Editor's note: Due to Hurricane Irma, events are subject to cancellation or postponement. Please contact the venue to confirm.
Thursday
There's nothing a little pop music can't fix, even when a hurricane pummels your town, leaving plenty of people hungry and homeless. The A+E District knows this and is dedicating this month's Rooftop Unplugged to hurricane aid. Rooftop Relief: Aftermath Supply Drive Concert will feature the sounds of Brendan O'Hara. They'll collect supplies such as canned foods, diapers, and flashlights to benefit those suffering from Irma's wrath in the Keys and Caribbean. It's a nice way to give back and to unite and reconnect with the community. Miamians are strong and together can accomplish amazing feats. Might as well start with a drink and a song under the stars. 7 p.m. Thursday at the Filling Station Lofts, 1657 N. Miami Ave., Miami; aedistrictmiami.eventbrite.com. Admission is free with RSVP.
As if the current political climate weren't dire enough, many of the Floridians who voted for Donald Trump were recently made refugees themselves by Hurricane Irma in an ironic twist of fate. Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Robert Schenkkan's Building the Wall revolves around an immigrant detention center as it spirals into chaos after implementing Trump's policies. For a disturbing and human look at the consequences of xenophobic laws and bureaucratic negligence, see this play starring local actors Gregg Weiner and Karen Stephens. 7:30 p.m. Thursday through October 8 at the Adrienne Arsht Center, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; 877-949-6722; arshtcenter.org. Tickets cost $34 to $54.
As the Dominican Republic's official submission for the Oscars' Best Foreign Language Film, Woodpeckers (Carpinteros) is representative of some of the best work coming out of the island nation's now-booming film industry. New Times interviewed director Jose Maria Cabral when the film premiered at the Miami Film Festival in March, before the movie became an official Sundance Film Festival selection or nominee at the Goya Awards. Shot in Najayo prisont using real inmates and guards in roles and as extras, the film follows a new inmate who learns the secret sign language prisoners invented to communicate with the adjacent female prison. Screenings will run for a week at AMC Aventura (19501 Biscayne Blvd., Aventura) and Miami Dade College's Tower Theater, and two receptions at Tower Theater Thursday and Savor Cinema (503 SE Sixth St., Fort Lauderdale) Saturday will include Q&As with Cabral and leading actor Jean Jean. 7 p.m. Thursday at Tower Theater, 1508 SW Eighth St., Miami; 305-237-2463; towertheatermiami.com. Tickets cost $15.
Club Space is known worldwide as a mecca for electronic music. With the Ground, the megaclub is opening its doors to a wider audience. This week, the legendary industrial band Front 242 will perform an exclusive Florida show with Nina Belief and Mystic Bill thanks to Heroes Live Entertainment and Fort Lauderdale's Radio-Active Records. The group's first album, Geography, came out in 1982 and quickly reached audiences all over Europe and eventually the world. They are pioneers of the electronic body music style and have influenced plenty of those that have come after. Expect something special with this unpredictable and enduring band. 8 p.m. Saturday at the Ground, 34 NE 11th St., Miami; 305-375-0001; facebook.com/thegroundmiami. Admission starts at $35.
Friday
Sex! Now that we have your attention, boobs! Half the world's population has them, so why not celebrate them? Stache in Fort Lauderdale is doing just that with Boob-a-Palooza, a night of boobs, bourbon, and barbecue. Enjoy a barbecue dinner buffet and sample whiskey from Woodford Reserve, Buffalo Trace, and others as you listen to live music from Brendan O'Hara. Twenty-five dollars of each VIP ticket will go to the Broward Health Foundation's fund for breast cancer research as well as the Glam-a-Thon charity. 5 p.m. Friday at Stache Drinking Den, 109 SW Second Ave., Fort Lauderdale; 954-449-1044; stacheftl.com. General-admission tickets cost $25; VIP tickets are sold out.
Lianna chronicles the sexual awakening of a married woman who begins an affair with her professor. This makes it a fitting theme for Space Mountain's monthly party, Where Are the Lesbians. Artists Ebony Rhodes and Fabiola Rodriguez reimagined the 1983 film to screen inside the current exhibition, "Cuatro Deseos." Get there early to see the original film; then enjoy a party with drinks, dreamy landscapes, and tunes. Proceeds benefit the Aqua Foundation. 6:30 p.m. Friday at Space Mountain, 738 NW 62nd St., Miami; spacemountainmia.org. Admission costs $7.
Need to dance off some of that tension you've been retaining since you learned that a megastorm was barreling toward your home? Heart Nightclub's doors are wide open for you with British DJs James Zabiela and Secondcity. Zabiela is known for his technical skills and Born Electric label, while Secondcity recently released "Kwelanga" via Toolroom Records and is gearing up for the release of another EP this month. 11 p.m. Friday at Heart Nightclub, 50 NE 11th St., Miami; heartnightclub.com. Admission costs $10 before 1 a.m. and $20 after.
South Florida recently took a hit from Hurricane Irma, but that's not stopping international heartbreaker Luis Fonsi from taking his Love + Dance World Tour at Hard Rock Live. The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, a fortress in the Everglades, will help you continue to regain a sense of structure after the storm. Expect a range of emotionality during this performance, with Fonsi showing off his ballads and the biggest song of his, yours, and everyone else's summer: "Despacito." That wildly popular ear bug will be with you for the rest of your life after this show, but it's too addictive to miss. 8 p.m. Friday at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, 1 Seminole Way, Hollywood; seminolehardrockhollywood.com. Tickets start at $30.
