Select events happening in metro Detroit this week. Submit your events to metrotimes.com/calendar.

Dead & Co.

Friday, 9/10: Have you ever wondered what those rainbow-colored dancing bears were so damn happy about? Well, spit-shine those Birks, hit the dispo for those edibles your college-age daughter turned you onto for your sciatica, and, we guess, try to scrub the fact that John Mayer once compared his dick to a "white supremacist" and dropped the n-word in an interview with Playboy a decade ago (and has since "apologized" for), because the Dead is alive, baby! Dead & Company — the Grateful Dead offshoot featuring Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Bob Weir, Oteil Burbridge, Jeff Chimenti, and Mayer – are picking up where their 2020 itinerary had been upended by the pandemic. Since forming in 2015, the band has become a record-breaking stadium act, playing nearly 150 shows for an estimated 3.4 million fans and grossing $255.5 million thanks to the Grateful Dead's massive catalog and the millions of people who love tie-dye and patchouli and still get goosebumps every time they hear "Ripple" because, well, it's just that fucking good. For this trek, the band is once again partnering with Reverb's unCHANGEit Climate Campaign, which pledges to offset the carbon footprint of the tour, including fan travel, by funding clean energy projects around the world and educating fans on how to reduce their own carbon footprint. Save the planet, be a hippie. —Jerilyn Jordan

The Music of Led Zeppelin performed by the Windborne Symphony

Friday, 9/10: Did you know that Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" was never supposed to be released as a single, which means you may not otherwise hear it on 94.7 WCSX once every 28 minutes? Did you know that Robert Plant was the band's third choice as singer? Did you know that Plant wrote "Going to California" about Joni Mitchell, with whom he was in love with? Did you know that drummer John Bonham tragically died after drinking what is the equivalent of 40 shots of vodka? OK, OK, last one: did you know that the music of Led Zeppelin takes on a new life when interpreted by an orchestra? Enter the Windborne Symphony, which will be taking on the Led Zeppelin catalog with Brent Havens conducting and Randy Jackson, who will deliver a note-for-note interpretation of Plant's original recordings. "My concept for 'The Music of Led Zeppelin was to take the music as close to the originals as we could and then add some colors to enhance what Zep had done," Havens said in a press release. "The wonderful thing with an orchestra is that you have an entire palette to call upon." The two-plus hour hit parade will include 18 Zeppelin songs, including favorites "Stairway to Heaven," "Heartbreaker," "Black Dog," and "Immigrant Song," which will highlight the musical stylings of the French horn. Curious? Us, too. —Jerilyn Jordan

Erykah Badu with Thundercat

Saturday, 9/11: What happens when you pair the "queen of neo-soul" with the unofficial father of funk or daddy of funk depending on how you vibe? Well, we can't be sure, because we have yet to see Erykah Badu share a stage with Stephen Bruner, who performs funk-drenched acid jazz-inspired tunes as Thundercat, but we are so ready (but also not really). Grammy award-winning Badu last graced us with her style, swagger, and sounds in 2018 when she performed at the Aretha, formerly known as Chene Park. This time around, Badu will be celebrating, well, a few things, including but not limited to: the 20th anniversary of her album Mama's Gun and the 10th anniversary of New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh, and the fifth anniversary of her popular mixtape But You Caint Use My Phone. Then there's Thundercat. Now, Detroit was supposed to get a super-sized dose of seduction in 2020 when Thundercat was scheduled to perform at the Majestic, like, literally when COVID-19 was shutting shit down. Now, Thundercat, who was a major creative player on Kendrick Lamar's critically acclaimed To Pimp a Butterfly, can finally celebrate a milestone of his own: taking his fourth studio record, It Is What It Is, which was released last year, on the road. —Jerilyn Jordan

The 19th annual Berkley Art Bash

Saturday, 9/11: Take a break from soulless online shopping and drop some cash at the bash — though we, like, totally get the serotonin boost that comes with obsessing over delivery tracking numbers and peeping through curtains at hunky UPS delivery dudes leaving stacks of packages on your door, most of which are filled with clothes for events you probably will never attend. Sorry about it. Anway, returning for its 19th year, is the Berkley Art Bash, where more than 100 artists, makers, bakers, and crafters sling their wares. As usual, this year's featured artists will be hawking everything from paintings, fabric arts, jewelry, candles, hot sauce, beef jerky, custom beer taps, and even gourmet catnip. Among this year's makers and shakers are Anne Ossewaarde (macrame), Timothy Geddes (stained glass), Analiese Zaleski (upcycled clothing), Kelley Waterfall (woodworking), Valerie Clark (clay jewelry), and Susi Cruz (illustrations). A bash wouldn't be a bash without some food, which will be available via PizzaPazza, Motor City Franks, and D'Vine Cookies. There will be live music and kid's activities, too. And though the Berkley Art Bash has, in the past, attracted more than 10,000 people, organizers have spaced things out a bit to keep the whole thing safe for vendors and visitors. —Jerilyn Jordan

Torres

Wednesday, 9/15: For her fifth record, Mackenzie Scott, aka Torres, wanted to go big — as in, the biggest sounding record she could make. And on Thirstier, she accomplishes that, and then some. Described as sounding "stadium-sized" but with a masterful balance of quiet and loud sounds and feelings, the songs on Thirstier channel the power, catharsis, and bite of PJ Harvey but with an earnestness and straightforwardness that has become Scott's calling card. Released this year, Thirstier marked Scott's second record released within eight months and followed Silver Tongue, an intimate and muted exploration of self, purpose, and chaos. Where Thirstier delivers a signature Scott gut punch is in those moments where she invites us all the way in, making no apologies for the mess, while also celebrating joy. "What comprises all this joy I feel/ and where was it before," she sings on "Hug From a Dinosaur." "Ancient and eternal, and surreal as a hug from a dinosaur." For this performance, Torres will be joined by New York synth-pop artist Ariana and the Rose. —Jerilyn Jordan

Faye Webster

Monday, 9/13: What were we doing at 24 years old? Whatever it was (a combination of Starbucks, Planned Parenthood, and asking parents for cash, if we're being honest), we guarantee it was not releasing our fourth studio album which accomplished a near-to-impossible feat: a Pitchfork review score of 8.4. Leave it to Atlanta native Faye Webster, who released I Know I'm Funny haha earlier this year to glowing reviews, and rightfully so. On the record, Webster compacts the multitudes she absolutely contains. For instance, she likes EDM from video game soundtracks, practices yo-yo tricks, collects Pokemon cards, and writes, as Pitchfork reviews editor Jeremey Larson describes, "indie country and twangy R&B" where "comedy and tragedy are indistinguishable." On "A Stranger," Webster playfully contradicts her own feelings as if to share with us the process of retracing her internal steps while also crafting a bitch track. "You know, I used to love getting bored," she sings. "But now, without you, I have so much time to think there's nothing to think about anymore." For her Detroit performance, Webster will be joined by fellow Atlantians, the rap duo Danger Incorporated. —Jerilyn Jordan

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