Whether you’re looking to rock out to the music of Black Sabbath, dance the night away or see fresh creations from local artists, there’s plenty happening in Salem this weekend. Here’s a guide to weekend events from Friday, Feb. 2, to Sunday, Feb. 4.
Tribute bands and shows
Classic rock fans have a few options this weekend.
Eagle Eyes, an Eagles tribute band, will take the stage at the Elsinore Theatre, 170 High St. S.E., at 7:30 p.m. “Audiences are mesmerized by this group of Vancouver, B.C. musicians’ precise vocal harmonies and service to the smallest of details in performing songs spanning the extensive Eagles’ Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame career,” the event description says.
Tickets are $30-40 and available online.
Crazy Train, an Ozzy Osborne and Black Sabbath tribute band, performs Saturday at 8:30 p.m. at the Grand Theatre, 187 High St. N.E. The show “features the uncanny likeness of Tim Tugg, whose Ozzy persona has fooled even the most hard-core of Ozzy fans. His vocals and mannerisms emulate the godfather of heavy metal with great detail and his band doesn’t miss a note either,” the description says. Tickets are $25 in advance.
Also at the Grand, an all-ages bluegrass show is on for Friday evening. Syco Billy’s String Band performs at 8 p.m. It’s a “bluegrass and Americana ensemble that tightly wraps the eclectic tastes of the members refined by decades of musical experience around a solid bluegrass core layered with honeyed strings and rich harmonies,” according to a description. Tickets are $5.
Learn about Oregon’s land and stars
350 Salem OR will have a free screening Saturday of “An Oregon Story: Saving our Beaches, Farmland and More,” highlighting conservation efforts and policies throughout the state.
The event will be at 2 p.m. in Loucks Auditorium at the Salem Public Library, 585 Liberty St. S.E. on Saturday, Feb. 3. Doors open at 1:30 p.m.
It was produced by Jim Gilbert, a farmer in Clackamas County.
“I’ve done many things in my life, but making this film and telling this story is, for me, one of the most important. We owe a great debt to Governor Tom McCall and the other dedicated and farsighted individuals who created and defended our unique in the nation, land use planning program for the past 50 years,” he said in a statement.
Watch the trailer here. After the screening, there will be a discussion by Gilbert and Roger Kaye of Friends of Marion County, Willamette University Professor Russ Beaton and Greg Macpherson, son of dairy farmer and former legislator Hector Macpherson.
If you’re more of an astronomy fan, the winter show at Chemeketa Community College’s planetarium runs at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 2.
“Eclipse: The Sun Revealed” will be presented on Chemeketa’s Salem campus, 4000 Lancaster Dr. N.E., in Building 2, Room 171. Read our story about the planetarium here.
Subsequent shows are on Feb. 9, 16 and 23; and March 1, 8 and 15. Seating is first-come, first-served with a cap of 60 people. Tickets are $5, or $4 for children and Chemeketa students. Admission is cash only. Learn more about the shows on the planetarium website.
Improv and comedy
Infinity Room hosts two shows Friday night. At 7:30 p.m., catch the Electric Baguette All-Ages Improv for a unique show based on audience suggestions.
At 9:30 p.m., Haitian comic TJ takes the stage. “TJ has a very laid back, smooth and conversational style. He jokes about race, society’s idiosyncrasies and the inherent contrast between life in Haiti and America,” the event description says.
Tickets are $10 for improv and $15 for TJ in advance. The venue is at 210 Liberty St. S.E. and has a kitchen and bar offering food and drinks during the show. Learn more or buy tickets here.
Get funky
Infinity Room is putting on a funk dance party Saturday with funk band “THIS.” Doors at 7:30 p.m. and the show begins at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance or $13 at the door. All-ages, located at 210 Liberty St. S.E.
Catch a play
It’s the final weekend of the Pentacle Theatre production of Brighton Beach Memoirs.
Written by Neil Simon, the play is an autobiographical and comedic look at his life as a teenager in Brooklyn in 1937. The narrator, Eugene Morris Jerome, is Jewish and the son of Polish immigrants, and the family feels the pressure of tough economic times and the looming threat of war. The play is the first in a trilogy by Simon, with later installments showing his time in World War II.
Performances this week are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. You can buy tickets online or by calling the box office at 503-485-4300. Prices range from $22 to $48. Students and Oregon Trail Card holders are eligible for half-off prices in select seating areas. Tickets can also be bought at the downtown Salem box office the day of performances at 197 Liberty St. S.E. Read our story about the play here.
Erotica, landscapes and more art
Several February art shows have opening receptions Friday evening.
Salem on the Edge debuts its annual erotic art show with a Friday reception from 5-8 p.m. The gallery is downtown at 156 Liberty St. N.E.
The Salem Art Association is hosting a combined reception Friday from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Bush Barn Art Center, 600 Mission St. S.E. This month’s exhibits include a showcase focused on queer love, and landscapes by Salem artists.
Read more about the shows here.
Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.
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Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers city news, education, nonprofits and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade. Outside of work, she’s a skater and board member with Salem’s Cherry City Roller Derby and can often be found with her nose buried in a book.
