portland
friday 26-sunday 28
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare [abridged]
William Shakespeare wrote 37 (arguably 39) plays in his lifetime. Each one averaged around 3,000 lines, and could be performed, on average, in about three hours. That makes for around five full days of material if performed back to back. Luckily for the ADHD Millennials, members of the Reduced Shakespeare Company condensed the entire folio into 90 minutes of chaos—that's about two minutes per play—using only three actors, dressed for this incarnation in black tights and colorful jock straps. Post5 Theatre. 7:30 pm. Pay as you can.
saturday 27
The Flaming Lips and Wild Ones
A factory for hallucinatory visuals and sounds, The Flaming Lips have been named one of Q magazine's "50 Bands to See Before You Die." Vocalist and front man Wayne Coyne and his bandmates have set world records—the most shows performed in 24 hours—recorded music videos with hundreds of naked people riding bikes around Portland, and thoroughly freaked out critics and fans with their elated and strange performances. Their newest stage show includes an octopus-like LED suit, a plastic baby doll and, as always, and epic colorful screen and light show. Bring on the neo-psychedelia. 6:30 pm. Edgefield. $42-43.
sunday 28
Rush
The 40-year-veterans of the music industry are an admitted influence on artists from Trent Reznor to Les Claypool, Kirk Hammett to Billy Corgan and many more—even Dave Grohl dressed in a ridiculous white, silky kimono that the band is famous for wearing as he helped induct the legends into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame earlier this year. Grohl admitted, "[2112] made me want to become a drummer." A world without Rush would be a world without Nirvana. Wow. 7:30 pm. Sleep Country Amphitheater. $52.50-199.
seattle
friday 26-sunday 28
Capitol Hill Block Party
Who doesn't love a good block party? Especially when the entertainment isn't a drunk neighbor who thinks he can play guitar and nobody left the grill on and burned the hamburger buns. This urban block party will be one for the books with headliner The Flaming Lips and favorite Northwest bands like neo-soulsters Pickwick, mashup DJ Girl Talk and a band that's just called Taco. Capitol Hill. $40-95.
