The word for this very busy weekend seems to be "royal." It's a weekend for recognizing excellence, and that's not just because one of the best musical minds of all time is visiting the city, and it's not just because Hollywood is foisting gold statues upon itself (hopefully they'll remember to check the envelopes before they give them to the actors this time). There's also Old-School royalty taking over the Theater of the Clouds, a tribute to classic soul royalty at the Spare Room, and if all this regal brilliance is a little too much to take in all at once, there's something like four different mini-beerfests happening this weekend so you can take that edge off (or put one on) as you see fit. There's about a million more things going on this weekend, too; hit the links below and load your plate accordingly.
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Friday, Mar 2
Brockhampton
With no true leader among them, Brockhampton is a 14-member boy band and hip-hop act from San Marcos, Texas. Some of the bandâs members are multiracial or queer, and all are committed to discussing issues of homophobia, racism, and assault with authentic, candid self-expression. Kevin Abstract, perhaps the most outspoken of the bunch, addresses naysayers on âJUNKYâ: ââWhy you always rap about beinâ gay?â/Cause not enough niggas rap and be gay.â On top of their progressive lyrical content being exactly what Iâve been wanting from the new age of hip-hop, their trilogy of Saturation albums should make for an excellent set list. JENNI MOORE
9 pm, Crystal Ballroom, $28.50, all ages
Herbie Hancock
Situated at the vanguard of multiple movements in jazzâfrom his post-bop years with Miles Davis, to defining fusion with Head Hunters, to the electrofunk breakthrough of âRockit,â and beyondâHerbie Hancock is a titan of American music. If youâre still working on your bucket list of legendary musicians to see live, Hancock should absolutely be on it. Tonightâs your chance. NED LANNAMANN
7:30 pm, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, $25-125, all ages
Palm, The Spirit of the Beehive
Whatâs in the water in Philadelphia? The tributary along which Palm resides must be teeming with radioactive fuzz and psychedelic clock-guts, radiant melodies and broken metronomes, crooked Beach Boys LPs and neon Tetris pieces. How else do you explain the four-pieceâs positively weird-but-maybe-not-that-weird new album Rock Island? The guitarsâplayed by Eve Alpert and Kasra Kurtâsound like a shelf full of animatronic figures chiming and buzzing and chirping out of time with each other, but interlocking in a way that makes perfect sense. Drummer Hugo Stanleyâs playing is rhythmic, of course, but also adds a texturalâeven melodicâlayer to Palmâs songs, flitting around the guitars like a bee trying to figure out how to sting a lightning bolt. When theyâre not busy making this funhouse of sounds, Palm fills in the spaces with lovely vocal melodies that recall Animal Collective. Add it all up and youâve got one of the best and strangest pop-rock records of the year. BEN SALMON
9:30 pm, Bunk Bar, $15
Point Break LIVE!
The live theater adaptation of Kathryn Bigelow's '90s action classic comes to the Funhouse Lounge, notable for somehow both mocking and championing the over-the-top testosterone party that is the film, but mostly for casting a random audience member as Johnny Utah for every performance.
7 pm, Funhouse Lounge, $18-25
Candace, The Ghost Ease, The Lavender Flu
Portland's best purveyors of dreamy, psychedelic shoegaze and hypnotic noise rock join forces for a Sweet 'N' Local showcase that doubles as a release show for Candace's latest full-length, New Ruins.
