FRIDAY:
>> Comets on Fire bring their detailed, funky prog sound to D.C., with openers Benjy Ferree(***) and (The Sounds of) Kaleidoscope at Black Cat. I (heart) music tells us that if you love Deep Purple, you’ll like Comets on Fire. Listen to a few tracks over at Hype Machine to test the waters. $12, 9:30 p.m.
>> Looking for a straight-up chance to dance? Venezuela’s Los Amigos Invisibles always deliver, with DJ Afro at 9:30 Club $18.
SATURDAY:
>> We can only hope a miraculous bubble will form over all of Arlington on Saturday, as it would be a shame to see two great, free outdoor music events ruined. Planet Arlington offers an eclectic mix of world music, including Zimbabwe’s Oliver Mtukudzi and Frank London’s Klezmer Brass AllStars, from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Netherlands Carillon/Iwo Jima Grounds. Summer Sessions at Arlington Gateway Park in Rosslyn is an all-day outdoor electronic dance party, featuring house DJs Rick Preston and Juan Zapata, among many others. Noon to 9 p.m.
>> A rare screening of Luchino Visconti’s 1971 masterpiece Death in Venice provides a chance to let the film’s haunting Mahler score wash over you as the Thomas Mann-inspired story of illness and depravity unfolds. Saturday and Monday at 2 p.m. at the National Gallery of Art, free.
SUNDAY:
>> Time is running out to enjoy the acclaimed Anselm Kiefer exhibit at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, which closes Sept. 10. Check out DCist’s review of the show, where our reviewer described the work thusly: “Best known for his dark commentary on German culture and identity in the aftermath of World War II, Kiefer’s stormy compositions draw on German expressionism, Christian, Greek and Jewish mythology, alchemy, and astronomy to create rich reinterpretations of German history. But Kiefer is not only commenting on German history; he is trying to crawl out from beneath its long and sordid shadow.” 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., free.
>> Theater Alliance has just announced another extension for 3/4 of a Mass for St. Vivian, pushing the end back from this Sunday to Sept. 17. Just about every reviewer around town loves this play, including ours: “The authenticity of the two main characters cannot be merely attributed to the fact that Rush shares their stage of life; the playwright has a brilliant touch in re-creating the meandering thought process that goes along with this phase of intellectual development, and captures the emotions that ensue from the intense, unclassifiable bond that the two main characters share.” 2 p.m. matinees on Sundays, plus 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. $26.
