pine Knob last year, it was promoting its new — and, its members claim, final — album, “Lighting Up the Sky.” On Saturday, however, the troupe was celebrating its history, on a broad scale and with the Detroit metro area, over the course of 15 songs and nearly 100 minutes.

The show opened with a short historical video that included fresh interviews with the four band members as well as the record company executives who signed Godsmack to a deal. The group then launched into a reverse chronological order recitation of favorites, starting with “Surrender” and “You and I” from “Lighting Up the Sky” and working back to “Keep Away,” “Voodoo” and “Whatever” from its debut albums — all with appropriate accompanying video. Godsmack did not employ any of the pyrotechnics that had been a regular part of previous shows, instead using the sheer energy of its performance to keep fans on their feet from start to finish — no small feat in the wake of seven hours of music that came before.

And there was no question that Godsmack perhaps valued these fans more than some in other markets. Frontman Sully Erna declared early on that “this is one of my favorites states in the (expletive) country,” later, and correctly, pointing out that “this was one of the first cities and states to light up for Godsmack.” At another juncture proclaimed that “this (expletive) state. this (expletive) city, you got something going on. The energy you bring here in Michigan is unlike any other place we play.”

Erna and company clearly fed off that response throughout the show, tearing through the likes of “1000hp,” “Straight out of Line” and a voracious call-and-response during “Speak.” The “Batalla de los Tambores” instrumental was its usual highlight, with Erna and Shannon Larkin dueling on drums and had percussion, ending with licks (and accompany video) of AC/DC’s “Back in Black,” Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way,” Metallica’s “Enter Sandman,” Led Zeppelin’s “Moby Dick” and Rush’s “Tom Sawyer.”

For “Whatever, meanwhile, Erna brought five young fans on stage — “The future of rock ‘n’ roll,” he proclaimed, “The next Godsmack Generation” — to help the band lead another singalong that closed the main set.

The band quieted things only for its customary first encore, “Under Your Scars” and a pitch for Godsmack’s six-year-old Scars Foundation, which deals with panoply of mental health issues. Erna called for the stage lights to be turned down while fans lit up the venue with their cell phone flashlights, and the group also paid tribute to a cadre of late rock stars from Chris Cornell to Pantera’s Abbott brothers, with many more in between.

“Bulletproof” (with Erna in a Detroit Lions jersey and a shower of blue-and-white confetti) and “I Stand Alone” — the latter from “The Scorpion King” soundtrack in 2002 — brought the show to a high-octane close, however, with a promise that we have not seen the last of Godsmack. And that was certainly good news after a definitive performance that, unintentionally but not surprisingly, will be the lasting highlight from this year’s Riff Fest.

The Moulin Rouge, emcee and owner Harold Zidler tells us, is “more than a nightclub. The Moulin Rouge is a state of mind.”

And “Moulin Rouge!,” the musical — opening Broadway in Detroit’s new season at the Detroit Opera House through Oct. 6 — is certainly a place where your mind can be blown. In a good way.

The Tony Award-winning adaptation of Baz Luhrman’s Academy Award-winning 2001 film, set in and around Paris’ Montmartre Quarter at the start of the 20th century, does deal with some serious themes, including classicism, misogyny and the eternal arguments of art vs. commerce. But “Moulin Rouge!,” like its real-life namesake, is really about entertainment, and it delivers that from start to finish, even in its most solemn segments.

Luhrman always conceived “Moulin Rouge!” as a musical, and as over-the-top as its film was, on stage it explodes into a glittering phantasmagoria of Busby Berkeley-style delight — robust, joyful, playfully hedonistic and unapologetically campy from even before the house lights go down, as members of the cast begin prowling the stage about 10 minutes before showtime, culminating in a duel sword-swallowing act by two of the dancers.

Clearly we’re not in “Cats” country this time out.

“Moulin Rouge’s” defining element is its dizzying song medley/mash-ups, which build Luhrman’s film concept into full-blown, in-the-flesh mixtapes, with equally exuberant choreography. (Think a continental “Rock of Ages.”) The opening “Welcome to the Moulin Rouge!” starts with Labelle’s “Lady Marmalade” and, over the course of about 12 minutes, winds through hits from Cab Calloway, Nat King Cole, Motown’s Barrett Strong (“Money (That’s What I Want),),” Talking Heads, Nelly, Beck, David Bowie and more. Throughout the show there are references to “The Sound of Music” and “Seven Nation Army,” the Police (who’s Sting was playing nearby at the Fillmore Detroit on Wednesday, Sept. 18’s opening night) and James Bond, Madonna and Lady Gaga, the Rolling Stones, U2 and Elvis Presley…the list goes on. And on. (And we can get hind any production that finds a way to get T. Rex’s “Children of the Revolution” into the mix, between Lorde’s “Royals” and fun.’s “We Are Young.”

