Bay Area arts: 11 shows and events to catch this weekend
From a huge Christian pop double bill to a gaggle of festivals and a sing-along ABBA event, there is a lot to see and do in the Bay Area this weekend.
Here’s a partial rundown.
Summer Worship tour heads to Oakland
Phil Wickham and Brandon Lake — two of the top artists in contemporary Christian music (CCM) — have joined forces for a major tour.
Wickham has been a steady presence on the charts over the past two decades, releasing such popular outings as “Living Hope,” “Hymn of Heaven” and “I Believe” — all of which were No. 1 albums. The San Diego singer-songwriter’s best-known songs include such winners as “This Is Amazing Grace,” “Living Hope,” “Great Things,” “Battle Belongs,” “Behold” and “This Is Our God.”
Brandon Lake has been on an absolute tear of late, garnering legions of new fans as K-LOVE, Air1 and other worship stations put his songs on regular rotation. The versatile singer-songwriter’s top offerings include “Praise You Anywhere,” “Too Good to Not Believe,” “Honey in the Rock,” “Miracle Child” and — one of the most powerful Christian rockers to come around in many moons — “Count ‘Em.”
The trek, dubbed Summer Worship Nights 2024, plays Oakland Arena on Aug. 23. Georgia rapper Hulvey also appears as a special guest at this show.
Details: 7 p.m.; tickets start at $43; ticketmaster.com.
— Jim Harrington, Staff
Bay Area hosts festivals galore
Late summer means another Bay Area weekend packed with festivals. Here are four you should know about.
Palo Alto Festival of the Arts: Celebrating the 41st year of this University Avenue event with 250 booths featuring fine and contemporary arts and crafts, the Italian Street Painting Expo along Tasso Street, live music on two stages, plus food, wine, microbrew stands. Bring tote bags for purchases. Details: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday; free; more more information at www.paloaltochamber.com.
Niles Antique Faire & Flea Market: Scores of merchants will assemble on the streets of this historic Fremont district on Sunday for the 60th annual antiques and collectibles sale. Official hours are from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m., but bargain hunters often arrive early with flashlights. Details: Free admission; 37482 Niles Blvd. and nearby blocks; www.niles.org.
Silicon Valley Pride: The “Get Loud” festival, 6-11 p.m. Saturday, is followed by a parade at 10:30 a.m. Sunday that leads from Julian and Market streets to the festival running noon-6 p.m. with live entertainment, vendors and food. Details: Plaza de Cesar Chavez Park San Jose; $5 per day; www.svpride.com
Goodguys West Coast Nationals: This 37th annual event will feature more than 3,500 American-made hot rods, classic cars and trucks and customized vehicles at the Alameda Fairgrounds in Pleasanton. Event features competition, special exhibits, swap meet and kids zone. Details: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday-Saturday; 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday; $20-28; parking extra; www.good-guys.com.
— Linda Zavoral and Brittany Delay, Staff
Rockin’ out in Rockridge
Oakland’s Rockridge District is always a fun place to stroll and nosh but on Aug. 24 it’ll be bursting with fun free stuff to see, hear and do.
From 10 a.m.-6 p.m., the Rockridge Rock-N-Stroll unfolds along College Avenue, between Alcatraz and Broadway. The event features 23 live musical acts and DJs, ranging from Filipino folk artist Aireene Espiritu, reggae artist Jr Dreads, punk/new wave band Krudwerk, Bay Area singer-songwriter Fleeting Trance, singer Allegra Brandy and her trio, and many more. There will also be lots of kids activities ranging from storytelling to face-painting and arts and crafts; a wide variety of artists displaying and selling their works; all manner of pop-vendors; and – our tails are wagging here – a pup promenade and photo booth. And you can believe there will be a sumptuous supply of delicious stuff to eat and drink. The best way to access all the fun is via BART (jump off at the Rockridge Station, of course), although there will also be bike racks on hand for two-wheeler enthusiasts.
Details: More information is at www.rockridgedistrict.com.
— Bay City News Foundation
Sing along with ABBA
When a producer approached them desiring to turn their songs into a stage musical, ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson were reportedly unenthused. But one might think their enthusiasm levels have gone up since “Mamma Mia!” debuted in 1999, with more than 65 million people having seen the show, $4 billion grossed worldwide and versions running in London, Taiwan and on international waters aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship.
Now people who can’t help but hum “Dancing Queen” in the shower have a public outlet for their fandom. The Vine Cinema & Alehouse is hosting a morning singalong screening of the 2008 movie adaptation, starring Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried and Pierce Brosnan. Set on a charming Greek island, the film follows a daughter’s quest to identify her biological father before her wedding day. Though Roger Ebert called the plot “a clothesline on which to hang the songs,” what songs they are. So grab a throat lozenge and get ready to belt out your favorites with the entire theater participating, from “The Winner Takes It All” to “Knowing Me, Knowing You” to, of course, “Mamma Mia.”
