There's a ridiculous amount of stuff to do this weekend. In fact, I don't even feel like typing it all, but I'll do anything for you guys. Let me rephrase that....

Thursday night you can catch Umphrey's Mcgee Death by Stereo Tour at the Fillmore Charlotte at 7pm. Get your drink on at one of the many bars before the concert, then head your little tipsy self on over to rock out.

Friday night All Get Out will be playing at Tremont Music Hall with One Another and The Spiveys. It's $8 to get in, and doors open at 8. This sounds awesome; Shoot To Thrill is an ALL FEMALE AC/DC tribute band. Need I say more? They're going to be performing at Amos' Southend Friday night with Jupiter Tide and Absolute $8 in advance and $10 the day of. Doors open at 8. At VBGB Beer Hall & Garden is the Occupy Your Walls Art/Music Event at 8pm. Presented by SIRS, Ink Floyd, The Half & Half, and VBGB, the show will feature original art from a great cast of characters. The best part is the cover is only 3 bucks kiddos! The Mardi Gras hoopla starts this weekend. Wet Willies will be hosting a party with the Ben Gatlin Band, a special Creole menu will be served, and the World's Greatest Daiquiris will be available! This paty will last until the 22nd. The Parade of Beads is also this weekend at the Epicentre. This event is the first ever Mardi Gras parade and celebration in Charlotte and will, in part, benefit the Speedway Children's Charities and the Charlotte Jaycees. The Epicentre will be TRANSFORMED into the French Quarter with New Orleans style decor the entire week of Mardi Gras. The Parade starts Friday at 9pm and a charity pre-event will be at 7pm hosted by Whiskey River. You could be Drinkin' with Linconln this weekend....but not really....because he is actually dead if you didn't know. Kick off President's Day Weekend with the John Earle Band at Dixie's Tavern. Live music from 8-11 and there's NO COVER! $2.50 Miller Light, $5 Skyy & Red Bull, and $5 select apps!

Saturday start the day out with a great energizing run for a great cause. The Purple Heart Homes 1 mile run and 10k will be held at Mitchell Community College in Statesville. Supported by the Iredell County Parks & Rec, you can do the 1 mile run at 8:30 am or the 10k at 9:00. Thorlo Socks will sponsor the 1st 100 veterans who register to participate for free. All of the proceeds go to Purple Heart Homes and to a local disabled veteran home project. This is a great opportunity for you to do something good for your body and give back to the brave defenders of our country. You can register online at active DOT com OR from 7:30 to 8:30 am before the race. It's the 4th Annual Casino Night at the eXtravaganza Depot in NoDa Charlotte. For $50 you get unlimited food, alcohol, play money to gamble, and possibility of winning amazing gift baskets! It all starts at 7:30pm and supports Benefits Care Ring. Tremont is having  The Takeover Concert at 7 featuring 403 Mob, Starr Ramsey, G-ovani, Naj Muzic, DJ Mello, and DJ J-Haze. It's $10 at the door. Enjoy a Night In Rio, at the Neighborhood Theatre, with the Brazilian Carnival Experience. Experience traditional dancing, foods, arts and crafts, and live musical performances of Samba, Bossa Nova, and Brazilian Beats. Doors open at 7, and its only $10 in advance/ $15 the day of. Sounds like fun! More Mardi Gras continues at the Carolina Actors Studio Theatre with the Mardi Gras Masquerade Ball. From 7p to midnight enjoy the live band Sol Driven, Fancy costume contest, King & Queen contest, silent auction, door prizes, cajun appetizers, drinks, and more! This benefits the Northwest School of the Arts. It's $30/person, $50/couple, or $200 to reserve a table for 8 which includes wine and chocolates. The 4th Annual Harti Gras will be held at Hartigans Pub at 10pm for $10. They say it's forecasted to rain Mardi Gras beads, and whoever has the most beads at the end of the night gets $100 cash!

