Friday
- Inside the Box: Fernando Calzadilla's Duologue With a Painting at Miami Theater Center: Having a conversation with a painting sounds like something you did during a college acid trip. But this weekend, it's a living, breathing, naked reality. In Duologue With a Painting, Fernando Calzadilla will not only exhibit his reclining nudes but also embody his work by becoming a live painting. Audience members can look at, wander around, and, yes, talk to the painting via a chair and microphone situated in front of the artist/art. Feel free to ask the painting its opinion on aesthetics, politics, and philosophy, or simply witness the spectacle without the aid of psychedelic substances.
- The Four Tops at Magic City Casino: Not many people can imagine doing the same job, the same hobby, or the same person for 40 years. But The Four Tops somehow kept the same lineup from 1953 until the death of Lawrence Payton in 1997. Even though the roster has changed drastically since then (the only original Top still singing is Abdul "Duke" Fakir), tunes such as "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)" and "Reach Out I'll Be There" are sure to give you all the throwback feels of Motown's heyday.
- SoFlo Cake & Candy Expo at Miami Airport Convention Center: Some people occasionally whip up the one recipe they have for chocolate chip cookies. But real bakers blow everybody's minds at totally inappropriate times, like when they bring an Easter cake to work that's too pretty to eat but once you start you can't stop shoving it in your face, crying. For those types of bakers (or, ya know, professionals), the SoFlo Cake & Candy Expo is here to get your piping tips wet — with frosting, that is. It's two days of every confectioner's possible desire, including classes and a cake competition.
- Miami International Jazz Fest at Various Locations: Though many jazz musicians are comfortable playing huge venues in massively sponsored and attended festivals, the true home of this music is in small, intimate theaters or clubs. Unlike its larger counterparts, the Miami International Jazz Fest stays true to those roots with three nights of jazz performances in venues as cozy as the Lilt Lounge at the Epic Hotel. The festivities celebrate International Jazz Day and Duke Ellington's birthday via performances by Wendy Pederson, Conjunto Impacto, and the GFS Trio.
- Renegade Craft Fair Miami at Mana Wynwood: Miami could learn a few things from Chicago: how to create halfway decent public transit, for example, or how to put more cheese on pizza. One Chicago-born endeavor that is sure to grace our tropical paradise is the Renegade Craft Fair, a curated showcase of products by local artists and artisans that has expanded far beyond the Windy City. The first Magic City edition features 75 vendors of jewelry, home wares, and all manner of handicraft, nearly a dozen pushers of food and refreshments, plus DJs and giveaways. Because anything Chicago can do, Miami can do hotter.
- Spring Illustrated in Miami Beach: Come out to Alton Road for Spring Illustrated, which showcases some of Miami’s top artists along with other newcomers. Expect pieces from David Anasagasti, Santiago Rubino, Homero Ganem, and ABTRK. For more information, visit artofmiami.com.
Lula Del Rey
- Manual Cinema: Lula Del Rey at South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center: As April draws to a close, so does Miami's annual poetry festival, O, Miami. The sometimes strange, sometimes beautiful, and always poetic month of events culminates with Lula Del Ray, a mixed-media performance piece by Manual Cinema. Combining the nostalgia of radio and vintage country tunes with the almost twinkly light of an overhead projector, this Chicago collective crafts a poignant coming-of-age tale with almost no dialogue. Following the final performance Saturday night, an afterparty sending off National Poetry Month will include food trucks, drinks, giveaways, and the Rambling String Band on the SMDCAC plaza.
- Miami Lowrider Car Show at Fair Expo Center: Lowriders have gone in and out of style since the '70s, but they've never lost their mystique. Even your lame cousin who worked at Chicken Kitchen looked fly behind the wheel. The Miami Lowrider Car Show is chock full of similar awesomeness, such as a tattoo expo, a barber battle, and a carhop competition. Bring the little ones to enjoy the Kid Zone, an appetite to enjoy the food trucks, and your preadolescent dreams of true coolness.
Ticketmaster
- Red Hot Chili Peppers at American Airlines Arena: Has anything erased the vague anxiety you felt while watching a tube sock dangle from Anthony Kiedis' junk? Didn't think so. Aside from a penchant for nudity, the Red Hot Chili Peppers have enjoyed a 30-year career of chart-topping albums, including their latest, The Getaway, which was the impetus for this tour. Their pit stop in Miami is one of more than 25 shows added to their initial dates. Even if all you've got is a beanie and a vague knowledge of the chorus in "Under the Bridge," you'll fit in just fine with these funk-rock hall-of-famers.
- Spam Allstars Album Release Party at North Beach Bandshell: Miami's music scene owes a million thank-yous to DJ Spam and the Spam Allstars. These musicians were whipping up crowds like scrambled eggs for breakfast years before Wynwood became a gentrified arts district. The Allstars just released their sixth album, Trans-Oceanic. Catch the band playing its brand of Afro-Cuban dance-liciousness at the North Beach Bandshell this week in partnership with the Rhythm Foundation, Blackbird Ordinary, and Purdy Lounge.
- Get L.I.T.: Love, Intellect, and Truth at Inhale Miami: Kids these days use the term "lit" in the same way older generations said "off the chain." Inhale Miami has taken "lit" to the next level with its yoga event Get L.I.T.!, an acronym for "love, intellect, and truth." The day will feature the ancient teachings of Vedanta by instructor Rina Jakubowicz, food and beverages, and yoga set to a live performance by synthy dance duo Afrobeta, which will play a score created especially for the occasion.
- Japanese Spring Festival at Miami Beach Botanical Garden: Japanese culture inspires people around the world. Its tea ceremonies encourage mindfulness. Its street fashion prompt risk-taking styles across the globe. And at the 2017 Japanese Spring Festival, Miami Beach Botanical Garden is offering a thank-you by celebrating Japan and its relationship with Miami. Expect taiko drumming by Fushu Daiko, flower arrangement classes, tea ceremonies, martial arts for kids, and anime-themed vendors at this far-out family day.
