Beer and Bubble Hockey, Baz Luhrmann: This Week’s Best Happenings

Now that the temps have dropped into the frozen tundra zone, it’s time for Minnesotans to decide how they are going to spend their days until the thaw. Do we dare to venture outside, where the elements might kill us? Do we head indoors, where the plague awaits? Or, do we stay home and hermit away, sharing stories (streaming services) in front of a campfire (TV)?

No matter what approach you take this winter (or each day), we’ll have options for you every Monday here in Event Horizon.

MONDAY 2.14

Romeo + Juliet

Parkway Theater

The script might be from 1597, but Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet is one of the most late ‘90s movies ever made. There’s dudebros in Hawaiian shirts, a barely post My So Called Life-era Clair Danes, and Leonardo DiCaprio before the bloat of life settled in. The soundtrack is loaded with iconic ‘90s tunes from Garbage, the Cardigans, and pre-OK Computer Radiohead. You know the plot from 7th grade English class: two teens fall in love, then shit goes down. But Luhrmann cranks his aesthetic up to 10 (he saved 11 for Moulin Rouge, obviously) with frenetic editing, hits of ecstasy (very ‘90s!), a color palette straight from a Mountain Dew commercial, and blink and you’ll miss it Shakespearean Easter eggs for the theater fans out there. It’s all a lot of fun. And then everyone dies. Happy V-day! $9/$12. 7 p.m. 4814 Chicago Ave., Minneapolis; 612-822-8080. –Jessica Armbruster

THURSDAY 2.17

Kornbread Jeté 

The Saloon

RuPaul’s Drag Race spoiler alert! It was a real bummer when Kornbread “The Snack” Jeté dropped out of season 14 of the show. Last week, the L.A.-based queen announced that she could no-longer compete, as she had rolled her ankle. Until that point, many fans and former contestants had pegged her as a frontrunner for the crown, winning the talent show in the first episode, surviving a lip sync, rocking a gothic JLo look on the runway, and even catching the eye of guest judge Lizzo, who she kinda accidentally matched with in sparkly holo fabric. Well, that busted ankle has (hopefully?) healed up, as she’s coming to town this week to perform at the Saloon along with a variety of local talents, including Tygra, Andre 1000, and Julia Starr. 18+. $20; $40 VIP. 8 p.m. 830 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis. –Jessica Armbruster

Lucy Dacus

First Avenue

Always a smart, talented generator of big moods, Dacus steps up as a great songwriter on her third album, Home Video (Matador). The music is more direct in every way: tempos brisker, lyrics crisper and more expressive, singing warmer and overflowing with tenderness for others. The key lyric here is “You can’t feel it for the first time/The second time”—this is an album of awakenings, often but not exclusively sexual. Whether recalling tween Bible camp (“In the summer of ‘07/I was sure I’d go to heaven/But I was hedging my bets”) or a pretentious beau (“You called me ‘cerebral’/I didn’t know what you meant/But now I do/Would it have killed you/To call me pretty instead?”) the memories are distant but so sharply evoked as to feel formative. But the one where she fantasizes about murdering her beloved’s estranged dad sounds like it might have happened yesterday. This show was originally scheduled for October—during the slight delay Dacus added a new number to her songbook, the sweet “Kissing Lessons.” Hope her back is feeling better. Indigo De Souza opens. 18+. $20/$22. 7:30 p.m. 701 First Ave. N., Minneapolis.—Keith Harris

FRIDAY 2.18

Robert Baril 

Elsie’s

Until very recently, the funniest thing one could encounter at a bowling alley was the username ASS on the score screen. But that’s all changing in northeast Minneapolis, where standup is coming to Elsie’s. Headliner Robert Baril is the club-comic ideal–sharp, confident, efficient. His liberal politics hit with the oomph of Jon Stewart, whether he’s riffing on klansmen with inferiority complexes or MPD’s inclusive murdering trends. Opening are St. Cloud comic Matt Dooyema and improv troupe 5 Swipes Left. Come hungry: Tickets include free appetizers before the show.  $20. 7 p.m. 729 Marshall St. NE, Minneapolis; more info here.—Jay Boller

Gothess Presents: Madonna Tribute

Icehouse

To quote Madonna and also Adam Sandler in The Wedding Singer: We live in a material world, and I am a material girl. Minneapolis’s goth dance night Gothess will celebrate that energy this weekend with an icon tribute set to one of the all-time greats. (Madonna, not Sandler. But wouldn’t that be something?) Get ready to dance to your favorite tracks from the Queen of Pop, along with some goth-ier, new wave-ier tunes. Dressing as your favorite Madonna—from any decade—is very much encouraged. With Gothess’s own DJ Q and a guest DJ TBA. More info here. $12. 10 p.m. 2528 Nicollet Ave., Minneapolis. —Em Cassel

