Tim’s Picks: About the spookiest edition
Warming up for all those Halloween events with Jim Lauderdale at Duncan Hall. And a bunch more. Five suggestions for your Greater Lafayette week
Thanks today for ongoing help from Based in Lafayette sponsor Long Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Lafayette, presenting Crush, the Bon Jovi Experience Nov. 16. For tickets for the show and details for other events, go to longpac.org.
And now, with five suggestions for your Greater Lafayette week, it’s …
By Tim Brouk / For Based in Lafayette
Jim Lauderdale and the Game Changers, 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25, Duncan Hall, 619 Ferry St., Lafayette — You may not know his name, but you know his songs. While an accomplished performer solo or in front of a band, Jim Lauderdale has penned tunes for legends like Elvis Costello, Emmylou Harris, Ralph Stanley, Lucinda Williams, Loretta Lynn, John Oates and Ol’ Possum himself, George Jones. As a performer, Lauderdale’s American roots music style blends country, bluegrass and folk. Lauderdale easily sold out People’s Brewing Company in 2023 so kudos to Mom & Pop Productions and the resurrection of Friends of Bob for securing a larger venue to house the artist’s songwriting brilliance and his five-piece band. $20. Tickets.
Potter’s Market, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, YWCA Greater Lafayette, 605 N. Sixth St., Lafayette — Whether to be displayed as fine art or as an attractive piece to hold your popcorn, cereal or your car keys, the bowls turned out by the Greater Lafayette Clay Guild are the best around. A gigantic variety and other forms will be for sale at the 20th annual Potter’s Market at the YWCA.
Lafayette Comic Con, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, Tippecanoe County Fairgrounds, 1406 Teal Road, Lafayette — I remember attending and even selling my comic books at conventions 30 years ago, and those in attendance ranged from pimply teen boys (like me) and middle-aged men that seemed to rarely see the sun or a treadmill. Now that I am that middle-aged man that never sees the sun, somehow comic book conventions became more welcoming, colorful and exciting. And women actually go to them now. Thanks to Hollywood, comic books and the heroes, villains and stories they tell are mainstream, and the Lafayette Comic Con will celebrate this with vendors from all around the region as well as special guests in artist Frank Fosco (“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Urban Legends”), “Power Rangers Dino” actors Kevin Duhaney, Jeffrey Parazzo and Brennan Mejia, and writer Steve Horton, a 2002 Purdue University professional writing graduate and author to several Image and Dark Horse comics titles as well as the award-winning David Bowie graphic novel “Bowie: Stardust, Rayguns, and Moonage Daydreams.” $8, free for children ages 12 and younger.
There are many, many Halloween events leading up to Oct. 31. Most of them occur Friday and Saturday, Oct. 25 and 26. Here are just some of the frightfully awesome things going on that will get you in a spooky mood:
Tour of Terror, 5-8:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 25 and 26, Civic Theatre of Greater Lafayette, 313 N. Fifth St., Lafayette — Downtown Lafayette history buffs will howl at the (James) Moon this weekend as Civic Theatre brings back its Tour of Terror. In partnership with the Wabash Valley Trust for Historic Preservation, the event will immerse fans of true crime and tragedy by taking them to actual spots of murder, mayhem and other bloody events. $25
Halloween at The Spot, 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25, and 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, The Spot Tavern, 409 S. Fourth St., Lafayette — With the help of Indianapolis production company Quantum Cavern, Halloween will get a trippy treatment visually with wild lights and effects while local and regional DJs spin beats and bands crank their amps. Friday’s event will feature local death metal heroes Emulsified and DJs Karabella, Shady Grooves, Shyrii b2b KYROBPAQ and Genderotic. Saturday’s event will feature Greater Lafayette’s top punk rock band The Jackies and Bussy Kween Power Trip, a Black queer punk act from Chicago. DJs Elfbar, GNZ b2b Tonic Clonic and Zernack will supply the beats. $10 in advance, $15 at the door. Tickets.
“Monsters, Inc.,” 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, Long Center for the Performing Arts, 111 N. Sixth St. Lafayette – A special family event will screen the hit Disney/Pixar animated film from 2001. $5, $12 for movie ticket and “spooky treat bag.” Tickets.
Monster Mash on the Wabash, 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, downtown Lafayette — Downtown businesses will be buzzing with costumed kids for afternoon trick-or-treating until 4 p.m. A children’s costume parade will be held at 3:30 p.m. before a costume contest at 4 p.m. Then move over to First Farmers Bank & Trust, 639 Main St., for a pop-up pumpkin patch and pumpkin decorating until 10 p.m. Things will get sinister as the sun goes down: A zombie crawl will start at 6 p.m. at Eighth and Main streets.
Doom Room Halloween Bash with The Lurking Corpses, Murder Burger, Maelstrom Blvck and Echoes from Oblivion, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, North End Pub, 2100 Elmwood Ave., Lafayette — This Halloween goes to 11. The Doom Room will present its 11th Halloween Bash this weekend loaded with heavy metal, contests and prizes. Headlining will be Fort Wayne veteran horror metal band The Lurking Corpses, recently back from the dead with a new album in “Lurking After Midnight.” Be sure to participate in the scream king/queen contests, costume contest and Hot Wheel treadmill racing (Bring your own Hot Wheels). $10.
“Tina — The Tina Turner Musical,” 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 29, Elliott Hall of Music, Purdue University —Tina Turner's life was a story of survival and resilience. “The Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll” endured a tumultuous and abusive marriage to Ike Turner, which nearly cost her everything, including her singing career and well-being. Yet, through sheer determination, she broke free, rebuilding her life and reclaiming her music on her own terms. Her remarkable comeback in the 1980s made her an international icon, inspiring millions with her powerhouse performances. Turner's journey from pain to triumph is a testament to her unshakable strength and enduring spirit, which made for a powerful 1993 biopic in “What’s Love Got to Do with It” starring the great Angela Bassett and now a magnificent musical in “Tina.” The show features many of Turner’s hits throughout her career — from “Proud Mary” to that 1980s pop sensation “What’s Love Got to Do with It.” $39-$84. Tickets.
Tim Brouk is a longtime arts and entertainment reporter. He writes here (almost) weekly, tracking things to do for Based in Lafayette.
Thanks today for ongoing help from Based in Lafayette sponsor Long Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Lafayette, presenting Crush, the Bon Jovi Experience Nov. 16. For tickets for the show and details for other events, go to longpac.org.
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