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BACKSTAGE PASS CALENDAR

from BOCA Magazine July/August 2023

from BOCA Magazine July/August 2023, page 138

Eleanor Baldwin

Now-July 16:

“At the Dawn of a New Age: Early 20th Century Modernism” at Norton Museum of Art, 1450 S. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach; $15-$18 museum admission; 561/832-5196, norton.org. This exhibition draws from the first 30 years of the 1900s—a watershed period in American art, as traditional notions of realism in painting and sculpture gave way to an increasing embrace of experimentation and abstraction of color, form and subject matter.

Now-Oct. 6:

“Witness to Wartime: The Painted Diary of Takuichi Fujii” at Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, 4000 Morikami Park Road, Delray Beach; $9-$15 museum admission; 561/4950233, morikami.org. A Japanese American incarcerated in a detention camp after the outbreak of World War II, Fujii kept an illustrated diary of more than 250 ink drawings and more than 130 paintings, capturing detailed visions of the camps and the daily routines of his fellow-inmates.

Now-Oct. 22:

Sri Prabha: “Resonator –Reanimator” at Boca Raton Museum of Art, 501 Plaza Real, Boca Raton; $12-$16 museum admission; 561/392-2500, bocamuseum.org. An artist who creates interactive installations in the Fluxus tradition, Prabha’s site-specific exhibition at the Boca Museum invites attendees to climb in and around it, while considering its relationship to the video projections, wall sculptures and archaeological fossils surrounding it.

July 7:

Matchbox Twenty at iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre, 601-7 Sansburys Way, West Palm Beach; 7:30 p.m.; $50 and up; 561/795-8883, westpalmbeachamphitheatre.com. Orlando’s chart-topping pop-rock exports return in support of their fifth album Where the Light Goes, Matchbox Twenty’s first release in 11 years. Opening act the Wallflowers, still fronted by Bob Dylan’s singer-songwriter offspring Jakob, support their latest LP, 2021’s Exit Wounds.

July 9:

Psychic Medium Bill Philipps at Palm Beach Improv, 550 S. Rosemary Ave., West Palm Beach; 3 p.m.; $25; 561/8331812, palmbeachimprov.com. At this gallery reading, psychic medium Philipps, who purports to have seen dead people since age 14, will deliver messages from past loved ones. A HuffPost contributor with a national profile, Philipps’ gentle and direct communication style has won over believers and skeptics alike.

July 16:

“Lu Over the Wall” screenings at Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, 4000 Morikami Park Road, Delray Beach; 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.; $5 with paid museum admission; 561/495-0233, morikami.org. A Sundance Film Festival selection in 2018, this visionary anime feature from director Masaaki Yuasa lends a modern, hallucinogenic spin on a classic fairytale about a mermaid who swims ashore and joins a middle-school rock band, forming a bond with its lonely but talented keyboardist.

Now-Oct. 22:

“Benn Mitchell Photographs” at Boca Raton Museum of Art, 501 Plaza Real, Boca Raton; $12-$16 museum admission; 561/392-2500, bocamuseum.org. Gifted with an eye for composition and detail from the time he could hold a camera, Benn Mitchell sold his first photograph to Life magazine, in 1926, at the ripe age of 16. He is perhaps most notable for his candid street images of quintessential New York City—its architecture, its bustle, its kinetic denizens.

Now-Oct. 22:

Sari Dienes: “Incidental Nature” at Boca Raton Museum of Art, 501 Plaza Real, Boca Raton; $12-$16 museum admission; 561/3922500, bocamuseum.org. In a career spanning 60 years, the late Dienes helped bridge gaps between the Abstract Expressionism of the 1950s and the Pop Art of the 1960s. “Incidental Nature” focuses on the Austrian-born artist’s “Sidewalk Rubbings,” in which she appropriated urban symbols such as manhole covers and subway gratings into geometric compositions.

July 4:

July Fourth Celebration at East Atlantic Avenue and State Road A1A, Delray Beach; 5 to 9:30 p.m.; free; 561/2437000, delraybeachfl.gov. A 50-year tradition that draws upwards of 80,000 revelers to Delray, this beachfront bonanza begins with a flag-raising ceremony, complete with honor guard, and continues with friendly contests, food trucks, vendors and live entertainment, culminating in a spectacular 9 p.m. fireworks display over the ocean.

