- "Horrorcore" hip-hop act Twiztid performs at Saltair, 12408 W. Saltair Drive, Magna. Opening acts are Boondox, Potluck and Prozak. Doors open at 6. Tickets are $22, at SmithsTix or KTix.
- Manchester Orchestra is not an orchestra, nor are they from Manchester. They are an indie-rock band from Georgia who recently appeared on Letterman. Whoever they are, they're playing tonight at the Avalon, 3605 S. State St., South Salt Lake City. Opening acts are fun, Audrye Sessions and Winston Audio. Doors open at 6:30. Tickets are $12, at SmithsTix.
- New York garage-rock band The Virgins (a terrible band name - either it's false advertising or they're dorks) and Lissie Trullie play Kilby Court, 741 S. 300 West, Salt Lake City. Doors open at 7. Tickets are $12, at 24Tix. (Above is a video of The Virgins' 2008 hit "Rich Girls.")
- Celtic Woman, the international stage-and-song sensation, comes to the E Center, 3200 S. Decker Lake Drive, West Valley City, starting at 7:30. Tickets, from $40 to $64, available at TicketMaster.
- "Thrashgrass" (like bluegrass, but through a lawn mower) band Trampled by Turtles - with opening act, local boys Puddle Mountain Ramblers - play at Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East, Salt Lake City. Doors open at 9. Tickets are $12, at 24Tix.
- Underground hip-hop MC Louis Logic - with opening acts The Let Go, Tulsi and Mindstate - play, starting at 9, the Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $8, at 24Tix.
- "What’s on Your Plate?," a documentary that follows two 11-year-old New York kids who explore their place in the food chain, screens at 7 at the Fort Douglas Post Theater, 245 S. Fort Douglas Blvd., University of Utah, Salt Lake City. Free.
- Baltimore prog-rockers Ponytail - with opening acts Blair and Boy of Bark - play at 7 at Kilby Court, 741 S. Kilby Court (330 West), Salt Lake City. Tickets are $6, at 24Tix.
- Buster Keaton's 1928 silent classic "Steamboat Bill Jr.," with Blaine Gale's accompaniment on the Wurlitzer organ, screens at 7:30 at the Organ Loft, 3331 S. Edison (half a block east of State Street), South Salt Lake. Admission is $5; call 801-485-9265 for reservations.
- Real Salt Lake faces the Los Angeles Galaxy - minus superstar David Beckham, whose still on loan to AC Milan - at 7 at Rio Tinto Stadium, 9256 S. State St., Sandy. Tickets available at the Real web site.
- Zack Wylde, once Ozzy Osbourne's guitarist and now a character on the "Guitar Hero: World Tour" videogame, brings his metal band Black Label Society to The Depot, 400 W. South Temple, Salt Lake City. Cycle of Pain is the opening act. Show starts at 8. Tickets are $35, at the door.
- The documentary "The English Surgeon," which follows neurosurgeon Henry Marsh’s mission to Kiev and shows the dilemmas he faces there, screens at 7 at the City Library auditorium, 210 E. 400 South, Salt Lake City. Free.
- Moreland & Arbuckle - that's blues guitarist Aaron "Chainsaw" Moreland and singer/harmonica player Dustin Arbuckle - perform starting at 8 at The State Room, 638 S. State St., Salt Lake City. Tickets are $18, at the State Room's web site or at the door.
- Spy Hop Productions holds its annual fund-raiser, from 6 to 9:30 at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, 138 W. 300 South, Salt Lake City. Performances by Spy Hop recording artists, screenings of student films, food from local restaurants, a live auction and prize giveaway, and a guest appearance from Tony- and Emmy-winning actor Edward Herrmann (pictured) are part of the event. Admission is $60, or $40 for Spy Hop alumni (over 21), available by calling John Boyack at (801) 532-7500.
- California indie-rockers Crystal Antlers shares the bill with Seattle's Cave Singers, starting at 7 at Kilby Court, 741 S. Kilby Court (330 West), Salt Lake City. Tickets are $7, at 24Tix.
- Richard Buckner, an alt-country musician who's gone into abstract directions lately (and is still working on his web site), and opening act Andy Shelton play, starting at 8, at The State Room, 638 S. State St., Salt Lake City. Tickets are $18, at the venue's web site or at the door.
- The Salt Lake City Film Center closes out its "Women at War" series with the documentary "To See If I'm Smiling," which follows six female Israeli soldiers stationed in Gaza and the West Bank, at 7 at the Sorenson Unity Center, 1383 S. 900 West, Salt Lake City. Free.
- A screening of documentarian Michael Kirk's latest product for PBS' "Frontline," an examination of the current financial crisis "Inside the Meltdown," screens at 7 at the City Library auditorium, 210 E. 400 South, Salt Lake City. Free.
- The John Scofield Quartet plays the final concert in this season's JazzSLC series, at 7:30 at the Sheraton, 150 W. 500 South, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $25, available at 24Tix.
- NASA climate scientist James Hansen - who battled censorship of his research on global climate change from Bush administration appointees - will deliver a lecture about taking action to solve global environmental problems, at 7:30 at the Social and Behavioral Science Auditorium (just south of the Marriott Library) on the University of Utah campus, Salt Lake City. Free.
- The Organ Loft plays the 1917 anti-LDS silent drama "The Mormon Maid," starting at 7:30 at The Organ Loft, 3331 S. Edison (half a block east of State Street), South Salt Lake City. Admission is $5, at the door - call 801-485-9265 for reservations.
- The Utah Jazz try to dig out of their 0-2 hole against the Los Angeles Lakers, in the first of two home playoff games, starting at 8:30 at EnergySolutions Arena, 301 W. South Temple, Salt Lake City. Plenty of tickets are available at TicketMaster - which, as the Tribune's Michael C. Lewis points out, is an indication of how uphill the Jazz's task will be.
"Who Killed the Electric Car?," an examination of how the first electric-powered car entered and left the U.S. market, at the I.J. and Jeanné Wagner Jewish Community Center, 2 North Medical Drive (across from University Hospital), Salt Lake City. Free.
- Self-described "flower punk" band Black Lips - with opening acts Flowers Forever and FURS - plays, starting at 9, at the Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $14, at 24Tix or at the door.
- Franz Ferdinand - the Scottish synth-rock band now pushing its third album, "Tonight: Franz Ferdinand" - performs at the Avalon, 3605 S. State St., South Salt Lake City. (This is a venue change, from Saltair.) Show starts at 7:30. Tickets are $25, at the door.
- Toadies, an alt-rock band that reunited last year after seven years apart, play The Depot, 400 W. South Temple, Salt Lake City. Show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15, at the door.
- The Salt Lake City Film Center concludes its "War on Drug Policy" series with the documentary "American Drug War: The Last White Hope," at 7 at the City Library auditorium, 210 E. 400 South, Salt Lake City. Free. (And if you're wondering why this is a particularly appropriate day for this conversation, read this.)
- Urban Lounge throws its 420 party, with hip-hop duo Zion I from Oakland and locals Scenic Byway, starting at 9 at the Lounge, 241 S. 500 East, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $15, at 24Tix or at the door.
- Jagermeister (which a friend of mine once called "the nighttime sniffling sneezing fall-down-and-get-drunk medicine") is sponsoring the tour of punk icons Pennywise and Hawaiian reggae band Pepper, at In the Venue, 579 W. 200 South, Salt Lake City. Show starts at 6. Tickets are $24, at the door. (In the Venue is an all-ages club, so there won't be any actual Jagermeister served.)
