AUGUST 28 – THURSDAY
Catch the Charlotte Knights in their last two home games of the regular season. The Knights host the Norfolk Tides tonight and tomorrow night at 7:15pm at Knights Stadium in Fort Mill, SC. Tickets range from $6-9 and may be purchased by calling 704-36-HOMER. (Herman)
AUGUST 29 – FRIDAY
Matthews Alive! celebrates its 11th year starting today, and man, has it come a long way from the old Stumptown Festival days. Matthews Alive is one of the largest Labor Day festivals in North Carolina, drawing more than 100,000 people over four days. There’s music, games, arts and crafts, and lots of food. If this sounds a little too wholesome-smalltown for you, well, that’s only half the story. Matthews has changed a lot in the past decade, and it’s the mix of smalltown charm and new forms of sophistication that make this festival such an interesting event. Matthews Alive continues through Monday and admission is free. Visit www.matthewsalive.org for details. (Grooms)
The Light Factory is hosting an exhibition of the 74 top entries in the annual Women in Photojournalism competition in its galleries in Spirit Square, in conjunction with the 14th National Women in Photojournalism conference that will be held in Charlotte September 5-7. This is an exhibit of work by women photojournalists (thus the title, we suppose) who responded to the exhibit’s theme, “Visionaries.” The exhibition will be up at The Light Factory through October 11. Tonight’s opening is free, open to the public and will take place from 6-9pm. Call 704-333-9755 for more info. (Grooms)
Innervoices Theatre Company kicks off its new season with the rather askew vision of society, sex and drinking in the good ole USA with actor/playwright Eric Bogosian’s Drinking In America. Bogosian is a three-time Obie winner and also the author of Mall and Wake up and Smell the Coffee, among others. Serena Ruden will direct the production opening on August 28 and running Aug 29-31 & Sep 3-6 at 8pm. Tickets are $15. Performances are at the Central Ave Playhouse, 1118 Clement Ave. Call 704-502-8432 to make reservations or send an email to Innervoicestheatre@ yahoo.com. (Shukla)
AUGUST 30 – SATURDAY
Today the Sprite Liquid Mix Tour rolls into Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre for a day of fun and music. Musically, everything from college pop (see O.A.R.), to sweet southern soul rock (see Robert Randolph and the Family Band) to hip hop (see The Roots) are covered. And if the versatile lineup of music can’t keep your attention, there’ll be a ton of activities going on including the Pinnacle “Work It” Zone where you can test your strength and endurance, the NBA Rhythm “n’ Rims basketball shootout contests, BMX bike demonstrations and the Blockbuster Video Gaming Lounge where you can hang out and play Playstation 2. Who knows whether all the games are a sign of the times (i.e., corporate sponsorships are required to keep tours afloat) or the promoters’ smart way to keep the ticket cost low (all seats are $10!)? Either way, it works for us and it should make for a good time. Start time is 4pm. Call the venue at 704-549-5555 for more details. (Farris)
The 24-Hour Theatre Project presented by Barebones Theatre Group returns to SPAC (Southend Performing Arts Center). Playwrights are given a theme from which they have to write a 10-minute play to be staged, rehearsed and performed all within 24 hours. The project culminates with a performance in front of a live audience tonight at 9pm, finished or not. SPAC is located in the heart of Southend at 201 Rampart St. Tickets are $10 and may be purchased at the door or in advance by calling 704-332-5300.
SEPTEMBER 2 – TUESDAY
Tonight’s a perfect example of VH1 old school meeting VH1 new school as the seasoned Counting Crows share the spotlight with the young (and extremely popular) John Mayer for a show at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre. Both write good songs with a similar offering of smooth and melodic pop rock, which hopefully you’ll be able to hear over Mayer’s loyal (mostly female) following that is bound to be singing along to every verse. Newcomer Leona Naess (see her story in this issue) opens the show at 7pm. Tickets cost $30.50 and $42.50. Call the amphitheatre for more info at 704-549-5555. (Farris)
This article appears in Aug 27 – Sep 2, 2003.