Saturday
German culture isn't the most celebrated in Miami, but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy a good beer festival in the tradition of our European counterparts. At Blocktoberfest, Concrete Beach will re-release its Floridafest Coconut Marzen for a street-engulfing block party offering German food, live music, and samplings from Wynwood breweries. As far as fall celebrations go, it beats the hell out of a pumpkin spice latte. 1 p.m. Saturday at Concrete Beach, 325 NW 24th St., Miami; 305-796-2727; concretebeachbrewery.com. Admission is free.
Arcade Fire's latest record, Everything Now, broke a lot of streaks for the band. It was the first time they failed to end an album on a rousing, cathartic anthem like "Wake Up" or "No Cars Go." It was also their first record to earn less than a 6 from Pitchfork. Arcade Fire might be past its prime, but that shouldn't prevent you from going to the band's show this weekend. After all, singing along with an entire arena to "Rebellion (Lies)" alone is worth the price of admission. 8 p.m. Saturday at the Watsco Center, 1245 Dauer Dr., Coral Gables; 305-284-8244; watscocenter.com. Tickets cost $31 to $71 via ticketmaster.com.
Getting cross-faded is not for the meek among us, but practice makes perfect. Whether you're a seasoned mixer or not, Where Locals Go is presenting the Half Baked Cannabis Bar Crawl, a new version of its tried-and-true bar crawl that's just a little, um, higher. Happy Times, Midtown Smoke Shop, and Vape N Smoke, along with the Marijuana Doctor, will be at Shots to disseminate information about their products and how to obtain your own medical card, all while classic stoner films such as Friday and Pineapple Express play in the background. If you're planning to pregame with something other than alcohol, just be sure to pace yourself through those five free drinks. 6 p.m. Saturday at Shots Miami, 311 NW 23rd St., Miami; 305-571-0439; wherelocalsgo.net. Tickets cost $15 to $20.
With 13 bands playing 13-minute sets, Death to the Sun promises it'll be quick, easy, and sweet. This semiannual homegrown rock festival presents the best and brightest — and also the weirdest — acts Miami has to offer. The fest, created by musician Ricardo Guerrero, will take place at the North Beach Bandshell for the third year. It'll feature Gavin Perry of Holly Hunt's side project Academic, the grown-up punks of Donzii, and the delightfully odd and talented Rick Fantasies, among others. There will also be a live stream by Jolt Radio and wares by Midnight Thrift and ABA Jewels. 4 p.m. Saturday at North Beach Bandshell, 7275 Collins Ave., Miami Beach; northbeachbandshell.com. Admission is free, but attendees are encouraged to donate at gofundme.com/DTTS7.
Sunday
It might seem hard to believe, but III Points is less than a month away. It's crunch time, people. To prepare you for the sheer amazement of the festival proper, the organizers have teamed up with Gramps to bring Aussie DJ Tornado Wallace into town. That's right, he's actually called Tornado Wallace. Considering Miami's recent troubles with windy weather and the festival's own history with hurricanes, it's a pretty appropriate name. Also on the bill for the dusk-to-midnight party is El Bigote, Patrick Walsh, and Sinopoli. 5 p.m. Sunday at Gramps, 176 NW 24th St., Miami; 305-669-2669; gramps.com. Admission is free.
South America is known for its metal heads. And Rata Blanca is one of the legendary heavy bands from that region. Formed in 1986 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, by guitarist Walter Giardino, it's one of the more important Spanish-language rock outfits. The band is so big that even American metal heads (who often know only American artists) are fans. The Grammy-nominated group's song "Mujer Amante" is a megaballad, and the "The Fairy and the Mage" has been watched by scores of YouTubers. The multiplatinum-selling act has shared stages with AC/DC, Megadeth, Ozzy Osbourne, Judas Priest, and Kiss and will soon hit up the new downtown venue the Ground. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Ground, 34 NE 11th St.. Miami; 305-375-0001; facebook.com/thegroundmiami. Admission costs $40 to $70.
Tuesday
Late-'90s pop ballads don't get much better than David Gray's "Babylon," even if adult alternative seems like code for depressing, middle-aged-white-lady music. But Gray has enjoyed quite the career on the other side of the pond, evidenced by the U.K. artist's show at Parker Playhouse. Even if you don't know all the words to this folk-rock crooner's songs, you can catch the highlights of his 25-year career. 8 p.m. Tuesday at Parker Playhouse, 707 NE Eighth St., Fort Lauderdale; 954-462-0222; parkerplayhouse.com. Tickets cost $47.50 to $67.50.
Wednesday
One of the most hilariously boneheaded, harebrained schemes Todd comes up with in the new season of Bojack Horseman involves a Foster the People song. "I'm just saying," he explains, outlining a plan to solve the gun crisis, "if people have the right to pumped-up kicks, maybe they can outrun the bullets!" Absurd cartoon references aside, Foster the People actually has a few more songs than its big hit, "Pumped Up Kicks," such as the funky "Houdini" and the more emotional "I Would Do Anything for You." You can hear them all when the band performs in South Beach. With Cherry Glazerr. 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Fillmore Miami Beach, 1700 Washington Ave., Miami Beach; 305-673-7300; fillmoremb.com. Tickets cost $29.50 to $48.50 via livenation.com.
