THURSDAY 2
Great Gatsby Loft Party
Dust off that swanky flapper dress, feather headband, and Grandma’s pearls, or go as a gangster with that costume from a few Halloweens ago for another Loft Party put on by local mag Radio Silence — this time in Gatsby fashion. This lavish roaring ’20s-themed soiree promises to be a night full of foxtrottin’ and swingdancin’ to the sensational local gypsy jazz band Gaucho. You can pretend for just one night that you’re a finely-cultured, wealthy socialite as you secretly sip on some bootlegged booze – perhaps a glass of Sutton Cellars, maybe a Magnolia brew, or a French 75 in true Prohibition fashion (and better yet, your ticket price includes all drinks). (Haley Brucato)
7pm, $30
Radio Silence Loft
2710 16th St, SF
Gordon Lightfoot
In November 1976, the No. 2 song in America was a six-minute folk ballad that poetically memorialized a Great Lakes tragedy. That “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” could hold its own in the era of “Disco Duck” and “Muskrat Love” is a testament to the power of Gordon Lightfoot, a Songwriters Hall of Fame member whose measured voice and moving lyrics also earned him a number-one hit in 1974 (“Sundown”). Now in his mid-70s, the Canadian legend visits Davies Symphony Hall as part of his “50 Years on the Carefree Highway” tour. Just wait for that killer, heartbreaking line in “Edmund Fitzgerald” when the captain says “Fellas, it’s been good to know ya” to his doomed crew — you’ll never refer to Lightfoot as “easy listening” again. (Cheryl Eddy)
8pm, $45-$90
Davies Symphony Hall
201 Van Ness, SF
FRIDAY 3
Terminator Too
The crew that brought us Point Break Live, a rollicking and campy live version of that surfer vs. bank robbers cult classic film, is back with more epic ridiculousness in the form of Terminator Too. In both highly recommended plays, the action sprays all over the audience, which is clad in ponchos to protect against flying fake blood and squirt-gun bullets. As with PBL, Terminator Too casts an audience member to play the lead role (Keanu Reeves in PBL, Arnold Schwarzenegger in T2) in order to capture those, ahem, great actors’ unique abilities, with the help of a sexy, cue-card-wielding production assistant (this time in the form of hot Latina maid, because, well, she’s a hot Latina maid). It’s a wild ride as we follow John and Sarah Connor and their poor, abused Terminator into the past to save the world from the rise of the machines, in this case convincing San Francisco’s most controversial new resident, Mark Zuckerberg, to kill Facebook before it becomes self-aware and destroys life as we know it. This is fun stuff, go check it out. (Steven T. Jones)
7:30pm, $20-$50
DNA Lounge
375 11th St, SF
(415) 626-1409
Rotunda Dance Series
Journey through the Congo this month with Oakland’s Dimensions Dance Theater at SF City Hall Rotunda for another installation, in this free monthly series. With a wide palette of skills, the dancers blend modern with African and jazz styles, including “Down the Congo Line,” a South African Gumboot dance and “Yesterday-Yesternow,” a modern piece choreographed by Garth Fagan. And for a very special treat, their youth ensemble, Dimensions Extensions, will perform a unique mix of hip-hop and traditional Guinea West African dance, exemplifying a modern-day diasporic take on this beautiful compilation of artistic expression. (Haley Brucato)
Noon, free
City Hall
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett, SF
(415) 920-8191
Explosions In the Sky
The official post-rock gods of Austin, TX have been known to refer to their songs as “cathartic mini-symphonies,” which might sound a little self-inflated coming from just about anybody else. But there’s no question that the foursome — usually, three intricately layered electric guitars over heartbeat-like drums — crafts overwhelmingly emotional, complex-yet-visceral worlds with their music, made all the more impressive by the fact that the music’s solely instrumental. Experiencing this wall of feeling at the new Masonic, with its brand-new sound system amplifying each lingering guitar note, should be especially atmospheric. (Emma Silvers)
With The New Year
7:30, $52 and up
The Masonic
1111 California, SF
(415) 776-7457
Freak Show Exhibit
