Best Bets: Monster trucks and motocross in Rosemont and bubbles in Crystal Lake
Monster trucks and motocross bikes
Monster jam trucks and freestyle motocross (FMX) bikes roar into the Allstate Arena, 6920 Mannheim Road, Rosemont, for the Monster Jam Freestyle Mania. Favorite monster trucks Grave Digger, El Toro Loco, Sparkle Smash and others will wow audiences with jumps, tricks and other stunts. $33.20-$160.99. MonsterJam.com. 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27; 1 and 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28; and 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday, March 1
ESO goes for Baroque
Harpsichord player Maryse Carlin joins members of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra for a concert showcasing Baroque-era music by George Frideric Handel, Antonio Vivaldi, Domenico Scarlatti, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and Francesco Geminiani. It takes place at the Journey of Hope Church, 37W040 Highland Ave., Elgin. $25 adults, $15 students. (847) 888-4000 or ElginSymphony.org. 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27
A different kind of circus
Circus of Bubbles, a “high-flying, 60-minute explosion of bubble magic, circus artistry and laugh-out-loud comedy” that features comedian Kirk Marsh and foot juggler Jack Weinstock, promises to dazzle kids of all ages at the Raue Center for the Arts, 26 N. Williams St., Crystal Lake. Tickets start at $14 for students, $24 for adults; RaueNOW members tickets start at $7 for students, $14 for adults. (815) 356-9212 or rauecenter.org. 7 p.m. Thursday, March 5
Blues in the ’burbs
Blues Hall of Fame inductees and Chicago favorites Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials celebrate the release of their first album in 10 years at FitzGerald’s, 6615 W. Roosevelt Road, Berwyn. $20 general admission; reserved tables available. (708) 788-2118 or fitzgeraldsnightclub.com. 8:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27
Peer ‘Through Her Lens’
The Puerto Rican Arts Alliance presents “Through Her Lens: Caribbean Image Makers,” a group exhibition curated by Jorge Félix that examines Caribbean identity, migration and belonging and how culture is “held, transmitted and reshaped across borders and generations,” at 3000 N. Elbridge Ave., Chicago. An opening reception takes place from 6-8:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27. (773) 342-8865 or praachicago.org. Friday, Feb. 27, through July 25
Wheaton wine and cheese tasting
The Downtown Wheaton Association hosts a winter wine and cheese walk for oenophiles 21 and older. Participants can sample 15 1-ounce pours at participating Wheaton businesses with artisan cheeses available at select locations. Tickets are $40, which includes a souvenir wine glass. Check in from 1-4:30 p.m. at 206 N. Main St., Wheaton. VisitDowntownWheaton.org/events. 2-5:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28
‘Wigglers’ welcome
North Central College welcomes all “wigglers” for its annual “Chords for Kids” concert, a free, sensory-friendly music experience for kids with special needs and their families. The concert takes place at Wentz Concert Hall, North Central College, 171 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville. Audience members are encouraged to sing, move and dance throughout the performance. Free, but tickets are required. (630) 637-7469 or northcentralcollege.edu/show. 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28
World premiere by Chickasaw Nation composer
The Bach + Beethoven Experience, a Chicago music ensemble that performs a mix of classical, folk, Indigenous and new music, premieres a new work by composer and Chickasaw Nation member Brandi Berry Benson titled “Songs of The Chickasaws: Epic Tales Told Through Music.” Benson composed the piece as an homage to Chickasaws who have made a profound impact on her people: Tishu Miko, the Nation’s last great chief; former Chickasaw governor Jonas Wolfe; Lushanya, the first Chickasaw opera star; “Sadie” Humes, the co-author of the first Chickasaw dictionary; and flutist Jesse Lindsey, a current elder of the Chickasaw Nation. Performances take place at The Checkout, 4116 N. Clark St., Chicago. $20.77. bbexperience.org. 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28, and 4 p.m. Sunday, March 1
Dance in the city
• The Auditorium, 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive, Chicago, serves up an early St. Patrick’s Day treat courtesy of Chicago’s Trinity Irish Dance Company. The program includes the world premiere of “Pasture Bedtime, Bleating Hearts” by Jamey Hampton and Ashley Roland of BodyVox; the Chicago premiere of “SÉseacht (shay-shokht)” by tap choreographer Michelle Dorrance, in collaboration with the TIDC dancers; and “The Sash” by TIDC founding artistic director Mark Howard, associate artistic director Chelsea Hoy and choreographer Stephanie Martinez. Dancers will be accompanied by singer/songwriter Brenoshea and fiddle champion Jake James. Tickets start at $35. (312) 341-2300 or auditoriumtheatre.org. 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28
• Chicago Tap Theatre presents “The Countdown: Where Numerology Meets the Beat, a Symphony of Tap Dance and Live Music” at the Bramble Arts Loft, 5545 N. Clark St., Chicago. $40-$75; gala tickets $150-$250. Gala tickets include a pre-show reception with beverages and an extended intermission with refreshments. ChicagoTapTheatre.com. 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday, March 5-6, and 2 p.m. March 8. Gala performance at noon March 7
Kurt Weill opera gets Chicago premiere
Chicago Opera Theater presents the Chicago premiere of “Der Silbersee: Ein Wintermärchen (The Silver Lake — A Winter’s Fairy Tale),” a genre-defying theatrical work with music by Kurt Weill (the Jewish composer’s last theatrical work before he was forced to flee Germany) and text by Georg Kaiser. Banned by the Nazis weeks after its 1933 premiere, the opera tells the story of a destitute man named Severin, who was shot while stealing a pineapple, and Olim, the police officer who wounds him but later nurses him back to health in an effort to seek redemption. Performed in German with English supertitles, the opera takes place at the Studebaker Theater, 410 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago. $50-$150. cot.org. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 4, and 3 p.m. March 7 and 8