Our weekly picks of the best things to do in Cleveland this weekend. Also check out our full Cleveland event calendar.
THU 06/13
Back to the Future
This musical based on the film of the same name about a certain Marty McFly who transports himself back to 1955 in a time machine comes to the State Theatre tonight at 7:30. Performances continue through July 11.
1519 Euclid Ave, 216-771-8403, playhousesquare.org.
Black Music Now: Race, Rock, Punk, Metal and Rebellion in the 21st Century
At 7 tonight at the Rock Hall, this panel of Cleveland-based artists moderated by Laina Dawes and featuring Dante Foley, LaToya Kent, Jah Nada and Lamont Thomas will explore the “often contentious relationship between Black rock, heavy metal, punk and alternative musicians and mainstream music media outlets by asking the question: If rock ‘n’ roll emerged from African American music history, why is the music of Black artists often ignored?” UNIITY and Nox will perform after the discussion. Admission is free with a reservation.
1100 Rock and Roll Blvd., 216-515-8444, rockhall.com.
Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School
Founded in 2005 in a dive bar in Brooklyn, Dr. Sketchy’s has now spread to more than 100 cities around the world. Dr. Sketchy Akron, a monthly drink and draw event that takes place on the second Thursday of each month at Jilly’s Music Room in Akron, gives patrons the opportunity to “draw glamorous underground performers in an atmosphere of boozy conviviality.” The fun begins at 7 p.m.; it costs $10 to draw.
111 N Main St., Akron, 330-576-3757, jillysmusicroom.com.
New Soft Shoe
Thirteen years ago, on what local singer-songwriter Brent Kirby calls a drunken dare, a group of Cleveland friends and musicians showed up at the Happy Dog to play a couple sets of tunes by the late, great Gram Parsons. Dubbed the New Soft Shoe, the group has been at it ever since, spreading the gospel of what it refers to as “Gram’s Cosmic American Music.” Anything that Parsons played, the New Soft Shoe covers. Tonight at 8, the band performs in the Waldorf Hall at Forest City Brewery.
2135 Columbus Rd., 216-228-9116, forestcitybrewery.com.
Summer on the Square
This bi-weekly series of community events takes place every other Thursday throughout the summer on Shaker Square’s green space. The family-friendly events will showcase some of Cleveland’s finest artists and local businesses. The events are free.
13000 Shaker Blvd., Shaker Heights, shakerheights.com.
FRI 06/14
A Day to Remember
This veteran metalcore group adopts a more accessible sound on its latest offering, 2021’s You’re Welcome. Album opener “Brick Wall” features both loud and soft moments, but the guitars give it a groove that you wouldn’t necessarily find on Day to Remember songs from the past. The group performs today at 5:30 p.m. at Jacobs Pavilion. The Story So Far, Four Years Strong and Militarie Gun open.
2014 Sycamore St., 216-861-4080, jacobspavilion.com.
A Doll’s House, Part 2
Set 15 years after Nora Helmer slammed the door on her stifling domestic life in Henrik Ilbsen’s A Doll’s House, this play both continues that “complex exploration of traditional gender roles” and provides a contemporary take on “the struggles inherent in all human relationships across time.” Tonight’s performance takes place at 7:30 at Beck Center for the Arts in Lakewood. The play runs through June 30.
17801 Detroit Ave., Lakewood, 216-521-2540, beckcenter.org.
Nikki Glaser: Alive and Unwell Tour
One of the stars of MTV’s The Nikki and Sara Show, comedian Nikki Glaser cracks crude jokes about ways to get out of speeding tickets and how you can get through a breakup by listening to Will Smith’s music. Her jokes come out of left field as she draws upon everyday experiences but then adds a twist. She performs tonight at 7 at TempleLive at the Cleveland Masonic.
