SOUTHEASTERN N.C. — Li’l Friday is a weekly roundup of events in art, music, theater, comedy, pop-up markets and more.
READ MORE: Outdoor concert guide: More than 100 (mostly free) summer shows in tri-county region
All events featured were scheduled as of Thursday; however, it’s wise to check in ahead of attending any one. Inclement weather, changes in schedules and unforeseen circumstances may shift for organizers at the last minute.
Thursday, June 22
Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue
Live Oak Bank Pavilion, 10 Cowan St. • Tickets start at $28
R&B, funk, blues, reggae and rock will meld for an evening of iconic performance.
Every year Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue head to Wilmington, the band brings high-octane energy. The return in 2023 includes a co-headline tour with reggae stalwart Ziggy Marley, as well as Mavis Staples and the Robert Randolph Band.
Trombone Shorty has toured through Wilmington the last few years and Ziggy Marley has come through previously. Staples last performed locally in 2018 and Robert Randolph Band appeared in 2015.
Trombone Shorty has released 12 albums throughout his career, including “Lifted” last April.
READ 2022 INTERVIEW: Potent energy: Trombone Shorty talks Orleans Avenue sound, commands Wilson Center stage this week
Marley — the eldest son of reggae pioneer Bob Marley — is an eight-time Grammy Award winner who grew up in Trenchtown, Jamaica, before moving to Wilmington, Delaware. He learned to play music at a young age, often sitting in with the Wailers.
This year’s tour includes more than 30 stops, including only four on the East Coast. A dollar from every ticket sold will benefit the The Trombone Shorty Foundation, with another dollar donated to Ziggy Marley’s 501(c)3 URGE.
Tickets can be found here.
OTHER THURSDAY HAPPENINGS
Delia Stanley & Friends — Performing at Live at Ted’s as part of Soup to Nuts LIVE, a program from WHQR, local musician Delia Stanley will take the stage at the 2 Castle St. venue at 7 p.m. The singer-songwriter performs original music on guitar and ukulele. Tickets are $10. Delia recorded an EP at the Wilmington local Hourglass Studios. Read PCD’s interview with the artist from 2021 here.
Cape Fear Shakespeare on the Green — Annually, the local theater troupe puts on a youth and adult production. “The Comedy of Errors” continues from the younger actors this weekend. A farce, the story follows a set of identical twins who were separated at birth. Through mishaps of mistaken identity, a multitude of events unfold including seduction, arrests, infidelity, and demonic possession. The show runs June 19-20, 8 p.m. The adult production of “Two Noble Kinsmen” is a Jacobean tragicomedy and spinoff from Geoffrey Chaucer’s “The Canterbury Tales,” specifically “The Knight’s Tale.” It’s believed to be Shakespeare’s final play three years before his death. First published in 1634, it also has a co-writing attribution to John Fletcher. The joint authorship was a point of contention for many Shakespeare fans, though most scholars now accept it. The story of “Kinsmen” revolves around two friends who fall in love with the same woman, and their camaraderie soon turns to competition and jealous rivalry. They’re jailed in battle, yet one goes AWOL on the search for his love; the other is released and a story of adventure and hijinks begin. The show takes place June 24-25 at 8 p.m., free to the public; gates to the amphitheater open at 6:30 p.m. for those who wish to have a picnic beforehand. Donations to CFS are accepted.
‘Ragtime’ — Opera House Theater Company opens the Tony-award winning musical by playwright Terrence McNally at Thalian Hall. It follows three groups of Americans in New York at the turn of the 20th century: an upper-class wife, an Eastern European immigrant and a young Harlem musician. Themes of wealth and poverty, freedom and prejudice, hope and despair are explored, backed by musical stylings from Harlem’s ragtime, Tin Pan Alley, klezmer, bold brass band and waltzes. Tickets are $35.
Friday, June 23
Rodrigo y Gabriela
Greenfield Lake Amphitheater, 1941 Amphitheater Drive • Tickets: $49
Rodrigo Sanchez and Gabriela Quintero are returning to Greenfield Lake Amphitheater, bringing their acoustic stylings and virtuoso guitar to local fans.
World music is at the forefront of sound and includes inspiration from nuevo flamenco, rock and heavy metal.
The two musicians have become beloved for their covers of hard-hitting tunes, such as Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” and Metallica’s “Orion.”
Having met as teenagers in Mexico City, the duo joined forces in Ireland in the early aughts. They opened for Irish singer-songwriter Damien Rice, which helped put them on the map.
Ever since, Rodrigo y Gabriela have grown a fanbase worldwide and released eight albums, including the 2020 Grammy Award winning “Mettavolution,” which scored Best Contemporary Instrumental Album.
The outfit released a new album in 2023, the otherworldly “Between Thoughts…A New World,” augmented by a full orchestra. It was inspired by a Hindu sādhanā — a spiritual experience — and features electronics. Opening the show will be Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Ondara.
