From a series of “Cruel World” ’80s acts to “The Planets” in San Jose and a music festival in Mill Valley, there is a lot to see and hear in the Bay Area this weekend and beyond.
Here’s a partial roundup.
Cruel World comes north
Not planning on making the trek to catch the big ’80s music celebration known as Cruel World at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on May 17? Well, that’s OK because a number of the festival’s coolest acts also have gigs scheduled in the Bay Area.
Clan of Xymox: The dark wave music pioneers from the Netherlands play the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on May 12 (8 p.m.; $35; gamh.com).
She Past Away: The Turkish post-punk act, which also tends to get lumped into the dark wave subgenre, visits the Great American on May 13 (8 p.m.; $35; gamh.com).
The Go-Go’s: The amazing Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, known for such early ’80s smashes as “Our Lips Are Sealed” and “We Got the Beat,” perform at the Warfield in San Francisco on May 13 (8 p.m.; $79 and up; axs.com).
Buzzcocks: The finest pop-punk outfit of all time hits Harlow’s in Sacramento on Tuesday and the Catalyst in Santa Cruz on May 14 (8 p.m.; $38.90 Sacramento; $43.95 Santa Cruz; buzzcocks.com/events).
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds: Cave, one of the most magnetic performers in all of rock, leads the Bad Seeds back into the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco on May 13 (8 p.m.; $101 and up; apeconcerts.com).
Madness: Go “One Step Beyond” with this legendary British ska-pop act that sets up shop on May 14 at Channel 24 in Sacramento and May 15 at the Fox Theater in Oakland (8 p.m.; $66 and up Sacramento; $78 and up Oakland; apeconcerts.com).
— Jim Harrington, Staff
Classical picks: ‘Planets,’ Latinx composers, UC Berkeley orchestra
This week’s classical music offerings have lots in store, from an interplanetary voyage to a gathering of top contemporary composers.
A trip through the solar system: Symphony San Jose’s “The Planets — An HD Odyssey” promises a thrilling multi-media experience, with music by Holst’s “The Planets” played by the orchestra under Tatsuya Shimono even as NASA images are projected on the big screen above the stage. In addition to Holst’s seven-movement orchestral suite, the musical program includes Jessie Montgomery’s “Starburst” and Mozart’s “Jupiter” Symphony.
Details: 7:30 p.m. May 10, 2:30 p.m. May 11; California Theatre, San Jose; $35-$121.50; half-price youth tickets available for those 17 and under when purchased with a full-price ticket; symphonysanjose.org.
“Shared Rituals”: That’s the title of a May 10 concert by the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, featuring works by five Latinx composers and presented in partnership with the Friction Quartet. The program closes the company’s 54th season with an impressive gathering, including composers Tania Léon, Gabriela Lena Frank, Ana Lara, Miguel Chuaqui, and Gabriela Ortiz. The program opens with a prelude concert showcasing Paul Mortilla’s 2024 “Comedia”; the mainstage event’s guest artists include soprano Cara Gabrielson, mezzo Kindra Scharich, tenor Eric Dudley, baritone Ryan Bradford, and harpsichordist Sun Chang.
Details: Prelude concert at 7 p.m., mainstage concert at 8 p.m.; Brava Theater, San Francisco; $18-$45; cityboxoffice.com.
Mahler and Chen Yi in Berkeley: Established in 1923, the UC Berkeley Symphony Orchestra has been honing the talents of university musicians since 1923. Under its current conductor, David Milnes, this weekend brings two performances on the Berkeley campus; the featured works are “Landscape Impressions” by composer and violinist Chen Yi, and Mahler’s five-movement Symphony No. 7.
Details: 8 p.m. May 9-10, Hertz Concert Hall, UC Berkeley; $30 general, $20 students/seniors; $5 UC Berkeley students; 510-642-9988; secure-tickets.berkeley.edu.
— Georgia Rowe, Correspondent
Dance highlights: King & Akinmusire; Mark Morris
Here are two performances Bay Area dance fans should know about.
Alonzo King: The renowned choreographer is known for his many collaborations with stars in the music world, including Kronos Quartet, Mickey Hart, Jason Moran and many more. This time he is teaming on a world premiere work with trumpeter and composer Ambrose Akinmusire, whose talent and unique sound has made him a sought-after star of the jazz world. The new work is on a program with Alonzo King LINES Ballet’s revival of one of its most popular works, “Scheherazade,” featuring a score by tabla master Zakir Hussain.
