This Weekend's Agenda: 28+ Events (Sept. 16-18)

FRIDAY
THE JAZZ ROOM
This monthly program offers today’s best jazz musicians paying homage to the greats of the past. Here, a special edition known as “Piano Night” puts a focus on the versatile instrument, with a survey of standards.

HEART WITH JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS AND CHEAP TRICK
This one’s a must for fans of ’80s music. Even today, Heart’s “Baracuda,” Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll,” and Cheap Trick’s “I Want You to Want Me” remain staples on rock radio.

SOUL JUNCTION: HISTORIC WEST END MUSIC FESTIVAL
This two-day festival at Johnson C. Smith University has live music, food trucks, and drinks. It all goes down on the Liston Hall Lawn, with acts like Rudy Currence, Chantae Cann, Trumpet Mafia, Ida Divine, and more.

PLAZA PATIO PARTY
This Friday marks the last in a series of monthly community parties hosted by the Healthy Home Market in Plaza-Midwood. Enjoy free food samples, beer tastings, live music, games and more. Wear your Panthers gear and get 10% off your purchase, valid for the day of the event only.

HEIGHTENED PERSPECTIVES 1
The Projective Eye Gallery at UNC Charlotte Center City hosts the first of this two-part exhibition, a project of the school and Light Factory. Works by experimental filmmaker Phil Solomon and installation artist Ethan Jackson are featured.

ART, BEATS, + LYRICS
The traveling music and art show comes back to Charlotte, hitting the Fillmore on Friday. Scarface, Carla Aaron-Lopez, Dammit Wesley, Wolly McNair, and Marcus Kiser perform. An interactive exhibtiion, featuring work from Shark Toof and Frank Morrison, also visits.

COLORING AND COCKTAILS
This event description is real, so we’re just going to present it to you here in its entirety: “Join us for a fun and relaxing social evening of coloring at the City Art Room! Coloring supplies, including premium coloring books for adults, will be provided. You are highly encouraged to bring food, have food delivered, and or bring soft/hard drinks.” This hilarious evening starts at 8 at 5019 Wilkinson Blvd.

SCIENCE ON THE ROCKS
In its monthly adults-only museum night, Discovery Place becomes a crime scene for a CSI-Charlotte-themed night. Along with drinking in a kids’ museum, adults can explore the science behind fingerprinting, blood-splatter analysis and more tonight. 

BLACK OPULENCE ALL-BLACK GALA
This elegant evening features three special guests, including a Grammy Award-nominated recording artist, gourmet food and premium cocktails. Attire, as the name suggests, is all-black cocktail dress. The evening is at Blue, which might sound confusing at an all-black gala.

SATURDAY
BRAD PAISLEY
Paisley is a Nashville country star, but he hasn’t forgotten his West Virginian roots. When flooding devastated several small towns in the Mountain State last summer, Paisley started a relief fund by putting in $100,000 of his own money.

MELT ALBUM RELEASE PARTY
Repossession Blues is the debut LP from Melt, an indie rock outfit from Croquet Records. This release show also has Modern Primitives, Cuzco, and Faye on the bill. Check out our exclusive preview of the record here.

CANINES & COCKTAILS
This Saturday, WP Kitchen + Bar is hosting a special event on the patio for you and your dog. WP will provide complimentary small bites and homemade treats for your furry friends. THey’ll even be offering some special dog-themed cocktails, too. Reservations are welcome; call the restaurant: (704) 295-0101. 

THIRD ANNUAL NO KID HUNGRY DINNER
Join Mimosa Grill for this year’s Charlotte No Kid Hungry Dinner, a multi-course affair curated and crafted by women in the industry. Participating chefs are Ashley Auer of Cooks & Soldiers in Atlanta, Annie Pettry of Decca Restaurant in Kentucky, and Alyssa Wilen of Chef Alyssa’s Kitchen here in Charlotte. Master sommelier, Laura Maniec of Corkbuzz in New York and Charlotte and mixologist Madison Burch of Tavernpointe, Seven Lamps, and GRAIN in Atlanta will also contribute to this fundraising event to help end childhood hunger.

SYCAMORE BRUNCH
Enjoy a lazy brunch and a couple of pints at Sycamore Brewing this Saturday. This time, the Gyro Twins food truck will make "Greko-Cypriot" inspired dishes, including a Greek Meets West omelet and traditional Cypriot breakfast made with Halloumi cheese, bulgar wheat, and watermelon.