- The documentary "Sir! No Sir!," about soldiers who protested the Vietnam War while still in uniform, screens at 7:30 at Malouf Hall at Westminster College, 1840 S. 1300 West, Salt Lake City. The film's director, David Zieger, will lead a panel discussion after the screening. Free.
- Irony alert: Charging $15 for a concert at what's billed as the "Free Speech Area." But that's what's happening with rapper Lupe Fiasco and sampler Girl Talk, playing in the Grand Kerfuffle at 6 at the University of Utah Union Free Speech Area, on the U. campus, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $15, available on campus.
- Canadian band Po'Girl plays starting at 8 at The State Room, 638 S. State St., Salt Lake City. Tickets are $20, available on The State Room's web site or at the door.
- Canadian guitarist/songwriter/singer/activist Bruce Cockburn brings his music to town, starting at 7:30 at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, 138 W. 300 South, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $35, available at ArtTix.
- What's the difference between Britney Spears' "Circus" tour and the real circus? The real Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, even with its elephants and big cats, parks fewer trucks behind EnergySolutions Arena. Spears' concert, with opening act The Pussycat Dolls, starts at 8 at ESA, 301 W. South Temple. Tickets, starting at $37.50 (and those are the cheap seats), are available at TicketMaster.
- Across the street from the Britney madness, Travis - a Scottish band who happens to do a cover of "Hit Me Baby One More Time" (which you can watch below) - plays, with opening act The Republic Tigers, at 8 at The Depot, 400 W. South Temple, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $25, at the door.
- Fall Out Boy - whose frontman Pete Wentz is more famous now for marrying Ashlee Simpson and naming their kid Bronx Mowgli - leads the bill at Saltair, 12408 W. Saltair Dr., Magna. Also on the bill: Cobra Starship, Metro Station, All Time Low and Hey Monday. Show starts at 6; doors open at 5. Tickets are $36, available at SmithsTix.
- The Utah Jazz try to get it back together in their last regular-season home game, against the lottery-bound Los Angeles Clippers, at 7 at EnergySolutions Arena, 301 W. South Temple, Salt Lake City. Tickets available at TicketMaster.
- Julien Temple's rock documentary "Glastonbury," about the legendary music festival, screens at 7 at the Sorenson Unity Center, 1383 S. 900 West, Salt Lake City. Free.
- If the weather clears up, the Salt Lake Bees will begin their pursuit of the Pacific Coast League title with their season-opener against the Reno Aces, starting at 6:35 p.m. at the newly renamed Spring Mobile Ballpark (pictured), 77 W. 1300 South, Salt Lake City. Tickets, from $7.50 to $22.50, available at the Bees' website or at the ballpark. UPDATE: Tonight's game is rained out.
- The Oscar-nominated documentary "The Garden," about efforts to save a community garden in south-central L.A. from developers, will screen at 7 at the City Library auditorium, 210 E. 400 South, Salt Lake City. Director Scott Hamilton Kennedy will take questions after the movie. Free.
- Miami funk/soul band The Lee Boys plays at 8 at The State Room, 638 S. State St., Salt Lake City. Tickets are $25, at The State Room's website or at the door.
- English pop duo The Ting Tings - whose "That's Not My Name" was a No. 1 hit in the UK - perform at In the Venue, 579 W. 200 South, Salt Lake City. (This is a venue change, as the group was originally scheduled to play at the Urban Lounge - so now the under-21s can go, too.) Doors open at 9. Tickets are $15, at SmithsTix and 24Tix.
- The touring Broadway production "Wicked" opens its monthlong run tonight at 7:30 at the Capitol Theatre, 50 W. 200 South, Salt Lake City. The entire run is sold out, but there are scalpers, and there is the ticket lottery: Get your name on the list two hours before showtime, 10 names will be drawn 90 minutes before showtime, and those 10 each can buy a pair of tickets for $25 each, cash only. (And, for $25 each, you'll be in the nosebleed section.)
- British singing sensation and tabloid terror Lily Allen plays at In the Venue, 579 W. 200 South, Salt Lake City. The opening act is Natalie Portman's Shaved Head. Show starts at 8. Tickets are $30, at SmithsTix and 24Tix. (Allen is trumpeting her visit to Utah on her Twitter page, with this entry: "I've just been on Wikipedia and still can't figure it out. What is a Mormon?")
- The monthly Science Movie Night - presented by the City Library and the Utah Museum of Natural History - offers up "Hoot" (2006), based on Carl Hiaasen's young-readers' novel about teens protecting an owl habitat from developers, at 6:30 at the City Library auditorium, 210 E. 400 South, Salt Lake City. Jen Hajj from HawkWatch International will talk about Utah's burrowing owls after the screening. Free.
- Seattle songwriter Eric Elbogen, who records as Say Hi (formerly Say Hi to Your Mother, which would make him Mark Wahlberg's favorite recording artist), performs with fellow Seattleite Telekinesis at 7 at Kilby Court, 741 S. Kilby Court (330 West), Salt Lake City. Tickets are $10, at 24Tix. (By the way, here's a free MP3 download of a Say Hi track, from Spin magazine.)
- The documentary "Blue Gold: World Water Wars," about the threat to the world's water supply as water becomes a commodity, will screen at 7 at the City Library auditorium, 210 E. 400 South, Salt Lake City. After the film, author Terry Tempest Williams and Jeff Niermeyer, director of Salt Lake City's Department of Public Utilities, will talk about the issues raised by the film. Free. Here's the trailer:
- Alexander-Clayton-Hamilton - which is a jazz trio (pianist Monte Alexander, bassist John Clayton, drummer Jeff Hamilton), not a brokerage firm - is tonight's JazzSLC performer, at 7:30 at the Sheraton, 150 W. 500 South, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $25, at 24Tix.
- The Utah Jazz play host to the Minnesota Timberwolves (or, as Hot Rod Hundley always calls them, the Pesky Timberwolves), tonight at 7 at EnergySolutions Arena, 301 W. South Temple. Tickets available at TicketMaster.
- The Sundance Institute's Short Film Showcase, featuring nine short films with ties to Sundance - including the 2009 Sundance Film Festival's jury prize winner "Short Term 12" and a new work by "Napoleon Dynamite's" Jared Hess - runs Saturday, with screenings at 5 and 8 p.m., at the Rose Wagner Center for the Performing Arts, 138 W. 300 South, Salt Lake City. A panel discussion, featuring the directors of all nine films, takes place between the two screenings, at 6:30 p.m. All free.
- Hip-hop rockers Kottonmouth Kings are the headliners at a big rap show, Saturday starting at 7 p.m. at Saltair, 12408 W. Saltair Drive, Magna. Also on the bill: La Coka Nostra (Ill Bill, Slaine, Everlast, DannyBoy, Dj Lethal and Big Left) and Blaze Ya Dead Homie, Big B, Potluck and Short Dawg. Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 day of, at SmithsTix outlets only (not online).
- California folk-pop singer-songwriter Brett Dennen performs Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Murray Theater, 4916 S. State St., Murray. Tickets are $15 in advance, $18 day of, at SmithsTix and 24Tix.
- A benefit show for Salt Lake City film student Paul Gibbs - to raise money for a kidney transplant - is set for Saturday, starting at 8 p.m., at The Woodshed, 60 E. 800 South, Salt Lake City (across the street from Sears). The lineup includes music by The Gearbox, Rev. Mayhem, Jen and Danny Tarasevich, Ginger Bess and the Heathen Highlanders, along with poetry slam artist Jesse Parent, stand-up comic Ricky Kimball and the Laughing Stock comedy improv troupe. Admission is $7, at the door.
