Lots of people selling hope these days, from electro-pop supergroup Astropical (at Hard Rock Live) and locals The Resolvers (at Crazy Uncle Mike’s) to the plucky green thumbs at Rooted in Broward (at Laser Wolf) and, of course, Hollywood medium Tyler Henry and his correspondents from the afterlife (Hard Rock Live). But is anyone buying? Here are some places to look …
THURSDAY
Bugs in the air: The theatrical aerialists of Cirque du Soleil will land the insect-themed show “OVO” at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise this weekend for performances at 7 p.m. Thursday; 3 and 7 p.m. Friday; 11 a.m., 3 and 7 p.m. Saturday; and 1 and 5 p.m. Sunday. Tickets start at $76, depending on day and time of performance. Visit Seatgeek.com.
Thursday laughs: Things are about to get wiggy as comedian, podcaster and sometime camp counselor Zachariah Porter is coming to The Parker in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $46.02 at ParkerPlayhouse.com.
Weekend spice: The tyranny of pumpkin spice menu items has come early this year, thanks to Aroma Joe’s (with South Florida locations in Wilton Manors and Pompano Beach) and its new Poppin’ Pumpkin Latte. Available through Nov. 2, this even-sweeter take on pumpkin spice latte is topped with a layer of whipped cream, a drizzle of salted caramel and a sprinkling of candy-like popping sugar (think Pop Rocks) that crackles and pops with each sip. On Monday, Aug. 25, you can get a 24-ounce Poppin’ Pumpkin Latte for $2.50. Visit AromaJoes.com.
FRIDAY
Piano man: Boynton Beach pianist Tony Monaco’s engaging Billy Joel tribute band, Turnstiles — who, out of the blue, were asked by indie rockers Vampire Weekend to be their opening act at New York’s Madison Square Garden and Bayfront Park in Miami — will perform on the Sunset Concert Series at Old School Square in Delray Beach on Friday. Admission is free, but seated VIP accommodations are available for $50. Gates open at 5 p.m. (prime chair/blanket spots fill quickly), with classic-rock cover band The Flyers performing at 6 p.m. and Turnstiles at 7:30 p.m. Food and drink vendors will be on site. Get VIP tickets and information at Tickets.DelrayOldSchoolSquare.com.
Friday laughs: Actor and comedian Chris Kattan (“Saturday Night Live,” “A Night at the Roxbury,” “The Middle”) will perform on Friday at The Banyan Live in West Palm Beach. Doors open at 8 p.m., with Kattan going on at 9 p.m. Tickets cost $34.19, with VIP and meet-and-greet add-ons also available. The show is 18-and-older. Visit Facebook.com/thebanyanlive.
Vintage ‘Wine’: British dub-reggae band UB40 (with original members Jimmy Brown, Robin Campbell, Earl Falconer and Norman Lamont Hassan, but not to be confused with original vocalist Ali Campbell’s touring version) will bring hits including “Red Red Wine,” “(I Can’t Help) Falling in Love With You” and “Many Rivers to Cross” to Hard Rock Live in Hollywood on Friday at 8 p.m. A handful of tickets remain, starting at $125.40. Visit MyHRL.com.
Ice spice: The Florida Panthers will host Latin Night at Baptist Health IcePlex in downtown Fort Lauderdale on Friday from 7 to 9 p.m., with skating to favorite Latin hits, drink specials upstairs at The Federal and the chance to win tickets to see Marco Antonio Solis at Amerant Bank Arena on Oct. 3. Skating costs $17, and skate rental is $5. Reserve a spot at FTLWarMemorial.com.
SATURDAY
Positive vibes: The quartet Astropical is a sublime supergroup comprised of members of Colombia’s electro-cumbia favorites Bomba Estéreo (Li Saumet and José Castillo) and trippy Rawayana, the Grammy-winning band from Caracas, Venezuela (Beto Montenegro and Andrés “Fofo” Story). The band will bring its 2025 tour to Hard Rock Live in Hollywood on Saturday, sharing music from a new self-titled debut album. In an interview with NPR, Saumet described the purpose behind the music: “We’re living in very dark times for humanity and I feel like this kind of music is what we need to vibe on a different level. All of the songs on this album are very positive; they’re meant to lift people’s minds and spirits.” Tickets for the 8 p.m. concert are down to resale only at MyHRL.com.
Teenage dream: Katy Perry comes to the Kaseya Center in Miami on Saturday on her global The Lifetimes Tour, a sci-fi spectacle that has left some reviewers (professional and amateur) distracted by too much of … everything. But amid all the eye candy — the infinity-symbol stage, video-game imagery, light-saber duels and Perry’s fly-by on a giant butterfly — she brings the hits that people love: “I Kissed a Girl,” “Teenage Dream,” “Part of Me,” “The One That Got Away,” “Firework” and “Roar.” Sounds like fun. Tickets start at $66.85. Visit KaseyaCenter.com.