So while the story — primarily about the complicated love affair between aspiring American writer Christian and prostitute-turned-performer Satine — is easy to follow to its tragic but redemptive conclusion, Walk the Moon’s “Shut Up and Dance” may be the best advice for those in the seats.

“Moulin Rouge!” wouldn’t be nearly as much fun, however, if its cast wasn’t up to the musical’s exuberant demands — which this touring company certainly is. There will be a cast change for the final two weeks of the run, starting Sept. 24, but the initial troupe is all on point, with a genial chemistry that helps to knit together the sometimes too-rapid relationship and plot developments in John Logan’s script. Robert Petkoff as Zidler is best when breaking the fourth wall and projecting to the audience, while Danny Burgos gives Santiago a broad, comedic impact — especially pairing with AK Naderer’s Nini in the Act II opening “Backstage Romance” — and Nick Rasha Burroughs deftly balances the Bohemian idealism of Toulouse-Lautrec.

The romantic leads — Gabrielle McClinton as Satine and Christian Douglas as, well, Christian — are fine singers who nail their big moments, including duets on Elton John’s “Your Song,” Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” and the “Moulin Rouge!” love theme “Come What May,” her powerhouse delivery of Katy Perry’s “Firework” and his angsty rendition of the Police’s “Roxanne.” Andrew Brewer as the villainous Duke of Monroth has big pipes, too, even if his portrayal isn’t quite as sinister as the script makes him out to be.

With all that going for it, “Moulin Rouge’s” final result is — like another pop hit — “Nothin’ But a Good Time,” and well worth associating with the “gorgeous collection of reprobates and rascals, artistes and arrivistes, soubrettes and sodomites” that populate its environs.

“Moulin Rouge!” runs through Oct. 6 at the Detroit Opera House, 1526 Broadway St., Detroit. 313-237-7464 or broadwayindetroit.com.

Ferndale will indeed be funky this weekend, with two of the city’s annual autumn festivals taking place on either side of Woodward Avenue.

To the east, between Nine Mile Road and Troy Street, the 16th DIY Street Fair features three days of music, food, drink and more than 150 art and crafts vendors.

Of particular note this year is a reunion of longtime Detroit favorites the Howling Diablos, playing at 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, and a homecoming for the John Speck Group at 8 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22. In all, 17 acts will perform during the weekend, including the Beggars, Myron Elkins, Deastro and the Polish Muslims.

More details and schedules can be found at ferndalediy.com.

West of Woodward on Nine Mile Road and thereabouts, the Funky Ferndale Art Fair, also running Friday through Sunday, Sept. 20-22. The event will host more than 140 juried artists and authors, as well as a Make Art Zone in conjunction with the Detroit Institute of Arts and music and dance performances on the corner of Nine Mile and Allen Street.

Funky Ferndale details and schedules can be found at funkyferndaleartfair.com.

In her single earlier this year with Lorde, Charli XCX sings that “it’s so confusing sometimes to be a girl.”

But there was no mystery as to what put the British singer together with Australian mate Troye Sivan — or what made their joint Sweat tour work on its opening night Saturday, Sept. 14, at Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena.

The two have some history together, of course, including a trio of songs they’ve released together. But they’re also cut from different parts of the same creative cloth, stylistically and attitudinally — both unapologetically themselves, regardless of how many feathers that may ruffle.

The shared hour-and-50-minute show on Saturday, before a crowd of about 13,000 — including a general admission floor level — was in impressively crisp shape for its first night out. The format, with each singer performing a short segment, then yielding the stage to the other over the course of six “acts” each and 31 songs total — kept things moving and the energy level high.

Each appearance, of course, came with a new outfit, from XCX’s fur coat to Sivan’s shoulder-bearing corset and beyond. And when they did team up — for their 2018 hit “1999” that closed the main set, with the two on a raised hydraulic platform, and the night-closing remix of XCX’s “Talk Talk” — it only served to torque things up another few notches.

XCX and Sivan, singing to pre-recorded instrumental tracks, were strong on their own, too. He and his six mostly shirtless dancers began the proceedings with, appropriately enough, “Got Me Started,” and over the course of the night blended his soul-flecked pop and its EDM underpinnings with a dose of homo erotic choreography — miming fellatio as he sang the closing part of “Got Me Started” and making out with one of the dancers during the high-octane “Rush.”

The ensemble also made full use of the stage, a metallic superstructure that included tiered scaffolding, a plexiglass, cage-like ramp that jutted on to the arena floor and an omnipresent Steadicam operator who Sivan and XCX frequently performed to with the close-ups shown on video screens. The camera also caught the performers in a beneath-stage “underworld” they used to navigate around the set.