- Real Salt Lake, Utah's Major League Soccer franchise, plays its fifth-season home opener against the defending MLS champs, the Columbus Crew, at 7 at Rio Tinto Stadium, 9256 S. State St., Sandy. Tickets, from $18 to $60, are available on the Real web site.
- Utah artist Amy Caron unveils her performance-art piece "Waves of Mu" - billed as a "two-room show offers an experiential understanding of mirror neurons" - for a three-night run, starting at 8 at the Rose Wagner Black Box Theatre, 138 W. 300 South, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $20, or $15 for students, available at ArtTix. (The show continues Friday and Saturday.)
- Dark Star Orchestra - who don't like being called a Grateful Dead "tribute band," but folks who are "keeping the vibe alive" - will re-create a Dead show, starting at 8 at The Depot, 400 W. South Temple, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $25, at the door.
- Trade food for laughs at a "Night of Fools" benefit show for the Utah Food Bank, starting at 7 at Wiseguys Comedy Club, 2194 W. 3500 South, West Valley City. The bill includes Marcus (pictured, from "Last Comic Standing"), Keith Stubbs, Rodney Norman and host Big Budah. Admission is a can of food, or a cash donation.
- Ten Out of Tenn, a collection of 10 solo artists from Tennessee performing each other's indie-rock songs from Nashville, plays at 7:30 at Kilby Court, 741 S. 330 West, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $15, at SmithsTix or 24Tix or at the door.
- Seattle one-man band Astronautalis - with opening acts Bluebird, Lapsed and Non + Non - play at the Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East, Salt Lake City. Show starts at 9. Tickets are $7, at 24Tix or at the door.
- Post-hardcore band Chiodos may be on hiatus, but frontman Craig Owens is bringing his solo tour to the Avalon, 3605 S. State St., South Salt Lake City. Opening acts are Ace Enders, The Color Fred and VersaEmerge. Show starts at 6:30. Tickets are $12, at the door.
- Pixar animator Doug Sweetland, who has worked as an animator or story artist for every Pixar film from "Toy Story" to "Cars," will talk about the challenges directing his first film - the Oscar-nominated short "Presto" (pictured) - at the annual McMurrin Lecture, at 7 at the Dumke Auditorium of the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, 410 Campus Center Drive on the University of Utah campus. The short will be screened and Scot Stafford, who composed the music for the short, will also speak. Admission is free; refreshments will be served after the lecture.
- Texas rock band Blue October - reportedly a favorite of Twilight author Stephenie Meyer - plays at 8 at The Depot, 400 W. South Temple, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $27, at the door.
- Canadian post-hardcore band Silverstein - named for poet Shel Silverstein (the guy behind Where the Sidewalk Ends) - plays with opening act Norma Jean starting at 6 at the Murray Theatre, 4916 S. State St., Murray. Tickets are $20 at the door.
- The documentary "Lioness," which follows the first U.S. military women to be sent into direct ground combat in Iraq, screens at 7 at the Sorenson Unity Center, 1383 S. 900 West, Salt Lake City. Free.
- Alt-country band Or, The Whale (never trust a band whose name requires added punctuation) performs - with local opening acts Band of Annuals and Boots to the Moon - at 7 at Kilby Court, 741 S. 330 West, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $7, at 24Tix.
- The Utah Jazz face their frequent nemesis (and possible first-round playoff opponent), the Houston Rockets, starting at 8:30 at EnergySolutions Arena, 301 W. South Temple, Salt Lake City. Tickets are available at TicketMaster.
- California avant-garde musician Ariel Pink brings his band, Haunted Graffiti, for a show at the Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East, Salt Lake City. The opening act is Cryptacize (featuring members of Deerhoof). Doors open at 9. Tickets are $10, at 24Tix.
- Video artist/installation artist/sculptor Darrin Martin launches a U.S. tour of his works, "Inside Out" (including his MoMA-premiered "Monograph in Stereo") at 7 p.m. in the New Media Wing of the Art and Architecture building on the University of Utah campus. Presented by the Center for Interdisciplinary Art and Technology (CIDAT). Free.
- Reunited '90s band Candlebox plays The Depot, 400 W. South Temple, Salt Lake City - with opening acts Royal Bliss (a Salt Lake band getting its first national exposure) and Jet Black Stare. Show starts at 7. Tickets are $30, at the door.
- Author (and former Salt Lake Tribune staffer) Tom Zoellner will read from and sign copies of his new book, Uranium, about the scientific and political history of the nuclear-powered element, at 7 at Sam Weller's Books, 254 S. Main, Salt Lake City. (Read Tribune reporter Ben Fulton's interview with Zoellner here.)
- Check out what local filmmakers are doing at the Salt Lake Film Society's Open Mic Short Film Night, starting at 9 at the Tower Theatre, 876 E. 900 South, Salt Lake City. Admission is one buck.
Shilaylee (pictured), a four-member band performing Celtic gigs and American folk, plays at 7 at the South Valley Unitarian building, 6876 S. Highland Dr., Cottonwood Heights. Presented by the Salt Lake Area Accordion Association. Admission is $4, at the door.
"Celtic Harpistry" by Cynthia Douglas, starts at 7:30 at the Grand Theatre, Salt Lake Community College, 1595 S. State St., Salt Lake City. Tickets are $15 (or $12 for seniors, $10 for students, $8 for children under 12), at the SLCC box office or at the door.
Or you can buy a pint of Guinness or Harp at your favorite drinking establishment. (Green beer is for amateurs!)
- Pendulum, an Australian drum-and-bass group, plays at 7 at the Murray Theatre, 4916 S. State St., Murray. Tickets are $15, at SmithsTix.
- The Utah Jazz return from their not-so-successful road swing (which has them now nursing a three-game losing streak) with a home tip-off against the Washington Wizards, at 7 at EnergySolutions Arena, 301 W. South Temple, Salt Lake City. Tickets are available at TicketMaster.
- "Lockdown U.S.A.," a documentary about mandatory-minimum sentences for drug offenses and their effect on the prison system, screens as part of the Salt Lake City Film Center's "War on Drugs Policy" series, at 7 at the City Library auditorium, 210 E. 400 South, Salt Lake City. Free.
- Jazz singer Dee Dee Bridgewater (pictured) - who in recent years has been inspired by the rhythms of her ancestral home, Mali - performs in the JazzSLC series, at 7:30 at the Salt Lake Sheraton, 150 W. 500 South, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $25, available at 24Tix.
- Rap legend Lucky I Am performs at Monk's House of Jazz, 19 E. 200 South, Salt Lake City. Doors open at 9. Tickets are $5, at SmithsTix.
- A very useful engine steams into town, as "Thomas & Friends Live! On Stage: A Circus Comes to Town" plays at 4 and 7 p.m. at the E Center, 3200 S. Decker Lake Dr., West Valley City. Tickets, from $12 to $42 for adults and $6 to $11 for children 3-11, available at TicketMaster.
- And don't forget: The strangest circus in town - the Utah Legislature - closes its tent tonight at midnight. Get up to the Statehouse, grab a seat in the gallery and watch the carnage.
