Midwestern progressive jam band Umphrey’s McGee will be making its return to Detroit as part of a special two-night run. Known for its eclectic and improvisational two-set shows, Umphrey’s McGee has developed a devout fanbase after performing thousands of sets throughout the band’s two-decade career. Expect on-the-fly mash-up covers of popular songs, funky solos, and a party-hearty crowd. $29.50+
There’s a “Starman” waiting in the sky — his name is David Bowie. Since his death in 2016, a lot has ch-ch-changed. Keeping with tradition, A Bowie Celebration will return to the Royal Oak Music Theatre starring alumni players from Bowie’s many recording and touring bands. Led by Mike Garson, Bowie’s longest-standing member, the lineup boasts guitarist Earl Slick, Gerry Leonard, Carmine Rojas, Mark Plati, Charlie Sexton, and others. At this point, for many of Bowie’s supporting rebels, the material is a marriage of muscle memory and the preservation of legacy, but the team’s collective priority is to get it right. For some, this is the closest they will get to a Bowie performance. For others, it’s a time capsule of rock ‘n’ roll’s golden years. $35+
Valentine’s Day is so passé. Entering its 32nd year, the Erotic Poetry and Music Festival remains “Detroit’s oldest community arts celebration” of all things that make you squirm and squeal. Taking it off on the burlesque stage, Magenta DeMure, Sophia Von Stardust, Kitty & Eris, and Ravenna Munster. Poets Lady of Pain, Dena Luckett, and Tara Ray are among those talking dirty. Art by Julie Fournier, Brian Lewandowski, Louisa Spina, and Inga Cobb will be on display, and artist Satori Circus returns as a featured performer along with the Firewalkers. There will also be erotic edibles, hot dogs, tarot readings, and vendors offering up goodies that range from sensual to sexual. $15-$20
http://www.facebook.com/EroticPoetryandMusicFestival“Plodded Account” sounds like a Frasier episode title, but from the perspective of previous Red Bull Arts Detroit resident James Oscar Lee, the phrase encompasses memory timelines and is also the name of his latest solo exhibition. A Detroit-based painter and artist, Lee has come to be known for his abstract large-scale paintings that play with textural illusion, emotive layering, and “disrupted landscapes.” Lee does not shy away from color with “Plodded Account” which plays with pastel colors and jewel tones and is described as a broader narrative, as each piece in the series “cinematically interacts with one another.” Free
https://www.facebook.com/events/2224910371057990/Interested in how fashion is tailored to constrict the female figure and ultimately, to transform it, the artist borrows techniques and materials from garment-making to create forms that evoke fashion but function instead as sculpture and space. Free admission
Distilled presents a series of paintings that explore water. Reid is currently and Artist-in-Residence at Cranbrook Schools and has received many awards including the Kresge Foundation’s Kresge Arts in Detroit Visual Artist Fellowship Prize and the prestigious Governor’s Award for Emerging Artist (Michigan).
A psychiatrist who now works and resides in Rochester, New York, Horn has continued to collect African art, amassing a sizable trove of 20th century works. He caught the attention of the Flint Institute of Arts director John Henry, who invited him to exhibit his collection in the museum. Starting this weekend, Horn's collection finds a temporary home in Flint as part of the museum's Black History Month celebrations. $10 donation
Though beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, Michigan’s dismal winter pallet is an acquired taste and we are sort of totally over it. To offer some eye-candy, David Klein Gallery’s Fractured Beauty features three multidisciplinary artists, all of whom explore color, perspective, and form through their respective mediums. Alisa Henriquez uses collage and distortion as a means to explore femininity and Detroit-based Andrew Krieger uses wood and clay to create three-dimensional panels to reflect the many sides of beauty. Rounding out the showcase is Los Angeles sculptor Brad Howe, who mixes nature and bold color to explain his multi-perspective narrative. Fractured Beauty will be on display until March 23. Free
While the definition of the American dream has changed since Arthur Miller penned Death of a Salesman in 1949, one thing remains the same — Death of a Salesman is a profoundly sad play (and the title is a total spoiler alert). Through the eye-opening tale of father, husband, and salesman Willy Loman, Miller’s seminal work follows the American Dream as it tragically slips through his fingers. Directed by Joe Bailey, The Ringwald’s production has enlisted Wilde Award-winner Joel Mitchell to star as Loman as well as Kelly Komlen, Donny Riedel, Jeffrey McMahon, Darryl Maharidge, Randy Stewart, Dante Jones, and others. $20.