Sean Jordan

Comedy Corner Underground

Podcast-heads may know Jordan from All Fantasy Everything, the popular pop-culture riff fest he hosts with fellow comics Ian Karmel and David Gborie. The Portland, Oregon, native kills with self-effacing sets that turn the mundane–drinking, weddings, Taco Bell–hilarious. Need additional enticement/wholesome pandering? Jordan says that Minneapolis is his “favorite city in the world,” and this weekend’s shows are his first headlining gigs here. Jodie Maruaka opens. $12. 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. 1501 S. Washington Ave., Minneapolis; more info here.—Jay Boller

SATURDAY 2.19

Paper Dialogues

American Swedish Institute

As the title suggests, this exhibition is a conversation between two artists: Xiaoguang Qiao from China and Karin Bit Vejle from Denmark. Their shared language? Papercutting, an art that began in China some 1,500 years ago. The resulting pieces are wild, Qiao’s work is bold and geometric, while Bit Vejle’s papercuts are delicate and impossibly intricate. Both are exploring their homeland’s histories in their pieces, and you might spot a few overlapping details or characters (dragons, for example, are part of both countries' lore). 2600 Park Ave., Minneapolis; 612-871-4907. Through July 10 –Jessica Armbruster

Winter Beer Dabbler

Minnesota State Fairgrounds

More than 100 breweries, cideries, and hard seltzer-ies will converge on the Mighty Midway this weekend for the 2022 Winter Beer Dabbler. You know the drill: You’ll sample beers from breweries here in the Twin Cities and around the U.S., with food trucks serving hot eats. And this year at the chilliest Dabbler of them all, diversions include giant beer pong (think big, red rubber balls and trash buckets), live snow sculpting and chainsaw carving, American Brewer Warrior (brewers will race through a beer-themed obstacle course to take home the title), and, for the first time, play “human bubble hockey,” in which two teams of four face off in a big ol’ inflatable hockey rink co-sponsored by Can Can Wonderland. Tickets and more info here. $55-$75; $20 for a DD ticket and $190 for a season pass. 3 to 6:30 p.m. 1265 Snelling Ave. N., St. Paul. —Em Cassel

SUNDAY 2.20

Tyler, the Creator

Target Center

Last year, Tyler reached the next stage in his long evolution from terrible teen to hip-hop artiste with Call Me If You Get Lost, a hyperactive tribute to rap mixtape culture inhabited by his high-living alter ego, Sir Tyler Baudelaire. There’s so much going on that listening to Call Me If You Get Lost can feel like hunting for a chip to grab in a plate of far-too-overload nachos, and sometimes Tyler focuses on analyzing his persona when he should instead be unleashing his personality. But the album strikes a nice balance of backward-glancing and forward thinking: It nods to tradition by enlisting mixtape impresario DJ Drama to host and plunges into the avant-garde simply because its restless creator often can’t settle on a single rhythm or style for an entire track. For his first arena tour, Tyler’s backed by a supporting cast of Colombian-American singer Kali Uchis, whose ​​bilingual "telepatía" was a beguiling 2021 hit, fierce and funny rapper Vince Staples, and (oh well) Teezo Touchdown, who Pitchfork recently dubbed “the insufferable fashion rapper of the moment.” $25.50-$125.50. 7 p.m 600 First Ave. N., Minneapolis; more info here.—Keith Harris

ONGOING

Ice Palace Maze

Stillwater Zephyr Theatre

Getting lost in a land of ice: No, it’s not a life-or-death situation, it’s whimsical winter fun! For this massive ice maze in Stillwater, 775,000 pounds of ice was used to build 10-foot-tall walls that will take you on a half-mile stroll designed to (safely) confuse the fuck out of you. Once you escape you’ll be treated to other things to see, do, and consume. A huge slide is open to kids and grownups alike, hot chocolate and s’mores will be served, and there will be an ice bar pouring delicious booze for those of age. Learn more about this little ice fest here. $20; $12 kids 12 and under. 2-10 p.m. Mondays through Fridays; noon to 10 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. 601 N. Main St., Stillwater. Through February 20 –Jessica Armbruster

Outdoor Rinks are Open

Various Locations

Now that the deep freeze has arrived, outdoor ice skating has returned to the cities. While this handy map can help you find a Minneapolis or St. Paul park rink, there are also a few new additions and special events scheduled this week worth noting. If you venture out to Eagan (2611 Nordic Way), you’ll find that the Vikings’ training campus is hosting Winter Skolstice, a two-month celebration of ice sports. Multiple rinks will be open for free ice skating (bring your own skates), and there’s a hill for sledding. Pond hockey tournaments are planned, and free curling lessons will be offered on weekends during the Winter Olympics.  If you’re feeling bold, there’s outdoor yoga and HIIT workouts scheduled, too. A warming house with Nordic eats, hot drinks, and live music will be open daily to keep you from freezing to death. Out in Edina (7499 France Ave. S.), Centennial Lakes is hosting daily ice skating until the melt. A warming house will have skates available to rent for $8, or take to the ice in your own pair for free. –Jessica Armbruster