WINE TASTINGS AT FOXCROFT WINE CO.
Foxcroft Wine Co. of SouthPark will host their "Wine of the Month" tasting this Saturday afternoon. Meanwhile, the Dilworth location will play host to a pop-up tasting for Paolo Scavino. For just $15, enjoy sampling five Italian wines, including three Barolos. The cost of the tasting can go toward purchases of six bottles or more made on that day.

HEIRLOOM COCKTAIL CLASS: MUDDY RIVER DISTILLERY
Learn to make cocktails using spirits from local distillery Muddy River this Saturday afternoon at locavore restaurant Heirloom in Coulwood. Enjoy small bites along with the handcrafted cocktails. Call to reserve; special pricing for couples.

RIVER JAM
On Thursdays and Saturdays during the summer, River Jam offers free outdoor music at the U.S. National Whitewater Center. This month’s lineup includes The Hip Abduction (Sept. 1), The Trongone Band (Sept. 3), Dangermuffin (Sept. 8), Billy Strings (Sept. 10), Sol Driven Train (Sept. 15), Dank (Sept. 17), Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band (Sept. 22), and Seth Stainback & Roosterfoot (Sept. 29).

DIGITAL SEQUELAE: THE BACKSTORY
Ramya debuted her interactive “pod” experience during a Goodyear Arts showcase in August. The artist now talks about this experience at a talk at the residency space. “The pods are a result of a two-month exploration of how people interact with and are shaped by digital environments,” the artist says.

DAMFEST
This fundraiser to benefit the Cotton Branch Farm Animal Sanctuary offers a long list of activities. The party includes musical, aerial and fire (!) performers; a vegan buffet that includes vegan pizza; free beer and wine and a private beach on Lake Wylie with karaoke and games. The fun starts at 2 p.m. at The Dam House, 2732 Island Cove Road in Fort Mill. 

LOWCOUNTRY ON THE GREEN
​Olde Mecklenburg Brewery transforms into a Lowcountry boil tonight for this fundraiser to support Community In Schools. This party also features craft beers (of course), live music and a silent auction. The party is at 4150 Yancey Road. 

BLACK AND BLUE BAR CRAWL
This bar crawl starts at 2 p.m. and goes until midnight, so good luck surviving. Drink specials throughout the crawl, which will take you to RiRa, SIP, Connolly’s, Prohibition, The Local, Roxbury, Flight and Fitzgerald’s, include $3 Miller Lite drafts, $4 Bacardi and $5 vodka Red Bulls. Each bar is giving away a pair of tickets to the game between the Panthers and the ‘49ers for Sunday’s game, so, really, try to stay alive. Tickets, which start at about $12, include free entry into all participating bars and free parking (if you park at the Wake Forest parking garage and bring your ticket for validation to Fitzgerald’s). The crawl starts at Fitzgerald’s.

PREMATURE OKTOBERFEST
It’s only September, which obviously means it’s time for the Premature Oktoberfest. This party features live music, food, an open bar and raffles. The evening starts at 7 at Rooftop 210.

SUNDAY
SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER
Some movies are no-brainers for stage adaptions. Saturday Night Fever is one of them, armed with tunes like "Stayin' Alive" and "Disco Inferno." Grab some bell-bottoms and get down to Theatre Charlotte.

SOCO GALLERY
La Vie Boheme is a retrospective exhibition from Ken Van Sickle, a prolific photographer from New York City. The photos depict bohemian life in the 1950s and 1960s, and the show runs through Oct. 7.

WINE TASTING AT BISTRO LA BON
Visit this Plaza Midwood favorite on Sunday evening for a drop-in wine tasting that benefits Time Out Youth of Charlotte. Joni Thompson of Grapevine Distributors will conduct a tasting of eight unique wines unavailable on the local retail market. Four whites (one sparkling) and four reds will be offered along with light accompaniments. Guests will have the opportunity to purchase the featured wines at a discount during the event.

PANTHERS' HOME OPENER
Our Carolina Panthers return to Bank of America Stadium today at 1 p.m. for the 2016-2017 home opener, and if you didn’t score tickets, don’t fret. Here are two bars we especially recommend to watch the game with fellow fans.

DRAUGHT
Located just minutes away from Bank of America Stadium, this bar and restaurant will make you feel like you’re there. Each game day, this spot features giveaways and, as always, offers brunch with a mimosa bar. Draught is located at 601 S. Cedar St.

THE DOG HOUSE
If Draught is too far away from Bank of America stadium for your liking, this has to be the spot for you. It’s located just steps away from the stadium, and you can’t get any closer without actually being at the game. Best of all, the pre- and post-game party is always free. The Dog House is located at 401 W. Morehead St.