- "Faith Under the Snow," a documentary about Palden Gyatso, a Tibetan monk who endured 33 years in a Chinese prison, will screen at 8 at the Vieve Gore Auditorium of the Jewett Center at Westminster College, 1250 E. 1700 South, Salt Lake City. A panel discussion follows with Khando Chazotsang, the niece of His Holiness the Dalai Lama; Tsering Gyaltsen of the Utah Tibetan Association; and film correspondent Tashi Dhondup. There is a pre-screening reception at 7:30. Free.
- Portugal the Man - an experimental hard-rock band that hails from Wasilla, Alaska (yes, Sarah Palin's home town) - play the Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East, Salt Lake City. Dusty Rhodes & the River Band shares the bill. Doors open at 9. Tickets are $12, at SmithsTix and 24Tix.
- New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman, author of Hot, Flat and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution - And How it Can Renew America, delivers the keynote lecture at The Nature of Things 2009 series, at 7 at Abravanel Hall, 123 W. South Temple. Tickets, from $10 to $35, available at ArtTix.
- Filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung delivers the University of Utah's first-ever Distinguished Young Alumni Lecture, at 7:30 at the Fort Douglas Post Theatre on the U. campus. The lecture includes a screening of Chung's 2007 movie "Munyurangabo," a drama he filmed in 11 days in Rwanda with local non-actors in his cast. Free.
- Texas rockers Trail of Dead - or, if your marquee is long enough, ... And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead - play the Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East. Doors open at 9. Tickets are $14, at SmithsTix or at the door.
- The Salt Lake City Film Center continues its monthly "Rock Docs" series with "Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten," Julien Temple's loving profile of the late Clash guitarist, at 7 at the Sorenson Unity Center, 1383 S. 900 West, Salt Lake City. Free.
- Donavon Frankenreiter and Gary Jules, two surfer-folksingers in the laid-back mold of Jack Johnson (who's a buddy of theirs), share the bill at 7:30 at The Depot, 400 W. South Temple, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $15, at SmithsTix.
- Two folk acts from Oregon - the band Blind Pilot (pictured) and songwriter Laura Gibson - play the Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East, Salt Lake City. Also on the bill is Utah's own Kathryn Cowles. Show starts at 8. Tickets are $8, at SmithsTix or 24Tix.
- Funny band name of the week: Dear and the Headlights, an Arizona indie-rock band, playing at the Avalon, 3605 S. State St., South Salt Lake City. Reubens Accomplice and Miniature Tigers are the opening acts. Show starts at 6:30. Tickets are $12, at the door.
- "The Unknown," a 1927 silent thriller starring Lon Chaney as fugitive disguised as an armless circus performer who falls for his knife-throwing target (a young Joan Crawford), is possibly the strangest movie Tod Browning ever directed - yes, even stranger than "Freaks." It's playing, with Blaine Gale accompanying on the Wurlitzer organ, at 7:30 at The Organ Loft, 3331 S. Edison (140 East), South Salt Lake City. Admission is $5; call 801-485-9265 for reservations. (The show plays again Friday at 7:30 p.m.)
- Jaguares, the Grammy-winning Mexican alt-rock band, plays at The Depot, 400 W. South Temple, Salt Lake City. Doors open at 8. Tickets are $30, at 24Tix.
- Can anything stop the Utah Jazz right now? The team is on an 8-game winning streak, and has won 11 of its last 12 games. The Jazz take on the Houston Rockets at 7 at EnergySolutions Arena, 301 W. South Temple, Salt Lake City. Tickets are available at TicketMaster. (Oh, and for a good laugh, check out this Jazz-related item from The Onion.)
- The monthly Science Movie Night, presented by the City Library and the Utah Museum of Natural History, screens the 1944 biopic "The Great Moment" - profiling the dentist who popularized the use of nitrous oxide as an anesthesia - at 6:30 at the City Library auditorium, 210 E. 400 South, Salt Lake City. After the screening, Dr. Byron Fergerson from the University of Utah's Department of Anesthesiology will discuss the movie. Free.
- Pop Evil, a five-piece rock band from Michigan, plays at the Murray Theatre, 4959 S. State, Murray. Akelles, Adjacent to Nothing and Monarch are the opening acts. Show starts at 6:30. Tickets are $10, at the door. (This show was originally slated for the Avalon.)
(By the way, today's date provides a rare chance to repeat my favorite joke from "The Muppet Show's" Fozzie Bear: "If Tuesday Weld married Fredric March's grandson, she'd be Tuesday March the Third.")
- Three bands - Alaska & Me (from Arizona, not Alaska), Seattle's The Real You and Provo's Johnny Android - for one low "yes, we're in a recession" price, starting at 7 at Kilby Court, 741 S. Kilby Court (330 West). Tickets are $7, at 24Tix.
- 12-year-old Canadian piano prodigy Tami Lin will perform Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1, as part of the Utah Chamber Artists' "Culture Meets Culture" program, starting at 7:30 at Libby Gardner Hall on the University of Utah campus. Tickets are $10 and $15, available at UCA's web site.
- Wall Street Journal columnist Jeffrey Zaslow will talk about The Last Lecture, his best-selling collaboration with the late Randy Pausch, at 7 at Northridge High School's auditorium, 2430 N. 400 West, Layton. Tickets are $15, at the door.
- Singer-songwriter Todd Snider (with opening act Cory Mon) plays at 7:30 at the Murray Theater, 4916 S. State St., Murray. Tickets are $16, at the door.
- Rascal Flatts, my children's favorite country-music act (because they know the cover of "Life Is a Highway" from the "Cars" soundtrack), plays EnergySolutions Arena, 301 W. South Temple - with Jessica Simpson as the opening act. Show starts at 8. Tickets, from $53 to $73, are available at TicketMaster.
- Folkie singer/multi-instrumentalist Andrew Bird (pictured) plays at In the Venue, 579 W. 200 South, Salt Lake City. Loney, Dear is the opening act. Show starts at 7. Tickets are $25, at SmithsTix or 24Tix, or at the door. (FYI: This show has moved from the Murray Theatre.)
- The documentary "Female Suicide Bombers: Dying to Kill," hosted for National Geographic Explorer by Lisa Ling (formerly of "The View"), screens at 7 at the Sorenson Unity Center, 1383 S. 900 West, Salt Lake City. Part of the Salt Lake City Film Center's monthly "Women at War" series. Free.
- Local neo-new wave fave Cavedoll - along with opening acts Jason Stevens & Flare - perform at 10 at the W Lounge, 358 S. West Temple, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $5, at 24Tix.
- "Topaz," a documentary about the Utah internment camp that imprisoned thousands of Japanese-Americans during World War II, will screen at 7 at the Tower Theatre, 876 E. 900 South, Salt Lake City. It's part of the "Days of Remembrance" commemoration put on by Plan B Theatre Company. Free.
- Salt Lake rappers The Strangerz - who are gearing up for next month's opening slot for The Game at Saltair - perform at the Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East, Salt Lake City. Mr. Beny Records and Presure are the opening acts. Show starts at 9. Tickets are $6 at 24Tix, or at the door.
- Los Hermanos de Los Andes, a group that performs Incan music on traditional instruments, perform at 7:30 at the Utah Cultural Celebration Center, 1355 W. 3100 South, West Valley City. Free.
- Utah Philharmonia and Danish alto saxophonist Benjamin Koppel will give a recital at 7:30 at Libby Gardner Concert Hall, 1375 E. Presidents Circle (U. of Utah campus), Salt Lake City. Tickets are $7, or $3 for students, at the Kingsbury Hall box office.
