Weekend things to do: Tina Fey & Amy Poehler, sake night in Flagler Village, Jazz Fest Pompano Beach
Getting around downtown Fort Lauderdale will be a different experience this weekend with construction work on the Henry E. Kinney Tunnel closing all lanes of U.S. 1 through 5 p.m. Saturday.
This chapter in the long-running, civil-engineering facelift (the tunnel is nearly 65 years old, so it was time) will be, uh, inconvenient for residents in the city’s core: Your favorite restaurant, lounge or nightclub is on one side of the New River and you are on the other.
Detours that push traffic toward three downtown drawbridges will distribute frustration throughout neighborhoods on both sides of the river. And drivers determined to head west or east on Broward Boulevard will find a Gordian knot of knuckleheads in the approach to U.S. 1.
There are no good solutions here, so visitors will need to factor in more time. And maybe downtown residents can just hunker down for a couple of days, Northsiders and Southies patronizing old favorites (and new) on their respective sides of the river. We’re all in this together.
THURSDAY
Jazz on the beach:Led by Grammy winner Branford Marsalis, the third annual Jazz Fest Pompano Beach returns Thursday through Saturday with main concerts moved to a stage directly on the beach to accommodate its growing popularity. The free festival gets going from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday at the Pompano Beach Cultural Center with music by local favorite The Valerie Tyson Band, joined on the bill by Miami vocalist Yasmeen Matri and saxophonist Randy Corinthian. Friday concerts take place 5:30 to 10 p.m. on the beach just north of East Atlantic Boulevard and feature Grammy-winning tenor saxophonist David Sanchez, followed by smooth-jazz saxophonist Najee. On Saturday from 5:30 to 10 p.m., the beach stage will host music from vocalist Lisa Fischer (as seen in the Oscar-winning documentary “20 Feet From Stardom”) and band Grand Baton, followed by headliner Marsalis. Admission to the festival is free (BYO blankets and chairs) with an RSVP. Seated VIP tickets are sold out. Parking at the Pier Garage is $20 per day. Visit PompanoBeachArts.org.
Weekend laughs: Arena-filling comedian Russell Peters will squeeze his Act Your Age World Tour into the intimate Dania Improv in Dania Beach for shows at 8 p.m. Thursday, 7:30 and 10 p.m. Friday, and 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday. Tickets cost $50+ (Saturday’s 7 p.m. show is sold out). Visit DaniaImprov.com.
Celebrity hooch:Actor Jason Momoa (“Aquaman,” “Game of Thrones”) has two South Florida stops this week to take photos and sign bottles of his Meili vodka brand. On Thursday from 1 to 3 p.m., he’ll be at ABC Fine Wine & Spirits in Oakland Park (3355 N. Federal Highway), and on Friday from 2 to 4 p.m., you’ll find him at Total Wine & More in Miami (2750 SW 27th Terrace, No. 201). Visit MeiliVodka.com.
The art of metal:Trippy Grammy-winning, prog-metal flag bearers Tool are promising an all-new visual experience filled with cutting-edge lights and lasers when they stop at Hard Rock Live at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood for shows at 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday. Scattered tickets remain, with the cheapest resale seats going for around $200. Visit MyHRL.com.
Glam! Bam! RokIsland Fest is back at the Truman Waterfront Park Amphitheater in Key West through Saturday, with many back-in-the-day bands you loved and forgot you loved. Single-day tickets cost $129+ on Thursday (for Cinderella ex Tom Keifer, Don Felder of the Eagles, L.A. Guns and Enuff Z’Nuff) and $149+ on Friday (Bret Michaels, Dee Snider of Twisted Sister, Lou Gramm of Foreigner, Jefferson Starship and Trixter) and Saturday (Stone Temple Pilots, Bowling for Soup, Buckcherry and Lit). Multiday passes start at $499+, with VIP accommodations also available. Visit RokIslandFest.com.
‘Trick’ shot: In South Florida for RokIsland (performed Wednesday), classic rockers Mr. Big (on tour performing the album “Lean Into It” in its entirety) will be joined by special guest Robin Taylor Zander at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the intimate Amaturo Theater at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale. Multi-instrumentalist Zander performs frequently with father Robin Zander’s band, Cheap Trick — with Rolling Stone calling him the group’s “secret weapon.” Tickets cost $69.50+ at BrowardCenter.org.
FRIDAY
More laughs: Actor and comedian Kevin Nealon performs on the revived Palm Beach Improv stage at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in downtown West Palm Beach with shows at 7 and 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Both early shows are essentially sold out, while the tickets for the second shows start at $37.50+ each night. Visit Kravis.org.
Ticket window:Pop icon Janet Jackson will bring a new leg of her Together Again tour, joined by R&B star Nelly, to iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach on July 18, with tickets on sale at 10 a.m. Friday at LiveNation.com. … Gavin Rossdale’s reconstituted Bush will be on the road this summer on their 30th anniversary tour with Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains, along with Candlebox. The tour stops at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood on Aug. 30, with tickets on sale at 10 a.m. Friday at BushOfficial.com.