9 pm, Mississippi Studios, $5
Porches, Girl Ray
On Porchesâ song âBe Apartâ (from 2016âs Pool), frontman Aaron Maine agonizes over whether or not he should leave the comfort of his house and âbe a part of it all.â Throughout the New York-based synth-pop projectâs aptly titled new record, The House, Maine continues to alternate between burrowing into this familiarity and pining for the outside world like a housecat hesitating at an open window. Itâs probably safe to say this is a metaphor for outgrowing a relationship, so itâs also probably safe to say The House is a breakup record. But across 14 tracks, Maine illustrates his own chaotic emotional states with clean linesâeven as heâs saying âGoodbye,â the drum machine beats and synth throbs are controlled with mathematic precision. Although Pool has catchier hooks and fewer throwaway tracks, The House contains plenty more of what Porches does best: icy techno-pop thatâs suited for crying or dancing or even both, simultaneously. Girl Ray will open the dance floor waterworks with jangling, lovelorn pop from their sweet 2017 debut, Earl Grey (theyâre very British), which lands somewhere between Cate Le Bon and the Ronettes. CIARA DOLAN
6 pm, The Analog Cafe & Little Theater, $15, all ages
Old School Throwback Jam
Bust out your finest patterned tracksuit and tease that hairâthis is definitely your mamaâs throwback jam. Tonight, the Theater of the Clouds becomes a hotbed of nostalgia, with performances from musical and style icons of the â80s and â90s, like hard-working dance-pop diva Taylor Dayne (âTell It to My Heartâ) and R&B queen Evelyn âChampagneâ King, who came to prominence at the height of disco fever with âShameâ and followed it with hits âIâm in Loveâ and âLove Come Down.â Miami comes through with King of Freestyle Stevie B, the voice (and unforgettable mullet) behind hits âSpring Loveâ and âBecause I Love You (The Postman Song).â Other hits guaranteed to ignite the dance floor include âI Wonder if I Take You Homeâ (Lisa Lisa), pioneering electro hit âJam on Itâ (Newcleus), and Southern hip-hop classic âTootsee Rollâ (69 Boyz). DANIELA SERNA
7:30 pm, Theater of the Clouds, $25-85
Urban Bush Women
White Bird presents a trio of shows with the renowned dance troupe out of Brooklyn. Hair and Other Stories is the collective's latest multidisciplinary work, addressing the topics of race, gender, identity and economic inequality through the perspectives of African American women and their hair.
8 pm, Newmark Theatre, $25-34
Black Out Beer Fest
Lompoc Brewing throws a shindig for lovers of the best beers: The dark ones. 25 rotating black IPAs, stouts, porters, and coffee beers will be on tap, from breweries all over the Northwest. Admission is free, but tasting packages start at $20, and include a souvenir 15.5 oz mug and eight drink tickets.
4 pm, Lompoc Sidebar, $20
TK & the Holy Know Nothings
They may look like your average country band, but TK and his crew specialize in a sound they've dubbed "Psychedelic Doom Boogie," so be prepared, if you can prepare for such a thing. Tonight's show doubles as a birthday celebration for the band's bassist, Portland music scene staple, Lewi Longmire.
9 pm, The Fixin' To, $7
Junior Reid & the One Blood Band, Yung JR
The Jamaican reggae and dancehall musician and former Black Uhuru frontman brings "The Living Legend" Tour to Portland with a full backing band in tow. Yung JR, son of Reid and a rising reggae star in his own right, provides support.
9 pm, Star Theater, $20
Saturday, Mar 3
Sugar Town: Payback
Named âPaybackâ after the Etta James classic, this weekâs installment of Sugar Townâa recurring dance party for the LGBTQ community and its alliesâwill spotlight soul musicâs greatest female contributors in celebration of Womenâs History Month. Sound providers will focus on all the best (and most underappreciated) soul and R&B from the â60s and â70s. A portion of the door proceeds will go toward Higher Heights of America, an organization that seeks to support and expand the âBlack womenâs leadership pipeline,â and strengthen civic engagement. JENNI MOORE
8 pm, The Spare Room, $7
Portland Trail Blazers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
Having already taken a pair of games against their Northwest Division rivals, the Blazers will be eager to lock up the season series against Oklahoma City tonight when Russell Westbrook, Paul George, and the rest of the Thunder make their way back to the Moda Center. With standings as tight as they are, itâs never too early to start looking into tie-breaker scenarios, so donât sleep on this opportunity to witness a statement win on home court. CHIPP TERWILLIGER