Tickets are available here.
OTHER FRIDAY HAPPENINGS
Painting Light — An art show by local painter Janette Hopper is opening at the Burgwin-Wright House as part of the Fourth Friday Gallery Night in downtown Wilmington. The show is inspired by the natural world, particularly places Hopper visited while hiking, camping and kayaking. A recipient of two prestigious Fulbrights, Hopper’s work has appeared in more than 250 solo exhibitions, including invitational and group shows in art centers, galleries and in juried exhibitions stateside and worldwide. An opening reception and meet-and-greet with the artist will take place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. It’s free and open to the public.
Amy Grant — The Wilson Center is welcoming the return of Amy Grant, a contemporary Christian artist who has crossed pop and country platforms. Grant has won six Grammys in her 40-year career and became the first Contemporary Christian artist to have a platinum record and perform at the Grammy Awards, as well as have a No. 1 hit on the pop charts. She is touring in support of her recent release “Put a Little Love in Your Heart.” Tickets start at $43 here.
Caitlin Peluffo — The New York-based comedian has been featured on “The Late Late Show with James Corden” and was donned the New Face of Comedy at the Just For Laughs festival in Montreal. Having opened for comedians like Fortune Feimster, Colin Quinn, and the late Gilbert Godfried, Peluffo’s comedy is observational and self-reflective, touching on relationships and body types — “some people are thin, some women are curvy, I’m a sound effect, ‘rrr.’” She performs four shows at Dead Crow Comedy Room at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. both Friday and Saturday; tickets are $18 to $28.
Saturday, June 24
‘Love’
Cameron Art Museum, 3201 S. 17th St. • Admission: $12 and up
CAM is opening a new exhibition this weekend centered on a quintessential action and emotion that drives humanity. “Love” is an adaptation of the 2022 exhibition, “What Is Left Unspoken, Love” at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta. It studies the variations of love: romantic, familial, platonic, forbidden and lost.
The CAM team has worked with the curator of High Museum of Art on the truncated show, to showcase its nuance and interpretation through more than a dozen artists’ works, including Ghada Amer, Thomas Barger, Susanna Coffey, Alanna Fields, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, local artist Fritzi Huber, Dixon Stetler, and others.
Gonzalez-Torres’ piece particularly stands out to CAM’s new executive director.
“I’m so excited that we’re going to have one of his ‘candy spills,’” Heather Wilson told PCD last week. “You can take a piece of candy with you and that’s part of the experience.”
Cuban artist Gonzalez-Torres emigrated to America and died in Miami in the mid-’90s. His piece “Untitled” was done in 1991 and is on loan from Art Bridges and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. It consists of colorfully wrapped hard candies that onlookers can take with them in honor of the love they have lost. As the candies diminish each day, it represents absence of love lost, yet as they are replenished, it becomes a transient metaphor of remembrance and how love continues beyond death.
Gonzalez-Torres first launched the post-Minimalist, conceptual piece in the early ‘90s during the HIV pandemic. Gonzalez-Torres lost his partner Ross Laycock to AIDS in ‘91; the artist died five years later from complications of the virus.
A community installation will take place as part of the exhibit, overseen by local paper artist Huber. “Little Love Letters” invites visitors to share their own love story, to be installed outside the Hughes wing at CAM.
“Love, which is easy to feel, but oftentimes difficult to express, can find its way through writing,” Huber noted in a press release. “The written word is a path to making the intangible tangible. We engage in conjuring our emotions and sentiments by pursuing this mode of expression for any, and all, forms of love. This space is an invitation to do just that.”
“Love” opens Thursday, with gallery talks from artists Lien Truong and jina valentine. On Sunday, June 25, there will be a Pride afternoon tea dance party in the CAM courtyard with DJ Louis spinning tunes; tickets are $10 or $5 for students.
OTHER SATURDAY HAPPENINGS
Rosey’s Rescue Tie-Dye Sale — A local animal rescue is holding its third-annual Tie-Dye Event and Parking Lot Sale at PAWS Resale Shoppe (5941 Carolina Beach Road). The event takes place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will have almost 20 vendors, including Ava, Ink, Baked With Love, Pets and Plants, Carolina Sparkle Bar and more. Poor Piggy’s Food Truck will be parked on site as well. The DIY Tie-Dye station will have adult and children’s T-shirts for sale for folks to create and one-of-a-kind tie-dye. There also will be raffle tickets for sale, one for $5 or five for $20, with a chance to win a gift basket filled with almost $2,000 in local gift cards and goodies. All proceeds benefit Rosey’s, a no-kill operation that takes in abandoned, neglected, and abused dogs. Read more about it here.
Beatlesque — Riverlights’ concert on the square takes place Saturday in Marina Village, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. The Beatles tribute band, Beatlesque, will perform all of the Fab Four’s hits from the ‘50s through the ‘70s. Lawn chairs and blankets welcome, and food trucks Platypus and Gnome, Chocolate and S’more or Coastal Creamery will be parked. Marina Village merchants also will be open. Dogs, tents, and glass are not allowed. It’s free to attend.