- The Utah Jazz take on the Eastern Conference's biggest monster, the Boston Celtics, at 8:30 at Energy Solutions Arena, 301 W. South Temple, Salt Lake City. Tickets available at TicketMaster.
- Local experimental pop-rockers La Farsa play at 7 at the City Library, 210 E. 400 South, Salt Lake City, as part of the Music @ Main series. Free.
- Fingerstyle guitarist Andy McKee, famous for YouTube videos (like the one below) that demonstrate his unusual technique, plays the Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East, Salt Lake City - with opening act Chaz Prymek. Doors open at 9. Tickets are $12, at 24Tix or at the door.
- Metal band Psyopus, featuring the nimble fingers of guitarist Christopher Arp, celebrates the release of its new album today with a performance at 6 at Studio 600, 26 E. 600 South, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $12, at the door.
- The documentary "Waiting to Inhale," about the national debate over medicinal marijuana, will screen at 7 at the City Library auditorium, 210 E. 400 South, Salt Lake City. It's the second of four films to be shown by the Salt Lake City Film Center in its "War on Drug Policy" series. Free.
- The touring production of the Fats Waller musical "Ain't Misbehavin'," starring 2003 "American Idol" champ Ruben Studdard (pictured) and "AI" also-ran Frenchie Davis, opens at 7:30 at Kingsbury Hall, on the University of Utah campus. The show runs through Sunday. Tickets, from $25 to $55, are available at the Kingsbury Hall website.
- Our old friend Marcus, runner-up last year on NBC's "Last Comic Standing," comes home for a four-night run at Wiseguys, West Valley City. Shows start at 8 p.m. tonight through Sunday, with 10 p.m. shows Friday and Saturday. Tickets are $15, at SmithsTix or at the door.
- It's Local Band Recognition Night at Club Vegas, 445 S. 400 West, Salt Lake City. Belly of the Whale, Josh and the Dream Killer and Birds on a Wire are on the bill. Show starts at 8. Tickets are $7, at 24Tix or at the door.
- The Utah Jazz host the dreaded Los Angeles Lakers at 7 at EnergySolutions Arena, 301 W. South Temple. Tickets available at TicketMaster.
- The Portland electronica quintet Musee Mecanique plays at the Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East, Salt Lake City. Black Hens and La Farsa are on the bill. Doors open at 9. Tickets are $6, at SmithsTix or 24Tix or at the door.
- Singer Katy Perry, famed for her single "I Kissed a Girl" and her Varga-pinup looks, performs at 6:30 at In the Venue, 579 W. 200 South, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $20, at SmithsTix or 24Tix or at the door.
- Utah Symphony assistant conductor David Cho dissects music - particularly Beethoven's 3rd Symphony, "Eroica" - in a program, "Cho's Anatomy," designed for young listeners (8 and up). Tickets, from $15 to $21, available at ArtTix.
- The Salt Lake City Film Center starts its "Rock Docs" series with "Shine a Light," Martin Scorsese's 2008 concert documentary of the Rolling Stones (pictured), at 7 at the City Library auditorium, 210 E. 400 South, Salt Lake City. Free.
- The Public Domain String Band plays its brand of Southern mountain music at 7 at the Whitmore Library, 2197 Fort Union Blvd., Cottonwood Heights. Free.
- Ogden rockers Fox Van Cleef headline at Kilby Court, 741 S. Kilby Court (330 West), Salt Lake City. Opening acts are The Naked Eyes, Throwing Randy and Seamus. Show starts at 7:30. Tickets are $7, at 24Tix or at the door.
- The Utah Jazz - those still able to get around on the floor, anyway - will play the Dallas Mavericks at 8:30 at EnergySolutions Arena, 301 W. South Temple. Tickets available at TicketMaster.
- It may be a day late for Mardi Gras, but there's "Party Gras" - with hip-hop acts Petey Pablo (pictured), Spice 1 and Mo-Thugs - at 8 at Bliss Nightlife, 404 S. West Temple, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $20, at SmithsTix or at the door.
- Get your Led out with Presence, a Led Zeppelin tribute band, and opening acts Parley's Drifters and Gone Beyond, starting at 8 at Burt's Tiki Lounge, 726 S. State, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $5 at the door.
- Welsh rockers Funeral For a Friend plays at 6:30 at the Avalon, 3605 S. State, South Salt Lake City. Tickets are $15, at SmithsTix or at the door.
- A screening of the 1960 courtroom classic "Inherit the Wind," starring Spencer Tracy and Fredric March, screens as this month's "Science Night Movie" - presented by the City Library and the Utah Natural History Museum - at 6:30 at the City Library auditorium, 210 E. 400 South, Salt Lake City.
- Siberian rock band Mumiy Troll plays at the Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East, Salt Lake City. Doors open at 9. Tickets are $15, at SmithsTix or at the door.
- Jazz singer Stacey Kent plays her only gig of the winter for the Jazz at the Sheraton series, at 7:30 at the Sheraton, 150 W. 500 South, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $25, at 24Tix.
- The Utah Jazz host the Charlotte Bobcats at 7 at EnergySolutions Arena, 301 W. South Temple. Tickets available at TicketMaster.
- RDT Link's "Footwork: An Evening of Percussive Dance" plays at 7:30 at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, 138 W. 300 South, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $12, or $10 for students with ID, at ArtTix.
- Country singer Josh Turner hits the low notes, at 7:30 at The Depot, 400 W. South Temple, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $35, at the door.
- The North Mississippi Allstars, the jam band that usually tours with John Hiatt, plays at 9 at the Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $20, at 24Tix.
- Girl trio The Millionaires - who claim credit for the theme song to MTV's skank-tastic reality show "A Double Shot at Love" - play with opening acts Cash Cash, I Set My Friends On Fire and Watch Out Theres Ghosts, starting at 6:30 at the Avalon Theater, 3605 S. State Street, South Salt Lake City. Tickets are $12 at the door.
- Flutist Sally Humphreys, oboist Susan Swidnicki and pianist Vedrana Subotic give a recital, at 7:30 at Vieve Gore Concert Hall, Westminster College, 1250 E. 1700 South, Salt Lake City. Admission is $10, or $5 for students, at the door.
- Aussie pop musician Lenka performs at 7 at Kilby Court, 741 S. 330 West, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $12, at 24Tix or at the door.
- The Tejano-tinged rockers Los Lobos play an acoustic show at 7:30 at Kingsbury Hall, on the University of Utah campus. Tickets, from $27 to 47, are available at the Kingsbury Hall web site.
- Original grunge icons Meat Puppets have been resurrected, and will play at 9 at Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $15, at 24Tix or at the door.
- The Utah Democratic Party's Inaugural Ball - with John Rendell and Mean Phoenix, plus the Saliva Sisters and DJ Mark Buckley - starts at 7 at The Depot, 400 W. South Temple, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $50, at the door.
- Mexican rock band Molotov plays at 8 at Club Karamba, 1051 E. 2100 South, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $35, at the door.
- O.A.R. brings its "All Sides" tour to The Depot, 400 W. South Temple. Doors open at 7; show starts at 8 with opening act Eric Hutchinson. Tickets are $27.50 at the door.
- Rooftop Vigilantes play Kilby Court, 741 S. Kilby Court (330 West). Opening acts include Drop Dead Susie. Show starts at 7. Tickets are $6, at 24Tix or at the door.
- Jazz percussionist Poncho Sanchez and his band are tonight's Jazz SLC performer, playing at 7:30 at the Sheraton, 150 W. 500 South, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $25, at 24Tix.
