Weekend arts forecast: Swing guitars, boogie piano and more

The Palladium Theater’s annual Boogie Woogie Piano Stomp is onstage Saturday, featuring masters of the rockin’ keyboard: Rob Rio, Rev. Billy C. Wirtz, Tony Castellano Jr. and Liz Pennock & Dr. Blues (in the latter case, Liz is the piano player, and Dr. B. accompanies her on guitar). Find tickets here.

Tonight at the Palladium, it’s the acoustic group Seals & Crofts 2, consisting of Little Texas founder Brady Seals and Lua Crofts, family members of the legendary 1970s duo Seals & Crofts. Find tickets, and read more about them, here.

The above two shows are in Hough Hall, the large theater upstairs at the Palladium. Sunday afternoon in the intimate Side Door Café, downstairs, bay area jazz guitar ace Nate Najar is back with something a little different. The 4 p.m. show is called Nate Najar’s Swing Guitars, and it also features jazz players Carl Amundson and Dominic Walker, with bassist Joe Porter and drummer Jean Bolduc on a program of “swinging big band, burning bebop, greasy blues and all points in between.” Find tickets here.

At the Mid-Florida Credit Union Amphitheatre, on the Florida State Fairgrounds, east Tampa: Country star Dierks Bentley Friday, and a triple 1980s bill (Culture Club, Berlin and Howard Jones) Saturday. All tickets are here.

We spoke with Berlin’s Terri Nunn earlier this week. Check it out here.

Saturday at The Sound, the new Clearwater Amphitheatre: Snarky Fox News commentator, comedian and author Greg Gutfield. Find tickets here.

Saturday at the Jaeb Theatre, inside Tampa’s Straz Center for the Performing Arts: Standup comic and social media superstar Eric D’Alessandro. We spoke with Mr. D. this week: Check it out here.

New England metal quartet Staind (Break the Cycle) is onstage tonight at the Seminole Hard Rock Event Center (Tampa). Ted Nugent is at the venue Sunday. All tickets are here.

Broadway veteran (and Sarasota resident) Ann Morrison has a Saturday cabaret at freeFall Theatre. Photo provided.

On theater stages

Lizzie: The Musical opens tonight at Jobsite Theatre, in the Straz Center. It runs through Aug. 6; most of this first weekend’s shows are sold out. See what’s what, ticket-wise here.

Ward Smith, owner/operator of The Off-Central, is one of the comedians performing at the St. Pete theater’s Standup Spotlight Saturday (the others are Vien Phommachanh, Kye Saunders and Scott Bird). There’ll be music at the 8 p.m. show, too. Tickets.

At LAB Theater Project (Ybor City) Friday through Sunday: The annual Summer Concert Reading Series, a collection of as-yet-unproduced plays and one-acts. Find details and tickets here.

Musical theater great Anne Morrison returns to freeFall (St. Pete) Saturday with her cabaret show Merrily From Center Stage. Find tickets at this link; here’s our 2022 interview with Ms. M.

The Weekend arts forecast appears every Thursday in the Catalyst. 

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