XCX, performing alone, managed to be a dominating presence as well — a diva on steroids whose more thumping, four-on-the-floor approach lit the arena up with Movement festival’s worth of ebullience. Never removing her bulbous sunglasses and focusing on “Brat,” her sixth studio album that became a summer sensation this year, XCX sang a couple of songs (“Unlock It” and “Apple”) from elevated walkways on either side of the stage, had the crowd hopping to tracks such as “The 365” (with opening act Shygirl guesting), her Billie Eilish collaboration “Guess” and the interpolations of Toni Basil’s “Mickey” during “Speed Drive.”

It was a case of one plus one equaling at least more than two; the only complaint could have been that there should have been more of XCX and Sivan together, either pulling out their other single (2019’s “2099”) or even adding to each other’s songs. But regardless of whether that transpires over the Sweat tour’s next five and a half weeks, the pair got things off to a solid start on Saturday that certainly had more than a few fans wringing out their drenched clothing afterwards.

We’re used to having music of all sorts playing in the metro area on any given weekend — or any given day, really.

But not so much Klezmer.

The Eastern European mish-mash of styles that dates back centuries and came to the U.S. during the early 20th century has enjoyed something of a global revival, but Alan Posner — director of bands at Bloomfield Hills High School and a member of the group Klezundheit — felt Michigan was missing the mark. “There was no big festival,” he explains. “We wanted to bring a group of people together to chat and spread the joy and love of Klezmer. What better way to do that than a Klezmer festival?”

KlezMitten, Michigan’s inaugural Klezmer festival, takes place from 3-7 p.m. Sunday, Sept 15, at the International Institute of Metropolitan Detroit, 111 E. Kirby St., Detroit.

Klezundheit will be joined by three other bands — Klezmephonic and Schmaltz from Ann Arbor, and Heartland Klezmorim from Lansing. Posner is excited to offer a concentrated dose of the tradition and he’s confident the exposure will bring new converts into the Klezmer realm.

“It’s a very soulful, joyous music,” Posner says. “There’s a certain rhythm to it, and chords and a tonality that we use that you don’t really find in other music. It has its roots in a lot of things that speaks to all people in a soulful, energetic way.”

313-871-8600 or klezundheit.ludus.com for tickets and other information.

Other music events of note this weekend (all subject to change) include …

FRIDAY, SEPT. 13

• Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ Top reprise their Sharp Dressed Simple Man Tour, with the Outlaws opening, at 6:30 p.m. at Pine Knob Music Theatre, 33 Bob Seger Drive, Independence Township. 313-471-7000 or 313Presents.com. For interviews with both headliners, visit theoaklandpress.com. Members of Lynyrd Skynyrd will also sign bottles of their Hell House whiskey at noon Friday at Total Wine & More, 1242 S. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills. 248-466-0662 or totalwine.com.

• Country star Jon Pardi plays at 7 p.m. at the Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre, 14900 Metro Parkway, Sterling Heights. Priscilla Block and Meghan Patrick open. 313-471-7000 or 313Presents.com.

• Australia’s Royel Otis and Friko play a sold-out show at the Majestic Theatre, 4140 Woodward Ave. Doors at 8 p.m. 313-833-9700 or majesticdetroit.com.

• The South Korean hip-hop crew Epik High stops by Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit. Doors at 7 p.m. 313-961-8961 or saintandrewsdetroit.com.

• Texas singer-songwriter Matt the Electrician plugs in at 8 p.m. at 20 Front Street in Lake Orion. 248-783-7105 or 20frontstreet.com.

• Enamour leads a dance party along with Nip, Lmuix and Outta Nowhere at the Magic Stick, 4120 Woodward Ave., Detroit. Doors at 9 p.m. 313-833-9700 or themajesticdetroit.com.

• The hardcore punk group Nails rocks at the Tangent Gallery, 715 E. Milwaukee Ave., Detroit. Doors at 6 p.m. 313-873-2955 or tangentgallery.com.

• The Mason Bays Quintet is joined by guests Roland Chandler Sr. and Matthew Balos through Saturday, Sept. 14, at the Dirty Dog Jazz Cafe, 97 Kercheval, Grosse Pointe. 313-882-5399 or dirtydogjazz.com.

• Guitarist Vlad Tovbin and his Caravan play through Sunday, Sept. 15 at Cliff Bell’s, 2030 Park Ave., Detroit. 313-961-2543 or cliffbells.com.

• Cherry Drop and the Amalgam Jam Band bring the psychedelic to the Cadieux Cafe, 4300 Cadieux Road, Detroit. 313-882-8560 or cadieuxcafe.com.

