Things to do around Boston this weekend and beyond

LEON BRIDGES The soul singer-songwriter has been releasing music at a steady clip since 2021′s expansive, jazz-tinged “Gold-Diggers Sound”; this year he collaborated with the psych-soul trio Khruangbin on the “Texas Moon” EP, a dreamy, thoughtful salute to their shared home state. Aug. 16, 8 p.m. Roadrunner. roadrunnerboston.com

BAD BUNNY The Puerto Rican superstar’s latest album, “Un Verano Sin Ti,” is a wall-to-wall collection of summer jams inspired by music from all over the Caribbean region; time your day right and you can catch him in the one-last-ride thriller “Bullet Train” at the nearby Regal Fenway before he hits the stage. Aug. 18, 6:30 p.m. Fenway Park. 877-733-7699, redsox.com/concerts

MAURA JOHNSTON

Folk, World & Country

MARY CHAPIN CARPENTER Now back before audiences, this veteran country-folk singer-songwriter made the perfect, and perfectly titled, pandemic live album in late 2020 in “One Night Lonely.” It was solo in every sense — just her and her guitar, on stage at Wolf Trap in front of not a soul. Aug. 12, 8 p.m. $55-$89. The Wilbur, 246 Tremont St. 800-653-8000, www.ticketmaster.com

MILES HEWITT Hewitt is on the eve of releasing “Heartfall,” a simply brilliant debut record that is full of a species of folk music by turns intimate and epic, lush with strings and delicate fingerpicked guitar, languid psychedelica and dreamy pedal-steel painted soundscapes. He’ll render the songs live with his band. Rachel Sumner and John Shakespear will play opening sets. Aug. 13, 10:20 p.m. $15. The Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Cambridge. 617-955-7729, www.lilypadinman.com

EMILY NENNI/TEDDY AND THE ROUGH RIDERS All the way from Nashville, a double-shot of honky-tonk on a Saturday night — what could be better? Teddy and the Rough Riders will start things off with their ‘70s-redolent country-rock, and then will provide backup for Emily Nenni’s old-school country stylings. Aug. 13, 10 p.m. $15. Atwood’s Tavern, 877 Cambridge St., Cambridge. 617-864-2792, www.atwoodstavern.com

STUART MUNRO

Jazz & Blues

THE MAKANDA PROJECT Pianist John Kordalewski’s long-running, 13-piece big band is dedicated to playing the marvelous music of the late, great multi-instrumentalist, composer, and educator Makanda Ken McIntyre, a Boston native and key player on many classic 1960s jazz recordings — among many other accomplishments. Aug. 13, 1 p.m. Free. First Church in Roxbury, 10 Putnam St. (John Eliot Square). www.makandaproject.com

THE FAT CITY BAND The New Orleans-inspired, horn-driven septet hews to the joyous and swinging side of the blues and has been reliably rocking the house for over four decades. Aug. 13, 9 p.m. $25-$55. The Music Room, 541 Main St., West Yarmouth. 508-694-6125, www.musicroomcapecod.com

KALIA VANDEVER QUARTET Concluding its series of outdoor summer concerts at the Eustis Estate, Mandorla Music presents the acclaimed young Brooklyn-based trombonist and composer and her dynamic band: guitarist Lee Meadvin, bassist Tyrone Allen, and drummer Connor Parks. Aug. 18, 6:30 p.m. Free, tickets recommended, donations encouraged. The Eustis Estate, 1424 Canton Ave., Milton. 617-994-6600, www.mandorlamusic.net

KEVIN LOWENTHAL

Classical

BARD MUSIC FESTIVAL A thinking listener’s festival, Bard sets its sights on one composer per summer and spotlights their life and times through concerts, panels, films, a new book, and other events over two weekends in August. This weekend, the second of two devoted to “Rachmaninoff and His World,” will offer musical programs spotlighting the composer in America; his career as a touring piano soloist; his legacy against the backdrop of the Cold War, and much else. Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y. 845-758-7900, fishercenter.bard.edu

TANGLEWOOD Soloists Leonidas Kavakos and Yo-Yo Ma anchor this weekend’s events. Friday night they are joined by pianist Emanuel Ax and violist Antoine Tamestit for an evening of Czech chamber music; Saturday night, Kavakos performs the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with the BSO under the baton of Dima Slobodeniouk (on a program that also includes works by Debussy, Ravel, and Dutilleux). And Sunday, Ma takes on Elgar’s much-loved Cello Concerto with the BSO led by Cristian Măcelaru (on a program that also includes more Debussy, Enescu, and a work entitled “Masquerade” by Anna Clyne). Lenox. 617-266-1200, tanglewood.org

