SOUTHEASTERN N.C. — Li’l Friday is a weekly roundup of events in art, music, theater, comedy, pop-up markets and more.
Since this weekend is long due to the Labor Day holiday, Port City Daily included Monday events below as well.
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, Aug. 29
The 39 Steps
Thalian Hall, 310 Chestnut St. • Tickets: $35
Based on a 1935 Alfred Hitchcock film, “The 39 Steps” will open this weekend from Big Dawg Productions.
Adapted by Patrick Barlow and from the novel by John Buchan, the show follows a man whose boring life is infused with a shot of zeal when he meets a woman claiming to be a spy. The woman ends up murdered and a whodunnit ensues. Before long, an organization, “The 39 Steps,” is on the man’s trail.
The show won numerous awards in the mid-aughts, including the Tony and Drama Desk awards in 2008 and the Laurence Olivier Award in 2007.
Big Dawg’s production stars four actors — Ben Thomas-Reid, Heather Setzler, Tamica Katzman and Chad Hsu — who take on 150 characters in what’s been billed as a thrilling ride full of suspense and comedy.
It will be staged at Thalian Hall’s Ruth and Bucky Stein Theater and tickets are $35.
OTHER THURSDAY EVENTS
Shining City — With actors Tony-Elias Choufani, Brendan Carter, Maya Noor and Reilly Callaghan leading the cast, “Shining City” continues at North Front Theater on Thursday. Written by Connor McPherson, the play is set in Dublin and centers on a man ridden with guilt, who has been in contact with the ghost of his dead wife. He seeks therapy to overcome his own demons, but the sessions with his therapist, previously a priest, turn into a story of survival. Choufani and Brandi Simmons also direct the production, which has been hailed as haunting and gripping by The New York Times and The Telegraph. It tackles themes of connecting with others while still on earth. Sihr Theatre, founded by Choufani in 2023, is producing the show; the organization is dedicated to bring to life original works that often go under the radar in the theater world and highlight Middle-Eastern and BIPOC voices and stories. “Shining City” takes place through Sept. 1, with shows at 7:30 p.m. except on Sundays, 2 p.m. Tickets are $17 to 28.
Friday, Aug. 30
American Aquarium
Greenfield Lake Amphitheater, 1941 Amphitheater Drive • Tickets: $31
An alternative country band out of Raleigh, North Carolina, American Aquarium is returning to the stage to entertain Wilmington concert-goers this weekend. The band is revered for its Americana, country roots sound.
Consisting of BJ Barham, Shane Boeker, Rhett Huffman, Neil Jones, Ryan Van Fleet, and Alden Hedges, American Aquarium has released 14 albums since its founding in 2006. Its most critically acclaimed has been “Burn. Flicker. Die.” released in 2012 and produced by Jason Isbell. Some of the band’s top tracks include “Before the Dogwood Blooms” and “The Luckier You Get.”
The band began working with Shooter Jennings in 2021, upon the release of “Lamentations” and the same year dropped “Slappers, Bangers & Certified Twangers, Vol. 1” in homage to their favorite ’90s country hits.
“Chicamacomico” came in 2022 followed by last month’s release of “The Fear of Standing Still,” featuring 10 new tracks, also produced by Jennings.
The band performs at Greenfield Lake Amphitheater; tickets are here.
OTHER FRIDAY EVENTS
Sam Tallent — A Colorado comedian will be at Dead Crow this weekend, bringing his blunt, evocative humor to stage, whether talking about his parent’s sex life or Bud Light facing backlash from conservatives after a transgender influencer promoted the beverage. Sam Tallent has released two comedy specials, “Waiting for Death to Claim Us” and “The Toad’s Morale,” and appeared on Comedy Central and at SXSW Comedy Festival. He also produces a travel documentary, “Sam Tallent’s Wide World,” which features satirical insight while exploring the cuisine, architecture, culture and landscape of cities like Tokyo and Paris. He’s also now a novelist, having completed “Running the Light,” about a comedian on a bender while touring; he’s turning it into a screenplay. Tickets to his show are $20 to $30.
Peter Rowan and Sam Grisman Project — Celebrating string music, Peter Rowan and the Sam Grisman Project will bring an acoustic set to Kenan Auditorium at 8 p.m. Rowan is an American bluegrass musician and composer who opened for The Doors in the ‘60s before forming Old & In the Way with David Grisman, Richard Greene, Jerry Garcia, and John Kahn. The show at UNCW will revisit that history with Sam stepping in for his father, David. Sam Grisman Project will perform a set of their own and a set with Rowan. Tickets are $43 and up.
Saturday, Aug. 31
Steve Earle
Greenfield Lake Amphitheater, 1941 Amphitheater Drive • Tickets: $50
He’s hailed iconic among many on the country, rock and folk scene, having won three Grammy Awards and released more than 20 albums. Artists such as Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Emmy Lou Harris, and Percy Sledge have covered Steve Earle’s music.
He will be making his Wilmington debut this Labor Day weekend at Greenfield Lake Amphitheater.
Always in search of inspiration and song, Earle ran away from his San Antonio home at the young age of 14 in hopes to meet his idol Townes Van Zant. Eventually, he did, and began playing and writing music for others, landing in Nashville in his late teens, early 20s.
In the 1980s Earle landed a multi-record deal with MCA Records and released his first album, “Guitar Town,” which included the top 10 single “Goodbye’s All We’ve Got Left.” Two years later, Earle’s most popular song to date, “Copperhead Road,” was released on the the album of the same name. It blended rock, country and folk, and featured Irish punk rockers The Pogues as heard on “Johnny Come Lately.”
Earle has never backed away from political content, as heard on tracks like “Snake Oil,” which took aim at the Regan’s administration’s War on Drugs campaign.