A new ‘Hope’: South Florida’s big-band reggae group The Resolvers, led by siblings Ojay and Sahara Smith (son and daughter of international reggae artist Ernie Smith) and Israeli-born bandleader and guitarist Ron Eisner, will perform during a release party for new album “Hope of the World” on Saturday at Crazy Uncle Mike’s in Boca Raton. Seating begins at 8 p.m., with the show at 9 p.m. Local fave Joey Calderaio also will perform. Standing-room general admission costs $30.52, with table seats also available. The album is being released on vinyl because, as the band says on Facebook, “Streaming services are not only taking advantage of artists, they are also diminishing fans’ relationship with the music.” Visit CrazyUncleMikes.com.
Reggae Fest FL / Courtesy
The Resolvers will share music from a new album on Saturday at Crazy Uncle Mike’s in Boca Raton. (Fort Knox Recordings/Courtesy)
Hearts and minds: Mental-health crusaders Citizen Soldier have music from new album “Family Heirlooms” on The HeartSupport Tour, which stops at Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday at 7 p.m. The all-ages show includes opening sets by 10 Years and Adelitas Way. Doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets cost $46.70 for general-admission floor access. A dollar from every ticket sold will go to HeartSupport, a nonprofit that provides free mental-health support in the metal scene. Visit JoinTheRevolution.net.
Weekend beers: Pompano Beach Brewing Co. will host its End of Summer Party on Saturday beginning at noon. Top-shelf food truck The Munchies Report will be doing summer favorites (looking at you, Chili Cheese Smash Burger), and the brewery will have new beer releases, raffles and games throughout the day. Visit Facebook.com/pompanobeachbrewing. … Mathews Brewing Co. in Lake Worth Beach recently won national recognition for its beer and on Saturday will pair it with your favorite pop-punk hits covered by Sailor Ripley beginning at 8 p.m. Pure fun. Visit Facebook.com/mathewsbrewing. … Orchestrated Minds Brewing in Fort Lauderdale will have the noodly sorcery of Kaminari Ramen food truck on Saturday from 5 to 9 p.m. (and those charismatic OMB beers). Visit Instagram.com/orchestratedmindsbrewing.
Pearl glam: The success of any Pearl Jam tribute band turns on its Eddie Vedder, and Bob Donahue nails it as frontman of South Florida-based Given To Fly: The Pearl Jam Experience. See for yourself when the band sets up outside the neon-flocked Guitar Hotel on Saturday during the poolside Rooftop Live series at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood. Doors open at 8 p.m., with showtime at 10:30 p.m. Tickets cost about $20. Visit HardRockNightlife.com.
Queens of the blues: Before heading off for an extended European tour, South Florida blues singer Kat Riggins and her band will drop in at the Arts Garage in Delray Beach on Saturday with the show “Big Momma Blues,” a tribute to favorite influential singers, from Bessie Smith to Janis Joplin. Tickets for the 8 p.m. performance start at $45. Visit ArtsGarage.org.
Sing a song: The Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida and The Bears of South Florida will host the inaugural Community Sing-Along on Saturday from 3 to 5 p.m. at Hunters Nightclub Wilton Manors. The gathering will include Broadway show tunes, Disney favorites and pop hits, plus drink specials all afternoon, should you need a little courage. Doors open at 2:30 p.m. Tickets cost $10 in advance, $15 at the door (the first 100 advance-ticket buyers receive a complimentary drink ticket). All proceeds benefit local LGBTQ+ charities. Visit GMCSF.org.
SUNDAY
Medium rare: Medium to the stars Tyler Henry — as seen on Netflix series “Live from the Other Side with Tyler Henry” and “Life After Death with Tyler Henry,” and E! Entertainment’s “Hollywood Medium with Tyler Henry” — will bring “An Evening of Hope and Healing” to Hard Rock Live in Hollywood on Sunday. The show, highighted by live audience readings, will begin at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $60.75 at MyHRL.com.
Green day: There is something subversive about the honoring of plant life as we cover the land in concrete and spindly replacement trees, but that’s the vibe when local green thumbs (and the wishful) gather with nonprofit Rooted in Broward during another Plant Swap at the Progresso bar Laser Wolf in Fort Lauderdale on Sunday at 2 p.m. This fall plant party (they are held once per season) is aimed at everyone from beginners to master gardeners — anyone interested in swapping a rooted or established plant, or trading gardening pots, planters, tools, art and such. You don’t have to bring a plant to swap, as there will be vendors, food and drink, raffles and a DJ. Admission is free. Visit RootedInBroward.com.
The axe man cometh: Local blues-rock firebrands Shaw Davis & The Black Ties will set off their sonic fireworks at Galuppi’s in Pompano Beach on Sunday for a free show from 4 to 7:30 p.m. Reserved table seats are also available. Visit Galuppis.com.
Staff writer Ben Crandell can be reached at bcrandell@sunsentinel.com. Follow on IG: @BenCrandell.