Tim’s Picks: Beyond the Brackets edition
Here’s what’s going on beyond your soon-to-be-busted bracket.
Support for Based in Lafayette also comes from Purdue Convocations, presenting Beetlejuice on Thursday, April 9. Based on Tim Burton’s dearly beloved film, this hilarious musical tells the story of Lydia Deetz, a strange and unusual teenager whose whole life changes when she meets a recently deceased couple and a demon with a thing for stripes. And under its uproarious surface (six feet under, to be exact), it’s a remarkably touching show about family, love, and making the most of every Day-O! It’s Showtime — BUY TICKETS now and save with a Me+3 Four-Pack!
Support also comes from the Delphi Opera House, where the 10th Anniversary Season continues with more great shows. This Saturday, March 21, at 7:30 p.m., Tim Grimm with Sergio Webb bring their brand of folk/Americana music. Tim’s new album, “Bones of Trees,” was the #1 Album on International Folk Radio for 2025. On Tuesday, March 24, at 9 a.m., in partnership with University Place, Leslie Goddard shares her “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” program (with continental breakfast). Ending the month with Crescendo Choir performing on Friday and Saturday, March 27 and 28, at 7:30 p.m. April kicks off with a return from Carrie Newcomer on April 11 at 7:30 p.m. The Delphi Opera House is a venue space presenting quality arts and entertainment in a beautifully restored historic theatre. More at www.delphioperahouse.org.
Always a good Cinderella story, it’s …
By Tim Brouk / For Based in Lafayette
Bohemian Queen, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 19, Long Center for the Performing Arts, 111 N. Sixth St., Lafayette — Famed vocalist Freddie Mercury died in 1991, but his music has captivated subsequent generations through classic rock radio, today’s streaming sites and, of course, the famous “Wayne’s World” scene where “Bohemian Rhapsody” takes centerstage. Bohemian Queen was formed to celebrate the sound of the band, which has sold 300 million albums and counting, as well as the stage theatrics — primarily handled by Paulie Z, who bears a striking resemblance to Mercury during the legendary singer’s mustachioed era. The show is filled with all the Queen’s hits, Z’s soaring vocals and costume changes. And I defy you to say “Bohemian Queen” in a way unlike “Caribbean Queen” by Billy Ocean. $23-$30. Tickets.
“Sweet Dreams … Mandy Barnett Sings Patsy Cline,” 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 20, Long Center for the Performing Arts, 111 N. Sixth St., Lafayette — One of the first solo female country stars is also one of the most enduring. Patsy Cline broke barriers in the 1950s and was a huge star by 1960 with her hit breakthrough single, “Walkin’ After Midnight.” Before her tragic death in 1963, Cline would cement her career with a flurry of hits that included “Crazy,” “I Fall to Pieces” and “She’s Got You.” These classic country songs are still respected and performed by the next generation, including current country star Mandy Barnett. The young singer broke into the business singing Cline songs so well that it landed her on the Grand Ole Opry and on the stage of the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, where Cline herself sang regularly in the late 1950s and early 1960s. While Barnett has built her own career the last several years, she still pays tribute to the legendary Cline in her “Sweet Dreams” show, which will make its downtown Lafayette debut this weekend. $28-$57. Tickets.
March Radness Dance Party with DJs Karabella and Grimey Kids, 8 p.m. Saturday, March 21, People’s Brewing Company, 2006 N. Ninth St., Lafayette — Lafayette’s littlest dancefloor continues to do well for People’s Brewing. This time, dubstep, house, and drum and bass music fans will move it to local DJ Karabella and Indianapolis dance music collective Grimey Kids. Tickets.
Fathom with This Is Me Breathing and Emulsified, 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 24, The Spot Tavern, 409 S. Fourth St., Lafayette — I would not be who I am today if it wasn’t for “Monday Night Metal,” an old heavy metal radio show on St. Louis FM station KSHE 95 that ran on TUESDAYS. The longstanding metal show was bumped from Mondays sometime in the late 1980s or early1990s to accommodate a satellite show called “Rockline,” and station management apparently liked alliteration too much to change the metal show’s name. So, “Monday Night Metal” ran on TUESDAYS for years. The show would be the first place I’d hear a new Megadeth tune, Black Sabbath classics and heavier grunge like Alice in Chains and Soundgarden, and it was where I was introduced to Tool and Rage Against the Machine months before their videos hit MTV and launched huge careers. So, for me, heavy metal on Tuesdays is natural thing and other metalheads should feel the same so they can witness the deathcore brutality of Ohio’s Fathom Tuesday night at The Spot. Opening the show will be local death metal band Emulsified and This Is Me Breathing, a five-piece deathcore ensemble from St. Louis. Perhaps their older siblings or parents were listening to Monday Night Metal on TUESDAYS too. $10.
Afroman, 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 24, Rat Pak Venue, 102 N. Third St., Lafayette — From the courtroom this week straight to downtown Lafayette next week: What Grammy-nominated national act has played Lafayette more than Afroman? From a “mediocre” concert at Riehle Brothers (woof) to reportedly better shows at smaller bars in the years following, Afroman has made Lafayette a regular tour stop. And in a way, Lafayette has seen Afroman evolve. He debuted as a one-hit wonder for “Because I Got High” and now is a guitar shredding entertainment machine often dressed in vibrant outfits and, as always, a walking billboard for the joys of marijuana. And yes, the afro is still looking good at age 51. (Note: Afroman – real name: Joseph Foreman – is coming into town fresh off a verdict in his favor in a civil defamation lawsuit that had sheriff’s deputies in Adams County, Ohio, challenging their images being used in songs that went viral, “Lemon Pound Cake” and “Will You Help Me Repair My Door,” which the rapper made using surveillance footage of a 2022 police raid of his home. On the stand this week, Foreman said he was just making art after police broke down his door for a raid that didn’t turn up what they’d come to find and that he contends never should have happened. A jury found in favor of Foreman Wednesday afternoon. And, whew that suit he wore on the stand this week …)
Tim Brouk is a longtime arts and entertainment reporter. He writes here (almost) weekly, tracking things to do for Based in Lafayette.
Thanks, again, for support for this edition from Purdue Convocations, presenting Beetlejuice on Thursday, April 9. Get tickets here.
Thanks, also, for support from the Delphi Opera House, where the 10th Anniversary Season continues with more great shows. For a schedule and tickets, go to www.delphioperahouse.org.
Thank you for supporting Based in Lafayette, an independent, local reporting project. Free and full-ride subscription options are ready for you here. And now through Friday, take off 20% for the first year.
Tips, story ideas? I’m at davebangert1@gmail.com.