The artist has continued to record and tour, as well as act, appearing in “The Wire,” “Treme,” and “Nashville.” He released “Alone Again … Live” this year, as he embarks on a solo tour, since his band quit via email after 2023’s Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival.
Tickets are $50.
OTHER SATURDAY EVENTS
Super Jazz Weekend — Fermental will host live jazz music in the Cargo District all Labor Day weekend. There will be three nights of music featuring Carioca Bossa Nova on Saturday at 7 p.m., The Jay Killman Trio on Sunday at 7 p.m. and Benny Hill on Monday at 6 p.m. Fermental is located at 600 S. 17th St., and is family- and pet-friendly. All shows are free.
Half Way to St. Patrick’s Day — Waterline Brewing is getting ahead of spring’s biggest party with a Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day event. Waterline has become the place to enjoy the afterparty for the annual parade and Hooley Under the Bridge Fest each March. On Saturday, the brewery will release its Hooley Irish Red Ale at noon and local Irish band Blarney Brogues will take the stage at 7 p.m. It’s free to attend at 721 Surry St.
“Afterlife Support Group” Film Premiere — The screening of a locally made film “Afterlife Support Group” will be hosted at Hannah Block USO and Community Arts Center (120 S. Second St.) at 6:30 p.m. The film is a satirical drama about dealing with grief and mental health, starring Arianna Tysinger and directed by Cody Mark Hanna. Presented by Citizen Studios, it’s free to attend.
“Peter Pan” — The original Tinker Bell from Walt Disney’s 1953 movie will be at Thalian Hall for a question-and-answer after the screening of “Peter Pan” at 1 p.m. Margaret Kerry was the voiceover for the magic fairy in the original film, which follows Wendy, her brothers and Peter Pan into the magical Neverland. There, they face off against Captain Hook, the Lost Boys and get into mischief. The screening is free for youth under 12 and $10 otherwise, available here.
Sunday, Sept. 1
Marty Stuart
Greenfield Lake Amphitheater, 1941 Amphitheater Drive • Tickets: $41
In a career spanning several decades, Marty Stuart initially toured with Lester Flatt, and then in Johnny Cash’s road band before beginning work as a solo artist in the early 1980s.
He will perform at Greenfield Lake Amphitheater Sunday.
He is known for his combination of rockabilly, country rock, and bluegrass music influences on hits like “The Whiskey Ain’t Workin’,” a duet with Travis Tritt, and “Same Old Train.”
Stuart has been nominated for 16 Grammy awards and won five Grammy Awards, including Country Instrumental Performance and Country Collaboration with Vocal. He is also a member of the Grand Ole Opry and Country Music Hall of Fame.
Tickets are $41.
OTHER SUNDAY EVENTS
Labor Day T-Dance — Annually, the LGBTQ+ community gathers for a summer send-off. This year’s T-dance takes place from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Rooftop Bar at North Front Theater in downtown Wilmington (21 N. Front St.). Tea dances were popular in the mid-19th century in New York, as a way for singles from the gay community to safely meet. Dances were often hosted on Sunday afternoons outside the city and safe from raids; they offered tea service instead of alcohol, as it was illegal until the 1960s for bars to serve alcohol to gay people. The event at North Front Theater is being hosted by Port City Carolina Girls.
Fins Up Festival — Watermans Brewing at 1610 Pavilion Place is hosting a festival celebrating the 125th anniversary of Wrightsville Beach and the one-year passing of Jimmy Buffett from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. There will be live music with the Moto’s at 3 p.m. and Captain Mike & the Shipwrecked at 7 p.m. Watersport and environmental groups will be exhibiting, skin cancer screenings will take place, and there will be a sneak peek of the documentary about local photographer Marshall Morgan in the Marshall Morgan Project — plus, there will be raffles and a silent auction to benefit a nonprofit.
Monday, Sept. 2
Band of Horses
Greenfield Lake Amphitheater, 1941 Amphitheater Drive • Tickets: $71
They’re back — and bringing their sometimes easy-going, sometimes loud indie rock sounds to Greenfield Lake Amphitheater.
Band of Horses performed at the venue for the first time a few years ago to a sold-out crowd, playing through tunes like “Funeral,” “Is There a Ghost,” “The General Specific,” “The Great Salt Lake.” As well, they performed a pretty amazing cover of Brooks and Dunn’s “Neon Moon.”
The band is from South Carolina, consisting of indie crooners Ben Bridwell, Creighton Barrett, Ryan Monroe, Matt Gentling, and Ian MacDougall.
To date, the band has released five studio albums and was nominated for a Grammy in 2010 for “Infinite Arms.” 2007’s “Cease to Begin” brought the outfit its first U.S. hit, with the album debuting on Billboard 200 at number 35.
Since last visiting the Port City, they dropped “Things Are Great,” which has landed in the top 20 of Billboard’s U.S. Independent Albums and placed 21 on the U.S. Top Rock Albums.
Tickets are sold out to Monday’s show, but resales are going for $71.
OTHER MONDAY EVENTS
Labor Day Picnics — Mannkind Brewing in Leland at 9600 Ploof Road welcomes the community to a free cookout starting at noon. There will be free hot dogs, coleslaw, baked beans, and potato salad. There also will be swag and giveaways from area businesses, plus a Golf Barn’s putting green challenge. Donations are being accepted for a military charity fund, to be announced soon. In Wilmington at Portia Hines Park, 400 N. 10th St., the public is welcome to a picnic, either by bringing their own food and coolers or purchasing food from Soulful Twist, to be parked on site. It takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., hosted by the Southeastern N.C. Central Labor Council, which will point attendees to good paying union jobs and paid internship opportunities.
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