• Ashes of War, Stedmans Army and Fit For Treason stack up at 7:30 p.m. at the New Dodge Lounge, 8850 Jos Campau, Hamtramck. 313-638-1508 or thenewdodgelounge.com.

• The Dave Sharp Worlds Quartet offers a jazzy night at 8 p.m. at the Trinity House Theatre, 38840 W. Six Mile Road, Livonia. 734-436-6302 or trinityhousetheatre.org.

• Public Memory and Johnstonsons will be hardcore at Small’s, 10339 Conant, Hamtramck. Doors at 8 p.m. 3130873-1117 or smallsbardetroit.com.

• The always amazing Old Crow Medicine Show hits the stage at 7:30 p.m. at the Michigan Theater, 603 E. Liberty St., Ann Arbor.

• The RFD Boys plays one of its periodic hometown shows at 8 p.m. at The Ark, 316 S. Main St., Ann Arbor. 734-761-1818 or theark.org.

• Ann Arbor’s University Musical Society hosts a sights ‘n’ sounds evening with performances by Infinite River, Monster Island and Dr. Peter Larson at the Ypsilanti Freight House, 100 Market Place. ums.org.

• Virtual: Usher’s new concert movie, “Usher: Rendezvous in Paris,” hits movie theaters just as the R&B star is at Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena for a two-night stand. UsherinParis.com for theater and ticket information.

• Virtual: The South Korean boy band Riize’s concert film “Riize Fan-Con Tour ‘Rizing Day’ Finale in Cinemas” opens in theaters worldwide. riizeincinemas.com for theater and ticket information.

• Virtual: JP Soars & the Redhots play at 7:30 p.m. from Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club in New Hampshire. Streaming tickets via veeps.com.

• Virtual: The jam band Goose livestreams at 7:30 p.m. from Chicago as well as 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14 from Minneapolis and 8:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 15 from Waukee, Iowa, all free for subscribers to nugs.net.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 14

• Get your brat on with Charli XCX, Troye Sivan and Shygirl at 7:30 p.m. at Little Caesars Arena, 2645 Woodward Ave., Detroit.  313-471-7000 or 313Presents.com.

• Canadian punk rocker troupe Sum 41 brings its farewell tour to the Masonic Temple Theatre, 500 Temple St., Detroit. Doors at 6 p.m. The Interrupters and Many Eyes also perform. 313-548-1320 or themasonic.com.

• Veteran British goth rockers the Sisters of Mercy journey to the Fillmore Detroit, 2115 Woodward Ave. Doors at 7 p.m. 313-961-5451 or thefillmoredetroit.com.

• The Reverend Horton Heat, the Koffin Kats and special guest Big Sandy will raise a ruckus at the Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale. Doors at 7 p.m. Tickets are sold out. 248-544-1991 or themagicbag.com.

• New York indie rock band Joywave lets happiness reign at Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit. Doors at 7 p.m. 313-961-8961 or saintandrewsdetroit.com.

• Chicago rapper Cupcakke and Just Shacoi throw down at the Majestic Theatre, 4140 Woodward Ave. Doors at 7 p.m. 313-833-9700 or majesticdetroit.com.

• Current incarnations of the Lovin’ Spoonful, the Buckinghams, the Cowsills and the Shades of Blue are Stars of the Sixties at 7 p.m. in the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center, 15801 Michigan Ave., Dearborn. 313-943-2354 or dearborntheater.com.

• Vinnie Paolizzi, Gabe Lee and Jack Mckeon join forces for a Songwriter’s Round at 8 p.m. at 20 Front Street in Lake Orion. 248-783-7105 or 20frontstreet.com.

• The English DJ duo Eli & Fur does its thing at the Magic Stick, 4120 Woodward Ave., Detroit. Doors at 9 p.m. Sherif and Girasole are also on the bill. 313-833-9700 or themajesticdetroit.com.

• The Boston EDM duo Soul Clap plays a full night at Spot Lite, 2905 Beaufait St., Detroit. Doors at 9 p.m. spotlitedetroit.com or paxahau.com.

• Latin pop singer Adel Ruelas performs at the Crofoot Ballroom, 1 S. Saginaw St., Pontiac. Doors at 7 p.m. 248-858-9333 or thecrofoot.com.

• Dancepack celebrates the release of a new EP at 9 p.m. at the Lager House, 1254 Michigan Ave., Detroit. Reaches and the Characteristics also perform. 313-500-1475 or thelagerhouse.com.

• The band Rumours has a 10-year reunion show, topping a bill that also includes Ghosts in Motion, Splinters and Final Confession at the Loving Touch, 22634 Woodward Ave., Ferndale. Doors at 6 p.m. 248-820-5596 or thelovingtouchferndale.com.