July 6-16:

Shakespeare by the Sea

XXXIII at Seabreeze Amphitheater at Carlin Park, 400 Florida A1A, Jupiter; 8 p.m.; free with suggested donation; 561/762-8552, pbshakespeare.org. Now in its 33rd year, this summer Shakespeare-in-the-park tradition will perform its first-ever production of “Measure for Measure,” the Bard’s lesser known dark comedy about a heroic duke’s efforts to expose his power-abusing, autocratic deputy.

July 21:

C4 Trío at Boca Black Box, 8221 Glades Road, Suite 10, Boca Raton; 8 p.m.; $37-$47; 561/483-9036, bocablackbox. com. Now working with bassist Roger Padilla—making this “Trio,” in fact, a quartet—the string players of C4 perform on the cuatro, the national instrument of Venezuela, generating sounds that span from traditional merengue to jazz and world music. They will play evocative tunes from their seventh album, Back to 4.

July 21:

Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ Top at iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre, 601-7 Sansburys Way, West Palm Beach; 6:30 p.m.; $37 and up; 561/795-8883, westpalmbeachamphitheatre. com. Like Tom Brady and Michael Jordan before them, southern rock legends Lynyrd Skynyrd join the ranks of “un-retiring” talent, hitting the road again despite calling it “quits” in 2020. Uncle Cracker and the distinctively bearded blues rockers ZZ Top, still fronted by founding member Billy Gibbons, open the show.

July 24:

Fall Out Boy at iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre, 601-7 Sansburys Way, West Palm Beach; 6:30 p.m.; $39.50 and up; 561/795-8883, westpalmbeachamphitheatre. com. Blessed with enough earworms to form a new entomological genus—“Dance, Dance” and “Centuries” among them—Fall Out Boy has made hooky alternative megahits look easy. Its tour, supporting 2023’s So Much (for) Stardust, also features Bring Me the Horizon and Royal & the Serpent.

July 24:

“Jinkx Monsoon: Everything is at Stake” at Coral Springs Center for the Arts, 2855 Coral Springs Drive, Coral Springs; 8 p.m.; $56.04; 954/344-5990, thecentercs. org. Winner of the fifth season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” actor and comedian Monsoon this year became the first drag queen to perform on Broadway, in “Chicago.” Their new touring show will be backed by a full rock band, with originals and covers performed in Monsoon’s signature “witchy,” bombastic style.

July 26:

Goo Goo Dolls and O.A.R. at Mizner Park Amphitheater, 590 Plaza Real, Boca Raton; 7 p.m.; $59.50-$137; 561/393-7890, mizneramp.com. Staples on the Hot 100 chart for much of the 1990s, Goo Goo Dolls’ slick and anthemic sing-alongs, from “Iris” to “Slide” and “Black Balloon,” married sensitive lyrics with tuneful melodies and an orchestral sensibility. The band is supporting its 14th album Chaos in Bloom, with support from veteran heartland rockers O.A.R.

July 28-29:

Dave Matthews Band at iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre, 601-7 Sansburys Way, West Palm Beach; 7:30 p.m.; $74 and up; 561/795-8883, westpalmbeachamphitheatre.com. The jazz-inflected jam band returns to its longtime South Florida venue for another two-night residency of hits, deep cuts and elaborate interpretations of fan favorites. Expect a different set list each night from these generous spelunkers of their impressive back catalog.

July 29:

Start Me Up! A Tribute to the Rolling Stones at Arts Garage, 94 N.E. Second Ave., Delray Beach; 8 p.m.; $35-$40; 561/450-6457, artsgarage.org. Complete with Jagger swagger, costume changes, a saxophone player and multiple percussionists, this eight-piece tribute act re-creates the look, sound and spirit of Britain’s longest-running rock powerhouse, with hits spanning every era.

Aug. 11:

Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa: High School Reunion Tour at iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre, 601-7 Sansburys Way, West Palm Beach; 6 p.m.; $53 and up; 561/795-8883, westpalmbeachamphitheatre.com.

Snoop Dogg, hip-hop outlaw of yore, cannabis enthusiast and unlikely BFF to Martha Stewart, co-headlines this old-school bill with hard-hitting rapper Khalifa. Impressive openers include Too $hort and Warren G.

Aug. 11-27:

“Grease: The Musical” at Delray Beach Playhouse, 950 N.W. Ninth St., Delray Beach; various show times; $42; 561/272-1281, delraybeachplayhouse.com. A record-breaking eight-year run on Broadway helped solidify the enduring popularity of this iconic and nostalgic musical, with its slate of sing-a-longs (“Summer Nights,” “We Go Together”) inspired by proto-rock ‘n’ roll.

