FRIDAY:

>> Post-punk concept albums make us all weak in the knees, so you can bet we’ll be out for The Thermals at the Black Cat tonight. With The Big Sleep and Statehood. $12, 9 p.m.

>> It’s the last weekend to check out Forum Theater and Dance’s production Kid-Simple, a “live-action radio play” about a young prodigy who invents a machine that hears things humans never could discern, and when it is stolen, takes a mythical quest with a boy virgin for company in order to get it back. Here’s what our critic had to say: “Forum deserves a shout for toying with a tricky thing like melodrama, and coming up with a result that feels neither amateurish nor overdone.” 8 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. & 8 p.m. Sat. & Sun. $18.

SATURDAY:

>> We hate to say it: But we’re a lot more impressed with the photos from this year’s NYC Idiotarod than we were with the few teams we spied huffing their way up 18th Street at last year’s first D.C. version. So we’re issuing an Idiotarod challenge: Give us some seriously awesome costume themes this year, Washington! All we are saying is give looking completely ridiculous a chance, and we’ll put you on this here web site. Deal? Race begins at 2:30 in front of the Front Page in Dupont.

>> Chicagoist loves The Safes, and you should too. At Galaxy Hut. $5, 9 p.m.

SUNDAY:

>> Scissor Sisters is sold out, so head over to Black Cat for Grizzly Bear and the excellent Papercuts, along with Beach House. $10. 8 p.m.

>> SO. AWESOME. AFI Silver Theater has a new 35 mm print of Werner Herzog’s 1972 cult classic Aguirre: Wrath of God, the Heart of Darkness-style story of Lope de Aguirre, who leads a group of conquistadores down the Amazon River in search of El Dorado. This is the one where during production, Klaus Kinski demanded an air-conditioned room to sleep in or he would quit, and Herzog famously pointed a gun at him, threatening to explain away his death as a jungle accident — Kinski kept working. Showtimes all week, check the link for details.