Sunday funday brings us The Next Up Artist Showcase at Tremont featuring Slum Lordz, Slim Goodie, Caliba, Hopp Mcfly, Black Ice, Sir Jay Are, and many more for $10 in advance/ $15 the day of. Doors open at 5. Sunday also brings us (or Mel) Tesla at the Fillmore for the Twisted Wires Acoustic Tour with special guest Built By Stereo. Celebrating the 20th anniversary, the show starts at 7! If you've ever been a bartender you might appreciate this...The 11th Annual Charlotte Bartender's Ball from 7p-12am. The annual drinking and smoking party gives you a chance to try specialty drinks made by some of the best bartenders working at clubs in the Queen City. The event will be held at The Blake Hotel, and you still have a chance to snag the $70 tickets, but they're going fast! Last but not least, the Sweet Tooth Festival will be held at the Black Lion at 2pm Sunday...and that is all I need to say about that, I am done.

You're welcome.

I hope you’re ready for the weekend, because it’s ready for
you!

 Friday night, at the Belk Theatre, will be a special performance by the John Williams Spectacular. Williams has created music for some of the most successful motion pictures..ever! You might recognize his work in the movies Star Wars, E.T., Hook, Close Encounters, Schindler’s List, and more! Associate Conductor Jacomo Rafael Bairos will lead the symphony in an incredible tribute featuring John Williams greatest movie scores…ever! If you
miss the performance on Friday, don’t worry. You can catch it on Saturday too.  Both performances start at 8:00p.m. The Charlotte Bobcats will playing against the Chicago Bulls  this Friday night at Timewarner Cable Arena at 7p.m. And as always,  the tickets are as low as $10!

Saturday, you can catch the Bobcats again playing against the LA Clippers. Same place, same time, same price.  If you’re looking for some funnies this weekend, you can catch Jim Gaffigan at Oven’s Auditorium at 7p.m. for $39. Gaffigan is a successful comedian known for his appearances on Letterman and Conan, his work on the animated series Pale Force, and his roles in Flight of the Concords, Bored to Death, and his serious work in all three versions of Law & Order. Brave The Pain is having a CD Release Party at Tremont Music Hall at
7p.m. for $7. Special guests playing with them will be The Jupiter Tide, The Seduction, and Ultralush. Looking for a little mystery? Enjoy a night of Wine, Chocolate, and Murder as you work to solve a Valentine’s themed murder mystery. You’ll hear suspects stories, take part in interrogations sessions, and search for clues. Oh yeah, and you’ll get a 3-course meal from Carpe Diem too. A bar with beer and wine will also be available along with a silent auction including vacation packages, dinner experiences, and upcoming event tickets. All
happening at the Palmer Building. $125 per couple or $310 per table.  Sounds fun!!! Help break the Guinness Book of World Record for “The Most People Dressed as Where’s Waldo in One Place” at the Where's Waldo Bar Crawl. Get your tickets and Waldo outfits, and you’ll get into all of the Epicentre venues ALL night. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. See a little risky business with the 6^th Annual Valentease Show at the Visualite Theatre. Starting at 8p.m. a variety of burlesque dancers such as Cherry Muffin and Ginny Tonic will perform for you. Comedians Hannibal and Johnny Millwater will also be there, and DJ Spider will be spinning the music. You don’t want to miss Big Mamma D. No you don’t. $18 at the door.  Since Valentine’s day is coming up, start celebrating this weekend at Snug Harbor for the 20^th Annual Johnson Valentine Bash. It starts at 9:00 p.m. and is $7. Headlining bands will be The Monterreys and Alex Kastanas. DJ’s Starseed and Spaceboy will be there spinning too. All proceeds will benefit RAIN ( Regional Aids Interfaith Network.)

Sunday you can see the Charlotte Checkers take on the Norfolk Admirals (again.) It’s at Timewarner Cable Arena at 6pm and tickets start at $17.85. Remember the Blues Brothers? You can see the Original Tribute to the Blues Brothers this Sunday at the Knight Theatre at 8pm. Featuring original members from the West End run, the boys will give you all your favorite songs with a few new moves and will be joined by the sassy Bluettes.