- The Sundance Film Festival opens, with screenings at 6 and 9:30 at the Eccles Theatre in Park City of the clay-animated "Mary & Max." The shows are sold out, but try your luck with the wait-list line. (There's also a celebrity kickoff party, featuring actor Nick Cannon as DJ, at Harry O's on Main Street. Tickets are $100, at the door.)
- Maribelle performs at Kilby Court, 741 S. Kilby Court (330 West), Salt Lake City. Opening acts are Kira Mesa, Katie Van Sleen and Can't Sing for S***. Show starts at 7. Tickets are $7, at 24tix.
- A screening of "Tulia, Texas" - a PBS documentary about a 1999 drug sting that netted 46 arrests and accusations of racism, corruption and police misconduct - will kick off the Salt Lake City Film Center's four-part "War on Drugs" screening series, at 7 at the Main Library auditorium, 210 E. 400 South, Salt Lake City. Free.
- Local band Royal Bliss celebrates the release of its major-label CD, "Life in Between," at 7:30 at In the Venue, 579 W. 200 South, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $12.50 at 24Tix, or $20 at the door.
- A one-night roadshow screening of "Repo! The Genetic Opera," with live appearances by director Darren Lynn Bousman and co-writer Terrance Dzunich (who plays the movie's narrator, The Graverobber), at 9 at the Tower Theatre, 876 E. 900 South, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $15, available at the Tower box office.
- A triple bill of singer-songwriters - Cajun musician Marc Broussard (pictured), Jersey girl Jessie Baylin, and soulful Josh Hoge - play starting at 7 at The Depot, 400 W. South Temple, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $15, at the door.
- The Utah Jazz take on the Indiana Pacers at 7, at EnergySolutions Arena. Tickets are available at TicketMaster.
- Long Beach emo band I Am Ghost - a five-person group with almost as many ex-members as current members - plays Kilby Court, 741 S. 330 West, Salt Lake City. Driver Side Impact is the opening act. Show starts at 7. Tickets are $10, at 24Tix.
- Alt-country steel-guitarist Paul Jacobsen performs at Kilby Court, 741 S. 330 West, Salt Lake City. Steve Lyman, Sea Through The Boy and Kelsey Mcinrae share the bill. Show starts at 7. Tickets are $5, at the door
- It's a hardcore metal show - Ghost of Zion, Tombstone Jesus and A Horrible Night to Have a Curse - starting at 8 at Club Vegas, 445 S. 400 West, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $5, at the door.
- The Eric McFadden Trio plays Burt's Tiki Lounge, 726 S. State St., Salt Lake City. Labcoat is the opening act. Show starts at 7. Admission is $10, at the door.
- Reggae superstars The Wailers, with opening act Tomorrrow's Bad Seeds (pictured at right), plays at 9 at Harry O's, 427 Main St., Park City. Tickets are $25, at 24Tix.
- Indianapolis-based blues act Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band plays Burt's Tiki Lounge, 726 S. State, Salt Lake City. Kate LeDeuce is the opening act. Show starts at 8. Tickets are $15, at the door.
- Time's winding down to catch "Body Worlds 3," the display of real human bodies at The Leonardo. The show finishes its run on Sunday, Jan. 11. Hours are 9 a.m. - 8 p.m. Tickets, from $16 to $22, are available at the Leonardo box office or online.
- "Moves," the latest show by choreographers Rick Robinson, Kellie Messerly and Alan Salazar (the folks who made the popular "Evolutions of Dance") mixing ballroom, jazz, hip-hop and even mini-trampolines, continues at 7:30 at the SCERA Center, 745 S. State St., Orem. Tickets are $12, or $10 for students, seniors and children, available at the SCERA box office or web site.
- Legends New Year’s Eve 2008 with DJ Keoki, Mars & Mystere and DJ Hardware, starting at 7 at Saltair, 12408 W. Saltair Drive, Magna. Tickets are $35, at the door and 24Tix.
- NYE 2007 Black & White Masquerade Ball, featuring DJ Sky Nellor, is at Harry O’s, 427 Main St., Park City. Doors open at 8:30. Tickets are $60, at the door and 24Tix.
- Swing-revival band Royal Crown Revue (pictured at left) plays The Depot, 400 W. South Temple, Salt Lake City, starting at 9 p.m. Tickets are $35, or $60 per couple, at the door.
- The Newphoria New Year's Eve Dance, with performances by David Archuleta and V-Factory and an appearance by actress Ashley Tisdale (of "High School Musical" fame, pictured at right), starting at 9:30 at the McKay Events Center, 800 W. University Parkway, Orem. Tickets are $12.75, at SmithsTix. (Before the Newphoria show, starting at 7, Rockapella and Osmonds 2nd Generation perform a concert at the McKay Events Center; tickets are $20, at SmithsTix.)
- "The Downtown Affair" New Year’s Eve - with DJ Sayo, DJ Jello. DJ Juggy, DJ Latu - bounces through three Salt Lake City clubs (The Hotel at 155 W. 200 South, Elevate at 149 W. 200 South and Lumpy’s Downtown at 145 W. Pierpont Ave.), starting at 9. Tickets are $30, at the door and 24Tix.
- The Black & Blue Fetish Ball, starting at 10 at In the Venue, 579 W. 200 South, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $10, at the door.
- The "Dancing With the Stars" tour - featuring competitors such as Lance Bass, Marlee Matlin (pictured with partner Fabian Sanchez), Maurice Green and Toni Braxton and several of the show's pro dancers, including Utah's own Derek Hough - starts at 7:30 at the E Center in West Valley City. Tickets, from $52.50 to $195, available at TicketMaster.
- After the E Center show, Hough and fellow dancer Mark Ballas (who's sitting out the dance performance, because of a groin injury Saturday) perform with their band, The Ballas Hough Band, at 10:30 at the Murray Theater, 4969 State St., Murray. Tickets are $12, at 24Tix.
- Are you kidding? There are only two things on the agenda tonight: Going to bed before Santa arrives (for those 10 and under) or pulling an all-nighter of gift-wrapping while watching the continuous tape loop of "A Christmas Story" on TBS - and then getting to bed before Santa arrives.
Since you're going to be too busy on Christmas eve, tonight may be the last chance before Santa's arrival to get in a holiday-themed show. Such as these:
Ballet West’s "The Nutcracker" (pictured), at 7 at Capitol Theatre, 50 W. 200 South, Salt Lake City. Tickets, from $17 to $71, at ArtTix.
"Plaid Tidings," at 7:30 at SCERA Theatre, 745 S. State St., Orem. Tickets are $12, or $10 for children, students and seniors, at SCERA's web site.
"A Christmas Carol" at 8 at Hale Center Theater, 225 W. 400 North, Orem. Tickets are $15.50 to $19.50 ($2 off for children), at the door.
- Three Salt Lake City bands - Palace of Buddies, Birthquake and Limehouse Tiger - play the Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East, Salt Lake City. Tickets available at the door.
- Jazz singer-songwriter Anna Wilson (pictured) delivers her "Yule Swing" Christmas concert at 7 at the Egyptian Theatre, 328 Main St., Park City. Tickets are $30, or $10 for children, at ; 7 p.m.; $30, $10 for children, at the Egyptian box office (or call 435-649-9371).
- Salt Lake City musical stalwart Peter Breinholt gives the second of his two Christmas concerts, at 7:30 p.m. at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, 138 W. 300 South, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $15 to $22, at ArtTix.