Eye and ear:The weekly Art After Dark series at the Norton Museum of Art in downtown West Palm Beach has much to recommend it on Friday from 5 to 10 p.m. Topping the list is an Artist Talk from 6 to 7 p.m. with acclaimed documentary photographer Susan Meiselas (a former MacArthur Fellow) and Jeff Rosenheim, lead curator of photography at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Advance registration is required. The evening also will include a performance (7:30 to 9 p.m.) by Morgan Joyce Hart (formerly Morgan Minsk), a local Berklee-trained songwriter and musician of many rewards. Museum admission during Art After Dark is $10, or $5 for students. Visit Norton.org.
Weekend movie:From the sure-handed indie film company A24 and starring Nicolas Cage (which is enough for many of us), “Dream Scenario” is a “wonderfully weird dark comedy” (New York Times) that may be right up your alley. It’s screening Friday (6 p.m.), Saturday (3, 5 and 7 p.m.) and Sunday (3 and 5 p.m.) at the Lake Worth Playhouse. Tickets cost $9+. Visit LakeWorthPlayhouse.org.
SATURDAY
Sake to me:The friendly Small Wine Shop in downtown Fort Lauderdale’s Flagler Village will host an evening of sake pairings on Saturday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., joined by chef Takeshi Kamioka’s cult-favorite pop-up Kaminari Ramen. David Kessler, from premium Japanese beverage importer MTC Sake, will offer information on different styles of sake and how to pair them with food. Tickets cost $65 at SmallWineShop.com.
Pure Joy:Local treasure Nu Deco Ensemble returns to the Miami Beach Bandshell on Saturday at 8 p.m. for a must-see pairing with indie rock singer-guitarist Joy Oladokun, a fearless and evocative songwriter who seems destined for big things (see her new album “Proof of Life”). The evening also will include Igor Stravinsky’s “Dumbarton Oaks Concerto,” an original NDE work and a reinterpretation of the music of The Police. Tickets start at $60+ at MiamiBeachBandshell.com. For information on other upcoming NDE concerts, visit Nu-Deco.org.
Saturday night live: The Grass Is Dead (the bluegrass spinoff from Grateful Dead tribute Crazy Fingers) is at Crazy Uncle Mike’s in Boca Raton on Saturday beginning at 8:30 p.m. Tickets start at $25 (CrazyUncleMikes.com) … Singer-songwriter Zach Deputy plays a free 8 p.m. show at Fort Lauderdale brewery LauderAle on Saturday (Facebook.com/lauderale) … Phish tribute band Colors in the Void is at Tarpon River Brewing in downtown Fort Lauderdale for a free show at 7:30 p.m. Saturday (TarponRiverBrewing.com).
The great outdoors: Riverwalk Rhythm & Brews, presented by Funky Buddha Brewery, will return to Esplanade Park in downtown Fort Lauderdale on Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. The gathering includes live music, food trucks, beer and lawn games — everything you need to remind yourself why you don’t live up north anymore. Admission is free. Visit Facebook.com/RiverwalkFTL.
Vote for Pedro: Coral Gables Art Cinema will host a 20th anniversary celebration of the unlikely cult classic “Napoleon Dynamite” at 9 p.m. Saturday, a screening accompanied by a beer tasting from Tripping Animals Brewing Co. Tickets cost $11.75+, or $10+ for students, seniors and military. Visit GablesCinema.com.
SUNDAY
A night in Spain: The bucolic beauty of Swank Farm in Loxahatchee is the backdrop for the Swank Table dinner series , which returns on Sunday at 4 p.m. with an evening dedicated to the cuisine of Spain. Among the top chefs taking part will be Fabian Di Paolo (executive chef, Shearwater Tavern, Carmel, Calif.), Michael Hackman (owner/chef, Aioli, West Palm Beach), Carlos Garcia (executive chef, Leku, Miami) and Megan Lee Willard (executive pastry chef, Rose’s Daughter, Delray Beach). There will be beer from Fort Lauderdale’s Tarpon River Brewing and bluegrass Celtic rock from The KillBillies. Tickets cost $180 per person at SwankSpecialtyProduce.com.
Sunday laughs: Multitalented writers, actors and comedians Tina Fey and Amy Poehler will bring their Restless Leg Tour to Hard Rock Live in Hollywood at 6 p.m. Sunday. Surprisingly, scattered tickets remain, starting at $165+. Visit MyHRL.com.
Folks by the ocean: The Rhythm Foundation will debut a new folk music festival, Miami Folkways: Sounds Like Home, at the Miami Beach Bandshell at 6 p.m. Sunday, a free event featuring a performance by cult-favorite singer-songwriter Bonnie “Prince” Billy (also known as Will Oldham). Also performing will be the duo Inez Barlatier and Jan Sebon, Miami Sound Choir and StillBlue. Tickets are free with an RSVP. Visit MiamiBeachBandshell.com.
Staff writer Ben Crandell can be reached at [email protected] . Follow on Instagram @BenCrandell and Twitter @BenCrandell .