Not sure what to do this weekend? Here are some suggestions to make it a whole lot easier to decide:
CHICAGO’S GREEN SCENE
St. Patrick’s Day arrives March 17, but Chicago is celebrating all things Irish, this weekend, beginning with the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade on March 12. The extravaganza steps off a noon at Balbo and Columbus and heads north to Wacker. The reviewing stand will be located at Buckingham Fountain. In addition, the annual Dyeing of the River takes place at 9 a.m. March 12 centered at the Columbus Drive bridge. The fun continues at noon on Sunday with the annual South Side Irish Parade on Western Avenue, from 103rd Street to 115th Street. That parade is preceded by the 2016 Emerald Isle Mile Run at 11:30 a.m. A portion of the proceeds will offset the cost of the parade.
‘COMING HOME’
He may be Texas-born, but Chicago is definitely his kind of music town. Gospel/soul singer-songwriter Leon Bridges headlines the Chicago Theatre, 175 N. State at 7 p.m. March 11. Tickets, $28.50-$45, are available at ticketmaster.com. Bridges, often compared to the late, great Sam Cooke, will accompanied by his seven-piece band for Friday night’s concert. He’s touring behind his 2015 debut album “Coming Home.”
‘EXPERIENCE’ JIMI
Celebrate the musical legacy of iconic soul singer/guitarist Jimi Hendrix with the Experience Hendrix Tour, March 12 at the Chicago Theatre. Thirteen legendary guitarists, including Buddy Guy, Zakk Wylde, Jonny Lang and Kenny Wayne Shepherd are among the 13 featured artists. Serbian blues guitarist Ana Popovic is also on the bill. Check out our interview with Popovic here. among 13 total guitarists. Tickets, $38-$98, are available at ticketmaster.com. Show time is 7:30 p.m.
BLOOMIN’ FUN
Spring is in full bloom at Navy Pier, March 12-20, thanks to the annual Chicago Flower & Garden Show. Twenty life-sized gardens, DIY workshops, 100 vendors, horticulture seminars, a kids’ activity garden and cooking demonstrations are among the fun and flora at the extravaganza spanning the Pier’s festival halls. For more information and tickets, visit chicagoflower.com
“A PICTURE IS WORTH…”
The Art Institute of Chicago, 111 S. Michigan, is celebrating portrait prints in its latest exhibit, “Van Dyck, Rembrandt, and the Portrait Print,” running through Aug. 7 at the museum. In our Spring Arts Preview, the exhibit was touted thusly: “In the late 1620s, celebrated Flemish painter Anthony van Dyck embarked on “Iconography,” a series of about 100 portrait prints of noblemen, scholars and artists that would prove hugely influential in the field. The Art Institute owns examples of all 15 etchings that the artist made himself as well as several realized by other printmakers based on his designs. These prints, which have never been shown since they were acquired in 1929, form the core of this sweeping exhibition. In all, it features 140 portrait prints spanning five centuries, from the earliest prints by Albrecht Dürer to modern and contemporary works by such artists as Käthe Kollwitz and Chuck Close.”
Jewish Film Festival
Chicago’s Jewish Film Festival runs March 10-20 with screenings of 18 films at multiple city and suburban venues. Among the opening night films on Thursday are the Chicago premiere of “Dough,” a baking story starring Jonathan Pryce, at Landmark Century Centre, 2828 N. Clark, and the fish-out-of-water rom-com “Hanna’s Journey” at Old Crow Smokehouse, 149 W. Kinzie. For more titles, see www.jccfilmfest.org.
Aries rising
Over eight seasons on Fox’s “Mad TV,” Chicago native Aries Spears developed a range of original characters and impersonated celebs including Bill Cosby, Jesse Jackson and Mike Tyson. He’s on the road as a stand-up and performs March 10-13 at the Improv in Schaumburg. Tickets: chicago.improv.com
See her maybe
She may forever be the “Call Me Maybe” lady, but Carly Rae Jepsen has been busy expanding her horizons, playing Frenchy in Fox’s recent live “Grease” and singing the theme song for the new Netflix series “Fuller House.” She sings Saturday in a sold-out show at Metro, 3733 N. Clark. Cardinknox and Fairground Saints open.
