We are singing the praises of two pop-culture forces this week: On Tuesday at The Field, there’s a trivia night devoted to “Stranger Things,” the show on everybody’s lips, thanks in no small part to an irresistible and impeccable ’80s soundtrack. Go ahead and try not to sing along when you hear Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God),” the Talking Head’s “Psycho Killer,” or Dead or Alive’s “You Spin Me Round (Like a Record).”
Then there’s Friday’s West Palm Beach stop on the national tour of a sing-along version of the hit Disney film, “Encanto,” a pop-culture phenomenon thanks to a soundtrack that hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and its earwormy single “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” which spent five weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Kehlani
8 p.m. Monday, Aug. 1, FPL Solar Amphitheater at Bayfront Park, Miami; $29.50+ at LiveNation.com
I have given up trying to predict the career arc of young singers who seem, to my ears, destined for bigger things. Kehlani has all the boxes checked and more. We’ll see. The soul-stirring singer’s tour kicked off on Saturday and supports her new, critically lauded album, “Blue Water Road,” which flows with dreamy/creamy reflections on love, intimacy, gender and emotional healing.
Gateway Theater
Monday-Thursday, Aug. 1-4, Fort Lauderdale; $7.75+ at FLIFF.com/gateway
This week represents the last days of screenings at the historic movie theater before it closes for a few weeks, a pause that will allow new management, Paradigm Cinemas, to clean, paint and do other work. This week’s lineup at the theater through Thursday: “Elvis,” “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Where the Crawdads Sing” and Jordan Peele’s “Nope.”
National Night Out
5-7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 2, Joseph C. Carter Park, Fort Lauderdale; free; Parks.fortlauderdale.gov
6-10 p.m. Tuesday, Aug.2, Old School Square, Delray Beach; free; DowntownDelrayBeach.com/events
The annual celebration of neighborliness and community-building returns to many South Florida cities on Tuesday. In Carter Park, there will be a kids’ zone, art activities, free food and drinks, school-supplies giveaways and the FLPD vs. youth basketball game. A similar atmosphere will be found in downtown Delray Beach, with live music, bounce houses, fire and police displays, free food, refreshments and school supplies filling Old School Square.
‘Stranger Things’ trivia
7:30-9:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 2; The Field Irish Pub & Eatery, Fort Lauderdale; $5 at TheFieldFL.com
If one more person comes up to me and starts talking about “Stranger Things” … I’m going to take them to The Field for Tuesday’s trivia contest, because my knowledge of the show is basically nonexistent. I read about Metallica’s recent Lollapalooza tribute to Eddie Munson and wondered whether Butch Patrick had died. … The Field event will include music, themed cocktails, a costume contest and prizes. Space is limited, so a reservation would be a good idea. Call 954-964-5979.
Buddy Guy/John Hiatt & The Goners
7:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 4, Broward Center, Fort Lauderdale; $39.50+ at BrowardCenter.org
Guitar icon Buddy Guy, who turned 86 on Saturday, remains “the best guitar player alive,” as Eric Clapton once noted. Esteemed guitarist and lyricist John Hiatt, a trailblazer along the side roads that came to be known as Americana, will perform with a band that features Southern blues guitar master Sonny Landreth.
Damon Wayans Jr.
Thursday-Saturday, Aug. 4-6, Dania Improv, Dania Beach; $30+ at DaniaImprov.com
The 39-year-old member of the second generation in the Wayans royal family of comedy and a versatile actor (most recently cast on “New Girl” and “Brooklyn Nine Nine”), Damon Wayans Jr. has five shows scheduled this week at the Dania Improv.
Dusty Slay
Thursday-Sunday, Aug. 4-7, Palm Beach Improv, West Palm Beach; $22+ at PalmBeachImprov.com
Slay traffics in a brand of self-deprecating trucker-hat comedy — riffing on his youth in an Alabama trailer park, shopping at Goodwill, staying in cheap motels — that may have more to say than meets the ear.
Dwyer Murphy
7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 5, Books & Books, Coral Gables; free; BooksAndBooks.com
Mystery fans may know that along with being the author of “An Honest Living” (Viking; $26), his debut novel, Dwyer Murphy is editor-in-chief of CrimeReads, the popular online destination for suspense readers. It’s sure to be a thrilling evening.
Encanto: The Sing Along Film Concert
7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 5, iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre, West Palm Beach; $20 (with four-pack) at LiveNation.com
Disney Concerts’ 32-city tour of a sing-along version of the Oscar-winning animated hit includes a screening of the entire feature-length film accompanied by a live band performing hits such as “Surface Pressure,” “Dos Oruguitas,” “The Family Madrigal,” “What Else Can I Do?,” “Waiting on a Miracle” and, of course, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno.”
A.R. Rahman
8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 5, Hard Rock Live, Hollywood; $80+ at MyHRL.com
Hailed as the “Mozart of Madras” for his music in a string of Bollywood hits, the Indian composer, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist won two Oscars for the “Slumdog Millionaire” soundtrack (he also was nominated for the score in Danny Boyle’s “127 Hours”) and counts among his fans and collaborators the likes of Coldplay, Dave Stewart and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Rahman’s U.S. tour dates will include a performance at the famed Ravinia Festival near Chicago on Aug. 20.
Staff writer Ben Crandell can be reached at bcrandell@sunsentinel.com. Follow IG: @BenCrandell and TW: @BenCrandell.