BOSTON LYRIC OPERA Teaming up with Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, BLO is mounting a free English-language production of Gounod’s “Romeo and Juliette” on Boston Common. To be conducted by David Angus, with Ricardo Garcia and Vanessa Becerra in the title roles. Aug. 13, 8 p.m. 617-542-4912, www.blo.org

JEREMY EICHLER

ARTS

Theater

CAN I TOUCH IT? Trenchantly observed and sharply written, with strong performances across the board, this new play by Boston-raised dramatist Francisca Da Silveira is grounded in the kind of human consequences that lie beneath, but are often obscured by, the powerful forces of development and finance. Directed by Summer L. Williams, “can i touch it?’’ stars Chris Everett as a Roxbury beauty supply store owner struggling to keep her business afloat while also battling gentrification. The cast also includes Jada Saintlouis as her daughter, Schanaya Barrows as her niece and employee, and Mark W. Soucy as her old friend and fellow activist. Through Aug. 13. Company One Theatre, in partnership with the City of Boston’s Office of Arts and Culture. At Strand Theatre, Dorchester. On-demand streaming option also available. Tickets to in-person or streaming performances are “pay what you want,’’ and are both available at www.companyone.org.

BUDDY: THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY One of the great what-if? stories of rock ‘n’ roll, Holly died at age 22 in a 1959 plane crash along with Ritchie Valens, J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson, and pilot Roger Peterson. (It was later dubbed “The Day the Music Died” by Don McLean in “American Pie.”) Directed and choreographed by Marcos Santana, “Buddy” features Matt McClure as Holly, Craig Underwood as Richardson, and Ryan Reyes as Valens. Songs include Holly hits such as “That’ll Be the Day,” “Oh Boy,” “Maybe Baby,” and “Peggy Sue,” along with Valens’s “La Bamba” and Richardson’s “Chantilly Lace.” Aug. 16-28. North Shore Music Theatre, Beverly. 978-232-7200, www.nsmt.org

ANASTASIA The team that collaborated on “Ragtime” reunited for this musical about Anya (Kyla Stone), an orphaned young Russian amnesiac in the early 20th century, who sets out to decode the riddle of her own past while being pursued by a Bolshevik general (Ben Edquist) intent on silencing her. With music by Stephen Flaherty, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, and a book by the late Terrence McNally. Aug. 17-28. Presented by Broadway In Boston. At Citizens Bank Opera House. www.BroadwayInBoston.com

DON AUCOIN

Dance

BROWNBODY Grounded in perspectives of the African diaspora, the company’s goal is to engage audiences in actively disrupting biased narratives. With their new “Tracing Sacred Steps,” four professional figure skaters and actor/vocalist Thomasina Petrus incorporate the tradition of Ring Shout in a melding of modern dance, theater, and ice skating. Aug. 12, $10-$40. The Yard at Martha’s Vineyard Ice Arena, Oak Bluffs. www.dancetheyard.org

JACOB’S PILLOW DANCE FESTIVAL As Liz Lerman, Dance Heginbotham, and festival favorite Hubbard Street Dance Chicago continue their runs this weekend, the dynamic Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble is waiting in the wings for their first performances at the Pillow in two decades. Over its 50-year history, the company has become renowned for an impressive body of work mining the African American experience. Through Aug. 21. $15-$85. Becket. www.jacobspillow.org

ALI KENNER BRODSKY The choreographer, joined by Scott McPheeters, Jessi Stegall, and Ilya Vidrin, shares excerpts from a work she has been developing over the past five years. Entitled “moments,” the multifaceted piece explores memory, loss, and love, and features graphics by Cyrus Highsmith and live music by MorganEve Swain. Aug. 18, $12-$20. Jamestown Arts Center, Jamestown, R.I. www.jamestownartcenter.org/events/moments

KAREN CAMPBELL

Visual Arts

GLENN KAINO: IN THE LIGHT OF A SHADOW Changeover in MASS MoCA’s capacious building five only happens every 18 months or so, which makes the final weeks of any show here something of an event. This installation, Kaino’s magnum opus, highlights connections between protest movements around the world, focusing on the fallout from the intensely violent actions by police and military in “Bloody Sundays” in Selma, Alabama and Derry, Northern Ireland. Ominous, theatrical, and completely immersive, it swallows you up in a cacophony of light and sound. Through Sept. 5. Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, 1040 MASS MoCA Way, North Adams. 413-662-2111, massmoca.org