Details: 10 a.m. Saturday; Vine Cinema & Alehouse, Livermore; adult tickets are $16.21; vinecinema.com.
— John Metcalfe, Staff
Homecoming gigs for Strings
Growing up as a musically inclined singer and musician in Oakland, Aneeka Strings took in many a show at the famed Yoshi’s nightclub in Jack London Square. On Friday, she will be there again, this time as the headliner. Strings’ musical development is full of Bay Area chapters. She participated with Oakland Jazz Workshop and the SFJAZZ High School All-Stars, and also played jazz at Skyline High School in Oakland and UC Berkeley’s Young Musicians Program. Soon after graduating from University of Southern California, she released her first album, “A Shift in Paradigm” (featuring the single “Simpin”) in collaboration with the SFJAZZ Center’s Rebeca Mauleón. After earning a Master’s Degree at Michigan State, Strings played in the Bay Area and toured with jazz vocalist Jose James and later as part of the Kandace Springs Trio. Both tours featured stops at SFJAZZ, as did her 2023 tour with her own band. Along the way, Strings upped her musical profile as many of today’s emerging stars do, by posting videos online of her takes on a wide variety of songs, from jazz to R&B to hip-hop. The resulting attention from these videos led to such high-profile gigs as an appearance in the recent Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival.
Details: 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Aug. 23; Yoshi’s, Oakland; $36-$69; yoshis.com.
— Bay City News Foundation
Heat is on at Frost Amphitheatre
Stanford Live’s Frost Amphitheatre concert series jumps into action this week with a now-iconic duo that emerged as a head-turning bit of musical synergy 17 years ago. We’re talking about famed rock singer Robert Plant and bluegrass star Alison Krauss, whose 2007 breakthrough recording “Raising Sand” served up what AllMusic described as “one of the most effortless-sounding pairings in modern popular music”and eventually won six Grammy Awards. The duo released a followup album, “Raise the Roof,” in 2021, a similarly rich and wide-ranging collection that includes tunes by Merle Haggard, Allen Toussaint, the Everly Brothers, and the indie rock/Americana band Calexico and others, along with an original track. Plant and Krauss have embarked on a tour supporting “Raise the Roof,” which comes to Frost Amphitheatre at Stanford at 7 p.m. Thursday. Tickets are $79-$283 at live.stanford.edu or www.plantkrauss.com. Also heading to the Frost in the near future are Lauren Daigle, the contemporary Christian singer with a one-in-a-million voice, best known for her massive crossover hit “You Say” on Aug. 29, and the East-Bay-born rock and roll legend John Fogerty, who’ll deliver a career-spanning show (with opener George Thorogood) on Aug. 31.
Details: Tickets and more information on all shows at live.stanford.edu.
— Bay City News Foundation
Bell rings again at Berkeley Rep
If, as the show’s title insists, W. Kamau Bell has to get his “Act Together,” we hasten to point that he is more clever, engaging and humorous than most people who have it all going on.
The Bay Area writer and entertainer returns to Berkeley Repertory Theatre this week for a limited-engagement show that will find him riffing on his life and family and a wide range of current events, including a certain looming election. The solo show will be an informal and improvisational affair because the getting his life together reference is truth, not metaphor — the acclaimed host and comedian is preparing a national tour and will be using this solo show to sharpen his routine.
Not that he needs a whole lot of practice. Bell has earned widespread praise for a wide range of great work: as host and executive producer of the CNN docuseries “United Shades of America,” as creator of the Showtime docuseries “We Need to Talk About Cosby,” as author of the engrossing memoir “The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell,” and as insightful stand-up comedian, and much more.
Details: 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays Aug. 24-Oct. 12; Berkeley Rep’s Bakery Studio; $30; www.berkeleyrep.org.
— Randy McMullen, Staff
Music to think by
Why is it that some types of music have the power to make us jiggle our booties while others provoke our tears or send us into a deep reverie? The Lawrence Hall of Science has engaged UC Berkeley neuroscientist (and musician!) David Quiroga to explain as much as he can to us in a 75-minute “Music and the Brain” lecture and Q&A session starting at 11 a.m. Saturday in the LHS 3-D Theater at 1 Centennial Drive in Berkeley. Afterwards, attendees are invited to meet Quiroga at a 12:30 p.m. “Making Music: Math and Science Out Loud” demonstration featuring activities and music-making tools that further expound on the scientific principles behind melody, harmony, rhythms and beats. Free registry is here.
— Bay City News Foundation