16 things to do in Detroit this week (Feb. 5-11)

By Travis R. Wright on Wed, Feb 5, 2014 at 5:26 pm

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Slideshow

16 things to do in Detroit this week (Feb. 5-11)

SATURDAY, 08Detroit Derby GirlsAh, roller derby. The only time you can watch women with names like Roxanna Hardplace and Princess Die hip check each other … on roller skates. But roller derby is no mere theatrics: It’s a competitive, athletic sport, and Saturday’s bout won’t disappoint. It’s a double header — the Detroit Pistoffs square off against the Pistolwhippers, while the D-Funk Allstars take on the Devil’s Night Dames. In honor of the American Heart Association’s Go Red campaign, fans are asked to wear red to promote heart health. A shuttle will take fans to McShane’s Irish Pub in Corktown for an after party following the match. See all the bumps, bruises and beauties at the Detroit Masonic Temple at 4:45. Tickets are $18.

FRIDAY, 07ManowarSorry, the tickets are how much? It’s $75 minimum? For fucking Manowar? To be fair, the metal titans hardly ever play metro Detroit, so there will be some demand for the group of musicians with a penchant for puffing out their barbarian chests and wielding a broadsword. Whether the demand matches the insane cover charge remains to be seen. Those who do go will surely be rewarded with a killer metal show and a whole lot of epic power metal tunes. The bravado is part of the deal, and those fans will expect nothing less. Just watch out for those swinging loincloths. The loudest metalheads on the planet will shake the Royal Oak Music Theatre on Friday, doors open at 8 p.m.

SUNDAY, 09The Black Angels • Roky Erickson & the Hounds of BaskervilleAustin band the Black Angels is named after a Velvet Underground song, “The Black Angel’s Death Song,” and they love the 13th Floor Elevators, so their quality influences are present and correct. The band has a very psychedelic sound, though a contemporary take on the Nuggets formula, so the fact that it’s touring with Roky Erickson of those 13th Floor Elevators makes complete sense. Erikson is 66 now and, though he has piled on a few pounds and is gray around the edges, he still looks like the mildly deranged and out-of-left-field rocker that he’s always been. This double bill will be awesome. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. at The Magic Stick in Detroit. Tickets start at $20.

WEDNESDAY, 05Cirque du Soleil: VarekaiWild costumes, astounding acrobatics, vibrant colors, intense precision and an incredible spirit of wonderment are all characteristics of a Cirque du Soleil show, and Varekai promises to deliver them all during its short stint in Detroit. Varekai, which translates to “wherever” in the Romani language, “pays tribute to the nomadic soul.” According to the website, “The sky lets go a solitary young man, and the story of Varekai begins. Parachuted into the shadows of a magical forest, a kaleidoscopic world imbued with fantastical creatures, a young man takes flight in an adventure both absurd and extraordinary.” This acrobatic act will be flying high at the Joe Louis Arena Friday, February 5 - Sunday, February 9. Tickets start at $38.

SATURDAY, 08John Acquaviva & Kevin SaundersonThere’s a lot to get excited about here. A performance by Kevin Saunderson would be reason enough to party — one of techno’s original godfathers, Saunderson has had success through the years under the aliases Kreem and Inner City while also DJing by his own name. Saunderson’s a living legend — hell, the guy’s mixing board is now in the Detroit Historical Museum. Add London, Ontario’s John Acquaviva to the mix and we now have a rock solid night of electronic music. Acquaviva has decades of DJing on his résumé and is one of the founders of electronic music download site Beatport. Grasshopper residents Golf Clap and PRGRM round out the bill. Catch the show at the Grasshopper Underground at 8 p.m.

FRIDAY, 07Dilla Day • De La SoulDe La Soul has been around since ’87, which makes sense to us because we can remember kicking back to “Me Myself and I” at high school. That 3 Feet High and Rising album was and remains a killer, but it shouldn’t be forgotten that the band has released a ton of material since then and most of it is great. It often is forgotten, but it shouldn’t be. Don’t panic though; they’ll also play “Say No Go” and “The Magic Number.” This show is a celebration of the Detroit talent that was J Dilla, so members of Slum Village will also be performing. Dilla would surely approve. Celebrate Dilla at The Fillmore in Detroit. Tickets start at $35. Doors open at 8 p.m.

THURSDAY, 06G. Love & Special Sauce How much more laid-back can G Love get? At this point, he makes Beck sound like he’s bouncing around on speed. But that’s how we like him. The Special Sauce sound was the soundtrack to many summers back in the mid-’90s, and those same people are now trying to get through the week as working men and women. They need some musical Xanax to avoid getting addicted to the real thing. G. Love has a new album due out this year, sugar. It’s unlikely to be a slab of speed metal, so the new songs played at St. Andy’s will probably go down just fine with a crowd that just wants to sway. Catch the show at St. Andrew’s Hall. Doors open at 7:30. Tickets are $20.

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