7 pm, Moda Center, $56-330, all ages
Back Fence PDX: Mainstage
Live storytelling mainstay Back Fence PDX returns this month to celebrate its 10th anniversary with a new season. Up first: Lauren Weedman of HBOâs Looking (RIP), Portlandâs Funniest Person Caitlin Weierhauser, Unlikely Hikers blog creator Jenny Bruso, and more, all ready to regale you with their variations on a potentially polarizing themeâall manner of âTRANSPLANTS,â from relocations to organ transfers. MEGAN BURBANK
8 pm, Aladdin Theater, $16-30
Lee Ann Womack, Eddie Berman
The chance to see Lee Ann Womack in a venue as cozy as the Doug Fir is some kind of rare treat, because in a just world, this country music veteran from Texas would be headlining stadiums. But these humble shows are a result of the defiance the 51-year-old has shown throughout her stormy career. After a string of huge albums in the â90s and â00s that played within the pop confines, she reverted to a â70s-style sound that incorporated soul and gospel influences. Her labels at the time didnât care for the shift, and quickly showed her the door. Rather than nurse her wounds quietly, Womack has stormed out as an independent artist and released some of her best-ever work, including her most recent album The Lonely, the Lonesome, and the Gone, a soundtrack for a late-night bar crawl marked by flouncing satisfaction and rueful musings. ROBERT HAM
9 pm, Doug Fir, $33-50
Summer Cannibals, Months, The Permians
Summer Cannibals is one of the best bands in Portland; a perfect storm of talent, DIY ethos, and community mindedness. (Frontwoman Jessica Boudreaux has contributed time and expertise to Portlandâs School of Rock, while also supporting the cityâs omnipresent need for all-ages shows and music venues.) Summer Cannibalsâ rock ânâ roll is driven to excellence by Boudreauxâs roaring vocals, often delivered with a take-no-crap attitude. The band released their first two albums on their very own independent label, New Moss Records, before signing with Kill Rock Stars to release their most recent LP, 2016âs Full of It. DELANEY MOTTER
7 pm, Black Water Bar, $6
11th Annual Firkin Fest
The 11th annual celebration of unfiltered, naturally carbonated cask-brewed beers from 30 of Oregon's top breweries. Admission includes a souvenir glass and six taster tickets, with additional tickets for $1 each, and food options including oysters (shucked and cooked by the Rogue Nation President himself) and bratwurst.
11 am, Rogue Eastside Pub & Pilot Brewery, $10-25
Santana
âSmooth,â Carlos Santanaâs 1999 collaborative single with Rob Thomas, will always be there, gyrating gently on the periphery of our shared cultural consciousness. This is unfortunate, as âSmoothâ is an indisputably shitty song that speaks to the insufferable self-importance of turn-of-the-millennium guitar music, when rock radio was the aural equivalent of a hamper filled with dirty khaki shorts and white Gold Toe socks. Santanaâs post-Smooth career has been rocky, too: His oft-forgotten collaborations with Chad Kroeger, Steven Tyler, and Scott Stappâthe last of which is a hilariously awkward cover of CCRâs âFortunate Sonââare just as bad. Is the batshit, wildly inventive Carlos Santana who played guitar on Abraxas and Santana III in the early â70sâtwo albums that make Eric Clapton look like Tiny Timâthe same Carlos Santana who eagerly collaborated with the lead singer of Creed in 2010 and a few years later went on record to say BeyoncĂ© âisnât a singerâ? Either we have a âPaul is deadâ-level conspiracy on our hands, or Santana desperately needs a new manager. MORGAN TROPER
8 pm, Rose Quarter Memorial Coliseum, $50-125.50, all ages
Lonesome Traveler, RILLA, Woodge
Portland trio Lonesome Traveler bring their experimental blend of desert-surf and post-rock up to St. Johns for a headlining show at the Fixin' To. Local dance-punk and pop quartet Rilla and indie-rockers Woodge round out the proceedings.
8 pm, The Fixin' To, $5
21st Annual Barleywine Festival
If this festival were a person, it could finally attend itself: witness the return of Lucky Lab's annual celebration of one of the biggest, maltiest, knock-you-on-your-ass-style beers in brewing history, the barleywine, featuring over 70 varieties rotating through 20 taps Friday and Saturday. Admission includes a festival glass and four tokens, with additional four ounce pours for $2.