Calling all freaks for another First Friday opening reception at the City Art Cooperative Gallery. This month, a dozen artists from all over the Bay Area display their most grotesque and eccentrically supernatural works of art. Come and see for yourself a slew of the most uncanny creations, many curiously resembling the abnormal characters that dwell within the city itself. It’s never too early to get into some bona fide Halloween spirit. (Haley Brucato)
7pm-10pm, free
City Art Cooperative Gallery
828 Valencia, SF
(415) 970-9900
SATURDAY 4
Alternative Press Expo
Read one too many dark and broody Batman comics lately? Head out to APE 2014 at Fort Mason to see everything but the usual spandex clad vigilantes, from non-fiction and personal stories to the downright strange. Workshops trace the history of hip-hop in comics, and offer pencil-flexing exercises for amateur and pro pencilists. Robert Williams of Zap Comix fame (ask your parents) is a featured guest, and three-time Eisner winner Paul Pope, of Battling Boy fame, will debut his newest work (drool). And if you do want a taste of Batman, local artist Babs Tarr, who recently redesigned Batgirl to be less eye-candy and more functional hero, will be at APE as well. The entire weekend of nerdy goodness is equivalent to the price of four comic books. (Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez)
Through Sun/5
11am-7pm Sat, 11am-8pm Sun; $10-$20
Fort Mason Center’s Festival Pavilion
2 Marina Blvd, SF
Up the Revolution
Polly Whitaker, aka Pandemonium, aka Superstar — an inspiring leader of San Francisco’s modern day sexual revolution — has penned a great new memoir that we recently covered in these pages (see “Polly’s sexual (r)evolution,” 9/17/14). But after being hunkered down for four years writing this intensely personal tome, Polly: Sex Culture Revolutionary, Polly is getting back to what she does best: throwing fun and sexy parties. So her official book launch, Up the Revolution, is expected to be a good time — a victory party for the sex-positive libertines, with entertainment ranging from the Porn Clown Posse to a good, old-fashioned book-burning, with lots of saucy zaniness in between. (Jones)
9pm, $35
Venue 550
150 San Bruno, SF
Benny Benassi
Just trying to get some satisfaction? Well, now’s your chance. Rewind to the summer clubs of 2003 that were bumpin’ Italian DJ Benny Benassi’s smash hit “Satisfaction.” Over a decade later, multiple generations of EDM fans remain ever-faithful, as his mixes have steadily topped the charts across the world. Whether you’re into techno, electro, or maybe house (remember “Beautiful People” with Chris Brown or his collabs with Madonna?), Benassi has done it all. And no one can forget “Cinema,” that debuted in 2011. It was Benassi’s original masterpiece, featuring Gary Go, and Skrillex just remixed it. Maybe you saw the Grammy-winner at Ultra Music Festival, Coachella, or EDC — but drop by Ruby Skye anyway for a raving good time. (Haley Brucato)
9pm, $45-$55
Ruby Skye
420 Mason, SF
SUNDAY 5
CCR Headcleaner
Anyone who goes to a CCR Headcleaner show and walks away still making comments like “the San Francisco rock scene is dead” — well, we’d like to know what you’re smoking. Heavy on the guitar sludge, with some psychedelic sounds and punk ethos dripping from the edges of most songs, the SF foursome has seemingly been on the verge of a big-time breakthrough for a while now — the single for their debut full-length, Lace the Earth With Arms Wide Open, premiered on NPR last September — but you also get the feeling they don’t give enough of a shit about mainstream success to take steps toward it. Refreshing, indeed. (Silvers)
With Dark Blue and Pleasure Leftists
8:30pm, $7
Hemlock Tavern
1131 Polk, SF
(415) 923-0923
MONDAY 6
Paloma Faith
British singer Paloma Faith is a big star over in her homeland — fusing modern pop with early rock sensibilities and a sultry and classy retro-inspired look, the chanteuse is coming to San Francisco for just the second time, one of only 10 US dates in support of her new album, A Perfect Contradiction (Sony). She hit New York and “The Late Show with David Letterman” last week. Do yourself a favor and don’t miss your chance to see the supremely multi-talented performer in such an intimate setting; in the UK she just scored her first No. 1 single (a collaboration with Sigma) and has an arena tour scheduled for Europe early next year. (Sean McCourt)
8pm, $15
Slim’s
333 11th St, SF
(415) 255-0333
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