Details: May 10-18; Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco; $42-$124; www.cityboxoffice.com
Mark Morris Dance Group: Speaking of much-anticipated revivals, Mark Morris Dance Group is bringing one of its better-known works, “Pepperland,” back to UC Berkeley this weekend. The work, a co-commission by Cal Performances, features King’s typically evocative choreography set to music by Ethan Iverson — inspired, of course, by the iconic songs brought forth by the game-changing Beatles album “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.”
Details: Presented by Cal Performances; 8 p.m. May 9-10, 3 p.m. May 11; Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley; tickets start at $42; calperformances.org.
— Randy McMullen, Staff
Mill Valley music on tap
For people who enjoy live music in gorgeous settings, the outdoor Mill Valley Music Festival is nestled in the verdant community that Jerry Garcia and Janis Joplin once called home.
The fourth annual fest takes place over one May weekend and features a few new attractions and activities. Among other things, there’s going to be a fairy-tale puppet show with giant puppets, a massive mural-painting project to celebrate Mill Valley’s 125th anniversary, and a return of the surreal Silent Disco where you can “dance like nobody’s watching.”
And of course there’s music. Saturday’s bill includes guitarist and singer Gary Clark Jr., the Crosby Collective with Special Guests, Malian singer Vieux Farka Touré and hip-hop group Ghost-Note. Then on Sunday, attendees can jam to Nile Rodgers & Chic, psychedelic-soul group Monophonics, the Jamaican DJ Sister Nancy and East L.A.’s Thee Sinseers – plus many more artists on a second and more-intimate stage focusing on local talent.
Details: noon-7 p.m. May 10 and 11; Friends Field, 180 Camino Alto, Mill Valley; one-day adult general admission is $147; millvalleymusicfest.com.
— John Metcalfe, Staff
CAAMFest returns to SF
The Center for Asian American Media’s (CAAM) annual film festival packs in a lot for its four-day run (May 8-11) with a slate of 40 films.
The San Francisco-based program opens with the poignant and personal “Third Act” (6:30 p.m. today, AMC Kabuki, San Francisco ). Director Tadashi Nakamura turns the lens on himself and his pioneering activist, photographer and filmmaking father Robert, considered “The Godfather of Asian American Film.” The elder Nakamura led the way in encouraging conversations about the World War II incarceration of Japanese Americans at a time when few addressed the issue on film. He and his son collaborated on creating this touching feature that debuted at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. “Third Act” celebrates a father’s remarkable achievements while reflecting what life is like for someone with Parkinson’s Disease.
Also screening:
“Chinatown Cha-Cha”: Nightclub dancer Coby Yee decides at 92 to kick up her heels again and go on tour with the senior dance troupe Grant Avenue Follies. Director Luka Yuanyuan Yang’s film is filled with Bay Area reference points, including the Forbidden City nightclub. It shows 8 p.m. Friday, AMC Kabuki.
“Yellow Face”: Playwright David Henry Hwang’s semi-autobiographical play takes a complex look at the casting of white actors in Asian American roles and features Daniel Dae Kim as a fictionalized version of Hwang, who mistakenly hires a white person for an Asian part after having protested a casting decision. PBS filmed this stage production and it closes out the fest at 8 p.m. May 11 at the AMC Kabuki.
Details: Complete lineup, tickets, more information is at caamfest.com/2025.
— Randy Myers, Correspondent
Freebie of the week
Members of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and its pianist Robert Mollicone are gathering at the Piedmont Piano Company in Oakland this Thursday evening to offer us, gratis, a little “Night Music.” It’s a chamber concert that will be mounted by vioinists Jennifer Cho (who is also the concertmaster of the Walnut Creek-based California Symphony), Leslie Ludena, Barbara Riccardi and Dian Zhang; violist Lindan Burns; bassist William Wasson; flutist Stephanie McNab; oboist Gabriel Young; English horn player Benjamin Brogadir and bassoonist Daniel MacNeill. Their program will include Debussy’s Prelude from the “Suite Bergamasque”; Piazzolla’s “Oblivion”; Eugene Bozza’s “Shepherds of Provence”’Handel and Halvorsen’s Passacaglia for Violin and Viola; the Allegro from Beethoven’s Trio for Flute, Bassoon and Piano; the Menuet from Ravels’ “Le Tombeau de Couperin”; selections from Mahler’s “Songs of a Wayfarer”; Ginastera’s Duo for Flute and Oboe and Julian Milone’s “Carmen Fantasy.”
Details: 7 p.m.; advance registration is required at piedmontpiano.com.
— Bay City News Foundation
