SZA, Smino, Ravyn Lenae
SZA pours her honeyed vocals over catchy melodies with brazen, gritty, and sometimes triggering lyrics that dig into toxic relationships, anxiety, and the unattainability of control. I expect her sold-out Portland concert to be a religious experience. JENNI MOORE
8 pm, Roseland, $25, all ages
Polish Festival
Portland’s annual celebration of all things Polish is hands-down one of the best outdoor shindigs of the year. Fuel up on a delicious array of pierogi, kiełbasa, hunter’s stew, stuffed cabbage rolls, potato pancakes, and imported Polish beer, before making your way over to the main stage where a polka contest and spirited dance party will keep you bouncing and rejoicing late into the evening. CHIPP TERWILLIGER
11 am, St. Stanislaus Church, free, all ages
Jessica Hernandez & the Deltas, Candace
The latest record from Jessica Hernandez and the Deltas comes in English and Spanish versions, but either one clearly shows you the assurance of their terrific-sounding blend of psychedelic rock, neo soul, and Latin pop. What Telephone/Teléfono doesn’t show you is Hernandez’s formidable presence as a live performer, making tonight’s show a can’t-miss in any language. NED LANNAMANN
9 pm, Mississippi Studios, $12-14
The Undisputable Geniuses of Comedy
Portland comedy is better than ever—and in this one-of-a-kind show you’ll see Portland’s funniest people (and hilarious up-and-comers) all on one stage. Stand-up comedians, sketch comedy, funny film shorts, and acts that defy description…all featuring Portland’s local “undisputable” geniuses! Hosted by hometown-boy-made-good and returning genius, Nariko Ott! Starring Portland’s funniest person 2017 Caitlin Weierhauser, Anthony Lopez, Becky Braunstein, Isaac Pendergrass, JoAnn Schinderle, Adam Pasi, Whitney Streed, sketch comedy group The Aces, and comedy power point from Philip Schallberger. Featuring two hilarious films from 2016's HUMP Film Festival and a slew of other surprises! Presented by the Portland Mercury and Jim Beam.
8 pm, Revolution Hall, $20
Fleet Foxes, Natalie Prass
Portland sure does love its radio-ready indie folk, so this is a prime tour stop for Fleet Foxes, who recently released a sprawling new album, Crack-Up. The “folk” descriptor is often associated with simple banjo-driven instrumentals and drawled vocals, but Fleet Foxes is known for their grandiose spin on the genre. That said, Crack-Up takes an intimate approach, resulting in a more rustic sound with jam-band percussion, homey piano, and tambourine—lots of tambourine. DELANEY MOTTER
6:30 pm, Edgefield, $44-63, all ages
Usnea, Thrones, Hands of Thieves, Ninth Moon Black
Over the past couple of years, Usnea has taken their blackened, funereal doom from Las Vegas’ Psycho fest to the Netherlands’ Roadburn Festival. Tonight the Portland band’s celebrating the release of their third full-length, Portals into Futility, which was inspired by dystopian science fiction’s depressing crossover into modern reality. It’s rooted in the ideas of novels like Frank Herbert’s Dune, Margaret Atwood’s TheHandmaid’s Tale, Carl Sagan’s Demon Haunted World, and Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Lathe of Heaven, which shares a name with a track on the album. Usnea’s sound has progressed into an introspective realm while preserving their signature downcast dissonance, making Portals into Futility a supreme sonic representation of the blight of modern humanity. CERVANTE POPE
9 pm, Tonic Lounge, $7-10
The Kells Summer Smoker: USA vs. The World
Despite what mental image the phrase "summer smoker" probably conjured in your mind, this isn't a pleasant little hotbox in the back of Kells' parking lot. A summer smoker is apparently an amateur boxing event. Meaning shirtless pugilists are going to square off in a ring behind the historic bar and beat the shit out of each other all night long, with some of the country's best amateur boxers going head-up against world warriors—kinda like a real life game of Street Fighter II, but nobody's throwing fireballs or hurricane kicking or letting monsters climb up on the athletes and chew on their necks (seriously fuck Blanka).
