Critic’s pick
A bit of Beirut in Denver
Wednesday. Indie rock needed a revolution. And Zach Condon was the man to bring it. After being raised in Albuquerque, Condon made his band, Beirut, a trippy reality in Brooklyn — and his lush music brings to mind the multi-ethnicism of DeVotchKa and the occasionally over-the-top layering of Sufjan Stevens. We first fell for his music in 2006 via “Gulag Orkestar,” and Beirut is now touring behind its stellar third record, “The Rip Tide,” including a date at the Fillmore Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. Laetitia Sadier will open the show. Tickets, $35, are available at . Ricardo Baca
Family Fun
Celebrating autumn on Boulder’s Pearl Street
Through Sunday. Boulder celebrates the onset of autumn at the Downtown Boulder Fall Festival. The Pearl Street Mall serves as the site, with local artists lining the street to display their works. The Boulder County Courthouse plaza will be the entertainment center, featuring live performances, kids carnival rides, food vendors and a beer tent from Avery Brewing Co. 5 p.m. to 10 today, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Pearl Street Mall between 11th and 15th Streets. Free.
Pueblo’s smokin’ hot chile and frijoles festival
Through Sunday. The chile harvest is in full swing, and Pueblo’s throwing a party: The Loaf ‘N’ Jug Chile and Frijoles Festival takes over downtown Pueblo. Chile roasters will be turning and music will be playing all weekend long as visitors shop. Arts and crafts vendors will be peddling their wares, too, and local pros and amateurs compete in the Chili and Salsa Showdown. Plus: Sunday’s “Hot to Trot” 5K run and 2-mile walk, and a jalapeño-eating contest. 3-11 p.m. today; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday; 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Union Avenue between East B and West 1 streets, Pueblo. Free.
Get an athlete’s-eye view of the stadiums
Sunday. Denver sports fans get an intimate tour of the city’s stadiums at the Fans on the Field 5K/10K Walk/Run. 10K runners get the full tour: Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Pepsi Center and Coors Field. The 5K is a loop from Mile High to the Pepsi Center and back, with the same athlete’s-eye view of each. Youngsters can sign up for a “Rookie Run” at Mile High. Fees benefit the National Sports Center for the Disabled. Registration begins at 6:30 a.m. Sunday. 5K at 8:30 a.m.; 10K at 8:40 a.m.; Rookie Run at 10:30 a.m. Sports Authority Field at Mile High, 1701 Bryant St. General registration is $35, “All-Star Upgrade” $50; Rookie Run $15.
Scouting out a wild night at the Denver Zoo
Saturday. Experience zoo life after dark at the Denver Zoo’s Scout Night. Girl and Boy Scouts are invited to bring their families for an evening of activities, many of which can qualify toward merit badges. Food and drink will be available. 6-9:30 p.m. Saturday. Denver Zoo, 2300 Steele St.; 303-376-4800. $15 per person; group discounts available. Tickets available in advance only until 3 p.m. Saturday;
“Classical Mystery Tour” features Beatlemaniacs
Saturday. The Beatles get the orchestral treatment at “Classical Mystery Tour,” presented by the Colorado Springs Philharmonic. It’s a visit from a touring group of four Beatlemaniacs who perform tunes from the band’s catalog with full orchestra backing. 8 p.m. Saturday. Pikes Peak Center, 190 S. Cascade Ave., Colorado Springs; 719-799-4139. Tickets are $19- $57; student, senior and military discounts are available at box office. or 866-464-2626. Info:
Classical Music
A touch of Florence from Englewood Arts series
Saturday. Englewood Arts opens its 10th-anniversary concert series with a performance featuring six players from the Colorado Symphony. Tchaikovky’s string sextet. “Souvenir of Florence” highlights a program that also includes Georges Enescu’s “Aubade” and duets by Reinhold Glière. The concert will take place at 2 p.m. in Hampden Hall on the second floor of the Englewood Civic Center, 1000 Englewood Parkway. $15, $12 seniors and $5 for students 18 and younger. 303-806-8196 and . Kyle MacMillan
Boulder Bach festival has new baton at helm
Friday and Sunday. The Boulder Bach Festival opens its 2011-12 season with the debut of its exciting new music director, Rick Erickson. The cantor, organist and conductor directs the Bach Vespers series at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in New York City. He will lead performances at 7:30 p.m. Friday at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 2015 Glenarm Place, and 4 p.m. Sunday at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 1419 Pine St., Boulder. Headlining the program are three of Johann Sebastian Bach’s ever-popular “Brandenburg” concertos. $30, $10 students. 303-776-9666 or . Kyle MacMillan
Film
Geena Davis speaks on gender and media
Thursday, Sept. 29. Twenty years ago, Thelma and Louise famously drove off a cliff and into legend. But Thelma’s portrayer, Geena Davis, has stuck it out, fighting the vital fight with the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media. Thursday, the University of Colorado Denver closes its month-long New Feminisms: Art-Culture-Change program with a few choice words from Davis. 7:30 p.m. King Center, 855 Lawrence Way, Auraria campus. $10; free to UCD students. or 303-556-2296. Lisa Kennedy
Storytelling
Book some time with Eikenberry and Tucker
Saturday. The acclaimed Stories on Stage opens its 11th season of themed stories, read by local and national actors of note, with “L.A. Law” star Jill Eikenberry leading a program titled “Eccentrics Unlimited.” She’ll read from “But the One on the Right,” by Dorothy Parker, and “A Rose for Emily,” by William Faulkner. Also: Excerpts from “Heart Dog” by Beth Bell (read by Rachel Fowler); and “Gryphon” by Charles Baxter (read by Michael Tucker). 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. at Su Teatro’s Denver Civic Theatre, 721 Santa Fe Drive; $25. 303-494-0523 or . John Moore
Comedy
Out of the blue, improv extravaganza is back
Wednesday through Oct. 2. The Denver Improv Festival is back after a three-year hiatus, promising performances by local and national comics and comedy teams. Headlining performers include Second City’s Robert Dassie and Dina Facklis; and Chicago’s Craig Cackowski and Emily Wilson. Local groups include the Dishwater Blondes, Makeshift Shakespeare and Monkey’s Uncle, and local high school improv troupes. Venues include the Avenue Theater, Bovine Metropolis and Voodoo Comedy Playhouse. $5-$16. . John Moore
“New Feminisms” art exhibition at Emmanuel Gallery
“Feminism” is one of those words that seems to have become old-fashioned, even anachronistic.
Yet even if they have fallen out of the spotlight, the issues enshrined in that word, a divisive touchstone of the 1960s and ’70s, have not gone away. They have just been updated and rethought.
A compact exhibition at the Auraria campus’ Emmanuel Gallery explores some of these contemporary takes in an exhibition titled “New Feminisms: Revolutions Per Minute.”
Gender identity, sexual stereotypes and other aspects of feminism are explored through a mix of painting, photography, video and installation art.
The show features six artists, including two from Denver — Christine Buchsbaum, who stages elaborate scenes for her photographs, and Theresa Anderson, who creates paintings and installations with complex, elusive narratives.
It is part of a month-long “Gender and Media” program running in conjunction with the University of Colorado Denver’s College of Arts and Media.
“New Feminisms” continues through Thursday. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays. Free. 303-556-8337 or . Kyle MacMillan
