SHAKIRA STYLE
Colombian singer Shakira brings her slick Latin pop to the Scotiabank Arena Tuesday.
It’s been a long-time since pop idol has been here, but she returns to Toronto on Tuesday at Scotiabank Arena,
MONDAY
á Better Call Saul Watch this if: You enjoy a well-told tale, even when you already know the ending. This prequel doesn’t get the love of its predecessor, Breaking Bad, but viewers are rewarded with the same careful attention to detail from creators Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould, and excellent acting from an ensemble led by Bob Odenkirk and Jonathan Banks. As Season 4 begins, characters including the inimitable Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito) are dealing with the death of one major character and the hospitalization of another. Bonus watch: new series
Lodge 49 follows at 10 p.m. with Wyatt Russell, the son of Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn, as an aimless, homeless, jobless former surfer who begins to find redemption when he stumbles on the fraternal order of the title. (AMC at 9) — Debra Yeo
á Olivia Chaney
Watch this because: She’s got a voice, a sensibility and a growing songbook that’ll give you chills. Chaney’s an English multi-instrumentalist who has been busy: last year, her extraordinary voice breathed new trad life into the Decemberists via their Offa
Rex collab, and she also worked with the Kronos Quartet. Now she comes into this T.O. debut off her second solo album, Shelter, a gorgeous piece of work — she’s a versatile, moving performer who in this kind of setting channels the ghosts of Britfolk stalwarts past while remaining very much an artist of 2018, seeking refuge while, in her words, “the demons do persist.” Kate Boothman, who has been showcasing her latest I Am
An Animal around town, gets the opening call sans bandmates and figures to set the stage well. (Drake Underground, 1150 Queen St. W., doors 8 p.m.) — Chris Young
TUESDAY
á Bachelor in Paradise Watch this if: You need an antidote to the formulaic earnestness of The Bachelorette. Yes, this Bachelorette season turned out to be more of a slog than we were expecting, but ABC is rewarding fans who stick it out for Monday’s finale (8 p.m. on City) with the premiere one night later of what looks to be an unhinged fifth season of this guilty pleasure spinoff. The cast looks like a Bachelor/Bachelorette dream team; we know there’ll be at least one engagement on the beach, between franchise stalwarts Ashley Iaconetti and Jared Haibon; and there’s even Canadian content in the form of erstwhile Bachelorette Canada winner Kevin Wendt. (ABC at 8 p.m., also City Wednesday at 8 p.m.) — DY
á Shakira
Watch this for: Infectious global pop in a shiny, hip-shaking package. It’s been seven years since the Colombian singer-songwriter and dancer has toured the globe and much has changed for her since, including her two young children travelling with her for part of the way. And while she’s talking about scaling back some, her slick and tightly produced Latin pop can still cross borders, though she remains a far bigger star in Europe and Central and South America. This El Dorado tour, named after her Grammy-winning album of last year, might be a bit of an acid test for Toronto, which she didn’t include on that 2010-11 Oral Fixation tour. There’ll be some catching up and no doubt some counting up, too. (Scotiabank Arena, 40 Bay St., doors 7:30 p.m.) — CY
THURSDAY
á SummerWorks Performance Festival Watch this if: You want an experimental August. Sometimes you need to shake things up, and the SummerWorks Performance Festival, which starts Thursday, is doing so in its 2018 edition. Typically known for its various program streams from theatre to dance to musical works in concert to live art to highly conceptualized concerts, this year SummerWorks is funnelling that same artistic diversity into two streams: SummerWorks Presentations, with fully developed works, and SummerWorks Lab, which features works in progress and new experiments. Within those 32 productions across both streams, there are some big names in theatre, music, poetry and performance. (Aug. 9-19, Multiple venues, summerworks.ca) — Carly Maga
á Mamma Mia!
Watch this if: You can’t resist it. Listen, if you’re the type of person who can’t resist Cher’s vibrato and Christine Baranski’s high kicks in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (the sequel/prequel to Mamma Mia! no one asked for), then you already know the blockbuster musical that inspired these filmed offshoots is returning to Toronto after it received its North American premiere here in 2000 (and ran for five years afterwards). So strap on those bell bottoms and disco dance to the opening night of a musical that truly kicked off the jukebox trend. (Aug. 9-19, Ed Mirvish Theatre, 244 Victoria St.) — CM
á Manifesto
Watch this if: You want to be immersed in hip-hop culture. The fact that the Manifesto Festival of Community & Culture, a festival celebrating all aspects of hip-hop culture, is returning to its original location in Nathan Phillips Square, with a backdrop of City Hall, adds another layer to an already vital lineup of multidisciplinary arts events. This year’s edition, the festival’s twelfth, includes highlights like Hatecopy at the festival’s art show, Dom Pare and Nick Reynoldson in the comedy program, the two-year anniversary celebration of Revolutions Per Minute, and a headlining free concert with Chronixx and his backing band Zinc Fence Redemption and Charlotte Day Wilson on August 17. (Aug. 9-19, various venues, mnfsto.com) — CM
SATURDAY
á Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami Watch this if: You’re kicking yourself for missing it before. It came to TIFF last year and it came to the Bell Lightbox earlier this summer. Does the formidable Ms Jones — model, singer, songwriter and more — have to drag you to the cinema personally? The documentary about her, directed by Sophie Fiennes, has now circled over to the Ted Rogers Hot Docs Cinema for a special Saturday-night show, fitting for the creator of an irresistible dance anthem like “Pull Up to the Bumper.” Linda Barnard’s review from TIFF says the rest: “Fiennes provides a meandering observation of the woman behind the glamazon, disco diva and full-throated and furious singer/performance artist in this unstructured doc. Fans will revel in stunning concert performances, from ‘Nipple to the Bottle’ to a deeply moving ‘Amazing Grace.’ ” (Hot Docs Cinema. 506 Bloor St. W., 9:30 p.m.) — Garnet Fraser