• The Black Feathers ruffle at 8 p.m. at the Trinity House Theatre, 38840 W. Six Mile Road, Livonia. 734-436-6302 or trinityhousetheatre.org.

• The Ultimate Doors plays tribute at the Emerald Theatre, 31 N. Walnut St., Mount Clemens. Doors at 7 p.m. 586-630-0120 or theemeraldtheatre.com.

• Veteran singer-songwriter Chris Smither and Cloudbelly perform at 7 p.m. at The Ark, 316 S. Main St., Ann Arbor. 734-761-1818 or theark.org.

• Virtual: Galactic livestreams at 10 p.m. from Tipitina’s in New Orleans, free for subscribers to nugs.net.

SUNDAY, SET. 15

• Willie Nelson’s traveling Outlaw Music Festival Tour includes fellow Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Bob Dylan and John Mellencamp, along with Southern Avenue, at 5 p.m. at Pine Knob Music Theatre, 33 Bob Seger Drive, Independence Township. 313-471-7000 or 313Presents.com.

• Gospel icons Kirk Franklin, Yolanda Adams and Detroit greats Marvin Sapp, the Clark Sisters and Fred Hammond bring the Reunion Tour to town for a 7 p.m. show at Little Caesars Arena, 2645 Woodward Ave., Detroit.  313-471-7000 or 313Presents.com.

• Falling in Reverse rocks hard atop a package with Dance Gavin Dance, Black Veil Brides, Tech N9ne and Jeris at 5:45 p.m. at the Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre, 14900 Metro Parkway, Sterling Heights. 313-471-7000 or 313Presents.com.

• New York pop singer Fletcher goes In Search of the Antidote on her latest tour, playing at the Fillmore Detroit, 2115 Woodward Ave. Doors at 7 p.m. 313-961-5451 or thefillmoredetroit.com.

• Soul man Freddie Jackson is on tap at 7:30 p.m. at Sound Board in the MotorCity Casino Hotel, 2901 Grand River Ave., Detroit. 800-745-3000 or soundboarddetroit.com.

• San Francisco singer-songwriter Jessica Pratt headlines at El Club, 4114 W. Vernor Highway, Detroit. Ethan Daniel Davidson opens. Doors at 7 p.m. 313-757-7942 or elclubdetroit.com.

• New Orleans extreme metal band Goatwhore tops a five-act bill at 7 p.m. at the Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff, Hamtramck. 313-462-4117 or sanctuarydetroit.com.

• The Oklahoma hard rock band Southall and Wight Lighters are at District 142, 142 Maple St., Wyandotte. Doors at 7 p.m. district142live.com.

• The Shamrock Jazz Orchestra puts a Celtic spin on several generations of popular music at The Roxy, 401 Walnut Blvd., Rochester. Doors at 7 p.m. 248-453-5285 or theroxyrochester.com.

• Larkin celebrates the release of a new album, “Make it the Most,” at 7:30 p.m. at the Token Lounge, 28949 Joy Road, Westland. 734-513-5030 or tokenlounge.com.

• BLK Odyssy is joined by Asha Imuno for a Fantasy House Tour stop at the Pike Room in the Crofoot complex, 1 S. Saginaw St., Pontiac. Doors at 7 p.m. 248-858-9333 or thecrofoot.com.

• Scotland’s Tannahill Weavers come across the pond to play at 7:30 p.m. at The Ark, 316 S. Main St., Ann Arbor. 734-761-1818 or theark.org.

• Virtual: Stone Temple Pilots and Soul Asylum air the Indianapolis-area stop of their Jubilee Tour at 8 p.m. Streaming tickets via veeps.com.

• Virtual: Amos Lee livestreams at 10:30 p.m. from Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado, free for subscribers to nugs.net.

It’s a busy September for the Ford House in Grosse Pointe Shores.

The estate built by Edsel and Eleanor Ford will host a number of events over the next couple of weeks, starting at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 14 with a Story Festival, a three-hour ticketed event that will feature presentations by award-winning author Jim Gill, educator Kelly Konieczki and Brenda Ban of Built To Thrive, a program that works with children to build social and emotional intelligence through play.

Later in the day, at 3 p.m., the Ford House will break ground for its Shoreline Habitat Restoration Project, an initiative to help revitalize its footprint on Lake St. Clair.

Then, on Sept. 24, the Ford House will launch two special tours.

The Autumn Landscape Guided Tour takes visitors around the grounds, focusing on its landscapes and gardens. The Nooks Crannies Guided Tour, meanwhile, runs through Dec. 31 and includes rarely shown portions of structures, including the third-floor infirmary and an underground tunnel network.

The Ford House is located at 1100 Lake Shore Road. 313-884-4222 or fordhouse.org for reservations and more information.

