WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6
MUSIC—Oakland emcee G-Eazy says he's the best white rapper since Eminem, and he's scheduling the opening date of his latest tour here, in the best, whitest big city in the country. Themes! Racial boasting aside, G-Eazy's got flows. And he's touring with A$AP Ferg, known to turn on-stage slips into ninja-style somersaults. DIRK VANDERHART
Memorial Coliseum, 300 Winning Way, 7:30 pm, $32.50-39.50, all ages
MUSIC—Unlike a shitload of other musicians from the same era one could name, a performance by Patti Smith of her legendary 1975 album Horses can't be lumped in as another nostalgic cash grab. Here's an artist who's evolved and renewed her relevance in the modern era and the past. MARJORIE SKINNER
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1111 SW Broadway, 8 pm, $39.50-52.50, all ages
THURSDAY, JANUARY 7
MUSIC—You gotta have some serious nerve to step into the purple high-heeled booties of Prince, and luckily Portland's premier tribute band, Erotic City, has the chops to back it up. Work up a much-needed post-holiday sweat with a suitable facsimile of the real thing. (Consider it a dress rehearsal.) MARJORIE SKINNER
Goodfoot, 2845 SE Stark, 10 pm, $7
MUSIC—You've likely seen Cahalen Morrison at Pickathon, where his twangy, old-school country is a welcome reminder of that genre's enduring appeal. Tonight, he's back in Portland: Cahalen Morrison & Country Hammer features Morrison and a crew of solid singer/songwriters for what's guaranteed to be a good time. ERIK HENRIKSEN
Landmark Saloon, 4847 SE Division, 9 pm, FREE
FRIDAY, JANUARY 8
MUSIC—Four vocalists, a horn section, and minimal crotch-grabbing, but still a lot of entertainment in Foreverland's renditions of all your Michael Jackson faves. The 14-piece band formed in 2009 just before the King of Pop kicked and have been touring in his memory ever since. Go, dance, and sing along. SHELBY R. KING
w/Dr. Spaceman; Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside, 6:45 pm, $12
BLAZERS—A firm belief in miracles will help get you through tonight's Blazers game against Steph Curry and his Golden State Warriors, but even if you're a more pragmatic kind of Portlander, this is still an opportunity to see the greatest team in the NBA break basketball like they're using a Game Genie. BOBBY ROBERTS
Moda Center, 1 Center Court, 7 pm, $75 & up, all ages
SATURDAY, JANUARY 9
IMPROV—Whether they're pretending to be teenage girls or faceless humanoids, the Liberators are one of the funniest improv groups anywhere, delivering cryface-inducing laughs so reliably it seems almost superhuman. Tonight's show marks their 10th year of always-delightful improv—and a fresh run in the newly opened Siren Theater. MEGAN BURBANK
Siren Theater, 315 NW Davis, Saturdays 8 pm, through Jan 30, $12-15
COMEDY—Baron Vaughn is one of those rare stand-ups who can deliver flawless sociopolitical comedy, and then 180 into a surreal long con of a joke about people who refuse to admit that they're falling asleep. If you enjoy laughing, you have no business missing his show, also featuring local faves like Amy Miller and Nariko Ott. MEGAN BURBANK
w/Curtis Cook, Trevor Thorpe; Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside, 9 pm, $13-15
SUNDAY, JANUARY 10
FILM—In The Revenant, Leonardo DiCaprio is marooned in the wilderness, mauled by a bear, shot at, stabbed, starved, drowned in freezing rapids, buried alive, made to watch everyone he cares about die, forced to do surgery on himself, thrown off a cliff, and stuffed inside a dead horse's still-warm carcass. If you want to see Leonardo DiCaprio suffer, then run, don't walk, to The Revenant. ERIK HENRIKSEN
Various Theaters, see Film Times for locations and showtimes
READING—Keith Lee Morris' stellar fiction crackles with mystery and the brittle tenacity of humanity. Dude is a kick-ass storyteller. His new novel, Travelers Rest, is set in the fictional small town of Good Night, Idaho, and is a fairy tale with hints of Stephen King, Jorge Luis Borges, and Kelly Link. COURTNEY FERGUSON
Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside, 7:30 pm, FREE
MONDAY, JANUARY 11
MUSIC—The lush, nocturnal lullabies of Haunted Summer traverse a starlit sky, gently spreading seeds of slumber across the world below and giving us ageless, romantic dreams. The Los Angeles group is joined tonight by a twofer of terrific local bands. NED LANNAMANN
w/Sama Dams, Tender Age; Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi, 9 pm, $10
TUESDAY, JANUARY 12
MUSIC—You were hella looking forward to Janet Jackson at the Moda Center tonight, but that got canceled (wardrobe malfunction?). Now you can really dig into underrated power-pop legend Todd Rundgren instead! His music is as varied as his long career. You can call him Mister Rundgren, if you're nasty. COURTNEY FERGUSON
Star Theater, 13 NW 6th, 8 pm, $28.50
MORMONS—Take it from someone who hates musicals: The Book of Mormon is fucking great. Trey Parker and Matt Stone's Broadway hit returns to Portland for a few weeks, starting tonight—and if you couldn't score tickets last time around, here's your chance to try again. It'll be worth it. ERIK HENRIKSEN
Keller Auditorium, 222 SW Clay, Tues-Fri 7:30 pm, Sat 2 & 7:30 pm, Sun 1 & 6:30 pm, through Jan 24, $40 & up, all ages