The Paper Stars Duo — Wilmington’s blues, indie-rock outfit, headed by Tres Altman, is performing at Greenfield Lake Yacht Club at 7 p.m. Altman released the band’s latest EP “Far and Away” last year. It’s steeped in Americana through and through, backed by dreamy soundscapes, wailing steel-pedal guitars, textural strings, and grounded with driving guitar rhythms. Read PCD’s interview with Altman about the record here. The show is free to attend; GLYC is located at 1756 Carolina Beach Road.
Adult Pride Prom — As Pride month continues, the LGBTQ Center of the Cape Fear Coast is hosting an adult prom, set to the theme “Under the Sea.” It takes place at Eagle’s Dare at the corner of Red Cross and Third streets and welcomes everyone to dress their best; Pride Majesty will be crowned on the Genderless Prom Court. The event is for 21 and up only, and will have light appetizers. There is a cash bar and a food truck will be parked on site. Tickets are $30 with proceeds benefiting the center to continue its advocacy, programming and outreach for the LGBTQ+ community.
Sip and STEM Night — The Cape Fear Makers Guild is hosting a night of like-minded individuals interested in interactive activities that blend technology and fun. The meetup takes place at 273 N. Front St., 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. There will be science, technology, engineering, and math activities, including laser cutting, circuitry, 3D modeling and 3D printing. Small bites and drinks will be served; tickets are $25. Cape Fear Makers Guild, a nonprofit, has the goal to eliminate barriers to STEM advancement in the community.
Let’s Dance — Looking to the head dance floor this weekend? Look no further than Palate in the Brooklyn Arts District. James Tritten of Fort Lowell Records will be spinning “dance-centric alternative and underground music” on vinyl from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. It’s free to attend at 1007 N. 4th St.
Sunday, June 25
Clint Black
Wilson Center, 703 N. Third St.• Tickets: $36 and up
Houston born-and-raised, Black got his start on the Texas nightclub circuit. His debut “Killin’ Time” went triple-platinum with five consecutive No. 1 singles, including “A Better Man,” “Walking Away,” “Nobody’s Home” and the self-titled track.
Black is also part of the “Class of ’89,” which included Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, Travis Tritt, and Mary Chapin Carpenter (who is headed to Greenfield Lake this August). The artists had 64 No. 1 country hits that year.
Throughout his career, Black had 22 career hit singles, has received a Grammy and numerous Country Music Awards.
“I try to make records that don’t fit into a trend,” he said in a press release from Wilson Center. “I never wanted to start a trend and won’t chase one. A great band will sound great today and in 10 years. It’s not about fitting into today’s, yesterday’s, or tomorrow’s country; it just is.”
He performs at Wilson Center at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available here.
OTHER SUNDAY HAPPENINGS
Art in Bloom Gallery Shorts — In more art news, a trio of short films will be screened at the Thalian Hall Ruth and Bucky Stein Studio Theatre, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Produced by Art in Bloom Gallery, the series covers “Karen Paden Crouch: In the Land of Make Believe: An Artist’s Journey,” “Gayle Tustin: Seeking Freedom Through Art,” and “Elizabeth Darrow: Believing in the Process.” Each will be followed by a question-and-answer session with the director, Christina Capra, editor, Jessie Robertson, and the artists. A reception in the lobby will follow; tickets are $25 each. The work of the artists — Crouch’s welded-bronze sculpture, Tustin’s sculpture and collages and Darrow’s oil paintings and collages — are on display at Art in Bloom; Darrow’s work also hangs in the Ruth and Bucky Stein theater.
Family Pride Picnic — Diverse families and individuals are welcome to celebrate Pride at Empie Park, shelter one, at 3 p.m. The annual Family Pride Picnic, hosted by Mosaic Church, welcomes all people of various faiths and backgrounds to bring a covered dish to share and join in camaraderie. It’s free and open to the public.
Wilmington’s Summer Solstice — It’s official, summer has arrived. Waterline Brewing is celebrating at the foot of the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge featuring more than 25 vendors and live music from Annalee and the Current. There also will be food trucks parked on site. The event is hosted by Downtown ILM Market; Waterline is located at 721 Surry St.
Mushroom Hike — Have a fondness for fungi? Join other mushroom enthusiasts in Carolina Beach State Park on a hike. The Wilmington Mushroom Club will meet at 11 a.m. in the visitor’s center parking lot. The club focuses on sustainable practices and hands-on learning on the natural environment and wildlife. They’ll follow the Campground Trail toward Oak Tree Trail in their search for mushrooms and dissect the differences between those that are toxic and those that are edible. Light clothing and closed-toe shoes recommended, as is water, a snack, sunscreen and bug repellent.
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