So other than that, how was the rest of the show?

Damn good, thank you very much.

Green Day made news on Wednesday night, Sept. 4, when the punk trio abruptly halted its concert at Detroit’s Comerica Park, rushing off the stage during just the fifth song, “Longview.” The crowd of just under 41,000 initially continued singing the lyrics but fell quiet — with some chants for Lions’ quarterback Jared Goff. A “Show Pause. Please standby for details” message eventually appeared on the video screen.”

Detroit police confirmed that an unauthorized drone had entered the baseball stadium’s airspace, with security calling the band offstage. The man flying it was apprehended and Green Day returned after a 10-minute break, with frontman Billie Joe Armstrong asked fans, “How you doing? We’re gonna pick up where we left off.” He also urged them to put their cell phones away, saying, “Pull ’em out later. Let’s be here right now.”

After finishing “Longview” and tearing through “Welcome to Paradise,” Armstrong added, “Ain’t no mother… that’s gonna stop us, I’ll tell you that.” And later in the show Green Day posted a social media message apologizing for the delay, explaining that, “Stadium security had us clear the stage while they dealt with a potential safety issue. DPD quickly resolved the situation, and we were able to continue. Thanks for understanding.

Green Day did not stop for the rest of the night, delivering a characteristically epic — and excellent — two-and-a-half-hour performance that commemorated anniversaries of the group’s two biggest albums, 1994’s “Dookie” and 2004’s “American Idiot”, by playing both in their entirety. Green Day filled out the rest of the concert with a selection of other favorites, including five from its latest album, “Saviors,” and a rendition of “Brain Stew” that Armstrong teased into with guitar licks from Black Sabbaths’ “Iron Man” and Metallica’s “Master of Puppets.”

“Tonight is not about a political party,” Armstrong declared during a ferocious “Letterbomb” from “American Idiot,” a topical takedown of the George W. Bush era that remains wholly relevant 20 years later. “It’s not even a party. This is a celebration!”

But there was certainly a party spirit throughout a night that, via opening performances from Smashing Pumpkins and Rancid that affirmed the continuing potency of alternative rock from the 90s. (The Linda Lindas, which came on first, are more contemporary but cut from the same cloth.) Whether it was “Ruby Soho” or “Today” and “Tonight, Tonight” (or the Pumpkins’ cover of U2’s “Zoo Station”), there was nothing at all dated about the performances by musicians well past their mosh days but still fierce of spirit.

That’s been Green Day’s stock in trade forever, from early 90s club appearances to a 2021 show also at Comerica. Wednesday’s concert was filled with the irreverent attitude and boisterous spirit that’s still dear to Armstrong, bassist Mike Dirnt, drummer Tre Cool — all in their early 50s now — and their three adjunct players. The 37-song set was marked by a Boy Scout jamboree’s worth of fire and pyrotechnics, occasional confetti showers and colorful visuals, and it was preceded by the usual hijinks — crowd singalongs to Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and Ramones’ “Blitzkrieg Bop,” the latter led by a crew member dressed in a bunny outfit.

The show did have an interesting kind of restraint, however. There was plenty of energy — the group had the stadium grandstands shaking at several points — but less of the pure schtick Green Day also trades on. The focus was more squarely on the music, the band seemingly more interested in delivering the dynamically sophisticated songs with tight and explosive power — even quieter tracks such as “Are We the Waiting” and “Boulevard of Broken Dreams.” “American Idiot” was particularly strong, with songs strung together in seamless fashion.

Green Day opened with the new, and on-point, “The American Dream is Killing Me” and was quickly into “Dookie,” pulling out deep cuts such as “Having a Blast,” “Pulling Teeth,” “Sassfras Roots,” “In the End” and “All By Myself,” which Cool sang in a bathrobe. The “American Idiot” recitation similarly brought out less-heard material, including “She’s a Rebel,” “Extraordinary Girl,” “Homecoming” and “Whatsername,” with Armstrong substituting “Michigan” in the title line of “Give Me Novocaine.”

Armstrong also brought a young woman on stage to sing part of “Know Your Enemy” with the band, and he used “American Idiot’s” “Holiday,” which he introduced as “an anti-war song,” as a rally call for fans to vote in November. (The Linda Lindas, however, were the only one of the four bands to reference Donald Trump specifically — and, of course, pejoratively).

Green Day finished per usual, with Armstrong alone on stage, singing its 1997 hit “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” as a lullaby-style send-off. He could rest assured that fans did indeed have the time of their lives, and it’s to Green Day’s credit that the rest of the show eclipsed the drama that happened early on.

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Avril Lavigne was just 17 when she released her first album, “Let Go,” and 18 when she had her first hit, “Complicated.” But she was already invested in a music career long game.