3615 Euclid Ave., 216-881-6350, masoniccleveland.com.
Hot Water Music
For its latest album, Vows, Hot Water Music reunited with longtime collaborator Brian McTernan, who produced 2001’s A Flight and a Crash, 2002’s Caution and 2022’s Feel the Void. As result, the songs feature the hoarse vocals and driving guitars for which the punk band is known. The group brings its 30th anniversary tour to House of Blues. Quicksand, the veteran indie band that played on the very first Warped Tour, opens the show. The concert begins at 7 p.m.
308 Euclid Ave., 216-523-2583, houseofblues.com.
New Kids on the Block with Paula Abdul and DJ Jazzy Jeff
On tour to support Still Kids, their first new album of new material in more than 10 years, New Kids on the Block —Jonathan Knight, Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg and Danny Wood — capably deliver pop anthems, dance tracks and love songs. The group leads this multi-band bill of ’80s acts that comes to Blossom tonight at 7.
1145 W. Steels Corners Rd., Cuyahoga Falls, 216-231-1111, livenation.com.
Riverfront Irish Festival
This three-day festival at Falls River Square in Cuyahoga Falls celebrates all things Irish with two stages of music, an Irish marketplace with traditional Irish and American fare, an Irish Mass and traditional Irish dance. Admission is free, and the festivities continue through Sunday.
riverfrontirish.org.
Rolling Stones Fan Day
The Rock Hall celebrates the Rolling Stones, who play in town this weekend for the first time in years, with a special fan day. There will be a free photo booth, and you can also play trivia for your chance to win tickets to the Stones show. The Rock Hall has even revamped its Rolling Stones exhibit. The event takes place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and a tailgate party takes place tomorrow too.
1100 Rock and Roll Blvd., 216-515-8444, rockhall.com.
Tower of Power
The classic R&B/jazz horn group that dates back to the 1960s (albeit with a different lineup) performs tonight at 8 at Cain Park in Cleveland Heights. Expect to hear vigorous tunes such as the funky “We Came To Play” and “You Got To Funkifize.”
14591 Superior Rd., Cleveland Heights, 216-371-3000, cainpark.com.
SAT 06/15
Eric Andre
The comedian and actor who voiced the character Azizi in The Lion King and has hosted the popular Adult Swim series The Eric Andre Show since its inception in 2012, brings his current tour, dubbed the Eric Andre Show Live, to the Agora tonight at 7.
5000 Euclid Ave., 216-881-2221, agoracleveland.com.
Dave Clark
Former Clevelander Dave Clark will celebrate the release of his new album tonight at 7 at the Inn Between Bar & Grill in North Royalton. Now based in Phoenix, Clark played around town in the 1980s and his new album even includes tunes he wrote while he was a Clevelander. Admission is free, and he’ll have copies of his new album for sale.
8684 Ridge Rd, North Royalton, 440-582-3352.
Dancing Wheels: Allies in Action!
This concert will showcase dance performance that honor the spirit of the LGBTQIA+ community. The show, which takes place tonight at 8 at the Allen Theatre, will showcase new works by choreographers Alexis Diggs, Tiffany Mills, and Mark Tomasic.
1407 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.
Taj Farrant
The Australian guitarist who’s opened for acts such as Carlos Santana, Rob Thomas and Orianthi, performs tonight at 7:30 at the Kent Stage. Jazel Farrant and Nathan Bryce and Loaded Dice open the show.
175 E. Main St., Kent, 330-677-5005, kentstage.org.
Michael Franti & Spearhead with Stephen Marley
This Cain Park concert featuring righteous singer-songwriter Michael Franti and reggae singer-guitarist Stephen Marley might be the feel-good concert of the summer. Both bring good vibes to the stage and simply ooze positivity. The concert begins at 6 p.m.
14591 Superior Rd., Cleveland Heights, 216-371-3000, cainpark.com.
MetroHealth Cleveland Juneteenth Freedom Fest
This commemoration of Juneteenth that takes place from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Mall C will feature main stage performances by Karamu House along with live music and other entertainment. A vendor village will spotlight black businesses.
juneteenthcle.com.