- Author Stephen Trimble holds a special signing and discussion of his book, Bargaining for Eden: The Fight for the Last Open Spaces in America, at 7 at the Jewish Community Center, 2 N. Medical Drive, Salt Lake City. Free.
- It's the "All Post Rock Show" - with local bands Vinyl Williams, Behold the Moon, Discourse, I Hear Sirens and Coup de Grace - starting at 7 at Kilby Court, 741 S. Kilby Court (330 West), Salt Lake City. Tickets are $6, at the door.
- The singing group Eclipse starts a three-night Christmas run at 7:30 at the Grand Theatre, 1575 S. State St., Salt Lake City. Tickets are $8, $12 and $15 - though for tonight's show, SLCC students and staff (with ID) get in free, and other students pay $5 - at the door.
- The singing-cowboy group Bar J Wranglers leave their perch in Jackson Hole for a 7:30 show at the McKay Events Center, 800 University Parkway, Orem. Tickets, from $12 to $17, are available at SmithsTix.
- Three bands for the price of one - Bad Apples, Broken Silence and Green Leafs - starting at 9 at the Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East, Salt Lake City. Tickets available at the door.
- Jamaican reggae star Don Carlos performs at 9 at the Star Bar, 268 Main St., Park City. Tickets are $20, at the door.
- New rockers InnerPartySystem play at 6:30 at The Avalon, 3605 S. State St., South Salt Lake; 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $12 at the door.
- Folk singer Rosalie Sorrels will celebrate the release of her new CD, "Strangers in Another Country" (a tribute album to the late Utah Phillips), with a performance at 7 at Ken Sanders Rare Books, 268 S. 200 East, Salt Lake City. Free.
- The Dirty Heads, feel-good rockers from the O.C., play (with opening acts B Foundation, Iration, and the Daniel Weasly Band) starting at 9 at Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $10 at the door.
- Larry H. Miller hosts the 24th annual Christmas Carol Sing-Along at 7 at EnergySolutions Arena, 301 E. South Temple. Free
- The Oratorio Society of Utah performs Handel's "Messiah," at 7 at Libby Gardner Concert Hall, 1375 E. Presidents Circle on the University of Utah campus, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $10, at the Kingsbury Hall web site.
- Babylon Down presents Roots & Culture Night, starting at 9 at Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East, Salt Lake City. Tickets are available at the door.
- Oh, and forget about The Cheetah Girls tonight at the E Center. The show's canceled.
- The Salt Lake Symphony presents a "Ghost of Christmases Past" program at 7:30 at Libby Gardner Concert Hall, 1395 E. Presidents Circle on the University of Utah campus, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $10, or $5 for students and seniors, via the Kingsbury Hall website.
- The Salt Lake Film Society and the Salt Lake City Film Center kick off the annual "Waffles and Wassail" holiday movie program - with the documentary "What Would Jesus Buy?," which follows the street performer Rev. Billy and his efforts to remove consumer pressures from Christmas - at 7 at the Sorenson Unity Center, 1383 S. 900 West, Salt Lake City. Free.
- A celebration of Flemish music (that means it's from the Flanders portion of Belgium, not that it induces phlegm) with the Utah Philharmonia and the Wind Ensemble and special guests Eddy Vanoosthuyse performing the world premiere of Van der Roost’s new clarinet concerto, is set for 7:30 at Libby Gardner Concert Hall, 1375 E. Presidents Circle on the University of Utah campus, Salt Lake City. Free.
- Dave Wakeling (pictured) again fronts '80s ska pioneers The English Beat - purveyors of "Mirror in the Bathroom" and other hits - perform at The Depot, 400 W. South Temple. Outlaw Nation is the opening act. Show starts at 7. Tickets are $17, at the door.
- Oops - I originally had this on Monday's list, but it's happening tonight: The Utah Chamber Artists present their holiday concert - with soprano Celena Shafer and conductor Barlow Bradford leading a program of Bach, Rutter, Howells and Bradford - at 7 at First Presbyterian Church, 12 C St., Salt Lake City. Tickets, at $10 and $15, are available at UCA's web site.
- Pixar co-founder Edwin E. Catmull (pictured at right) - now president of Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, and an alum of Granite High School and the University of Utah - will deliver the U.'s School of Computing's annual Organick Lecture, this one titled "The Creative Process and Risk: Ten Films Later and We Are Still Trying to Figure It Out," at 6:30 at the Warnock Engineering Building, 72 S. Central Campus Drive (on the U. of Utah campus), Salt Lake City. Free.
- Dresden Dolls frontwoman Amanda Palmer (pictured at left) performs at 7 at the Avalon Theatre, 3601 S. State St., South Salt Lake. Tickets are $22, at SmithsTix.
- Aunt Dracula, Burnt Orange and Double or Nothing share the bill, starting at 7 at Kilby Court, 741 S. Kilby Court (330 West), Salt Lake City. Tickets are $6, at the door.
- Pour yourself a Corona and lime: Malibu-based rapper Shwayze (pictured at left) plays the Murray Theater, 4916 S. State St., Murray, at 7:30. Tickets are $15, at the door.
- The Puddle Mountain Ramblers play the Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East, Salt Lake City, with Jinga Boa and La Farsa opening. Show starts at 9. Tickets are available at the door.
- The Festival of Trees, the annual gala fund-raiser for Primary Children’s Medical Center, runs today through Saturday at the South Towne Expo Center, 9575 S. State St., Sandy. Hours are 10 a.m.-10 p.m. each day. Admission at the door is $4, $3 for kids 2-11, $3 for seniors and students, $14 for families up to six members.
- Ogden acoustic folkie Josaleigh Pollett - sharing the bill with Samson & Goliath, Marcie Thorne and Stacy at the Zoo - plays at 7 at Kilby Court, 741 S. Kilby Court (330 West), Salt Lake City. Tickets are $6, at the door.
- That holiday chestnut, Michael McLean's Christmas musical "The Forgotten Carols," will be performed at 7:30 at the McKay Events Center, 800 W. University Parkway, Orem. Tickets are $13 to $21, at the door.
- DIY modern folkie Emily Lacy (pictured at right) plays at Kilby Court, 741 S. Kilby Court (330 West), Salt Lake City. Blanket is the opening act. Show starts at 7. Tickets are $6, at the door.
- The University Wind Ensemble performs at Libby Gardner Concert Hall, 1375 E. Presidents Circle (on the U. of Utah campus), Salt Lake City, at 7:30. Tickets are $7 ($3 for students), available at the door.
- Tom's Stash plays Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East, Salt Lake City. Elephante and CPA are also on the bill. Show starts at 9. Tickets are available at the door.
- Sandy City turns on the lights at City Hall, 10000 S. Centennial Parkway, with Mayor Tom Dolan and Santa Claus (finally proving to some Salt Lake County developers that they're not the same person) and a performance by the One Voice Children's Choir, at 6. It's free.
- The Spanish drama "Carol's Journey" - about a 12-year-old Spanish-American girl from New York who travels with her mother to Spain in 1938, at the height of the Spanish Civil War - screens at 7 at the City Library auditorium, 210 E. 400 South, Salt Lake City. Free.
- The Jeff Hamilton Trio (pictured at right) - led by JazzSLC favorite, drummer Jeff Hamilton - plays at 7:30 at the Sheraton, 150 W. 500 South, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $25, at the door or at 24Tix.