“I have looked forward to having a greatest hits tour since I was first starting out,” says the Ontario-born Lavigne, now 39, who’s in the midst of exactly that kind of trek this year following the release of a new “Greatest Hits” album in June. “I love and am so proud of all the music I have put out over the past 22 years, but there is something super special about having a setlist that is all hits and knowing that these songs really resonated with people not only when the songs were first released, but consistently over the years.”

Lavigne has a lot to show for those years — six more albums and Top 10 hits such as “I’m With You,” “My Happy Ending” and “Girlfriend,” record sales of more than 40 million worldwide, 10 Canadian Juno Awards and an Order of Canada Honor. Divorces and a debilitating 2015 case of Lyme disease have left her unbowed, and Lavigne promises there’s more to come soon.

“I can’t spill too much right now,” she says, “but once I finish this tour I am going to get back in the studio and really map out what I want the next year of music to look like. I know people are waiting for new songs and I am excited to share them, but I really want to make sure it is all perfect first.”

In the meantime, she’s happy to celebrate what she’s done to this point.

“I still feel like a teenager,” Lavigne notes, “and every night when I get up onstage, I am reminded of what an amazing life I have been able to live. I’m just so glad I started as young as I was — ’cause I still feel young.”

Avril Lavigne, Simple Plan and Girlfriends perform at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7 at Pine Knob Music Theatre, 33 Bob Seger Drive, Independence Township. Tickets are sold out.

Other music events of note this weekend (all subject to change) include …

FRIDAY, SEPT. 6

• Pontiac’s Flagstar Strand Theatre kicks off its fall season at 8 p.m. with the Del McCoury Band and its decades of bluegrass. 12 N. Saginaw St., Pontiac. 248-309-6445 or flagstarstrand.com.

• The Beatles live via 1964 The Tribute, commemorating the 60th anniversary of the group’s first appearance in Detroit, at 8 p.m. at Orchestra Hall, 3711 Woodward Ave., Detroit. 313-576-5111 or dso.org.

• Columbus, Ohio’s Starset journeys into Wolverine country to bring its Immersion: The Final Chapter tour to the Fillmore Detroit, 2115 Woodward Ave. Doors at 7 p.m. 313-961-5451 or thefillmoredetroit.com.

• Jake Hoot, winner of Season 17 of “The Voice,” performs at 8 p.m. at 20 Front Street in Lake Orion. 248-783-7105 or 20frontstreet.com.

• The KPOP Breakout Tour features Trendz, Craxy, Ichillin’ and U-Chae at 7 p.m. in the Pike Room in the Crofoot complex, 1 S. Saginaw St. 248-858-9333 or thecrofoot.com.

• Nashville’s VEAUX stops at the Lager House for an 8:30 p.m. show with the Foxies and Daydream and Bega. 1254 Michigan Ave., Detroit. 313-500-1475 or thelagerhouse.com.

• British goth rock troupe the Mark Violets, Rosegarden Funeral Party and Siamese gather at Small’s, 10339 Conant, Hamtramck. Doors at 7 p.m. 313-873-1117 or smallsbardetroit.com.

• Kind Beast tops a bill that also includes the High Strung, Touch the Clouds and Cherry Drop at the Loving Touch, 22634 Woodward Ave., Ferndale. Doors at 7 p.m. 248-820-5596 or thelovingtouchferndale.com.

• The Latin-flavored sextet Tumbao Bravo plays through Saturday, Sept. 7 at the Dirty Dog Jazz Cafe, 97 Kercheval, Grosse Pointe. 313-882-5399 or dirtydogjazz.com.

• Kimmie Horne sings jazz at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. at Cliff Bell’s, 2030 Park Ave., Detroit. 313-961-2543 or cliffbells.com.

• Chicago singer Tony Romiti performs at the Diesel Concert Lounge, 33151 23 Mile Road, Chesterfield Township. Doors at 7 p.m. 586-933-3503 or dieselconcerts.com.

• Hillbilly Knife Fight and Tiffadelic offer a promising start to the weekend at 7 p.m. at the Cadieux Cafe, 4300 Cadieux Road, Detroit. 313-882-8560 or cadieuxcafe.com.

• Sirsy tops a four-act bill at 7:30 p.m. at the New Dodge Lounge, 8850 Jos Campau, Hamtramck. 313-638-1508 or thenewdodgelounge.com.

• The soulful Shemekia Copeland sings at 8 p.m. at The Ark, 316 S. Main St., Ann Arbor. 734-761-1818 or theark.org.

• Virtual: Blue Canvas Orchestra streams live at 8 p.m. Tickets via veeps.com.

