THEATRE

Willkomen! Bienvenue! Welcome! : “Cabaret,” at the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre through July 22

The first thing I noticed as I walked into Thursday's stunning, powerful, opening-night performance of the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre's Cabaret was the temperature. As I glanced around looking for meat hooks, I realized that many of the theatre's more seasoned attendees had brought along sweaters, coats, and even blankets. But the chill in the air gave no indication of the show's eventual heat.

MOVIES

John McLame: “Skyscraper” and “Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation”

You know a disaster movie is mired in cliché when a character, in the final minutes, is asked what we do now in the wake of so much destruction, and replies with an earnest, determined “Rebuild” – just like Dwayne Johnson did at the end of San Andreas. You know an action thriller is mired in cliché when a character, in the final minutes, finally takes a breath after so much breathless activity, and utters an earnest, plaintive “Let's go home” – just like Dwayne Johnson did at the end of Snitch.

In the final minutes of the new Skyscraper, a disaster-movie-cum-action-thriller starring Dwayne Johnson, you will hear both these lines.

THEATRE

Tricks in Their Pockets, Things Up Their Sleeves: The Mississippi Bend Players' “The Glass Menagerie,” at Augustana College through July 22

As the wind blew and the rain poured, I was concerned about making it to the current play at Augustana College's Brunner Theatre Center without being swept away by the currents of water flooding the streets of Rock Island. Thankfully, though – and with added thanks to Cart to the Art driver John D'Aversa – even a severe thunderstorm couldn't keep me from the Mississippi Bend Players' opening-night production of The Glass Menagerie.

MUSIC

Weedeater, July 26

Composed of Dave “Dixie” Collins, Dave “Shep” Shepherd, and Travis Owen – the former two musicians having co-founded the group 20 years ago – the fired-up sludge-metal musicians of Weedeater perform a Rock Island Brewing Company concert on July 26, their most recent album Goliathan described by AngryMetalGuy.com as “an intoxicating examination of Southern culture and arguably the most tongue-in-cheek approximation of their sludgy, stoner sound thus far delivered.”

NEWS

2018 Street Fest and Quad-City Times Bix 7, July 27 and 28

Two eagerly awaited outdoor events are set to take place in downtown Davenport July 27 and 28, with the 47th Annual Street Fest energizing crowds on Friday and Saturday, and Saturday morning bringing with it the 44th Annual Quad-City Times Bix 7, the challenging summertime foot race that has captivated runners from all over the world.

MUSIC

Frances Cone and Oneida, July 27 and 29

Two exhilarating bands – both of them originally hailing from Brooklyn, New York – share one weekend at the Triple Crown Whiskey Bar & Raccoon Motel when a pair of acclaimed national acts serve as Moeller Nights headliners: the indie-pop four-piece ensemble Frances Cone, which takes the Davenport stage on July 27, and Oneida, the psychedelic-rock quintet being showcased on July 29.

COMMENTARY

A Foot in the Door for the Next Generation

Right up front, let’s just stipulate that the recent appointment of state Representaive Christian Mitchell (D-Chicago) as the Democratic Party of Illinois’ interim executive director will not usher in an immediate sea-change.