3 minute read
First Things
from February 2023
Something Funny
'Weird Al' on Ill-Advised Vanity Tour
Expect the unexpected when comedy singer “Weird Al” Yankovic plays the Kalamazoo State Theatre at 8 p.m. Feb. 2.
Yankovic’s tour, titled The Unfortunate Return of the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour, promises a different set list for every performance. Yankovic will not be performing his hits but instead focusing on songs that evaded the pop-culture spotlight.
Opening the show will be comedian Emo Philips, whose career highlights include the acclaimed comedy album, E=MO Squared, and an hour-long HBO special, Emo Philips Live
Tickets for the five-time Grammy Award-winning Yankovic are $52.50–$122.50 and available at kazoostate.com and at the box office.
Something Gutsy
Peking Acrobats coming to Miller
The Peking Acrobats, who push the limits of human ability, will perform at Miller Auditorium at 3 p.m. Feb. 19.
For the past 32 years, these acrobats have performed maneuvers atop a pagoda of chairs, shown technical prowess by trick cycling, precision tumbling, juggling, somersaulting and gymnastics, and provided displays of contortion, flexibility and control. They are accompanied by live musicians playing Chinese music.
Tickets for this event are $30–$40 and are available at millerauditorium.com
Something Indie
Grammy nominee Isakov coming to State
Building a massive presence in the indie-rock and folk music scene, Isakov has released five full-length studio albums. One of them, Evening Machines, was nominated in 2019 for the Grammy Award for Best Folk Album. In addition to touring internationally, Isakov has performed with several symphony orchestras across the country, has his own independent record label and runs a small farm in Boulder, Colorado.
Horticulturist-turned-musician Gregory Alan Isakov and his band will perform at the Kalamazoo State Theatre at 8 p.m. Feb. 1.
Tickets for the local show are $41–$51 and are available at kazoostate.com or at the box office.
Something Artsy
Garage Sale Art Fair offers bargains
The annual event that bills itself as "an art fair with garage sale prices” returns Feb. 25 to the Kalamazoo County Expo Center, 2900 Lake St.
The Garage Fair Art Sale will feature more than 140 local and other artists selling their overstocks, seconds and supplies from 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Admission is $5, and coat check and package check will be available.
For information on the participating artists, visit garagesaleartfair.com.
Something Funky
SophistaFunk to play Bell's Backroom
Promising an "unstoppable funk hip-hop dance party,” Sophistafunk will bring its music to the Bell's Backroom at 7 p.m. Feb. 23.
The Syracuse, New York-based band has been a popular performer at the annual Electric Forest Music Festival in Rothbury, Michigan. It has also been featured on celebrity chef Guy Fieri's TV shows Diners, Drive-ins, & Dives, Guy’s Grocery Games and Guy’s Ultimate Game Night
The Kalamazoo band The Mainstays will open the show. Tickets are $15 and available at etix.com and Bell’s General Store, 355 E. Kalamazoo Ave.
