Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Backstreet Boys, Train and an ‘Impractical Joker’ on stage
Monday was a federal holiday, but as a Sun Sentinel story pointed out last week, there remains a “lack of awareness of the meaning or significance of Juneteenth.” Sort of like Presidents Day, that “optional” federal holiday whose purpose grows more nebulous with the passage of time.
But the importance of Juneteenth isn’t so difficult to understand: It symbolizes the final salvo in the Civil War. On June 19, 1865, two months after Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered his Confederate troops, a Union general arrived in Texas, a refuge for slave holders at the end of the war, to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation that freed enslaved African-Americans.
It was a culminating chapter in a historic victory for the American military and the nation — headlines of the day should have proclaimed V-S Day. But here we are, 157 years later, and some of your friends have a three-day weekend and some don’t. We’ll figure it out some day.
Summer Sips & Sounds
6-8 p.m. Wednesday, June 22, Schmidt Boca Raton History Museum; $40 (members $30) at BocaHistory.org
This is the first of three concerts in a new series inspired by Boca Raton history, opening with music written and performed during the transition from the Gilded Age to the Jazz Age, when local icon Addison Mizner was at work. Highlights include works by Claude Debussy, George Gershwin and Mizner favorite Louis Armstrong. The evening, which begins with a 6 p.m. cocktail reception sponsored by The Seagate Hotel, will feature Darren Matias on keyboards, Jeff Kaye on trumpet, violinist Yasa Poletaeva and saxophonist Scott Klarman.
Backstreet Boys
7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 22, iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre, West Palm Beach; $24.75+ (with lawn four-pack) at LiveNation.com
On a recent visit to Noblemen’s Cut & Shave in downtown Fort Lauderdale’s rising Progresso neighborhood, the hip vibe of the barbershop was energized by a loud remix (Pandora, I assume) of the Backstreet Boys’ “That’s the Way I Like It,” as co-owner Greg Young (way cooler than me or you) bobbed his head, along with seemingly every other guy in the place. If you had told me 25 years ago, when the song was released, that this would be happening in 2022, I’d have said, uh, not. But the people, and their stylish heads, have spoken.
Joe Jackson
8 p.m. Wednesday, June 22, The Parker, Fort Lauderdale; $37.50+ at ParkerPlayhouse.com
The so-called new wave movement of the 1980s produced some of the most intelligent and inventive lyricists in the history of pop music, including Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe, Chris Difford (Squeeze), Graham Parker and the under-appreciated Joe Jackson. Beginning with his 1979 debut album, “Look Sharp!,” Jackson produced a string of treasured hits that bounced from propulsive pop to poignant introspection, all of which stand the test of 40 years’ time. His 2022 Sing You, Sinners! tour setlist has included most of them: “Is She Really Going Out with Him?,” “Sunday Papers,” “One More Time,” “Fools in Love,” “I’m the Man,” “It’s Different for Girls,” “Steppin’ Out,” “Breaking Us in Two” and more.
The Orange Constant
8 p.m. Wednesday, June 22, Crazy Uncle Mike’s, Boca Raton; $10+ (standing room) at CrazyUncleMikes.com
8 p.m. Thursday, June 23, Funky Buddha Brewery, Oakland Park; free; FunkyBuddhaBrewery.com
The Orange Constant is one of those jammy, indie bands from the South that you see in Asheville or Nashville and wish they’d play here. Well, here they come. In warmup dates for next weekend’s AthFest Music & Arts Festival in Athens, Ga., the
quintet will play two shows in South Florida.
Theo Von 8 p.m. Thursday, June 23, Hard Rock Live, Hollywood; $45+ at MyHRL.com
Theo Von is a popular podcaster (“This Past Weekend”), comedian (multiple Netflix specials, most recently 2021 s “Regular People”) and sometimes mullet wearer. But his official resume at TheoVon.com somehow sells him short, neglecting to mention his captivating acting role as a child predator in the 2018 music video for the song “Trust Me,” starring rapper Bhad Bhabie, also known as Boynton Beach’s Danielle Bregoli, and former Pembroke Pines’ Disney star turned adult-film director Bella Thorne (Ty Dolla $ign is in there somewhere, too). You. Can. Not. Look. Away.
Train
6:30 p.m. Friday, June 24, iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre, West Palm Beach; $20+ at LiveNation.com
One of the quintessential summer-concert bands, Pat Monahan and Train come to West Palm Beach armed with music from “AM Gold,” their first studio album in five years, along with enduring singalongs such as “Hey, Soul Sister,” “Drops of Jupiter,” “Marry Me,” “Calling All Angels” and, a personal favorite, “Mississippi.” Jewel and Blues Traveler open the night.
Northwood Village Art, Dine and Design
6-9 p.m. Friday, June 24, Northwood Road and Spruce Avenue, West Palm Beach; free; Facebook.com/NorthwoodVillageArtDineAndDesign
The developing scene in West Palm Beach’s Northwood Village gets a push with this monthly street party that gathers local restaurants, shops, artists and performances by Chucka Riddim and the band Antares on two stages.
Joe Gatto 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. Friday, June 24, 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, June 25, Dania Improv, Dania Beach; $40+ at DaniaImprov.com
For a decade, Joe Gatto was a member of the comedy quartet on the hit TV romp “Impractical Jokers” — we thought of him as the George Harrison of the group — who aired their Season 10 premiere last Thursday without him. Of course, there were distraught social-media posts from surprised Gatto fans, who somehow missed his admirable explanation on Instagram in December: He is taking time to reorient his personal life after separating from his wife and to spend time with his children. South Florida fans can get their Joe Gatto fix this weekend.