- Secondhand Serenade, an acoustic solo project of California emo singer/guitarist John Vesely, plays at 5:30 at Saltair, 12408 W. Saltair Drive, Magna. Tickets are $19, at the door.
- oHgr, the band formed by Skinny Puppy's Nivek Ogre and now starring in the musical film "Repo! The Genetic Opera," plays at 7:30 at the Murray Theater, 4916 S. State St., Murray. Tickets are $18 at the door.
- Matisyahu, reggae star and observant Hasidic Jew, plays at 9 at Harry O's, 427 Main St., Park City. Tickets are $30, at the door.
- The Salt Lake City Film Center marks the Transgender Day of Remembrance with a screening of "Trained in the Ways of Men" - a documentary about Gwen Araujo (pictured), a transgendered teen who was beaten to death by men who discovered, while being intimate with her, that she was biologically male - at 6:30 at the City Library auditorium, 210 E. 400 South. A panel discussion will follow. Free.
- Seattle rockers The Classic Crime plays The Avalon, 3605 S. State St., South Salt Lake City, with A Change of Pace as the opening act. Show starts at 6:30. Tickets are $10, at the door.
- Utah author Annette Haws will sign her novel, Waiting for the Light to Change, at 7 at Barnes and Noble Sugar House, 1104 E. 2100 South, Salt Lake City. Free.
- Brothers and Sisters performs at Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East, Salt Lake City, on a bill that includes The Comedown and Furs. Show starts at 9. Tickets are $7 at the door.
Plans for tonight: Smile when you say that, Pilgrim
- "World Wide Wayne," the second annual Westerns of the World International Film Festival - put on by the University of Utah's American West Center - featuring John Wayne movies and foreign films inspired by them, begins its four-day run tonight at 7 at the Post Theatre at Fort Douglas on the U. of U. campus. There's an opening lecture, followed by a screening of the World War II drama "Back to Bataan" (1945). Admission is free.
- Minnesota pop-folkie Mason Jennings plays, with opening act Zach Gill, at 7 at the Murray Theater, 4916 S. State St., Murray. Tickets are $25, at SmithsTix.
- The Australian Pink Floyd Show plays "The Wall" note for note - with laser lights - to mark the album's 30th anniversary, at 7:30 at the E Center, 3200 S. Decker Lake Drive, West Valley City. Tickets, at $37.50 and $27.50, are available at Ticketmaster.
- California power-poppers Hellogoodbye - with opening acts Ace Enders and Never Shout Never - play at 7 at In the Venue, 219 S. 600 West, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $15, at 24tix.
- Country star Carrie Underwood, who's now the most successful singer to come out of "American Idol," brings her "Carnival Ride" tour to the E Center, 3200 S. Decker Lake Drive (2200 West), West Valley City, at 7:30. Tickets are $32 to $52, available at TicketMaster.
- Glam-metal band Lizzy Borden - with opening acts The Pedestrians and Meat - play at 8 at Club Vegas, 445 S. 400 West, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $20, at the door.
- Singer-songwriter Vic Chesnutt (pictured) plays Kilby Court, 741 S. Kilby Court (330 West), Salt Lake City. Fast-rising indie-pop band Elf Power is the opening act; show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10, at 24tix.
- New York Times reporter Patrick Healy leads a post-election discussion, 7 at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, 410 Campus Center Drive on the University of Utah campus, Salt Lake City. Free.
- The Kuss Quartet - performing works by Haydn, Bartok, Stravinsky, and Smetana - will play at 7:30 at Libby Gardner Concert Hall, 1375 E. Presidents Circle on the University of Utah campus, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $25, or $15 for students, available at the Kingsbury Hall web site.
- Blues/hip-hop performer David "Moose" Adamson - a k a Grampall Jookabox - and opening acts Ben Johnson and Shark Speed play at 7 at Kilby Court, 741 S. 330 West, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $7 at the door.
- The documentary "Courthouse Girls of Farmland," about a group of senior women in Indiana who posed for a controversial 2006 calendar to fight to save a historic courthouse, screens at 7 at the Main Library, 210 E. 400 South, Salt Lake City. Director Norman Klein and three of the women in the film will speak after the screening. There's also a panel discussion planned to talk about historical preservation. Free.
- Indie pop band of Montreal, which isn't from Montreal but Athens, Ga. (artists!), plays at 7:30 at the Murray Theatre, 4916 S. State, Murray. Tickets are $17, at the door.
- Satirical metal band GWAR, once Tipper Gore's favorite target of ridicule, performs at Saltair, Magna, with opening acts Kingdom of Sorrow and Toxic Holocaust. Show starts at 9:30. Tickets are $24, at the door.
Plans for tonight: An "Orchestra," a quartet and a band
- If you like Christmas carols that sound like they were scored for a Jerry Bruckheimer movie, you'll love the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, which performs its live show - complete with synchronized lasers - at the E Center, 3200 S. Decker Lake Drive, West Valley City. Doors open at 6:30. Tickets, from $39.50 to $49.50, are available at TicketMaster.
- For real classical music that's also cool, the Kronos Quartet performs its work "Sun Rings" at 7:30 at Kingsbury Hall, 1395 E. Presidents Circle, on the University of Utah campus, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $37.50, at the Kingsbury Hall web site.
- Louisiana band Cowboy Mouth, now backing their post-Katrina album "Voodoo Shoppe," plays at Bar Deluxe, 666 S. State, Salt Lake City. Doors open at 8. Tickets are $15, at the door.
- Disney on Ice opens its "100 Years of Magic" show, at 7 p.m. at EnergySolutions Arena, 301 W. South Temple, Salt Lake City. (The show continues through Sunday, Nov. 16.) Tickets, from $13 to $45, are available at Ticketmaster.
- The University Symphony delivers its fall concert, 7:30 at Libby Gardner Hall, 1375 E. Presidents Circle, on the University of Utah campus, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $7 (or $3 for students), at the Kingsbury Hall web site.
- Jam-rock band Steel Train plays at Kilby Court, 741 S. Kilby Court (330 West), Salt Lake City. Also on the bill: Dear and the Headlights, Forgive Durden and Mury. Doors open at 6:30. Tickets are $10, at the door.
- Chicago hardcore band Rise Against is the headliner for a show that includes Alkaline Trio, Thrice and Gaslight Anthem - all starting at 7 at Saltair, 12408 W. Salt Air Drive, Magna. Tickets are $28, at the door.
- Henry Rollins - actor, political commentator and former frontman for the seminal punk group Black Flag - gives a spoken-word concert at 7:30 at the Murray Theatre, 4959 S. State St., Murray. Tickets are $20, at the door.
- Jazz singer Karrin Allyson, whose recent work highlights Brazilian jazz, performs at 7:30 at the Sheraton, 150 W. 500 South, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $25, or $15 for students, at JazzSLC's web site.
- Up-and-coming country singer Matt Stillwell performs at 8 at The Depot, 400 W. South Temple, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $7.50, at the door.
If you have any hot tips - interesting art exhibits, weird experiences at the theater, unusual billboards, sightings of “High School Musical” stars at Crown Burger, whatever - send them along to me at vulture@sltrib.com.
- Manchester Orchestra is not an orchestra, nor are they from Manchester. They are an indie-rock band from Georgia who recently appeared on Letterman. Whoever they are, they're playing tonight at the Avalon, 3605 S. State St., South Salt Lake City. Opening acts are fun, Audrye Sessions and Winston Audio. Doors open at 6:30. Tickets are $12, at SmithsTix.
