In the U.S., Gary Numan is best remembered for the robotic, hypnotic 1979 hit “Cars,” which brought pulsating “new wave” style electronica to the Top Ten for the first time (well, probably).
In his native Great Britain, however, Numan was – and is – a major star, first as the headmaster of a “band” called Tubeway Army, then as a solo artist; his “Are ‘Friends’ Electric,” “Complex,” “We Are Glass” and “She’s Got Claws,” along with a few others, were major homeland hits.
Allmusic.com calls Numan “one of the founding fathers of synth pop … with his constantly evolving form of dystopian electronic rock music.”
In England, Numan is still revered as a pioneer in both goth and industrial circles; his 2017 album Savage (Songs from a Broken World) and its 2021 followup Intruder both reached No. 2 in the British charts.
All this to say that Numan is on tour in this country, and will perform Sunday at Jannus Live in St. Petersburg. Tickets for the 8 p.m. show can be found at this link.
Concert calendar
Georgia roots singer/songwriter EG Kight and her Trio are onstage at the Palladium Theater’s Side Door Cabaret tonight, with a set by blues co-traveler Greg Nagy. Find tickets for the 7:30 p.m. show at this link.
Tonight at the Capitol Theatre: A solo show from Blue October’s Justin Furstenfeld. He’s published a memoir, I Laugh at Myself (named after a Blue October song). Tickets.
Tonight at Ruth Eckerd Hall: 1980s pop singer Billy Ocean (“Caribbean Queen”). Tickets.
There are no original members in Little River Band, performing Friday (7 p.m.) at the BayCare Sound amphitheater in Clearwater. Bassist Wayne Nelson joined the Australian pop phenomenon in 1980, making him the longest-tenured musician today (he sang the band’s final hits, “The Night Owls” and “Take it Easy on Me”). Opening the show is Lords of 52nd Street, a frequent visitor to these parts. This is several key members of Billy Joel’s band from the groundbreaking 1970s and ‘80s, with former St. Pete resident Dan Orlando on piano and vocals. Tickets are at this link.
Americana duo Shovels & Rope performs Friday at Skipper’s Smokehouse (Tampa). Tickets.
Michelle Shocked’s performance at the Jack Kerouac House is sold out. Publicity photo.
Controversial singer/songwriter Michelle Shocked, whose Short Sharp Shocked and The Texas Campfire Tapes were must-haves for 1980s alt-folk fans, is back on the road after more than a decade away. She’s performing Friday at the Jack Kerouac House in St. Petersburg, sharing a bill with Cintra Wilson. The show is sold out.
The world’s favorite multi-lingual classy cocktail orchestra, Pink Martini, returns for its semi-annual show at the Mahaffey Theater Friday. The vocalist for this go-round is Storm Large (founding lead singer China Forbes is “on sabbatical” until 2027). Tickets.
Australian guitar whiz Taj Farrant and his band play the Capitol Theatre Saturday. Tickets.
At the BayCare Sound Saturday: Rock vocalist (and reality TV guy) Bret Michaels, with an opening slot from Tesla. Showtime is 7 p.m., and tickets are here.
The Palladium Theatre’s Boogie Woogie Blues Piano Stomp concert is back Saturday, with Victor Wainwright, Liz Pennock & Dr. Blues, Rob Rio and Henri Herbert. That’s 88 keys of groove, multiplied, at 8 p.m., and tickets are here.
To dance
A touring production of the classic ballet Sleeping Beauty is onstage tonight (Thursday, March 5) at St. Petersburg’s Mahaffey Theater. Tickets for the two-act ballet are at this link.
The 11th annual Beacon Dance concert, featuring original choreography and performances from a curated cross-section of Tampa Bay professional artists, is presented Friday at the Palladium Theater in St. Pete. Check out the program and purchase tickets at this link. Dancer/choreographers Helen French and Lauren Slone, founders of Beacon, guest on Friday’s Arts Alive! podcast, along with the Palladium’s Paul Wilborn.
Festivals
The St. Petersburg International Folk Fair Society (SPIFFS) will be at England Brothers Park in Pinellas Park Saturday (10 a.m.-6 p.m.) for its 50th annual Folk Fair. It’s a celebration of folk art, music and dance from around the world (plus global games, food and beverages), with a full day of performances. Advance tickets are available here.
It’s Gasparilla International Film Festival weekend in Tampa, through Sunday. Check the website for screenings and other events on the schedule.
Through Sunday at the Straz Center (Jaeb Theatre), the BATSU! comedy troupe brings the hilarity and manic pacing of Japanese game shows to the stage. Publicity photo.
Comedy
Based on outlandish game shows on Japanese TV, the off-the-charts wacky show BATSU! is onstage nightly through Sunday afternoon at the Straz Center (Jaeb Theatre) in Tampa. Info, showtimes and tickets are here.
Saturday at the Mahaffey Theater: Comic (and trained opera singer) Matteo Lane, recognized by The Advocate as one of the country’s “LGBT Icons, Innovators, and Disruptors,” at the Mahaffey Theater. Find tickets here.
The classics
The Florida Orchestra has nothing on the calendar this weekend.
Tonight (March 5) in the Marly Music Room and the Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg: Classical guitarist René Izquierdo. The 7-8 p.m. performance bears the title Baroque Resonance, and tickets are available at this link.
Tenor Johnnie Felder, accompanied by Timothy Belk, piano, will perform African American spirituals Sunday at 3 p.m. at Peace Memorial Church in Clearwater. It’s the last concert on the church’s current season calendar. All information is at this link.
On theater stages
It’s the final weekend for the American Stage production of Fairyland: A Midwinter Night’s Dream at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve. All shows are sold out.
Powerstories Theatre’s 6th annual Voices of Women Theatre Festival, with a different show nightly, runs tonight through Sunday afternoon at HCC Black Box Studio, 1411 E. 11th Ave., Tampa. Titles include How To Rob the Art Institute of Chicago, The Tragic Ecstasy of Girlhood and All My Mothers (Saturday’s showcase of short plays is sold out). For details about the plays, and the playwrights, and the other aspects of the festival (including ticket purchases) click this link.
The history-based musical Himself and Nora says goodbye after this weekend at freeFall Theatre. Showtimes and tickets.
New at the Off-Central this weekend, and running through March 15, is The Drawer Boy by Michael Healey. It’s a drama, with moments of levity, about a pair of Canadian brothers running a farm, the stories they tell and the secrets they keep. Ami Salee directs; find showtimes and tickets at this link.
My Name is Asher Lev, making its debut this weekend at Stageworks Theatre, is based on the novel by Chaim Potok about a young Jewish boy whose artistic inclinations (he’s a gifted painter) cause conflicts within his Hasidic family. It will run through March 22; showtimes and tickets are here.
Your Weekend Spotlight appears every Thursday in the Catalyst’s CREATE section.
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