Photo by esshotsFRIDAY:
>> Somali-born, Toronto-based rapper K’naan has been one of the most talked about hip-hop acts over the past few years, in part because of his narratives about life as an African immigrant. He’ll be performing at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage. Free, 6 p.m., but get there plenty early, as the Millennium Stage tells us they expect this to be packed.
>> Don’t miss our film picks for the week, including special screenings of Nothing But a Man, writer/director Michael Roemer’s drama set in an African-American community in the South on the cusp of the tumult of the civil rights movement. 7 p.m., also Saturday at 3 p.m. at the AFI Silver.
>> We listed this one incorrectly last week, but now it’s really happening: Cuban piano sensation Chuchito Valdez, son of master pianist Chucho Valdez, will be performing tonight and Saturday at HR-57. Doors at 8:30 p.m., $20.
>> If you’re fishing for something that’s guaranteed to be fun, you can basically never go wrong with George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic at the 9:30 Club. Sold out, but this is the sort of show that’s likely to have people standing outside trying to sell their extra tickets. 8 p.m.
SATURDAY:
>> If you didn’t make it to our opening last Friday, today is a great day to check out the DCist Exposed photography show without the crowds. The Gallery at Flashpoint is open today from noon to 6 p.m., and Exposed continues through March 7.
>> The major retrospective of the work of Louise Bourgeois opened this week at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. See 120 of her works, including the massive Crouching Spider, which greets you outside the entrance. Check out our review of the show before you go. The museum is open daily 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
>> Comedian Patton Oswalt is in town for two shows at Lisner Auditorium, which will be recorded for his new album and comedy special. Read our interview with the man from Sterling, Va. here. A number of tickets are still available for the 10 p.m. show. $20.
>> It’s the two year anniversary of X at BeBar this Saturday. Check out art, music, and performances (featuring artists like Kristina Bilonick and Jacqueline Ionita) from 7 to 11 p.m. $8, or wear a wig for reduced admission.
>> The Roots’ Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson will put down his drumsticks and step behind the turntables for a DJ set at Liv. He’ll be joined by D.C.’s own DJ Dredd. Get there early. $10-$15 in advance and before midnight/$20 after midnight, 9 p.m.
>> Benjy Ferree is celebrating the release of his new record, Come Back to the Five and Dime, Bobby Dee, Bobby Dee, with a show at the Black Cat. Tim Fite and the Laughing Man open, $12, 9 p.m.
>> Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys has a new solo record out, and he’ll be playing songs from it tonight at the 9:30 Club. Hacienda and Those Darlins open. $20, 8 p.m.
>> Stop by DC9 afterward, as the bar celebrates its five year anniversary with Jukebox the Ghost, plus DJ sets from J-Roddy Walston and the Business, DJ Marc-Alan Gray and the Liberation Dance Party crew. $10, 9 p.m.
SUNDAY:
>> Author and economist Dean Baker will be at Politics and Prose at 1 p.m. discussing his book, Plunder and Blunder: The Rise and Fall of the Bubble Economy. Don’t forget to bring along your recession-induced outrage.
>> Looking for something free after all that gloomy economy talk? Head to a recital by soprano Ellen Hargis and lutenist Paul O’Dette, performing music of the Golden Age in the Netherlands, at the National Gallery of Art at 6:30 p.m. Totally free.
