U.S. Olympic Softball Tour: The women's fast-pitch squad is playing its way to Atlanta, and it's scheduled twin double-headers against the Phoenix Sunbirds on Friday, May 10; and Saturday, May 11, at Cave Creek Softball Complex, 9833 North 25th Avenue in Phoenix. The first pitch is at 6 p.m. Friday and at 1 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $8, available at the gate and Dillard's. For details call 951-4152 or 678-2222.
The Stylistics, the Dramatics, the Chi-Lites, the Moments, Peaches and Herb, Eddie Holman, and Billy Paul: The "Super Love Jam," as this worthy package of vintage soul acts is called, starts at 8 p.m. Friday, May 10, at Desert Sky Pavilion, 2121 North 83rd Avenue. Tickets range from $17 to $21, available at Ticketmaster. For details call 254-7599 or 784-4444.
Conversations With My Father: See Thursday.
Phoenix Symphony: See Thursday.
Southwest Film and Video Festival: See Thursday.
saturday
may 11
The Band: On the one hand, the thought of a reconfigured Band is a bit stultifying. After all, the movie wasn't titled The Next-to-Last Waltz. On the kinder, gentler hand, a reconfigured Band--even one lacking better-things-to-do guitarist Robbie Robertson and late keyboardist/singer Richard Manuel--is better, by far, than 99 percent of today's entertainment options. Drummer/vocalist Levon Helm, organist Garth Hudson and bassist Rick Danko are back, along with guitarist Jim Weider, keyboardist Richard Bell and second drummer Randy Ciarlante. Touring behind High on the Hog, the group's second album since its second coming in 1993, the Band performs on Saturday, May 11, at Electric Ballroom, 1216 East Apache in Tempe. British songsmith John Wesley Harding, who took his stage name from the Bob Dylan album, opens the relocated show. The all-ages concert starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $22, available at the scene and Ticketmaster. For details call 894-0707 or 784-4444.
Night Run for the Arts: The annual fund raiser for Scottsdale Center for the Arts features a herd of glow-lighted athletes competing in a variety of events, including an 8K run, a 5K stride, a one-mile fun run/walk and an art stroll. The event starts at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 11, at the center's amphitheater, 75th Street and Main, and ends at the same location; registration precedes at 6:30, and a party/awards presentation follows at 9. The fee is $15. Call 994-2787 or 277-4333.
Guided by Voices: The alternative act is one of the leading lights of the Dayton, Ohio, scene. Not impressed? You haven't been to Dayton lately. To date, the scene has produced the Afghan Whigs, the Tasties, Brainiac, the Method, and Kim Deal's Amps, and the Robert Pollard-led Voices might be the best of the promising bunch; see the review on page 93. Touring in support of its new Matador disc, Under the Bushes Under the Stars, GBV performs on Saturday, May 11, at Gibson's, 410 South Mill in Tempe. Spoon shares the bill. The all-ages show starts at 9 p.m. Tickets are $8, available at the club and Ticketmaster. Call 968-8664 or 784-4444.
Ministry, and the Jesus Lizard: "Weird Al" Jourgensen and his techno crew updated their sound for the group's new disc, Filth Pig, which features less fiddling with synths and sequencers and more of a Sisters of Mercy-style industrial attack; see the story on page 95. David Yow's Lizard is sporting a revamped sound itself, as displayed on the recent Capitol release Shot. The atonal noise band has incorporated real melodies, vocals and textures without sacrificing its essence, which is not the way these things generally go. Laika and the Cosmonauts share the bill. Showtime is 6 p.m. Saturday, May 11, at Mesa Amphitheatre, Center and University. Tickets are $24.50 in advance, $26.75 the day of the show, available at the scene and Dillard's. For details call 644-2560 or 678-2222.
Conversations With My Father: See Thursday.
The Movement Source Dance Company: See Friday.
Phoenix Symphony: See Thursday.
Reggae Fest World Party '96: See Friday.
Southwest Film and Video Festival: See Thursday.
U.S. Olympic Softball Tour: See Friday.
sunday
may 12
Bad Religion: The hard-core antiheroes in this long-lived L.A. group are the owners of the longest sustained case of anger on record--pun intended. The perpetually pissed-off band's birth predates Ronald Reagan's first stint in the Oval Office; thankfully, the Raygun's been switched off and Bad Religion's trademark sonic fury remains. Dance Hall Crashers, and Unwritten Law share the bill. The rescheduled show starts at 7 p.m. Sunday, May 12, at Mesa Amphitheatre, Center and University. Tickets are $14, available at the scene and Dillard's. Call 644-2560 or 678-2222.