6 pm, Kells, $20-25
George Takei, Oregon Symphony
The Oregon Symphony’s 2017/18 concert season kicks off with a menu of works that initially blazed musical trails before they aged into deathless crowd-pleasers. There’s Beethoven’s Egmont overture, perhaps the composer’s most concentrated dose of his shakes-fist-at-heavens-then-wonders-at-the-beauty-of-it-all hat trick; Liszt’s pioneering and shape-shifting symphonic poem Les préludes; and Richard Strauss’ cartoonish, episodic Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks. The program closes with Aaron Copland’s Lincoln Portrait, a World War II-era bit of presidential hagiography with George Takei taking the narrator role, reading excerpts from No. 16’s speeches. It’s difficult to imagine a composer in decades hence writing a work that would similarly exalt our current president, but that puts the onus on Takei and our local orchestra to elevate the piece out of our current state of bitter melancholy to the lofty place of patriotism Copland describes. No doubt they’re up to the task. NED LANNAMANN
7:30 pm, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, $40-125, all ages
Slay
Slay is a hip-hop party for LGBT, minorities, and open minded people, providing yet another safe space to twerk, blow off steam, and be yourself in our little sanctuary city. JENNI MOORE
9 pm, Holocene, $10
Junk Bonanza
By the looks of it, the Junk Bonanza is selling itself short with the whole “junk” thing in the title. A long-established smorgasbord of old things for sale arranged into charming vignettes, if you relish drifting through antique shops and hidey-holes of unknown treasure, this is the event for you. MARJORIE SKINNER
9 am, Oregon Convention Center, $10-30
Back to School Night
Some of Portland's finest improvisers take to the Siren stage to school audiences on how off-the-cuff comedy should be done, with performances from Tunnel, The Squirts, and Rat King.
8 pm, Siren Theater, $5
Stammtisch Oktoberfest
It's the time of year where glass boots and lederhosen start springing up out of the ground and taking over city blocks like some sort of sausage-y invasive species. Stammtisch's annual celebration of this season includes a barbecue, games, live German music, giant pretzels, and a whole bunch of Oktoberfest biers to enjoy all weekend long, with special ceremonial tappings throughout the weekend.
Sept 16-17, Stammtisch, free, all ages
Dogtoberfest
This event is not like a regular Oktoberfest, but for dogs. Dogs don't drink beer. Or at least they shouldn't (if you give your dog beer you are a bad human, stop doing that). No, this Dogtoberfest is a fundraiser for DoveLewis, and if you want your doggo to look as awesome as they possibly can, you take them to Dogtoberfest, where they can partake of multiple dog wash and nail trim stations. While they're getting pampered, you can have some food, drink a beer, and even give blood to the American Red Cross.
11 am, Lucky Lab, $20
The Prids, Møtrik, Pacific Latitudes
The Prids might be one of Portland’s longest-running bands, having overcome a number of setbacks throughout their two-decade tenure that would’ve had lesser groups calling it a day. That tenacity carries into the band’s music, as they continue to defy trends in a city and music scene that continues to change. The Prids occupy a corner of music where heartbreak and sadness exist under the hue of sunlight breaking through gray clouds. MARK LORE
9 pm, Bunk Bar, $8
The Holy Mountain
An LSD-emulating vision quest that still feels like one of the oddest things to ever hit a screen. Alejandro Jodorowsky’s 1973 film remains a compulsively watchable mélange of sexed-up robots, hysterically deadpan dialogue, and unforgettable scatological alchemy. ANDREW WRIGHT
9:30 pm, NW Film Center's Whitsell Auditorium
Sharon Needles
The crown-snatching breakout star of RuPaul's Drag Race season 4 rolls back into Portland to debut songs off her new album, Battle Axe. Featuring support from Ivizia Dakini, Valerie and the Haus of Deville, Daphne Fauna, Rakeem, Yuko, and Anastasia Euthanasia. Hosted By Rap Girl.
9:30 pm, Star Theater, $15-25
Don't forget to check out our Things To Do calendar for even more things to do!