It’s time to plan the week. Here’s some of what we recommend:
Mon 3/28: It’s BYO controller at the Super Smash Brothers Melee gaming tournament at Emporium Arcade Bar (1366 N. Milwaukee); the cover charge gets you a free shot. 7 PM
Mon 3/28: John Davis, a 90s lo-fi staple, plays in Chicago for the first time in 17 years with his band the Cicadas at the Owl (2521 N. Milwaukee) tonight. In Soundboard Bill Meyer writes, “Davis stashes a few surprises in those spaces that stop the action like a play within a play—’Blood Feud,’ for instance, features a drum solo that sounds like Milford Graves meeting Ikue Mori. He’s always had the gift of freezing a moment, but now he’s placing those snapshots inside narratives as sweeping as the songs’ arrangements.” 10 PM
Tue 3/29: At the variety show Message For Details, the guys behind DIY comedy venue the Shithole bring their brand of curated comedy to a more traditional venue, the Double Door (1572 N. Milwaukee). 7 PM
Wed 3/30: The national basketball tournament McDonald’s All-American Games returns to Chicago with the best high-school players from across the country facing off at the United Center (1901 W. Madison). 5:30 PM
Wed 3/30: The Dad’s Basement DJs, Ryan Duggan and the Reader‘s own Luca Cimarusti, skip the punk, indie, and experimental to play solely classic dad rock at this dance party at the Slippery Slope (2357 N. Milwaukee). 9 PM
Thu 3/31: Author Katherine Don reads from her latest biography, Real Courage: The Story of Harper Lee at Women and Children First (5233 N. Clark). A Q&A will follow the reading. 7:30 PM
3/31-4/3: The contemporary puppeteers of Blair Thomas & Co. present a modern interpretation of the Herman Melville classic Moby Dick at the Museum of Contemporary Art (220 E. Chicago). Thu-Sat 7:30 PM, Sun 3:30 PM
For more stuff to do this week—and every day—check out our Agenda page.