|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Violent Femmes
Add it up: It’s been 45 years since Milwaukee folk-punk troubadours Violent Femmes burst onto the scene. On tour to mark that anniversary, the band swings by The Guild Theatre for two nights. The group, known for ’80s hits such as “Blister in the Sun” and “American Music,” blends elements of country blues, rock, folk and more into an instantly recognizable combination of jangly guitar and punchy percussion, underlying frontman Gordon Gano’s distinctive vocals. Gano co-founded the group with bassist Brian Ritchie and the duo remains at the band’s core. Violent Femmes released their 10th studio album, “Hotel Last Resort,” in 2019. Their Guild shows were close to sold out as of press time, so fans might want to grab those tickets before they’re gone daddy gone.
March 4-5, 8 p.m., at The Guild Theatre, 949 El Camino Real, Menlo Park; $156-$1,215; guildtheatre.com.
‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee’
Foothill Theatre Arts stages a quirky musical that finds lots of heart in a spelling competition where getting the words right is just one of many things on young contestants’ minds. Taking home both Tony and Drama Desk awards for best book (script), “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” finds gentle humor and pathos in the life aspirations of a group of misfit tween spellers (played by grownup actors) as well as some of the bee’s equally misfit adult judges, and celebrates their stories in song.
Feb. 27-March 15 at Foothill College, 12345 El Monte Road, Los Altos Hills. $38-$44 ($33-$35 Thursdays). foothill.edu/theatre/spelling-bee.html.
Marsha Warfield
Comedian Marsha Warfield made her name starring as a wise-cracking bailiff on the 1980s sitcom “Night Court” — she also appeared in the show’s 2023 revival. But her standup career predates that: in 1979, she grabbed top honors as the winner of the San Francisco International Comedy Competition and two years before that, she performed on “The Richard Pryor Show.” She has appeared on a variety of well-loved TV shows, from “Family Ties” and “Cheers” to “In Living Color” and “Touched by an Angel.” In 2017, Warfield came out as gay, which was written into her “Night Court” character for the show’s 2023 revival. She will perform two standup sets at the Bing Studio.
Feb. 27, 7 and 9 p.m., at The Studio, Bing Concert Hall, 327 Lasuen St., Stanford; $34.56-$43.20; live.stanford.edu/events/25-26season/studio/hysterical-marsha-warfield.
Black History and Black Futures Festival
EPACenter closes out Black History Month with a festival featuring DJ music, art activities, a Black business pop-up and a screening of “Black Panther.” Guests can also take part in a hair-braiding workshop and enjoy food from local eateries.
Feb. 28, 5-8 p.m., at EPACenter, 1950 Bay Road, East Palo Alto. Free; reserve a spot at tinyurl.com/BlackHistoryFuturesFest.
Edward Simon Trio
Venezuelan-born Bay Area-based pianist Edward Simon leads a jazz combo that also features bassist Or Bareket and drummer Adam Cruz. The trio hits the sweet spot in improvising a tight, unified sound that’s still loose enough to allow each musician to shine. Simon and the ensemble have a new album coming out soon, “Venezuela: The Latin American Songbook Vol. 2,” a followup to the trio’s 2016 album that won raves from Downbeat and the New York Times. The group appears in a concert presented by Earthwise Productions.
Feb. 28, 8 p.m., Mitchell Park Community Center, 3700 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto; $23.18; tinyurl.com/SimonEarthwise.
Drew Daywalt
Folded paper fortune tellers (sometimes called “cootie catchers”) can hold a lot of sway on the school playground, as they “predict” the futures of their young users. So it makes sense that in author Drew Daywalt’s whimsical new graphic novel-style picture book, a paper fortune teller named Forty is able to marshal a force of playground detritus, including a potato chip and a wad of chewed gum, to work together on making a play area safer for kids. Daywalt, also the author of the bestseller “The Day the Crayons Quit,” will be on hand to share “Forty the Fortune Teller” at Kepler’s. The book also features illustrations by Kevin Cornell.
March 1, 11 a.m. at Kepler’s Books, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park; $11.49 per person general admission/$32.49 family admission (for two adults and up to four children; includes a copy of the book); keplers.org.
'This blight just seems unacceptable': Large pit prompts frustration from neighborsFebruary 24, 2026 1:13 pm