ROSE B. SIMPSON: LEGACIES Simpson, from Puebla, N.M., comes from a long line of women artists in her family who use clay as a principal medium, though she’s far from limited to the material (her work includes performance, installation, metal work, and car design). This show at the ICA spans histories and centuries: Simpson combines clay sculpting techniques with origins in the sixth century with contemporary practice to make pieces that connect tradition and history to a fraught and challenging present. Through Jan. 29, Institute of Contemporary Art, 25 Harbor Shore Drive. 617-476-3100, www.icaboston.org

NEW LIGHT: ENCOUNTERS AND CONNECTIONS Last call for this enlightening MFA exhibition, which organizes itself into 21 “conversations” between historical artworks, some millennia old, and recently acquired contemporary pieces, including a good many by Boston-area artists such as Lavaughan Jenkins, Alison Croney Moses, Eben Haines and Delaney Dameron, Stephen Hamilton, and Tomashi Jackson. Through Aug. 22. Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave. 617-267-9300, www.mfa.org

MURRAY WHYTE

KIM WESTFALL: DMZ ORCHIDS Westfall, a conceptual artist who examines national and racial identity, visited the Korean Demilitarized Zone this past spring and found a haven for flora and fauna. Nature flourishes in that gulf between nations both despite and because of human conflict. Westfall’s tufted ribbon tapestries depicting orchids there read like portraits; often, figures and faces coalesce out of petals, pistils, and stamens. Through Aug. 29. Gaa Gallery Provincetown, 494 Commercial St., Provincetown. 508-413-9621, www.gaa-gallery.com/exhibitions

CATE McQUAID

EVENTS

Comedy

JIMMY CASH Fans can follow Cash’s exploits as a public school janitor through his TikTok and Instagram sketches, and get to know his stand-up at the Off Cabot this weekend for his two-night headlining run. Aug. 12-13, 8 p.m. $25. Off Cabot Comedy and Events, 9 Wallis St., Beverly. offcabot.org/shows

MIKE DONOVAN Part of the fabric of Boston’s foundational stand-up scene in the ‘80s, Donovan is also a prolific author (look him up on Amazon), writing about everything from sports to history, subjects he also covers in his act. Aug. 12-13, 8 p.m. $20. Nick’s Comedy Stop, 100 Warrenton St. www.nickscomedystop.com

THE BOSS BITCH SHOW Kirsten O’Brien and Rachel Green, who both have Boston roots, bring their LGBTQ+ and female-centered show to Boston. It’s based on their New York City show and new podcast, featuring stand-up from O’Brien and Green (who will likely also add her violin to the act) and local guest host Katie Arroyo. Aug. 18, 8 p.m. $25. Laugh Boston, 425 Summer St. 617-725-2844, www.laughboston.com

COMEDY NIGHT AT STEWART’S PUB Tough to beat this lineup of local luminaries at a paid show, and even harder to pass up Bethany Van Delft, Dan Boulger, J Smitty, Dan Crohn, and Tooky Kavanagh for free at this Everett pub. Aug. 16, 8 p.m. Free. Stewart’s Pub, 140 Jefferson Ave., Everett. www.stewartspub.com

NICK A. ZAINO III

Family

CHINATOWN AUGUST MOON FESTIVAL Chinatown’s Phillips Square will be filled with Chinese opera performers, lion dancers, and a range of street vendors in celebration of the August Moon Festival. When you’re not enjoying the slate of planned cultural performances, make sure you grab some delicious mooncakes to mark the season. Aug. 14, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. Enter near Harrison Avenue and Beach Street. ccbaboston.org

WOW IN THE WORLD POP-UP PARTY: “Wow in the World” is currently Apple Podcast’s No. 3 podcast for kids and family — and, for the uninitiated, it’s a fun and kid-friendly exploration of a range of exciting science and tech questions. Podcast host Mindy Thomas will be coming to the Wilbur this weekend for a night of STEM-themed games, comedy skits, and even a few friendly competitions your techie-in-training kids are sure to enjoy. Aug. 13, 1 p.m. $29-$92. The Wilbur, 246 Tremont St. ticketmaster.com

SPECTACLE SUMMER NIGHTS Boston Harbor Now offers an opportunity to get out of the city, minus the worries about gas or transportation. For the price of a ticket, board the ferry to Spectacle Island for a night of live music from The Thistle Brothers, activities like lawn games and a scavenger hunt, and access to the island’s trails and incredible sunset views. Aug. 13, arrive at 4 p.m. $0-$38. Leaves from Long Wharf North. eventbrite.com

JOY ASHFORD