FRIDAY night's alright for fighting…okay, ELTON JOHN might have to change the words, since his show is tonight at PETCO PARK. Sure, he announced his retirement, but this is a Concert for Cures, a benefit show raising money for cancer research. It might be your last time to see the piano man…err…rocket man.
From the biggest artist of the ‘70s, to the biggest play of all time – HAMILTON is at the Civic Theatre DOWNTOWN. See the Lin-Manuel Miranda play everyone’s been talking about for years.
If neither of those musical acts is your cup of tea, but you’re into Zydeco and blues, enjoy GATOR BY THE BAY at Spanish Landing Park on Harbor Drive DOWNTOWN. There will be 100 performances, with seven stages, and lots and lots of crawfish. You could see The Mamou Playboys, Steve Riley, Sugaray Rayford, and Ozomatli marching on, all weekend long.
Another film festival hits town, and I’ve always enjoyed this one – the GI FILM FESTIVAL features films for, by and about service members and veterans. It happens at the Museum of Photographic Arts in BALBOA PARK. They’ve got 16 films, 13 shorts, and the subjects include the war on terror, Afghanistan, PTSD, and more.
SATURDAY, if you missed out on getting your mom tickets to Elton John, I’m sure she’d be just as happy, and think “how sweet it is” that you got her tickets to see JAMES TAYLOR, with his all-star band (which includes his son Henry) at RADY SHELL. He’ll be there Sunday night, too.
While I think Taylor is a great songwriter, I’m more stoked about THE ROBERT CRAY BAND. He’s at the Magnolia Performing Arts Center in EL CAJON. He’s one of the most underrated blues guitarists, and has won 5 Grammys. He’s a member of the Blues Hall of Fame.
San Diego’s own, THE PALADINS, do their roots/rockabilly at the Casbah DOWNTOWN.
Some sports events – The SAN DIEGO WAVE FC vs Portland Thorns at SNAPDRAGON STADIUM.
The SAN DIEGO LEGION vs Houston SaberCats at TORERO STADIUM.
SUNDAY – take your mom to brunch, for Pete’s sake!
There aren’t any big movies opening this weekend, but lots to watch streaming.
THE FOUR SEASONS is on NETFLIX. I remember as a kid watching the 1981 film with Alan Alda, Carol Burnett, and Rita Moreno. This remake was created by Tina Fey, one of the best comedy writers around. The new cast is almost as strong, with Fey, Colman Domingo, Steve Carell, and Will Forte.
POKER FACE, starts season two on PEACOCK. It stars Natasha Lyonne, who cracks me up every time she opens her mouth. She created the show with director Rian Johnson, who gave us the brilliant “Knives Out” and one of the most underrated indie movies 20 years ago – “Brick.”
LOVE HURTS was a fun movie that didn’t get the best reviews, but it stars Ke Huy Quan (Short Round from Indiana Jones, and the comeback film for him – Everything Everywhere All At Once), as a mild real estate agent who has a special set of skills that would put Liam Neeson to shame. Ariana DeBose, who was great in “West Side Story” plays the love interest, and NFL star Marshawn Lynch plays the heavy.
And for anyone that really thinks President Trump is going to open Alcatraz again, you can watch these movies about the famous jail:
ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZ with Clint Eastwood and San Diegan Fred Ward.
BIRDMAN OF ALCATRAZ with Burt Lancaster, in this mostly fictional, but touching story about a prisoner that raises canaries.
MURDER IN THE FIRST with Gary Oldman, Christian Slater, and Kevin Bacon.
THE ROCK which doesn’t star the Rock, but Nicolas Cage, Ed Harris, and Sean Connery.