 Happy Weekend and Happy Valentine’s Day! <3 <3

The weekend is here!!! Well, almost. You better be well rested, because there's a lot of S.H.A.T. goin' down. :)

Thursday night, head on over to Tremont Music Hall to check out some great bands. They've got The Swellers with Twin Atlantic, We Are The Ocean, and Carson. It's only $12 and starts at 6:30. There's an International Collectibles & Antique Show that starts Thursday and lasts through the weekend at the Metrolina Tradeshow Expo. There you can find home decor, antiques, furniture, collectibles, antique guns, art, jewelry, rugs, crafts, vintage toys, and wayyyyy more! It's only $5 to get in, and it starts at 9 a.m. everyday except on Sunday it starts at 10 a.m. The circus is in town, the circus is in town! That's right, The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey are here to present Fully Charged at Time Warner Cable Arena. The show is for children of all ages (meaning you too) and tickets start at $25. Thursday the show starts at 7p.m., Friday there's a 10:30a.m. and  7p.m., Saturday an 11a.m., 3 & 7p.m., and Sunday an 11a.m. and 3p.m.

 On Friday, don't miss Inkfest LIVE ! It too lasts until Sunday at the Cabarrus Arena and Events Center in Concord. It's the only tattoo expo of its kind with some of the world's leading tattoo artists, graffiti demonstrations, live music, DJ battles, custom cars, custom bikes, and more! Friday is $15 from 4-11, Saturday is $20 from 12-11, and Sunday is $15 from 12-7. Sponge plays at Tremont Music Hall on Friday night with My Captain and Hoverboard. Tickets are $12 in advance and $14 the day of. Rehab also plays Friday night. Remember them? They will be at Amos' Southend with Eyes of the Elders at 8pm. This show is $12 in advance and $15 the day of. If you like heading over to NoDa for some culture, you can get your fill this weekend with the All Arts Market from 6-10pm. Local artists and craft makers will be selling their affordable items. Find paintings, jewelry, pottery, clothing, soaps, lotions, and more. It’s all at the Neighborhood Theatre and it’s free!

 Saturday, you might find yourself going back over the Cabarrus Arena for the Impact Wrestling World Tour! The Superstars of Impact Wrestling, as seen on Spike TV, will be doin’ their thing Saturday night at the arena at 7:30p.m. On the music scene, we have Tool playing at the Bojangles’ Coliseum at 8p.m. The tickets start at $40, so get to getting’ all you Tool fans! The Queen City Brewer’s Festival is also happening this weekend at the Neighborhood Theatre. This event is exclusive to the Charlotte- area breweries that have put the Queen City on the map for craft beer. Proceeds from this event will benefit Partners for Parks. More than thirty craft beers will be on hand, along with food and live music too, so get yourself there for only $20. 1^st session is 1:00-4:00p.m., 2^nd session is from 6:00 to 9:00p.m. Tilt is having the Guys and Dolls Shirts Off Our Backs Bar Crawl at 6:30 for a $10 donation. This is a fundraising event for Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and will feature unlimited appetizers, admission into Tilt, Prohibition and Town Tavern, and drink specials! Registration is at 6:30p.m. Easy Eddies is having the Annual Leather and Lace Fashion Show at 2pm. Join them for a 50/50 drawing, great drink specials, and burlesque dancers modeling got lingerie! Fo Free!

 Sunday is not just any Sunday, it’s SUPER BOWL SUNDAY! Haven’t ya heard? The Giants and the Patriots will battle it out this Sunday and you can witness it all! If you don’t feel like watching the game at home, you can check out the Super Bowl Party at Tilt at 4pm. There’s a $20 cover and you get pulled pork bbq, wings, and complimentary drafts, $3 wells, and $5 bombs. There will also be a celebration at VBGB Beer Hall and Garden for $10. You get a First Half buffet from 5pm until the end of the 2^nd quarter, football trivia, beer specials, $1.50 PBR, $3 NC beers, Well, Wine, and Champagne, and $5 Jager Bombs. Boom! Can’t beat that!

 Have a happy weekend and GO GIANTS!!!!