noon, Lucky Labrador Beer Hall, $15
Gran Ritmos
For Gran Ritmosâ first-ever performance with a live vocalist, the local dance party is hosting global bass powerhouse Zuzuka Poderosa. Born to a Brazilian mother and an Indonesian father and raised in Rio de Janeiro and the Cayman Islands, she began DJing and performing in New York City, where she studied jazz vocal improvisation. Poderosaâs unique soundâwhich she describes as âinterracial music babiesââhas come to be known as Carioca Bass: a potent blend of Brazilian baile funk and Miami booty bass with a favela grit and elements of party sounds from around the world. Her music is full of sweaty beats and tongue-in-cheek innuendo, from 2009âs âAi Voce Gosta,â a slamming bass-heavy baile funk rap set to the Eurythmicsâ âSweet Dreams,â to 2017âs âPussy Control,â an old-school electro-influenced international collaboration released after the Womenâs March. DANIELA SERNA
9:30 pm, Holocene, $7-10
Portland Cider Company 5th Anniversary
A very big, very public party for Portland Cider Company's fifth birthday, featuring two limited releases (Throwback Scrumpy and Fever Bark Tonic), and cider tours every half hour, plus special bottles pulled up out of the cellar and served at the three cider bars on site.
4 pm, Portland Cider Company, free, all ages
Sunday, Mar 4
Scandal's Oscars Party
Thereâs likely no better way to enjoy a viewing of the 90th Academy Awards than at a bar with raffles, drink specials, and trivia. This event, hosted by Bruce Ross, will benefit the Cascade AIDS Project. EMILLY PRADO
4 pm, Scandals, free
Annihilation
It might be easier to explain Annihilation by telling you what the movie isnât. It isnât a comedy, thatâs for sure. Nor is it a period-accurate costume drama. Beyond that, though? Annihilation could squeeze into just about any label you give it: a horror film; a science-fiction flick that toys with the possibility of extraterrestrial life; a wilderness adventure; a romantically yearning character study; a chilling, painfully suspenseful mystery; a âmessageâ film about either the environment or male toxicity, depending on where you feel like directing your anger; an abstract, allegorical art piece with long stretches of dialogue-free visuals. However you classify it, Annihilation is the best kind of cinematic experienceâone that floods the senses without battering them into submission, and one that moves the mind and heart without manipulating them. NED LANNAMANN
Various Theaters, see Movie Times for showtimes and locations.
MarchFourth Marching Band
Portlandâs own MarchFourth Marching Band celebrates its 15th anniversary this weekend at the Crystal Ballroom. The 20-member ensembleâs live performances combine vaudeville theatrics, stilt-walkers, circus acrobatics, and brassy, New Orleans-inspired big-band sounds. Plus, theyâve opened for groups as dissimilar as KISS and Blink-182, if that says anything about their range in appeal. If youâre craving an oversized musical experience with horns, refurbished bike drums and aerial tricks, MarchFourth is probably for you. CIARA DOLAN
8:30 pm, Crystal Ballroom, $8-24
Psychomagic, Ben Katzman's Degreaser
Steven Fusco and his shapeshifting band unleash a barrage of fuzzed-out surf-pop and psychedelic garage-rock to headline the latest installment of Sunday Sessions.
8 pm, Rontoms, free
Honoring Ursula: A Sci-Fi Event
This dynamic event will feature an open mic, sci-fi book trade, and potluck from 3-5 pm followed by a screening of The Lathe of Heaven all in the name of the late great Ursula K. Le Guin! Proceeds will benefit Anarres and the Malheur Field Stationâa beloved not-for-profit that educates and conducts research about the birding, cultural history, writing, and more of the Great Basin region. EMILLY PRADO
3 pm, Anarres Infoshop, $5
Chris Thomas King
The highly-acclaimed "King of New Orleans Blues" and O Brother, Where Art Thou? star extends his reign to Portland for an evening of folk and blues at in an intimate setting.
8 pm, Mississippi Studios, $18-20
Busty & The Bass, STS, Khari Mateen
Dance the night away to a blend of electro soul, jazz, and hip-hop courtesy of this Montreal-based nine-piece who are currently touring in support of their latest full-length, Uncommon Good.
8 pm, Doug Fir, $12-15
Mega Ran, None Like Joshua, Qbala, Northern Draw
Prolific Philadelphia-hailing rapper and producer Raheem Jarbo, AKA Mega Ran, brings his video game-inspired hip-hop out to the Know for the Portland stop on his North American Tour.
8 pm, The Know
Don't forget to check out our Things To Do calendar for even more things to do!