Moneyball Followed by a Q&A with Cleveland Guardians PA Announcer Bob Tayek
Based loosely on Michael Lewis’s 2003 best-selling non-fiction book, Moneyball depicts Oakland A’s manager Billy Beane’s attempt to use the analytics approach “sabermetrics” to assemble a championship team for the 2002 season. The film screens today at 5 at the main Lakewood Public Library’s auditorium. A conversation between Bob Tayek, the PA announcer for the Cleveland Guardians, and Eddy Jansen, the PA announcer for the Lake Erie Crushers, follows the screening. Award-winning filmmaker Kevin James Hogan will moderate.
15425 Detroit Ave., Lakewood, 216-226-8275, lakewoodpubliclibrary.org.
Plush Party
Every third Saturday of each month between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., Cleveland Museum of Art hosts this event that offers a firsthand look at the art-making process. Each session provides the opportunity to “engage and interact” with a different Northeast Ohio maker during pop-up demonstrations and activities. Admission is free.
11150 East Blvd., 216-421-7350, clevelandart.org.
Rolling Stones
These aging rockers remain one of the few acts that can really command the crowd at a stadium. The current tour’s setlist features all the hits — “Start Me Up,” “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” “Sympathy for the Devil” and “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” The set even includes “Angry,” a new tune that retains that Stones-y swagger. In its first local concert in years, the group plays at 7 tonight at Cleveland Browns Stadium.
100 Alfred Lerner Way, 440-891-5000, clevelandbrowns.com.
Seeking Sisu: From Finland, with Love
Seeking Sisu: From Finland, With Love, an exhibit featuringGwen Putz’s exploration of her family’s Finnish and Karelian heritage will open to the public from 3 to 6 p.m. today with a special reception at the Finnish Heritage Museum in Fairport Harbor. A brief artist presentation will occur at 3:30 p.m. Putz’s exhibition will be on view alongside the museum’s permanent collection and will remain up through Saturday, June 22.
301 High St., Fairport Harbor, cia.edu.
SUN 06/16
Goose
This jazzy jam band released its debut album in 2016 and has steadily toured and recorded ever since. Released in 2022, the band’s more accessible third studio album, Dripfield, broadened its fanbase. On tour to support the new album, Ted Tapes 2024, an album of meandering jams that show off the group’s solid musicianship, the group performs tonight at 6 at Jacobs Pavilion.
2014 Sycamore St., 216-861-4080, jacobspavilion.com.
Horsegirl
Horsegirl, a New York-via-Chicago group of best friends, released their debut, Versions of Modern Performance, to a ton of hype. Now, the indie rock act has embarked on a brief North American tour, their first full run of shows in nearly a year. They play the Grog Shop in Cleveland Heights tonight at 8.
2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., Cleveland Heights, 216-321-5588, grogshop.gs.
Los Lobos
On its 20th anniversary in 1993, this terrific Mexican-American group released a two-CD collection of singles, outtakes, live recordings and hits dubbed Just Another Band from East L.A. The fine collection of material that drew from rock, pop and Latin music, proved the group is anything but just another East L.A. band. The act returns to Music Box Supper Club tonight at 7.
1148 Main Ave., 216-242-1250, musicboxcle.com.
MX Juneteenth
This free event that takes place today from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Rock Hall, aims to “capture the spirit of the Juneteenth holiday by creating a liberatory space that centers on radical politics, community care, and expressive joy,” as it’s put in press release. The event is in partnership with the LGBT Center of Cleveland and is a part of the Pride in CLE events.
1100 Rock and Roll Blvd., 216-515-8444, rockhall.com.
Reggae Sundays
This special Reggae Sunday Happy Hour Concert series is a summertime tradition at the Music Box Supper Club The indoor/outdoor concert series will take place rain or shine with live music from 4 to 7 p.m. Music Box will also offer food and drink specials exclusive to the series.
1148 Main Ave., 216-242-1250, musicboxcle.com.
Subscribe to Cleveland Scene newsletters.
Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Or sign up for our RSS Feed
This article appears in Best of Cleveland 2024.