• Virtual: The jam band Goose plays at 8 p.m. from Saratoga Springs. New York, and again on Saturday, Sept. 7, for subscribers to nugs.net.

• Virtual: The Disco Biscuits perform at 8 p.m. from Dillon, Colorado, for subscribers to nugs.net.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 7

• Detroit punk rock favorites the Suicide Machines will rock at Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit. Doors at 6:30 p.m. Hey-Smith, Kill Lincoln and Bad Operation also perform. 313-961-8961 or saintandrewsdetroit.com.

• Kaleo comes from Iceland to play blues-rock at the Fillmore Detroit, 2115 Woodward Ave. Doors at 7 p.m. 313-961-5451 or thefillmoredetroit.com.

• Detroit techno legend Kevin Saunderson celebrates his 60th birthday with an All-White Party at Spot Lite Detroit, 2905 Beaufait St. Doors at 9 p.m. spotlitedetroit.com or paxahau.com.

• The Motown Museum gets deep with the annual Detroit Bass Day from noon to 4 p.m. on its Rocket Plaza 2648 W. Grand Blvd., Detroit. Bassists of all ages are invited to jam on 10 Motown classics by the Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Rick James, the Four Tops, the Commodores, Teena Marie and Jr. Walker & the Allstars. The event also includes food trucks and vendors. motownmuseum.org for more information.

• Singer-songwriter Chris Tapper appears at 8 p.m. at 20 Front Street in Lake Orion. 248-783-7105 or 20frontstreet.com.

• Arizona DJ Markus Schulz heats things up at the Magic Stick, 4120 Woodward Ave., Detroit. Doors at 9 p.m. 313-833-9700 or themajesticdetroit.com.

• Syrian singer Omar Souleyman plays a matinee at 1 p.m. at El Club, 4114 W. Vernor Highway, Detroit. 313-757-7942 or elclubdetroit.com.

• Trumpeter Allen Dennard and his Organ Trio blows at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. at Cliff Bell’s, 2030 Park Ave., Detroit. 313-961-2543 or cliffbells.com.

• MC Jahshua Smith performs a “Homecoming” date at 8 p.m. at the Lager House, 1254 Michigan Ave., Detroit. FROSTisRAD, Krissy Booth and Kwaj are also on the bill. 313-500-1475 or thelagerhouse.com.

• The Toby Keith tribute band Ride celebrates the late country icon at 8 p.m. at The Roxy, 401 Walnut Blvd., Rochester. 248-453-5285 or theroxyrochester.com.

• The Ark hosts the Ann Arbor Django Reinhardt Festival, featuring Djangophonique, Christo’s Novelty combo and Erik McIntyre at 8 p.m. 316 S. Main St., Ann Arbor. 734-761-1818 or theark.org.

• Virtual: The Weeknd streams his show from Sao Paulo, Brazil, at 8 p.m. via his official YouTube channel, with a live chat to follow.

SUNDAY, SEPT. 8

• Warm up for the Detroit Lions’ home opener with an early evening set by the a capella vocal group Naturally 7 at the Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale. Doors at 5 p.m. 248-544-1991 or themagicbag.com.

• Grosse Pointe-raised guitarist John 5, now a member of Motley Crue, comes home to play with the Kiss tribute band Strutter and Turning Jane at the Token Lounge, 28949 Joy Road, Westland. Doors at 6:30 p.m. 734-513-5030 or tokenlounge.com.

• Americana up-and-comer Sierra Ferrell brings her vocals, fiddle and more to the Royal Oak Music Theatre, 318 W. Fourth St. Doors at 7 p.m. 248-399-2980 or royaloakmusictheatre.com.

• KK’s Priest, led by former Judas Priest guitarist K.K. Downing, will be live — but before midnight — at District 142, 142 Maple St., Wyandotte. Doors at 6:45 p.m. district142live.com. For an interview with Downing, visit theoaklandpress.com.

• Mike Tramp leads the latest version of his band White Lion into the Diesel Concert Lounge, 33151 23 Mile Road, Chesterfield Township. Doors at 7 p.m. 586-933-3503 or dieselconcerts.com.

• Sweden’s Dead By April is joined by Of Virtue at the Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff, Hamtramck. Doors at 7 p.m. 313-462-4117 or sanctuarydetroit.com.

• The Duane Parham Society plays at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. at Cliff Bell’s, 2030 Park Ave., Detroit. 313-961-2543 or cliffbells.com.

• Bccording, Zion Polanski, GVN and Swan stack up at 7 p.m. at the New Dodge Lounge, 8850 Jos Campau, Hamtramck. 313-638-1508 or thenewdodgelounge.com.

• The Henhouse Prowlers close the weekend with some bluegrass at The Ark, 316 S. Main St., Ann Arbor. 734-761-1818 or theark.org.