Aug.12-Oct. 29:

“Between Drawing and Painting: Pastels from the Collection” at Norton Museum of Art, 1450 S. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach; $15-$18 museum admission; 561/832-5196, norton.org. One of the most versatile mediums in the visual arts, pastels rose to prominence in the 18th century, as a way to combine the fine lines of pencil with the rich saturation of paint. This exhibition captures innovations in pastel through the ages, from old master portraits to contemporary abstraction.

Aug. 1:

Jackson Browne at Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 S.W. Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale; 8 p.m.; $49.50$99.50; 954/462-0222, browardcenter.org. Ranking among Rolling Stone ’s top 40 songwriters of all-time, this pioneer of literate folk-rock is also the recipient of a Gandhi Peace Award and a John Steinbeck Award for his environmental and social activism. His latest release is 2021’s Downhill From Everywhere.

Aug. 3-Sept. 3:

“Thrill Me: The Leopold & Loeb Story” at Island City Stage, 2304 N. Dixie Highway, Wilton Manors; various show times; $40-$55; 954/9289800, islandcitystage.org. A slice of dark life this sunny season, this chamber musical from Stephen Dolginoff takes as its subjects the closeted gay men Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb—also depicted in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Rope”— whose killing of a 14-year-old boy in 1924 has become a true-crime touchstone.

Aug.10-13:

Tony Rock at Palm Beach Improv, 550 S. Rosemary Ave., West Palm Beach; various show times; $25-$35; 561/833-1812, palmbeachimprov.com. The younger brother of Chris Rock—one of nine Rock siblings, in fact— has established a formidable standup career on his own, balanced with acting roles on BET’s “Black Card Revoked” and CBS’ “Living Biblically.” Squint, and you’ll think you’re watching Chris.

Aug. 11:

Hot Pants de France at Arts Garage, 94 N.E. Second Ave., Delray Beach; 8 p.m.; $35$40; 561/450-6457, artsgarage.org. Inspired by the gypsy jazz music of Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli, this innovative collective interprets hits from the ‘80s and ‘90s—from artists such as Queen, Soundgarden, Talking Heads and Pixies—in classic swing, samba and hot jazz styles.

Aug.12:

Jason Mraz and his Superband at Mizner Park Amphitheater, 590 Plaza Real, Boca Raton; 7 p.m.; $50.50; 561/393-7890, mizneramp. com. From roadie duty and coffeehouse gigs to Grammy wins and amphitheater tours, Virginia native Mraz is an embodiment of the perseverance of talent. He’ll play ubiquitous hits like “The Remedy” and “I’m Yours” alongside peppy selections from his latest and eighth LP, Mystical Magical Rhythmical Radical Ride.

Aug.19:

Smashing Pumpkins at iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre, 601-7 Sansburys Way, West Palm Beach; 6:30 p.m.; $57 and up; 561/795-8883, westpalmbeachamphitheatre. com. Billy Corgan’s enduring alternative standard bearers, whose equally crunchy and twinkly sound has influenced art-rock musicians for generations, tour in support of ATUM, their newly released three-act rock opera. Interpol, the brooding Manhattan postpunks, and Rival Sons open the concert.

Aug.27:

Freaks on Parade Tour at iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre, 601-7 Sansburys Way, West Palm Beach; 6 p.m.; $42 and up; 561/795-8883, westpalmbeachamphitheatre. com. Shock rockers from two generations co-headline this legacy bill. Equal parts heavy and theatrical, Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie have led metal—or at least metal-adjacent—bands for decades, acts that prize elaborate makeup, lyrics inspired by horror fiction and double kick drums. Arrive early for openers Ministry and Filter.

Aug.31:

The Australian Pink Floyd Show at Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 S.W. Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale; 8 p.m.; $39.50-$80.50; 954/462-0222, browardcenter.org. Continuing this year’s many celebrations of the 50th anniversary of Dark Side of the Moon, the Australian Pink Floyd Show will feature a note-for-note re-creation of the progressive rockers’ seminal concept album, complete with a laser light show and high-definition LED projections.

Executive Chef / Restauranteur Steven Botta has added the former Kathy’s Gazebo to his portfolio of high end restaurants. The 40 year tradition of excellence continues in a newly reimagined and newly renovated space.

The name and decor may have changed but the menu has all the old menu favorites with some exciting new ones which will delight the palate. From the moment you arrive you will quickly realize that you have entered a restaurant where old world service is still the norm rather than the exception.

A throwback to the days when where guests become family and a place to make new memories while reminiscing about past ones. Come join us and see what all the excitement is about. We look forward to seeing you. Yevette, Steven and Anthony.