Madisonians will find many opportunities to go old school this week. The calendar includes: the celebration of the "On, Wisconsin!" centennial; a production of Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps and a performance by Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana; talks by Dan Ariely, Bill Ivey, and Lama Ole Nydahl; and, live music by Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Erin McKeown, Jeffrey Siegel, Enter the Haggis, Trampled By Turtles, Digable Planets, Paleo, and Helliphant with Mr. Gnome.
Monday 11.9
NOTEWORTHY: East Germany announces opening of its borders, 1989.
Kohl Center, 7:30 pm
The band are known for their symphonic, metal-prog interpretations of Christmas carols and Yule-themed originals, but their live shows sometimes include classic-rock hits such as "Layla," "Proud Mary" and "Immigrant Song" after the band's rocked through "O Holy Night," "Angels We Have Heard on High" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen." Expect a few songs from their brand-new album, Night Castle, as well.
High Noon Saloon, 8 pm
The folk-rock multi-instrumentalist has gained a lot of exposure from being on Ani DiFranco's Righteous Babe label, but she's racked up a ton of fans at festival performances like Queerstock. Her newest album, Hundreds of Lions, filters acoustic instruments through synthesizers and comes out with something that's quite catchy. With Jill Sobule.
Tuesday 11.10
NOTEWORTHY: Maya Lin's Vietnam Veterans Memorial dedicated in Washington, D.C., 1982.
UW Memorial Union, 1 pm
The unforgettable fight song's 100th birthday is feted as the UW marching band and Mayor Cieslewicz lead a sing-along. Do you know all the words? Of course you do.
Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps
Overture Hall, 7:30 pm. Also Wednesday-Thursday, Nov. 11-12, 7:30 pm; through Nov. 15
The hit Broadway play's four actors recapitulate Hitchcock's 1935 film, 150 roles and all. Should be some uproarious evenings of theater.
Wisconsin Union Theater, 7:30 pm
The Duke behavioral economist talks about his recent book, Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions, in this Distinguished Lecture Series event. The book upends the standard economics notion that we all act rationally. Reportedly the idea came to him at Burning Man, which explains a lot.
Mills Hall, 7:30 pm
The roving pianist and lecturer presents another of his Keyboard Conversations. This one's called "Chopin for Lovers" and features pieces inspired by the ladies in Frédéric's life.
Wednesday 11.11
VETERANS' DAY/REMEMBRANCE DAY/ARMISTICE DAY
BIRTHDAYS: Actress Demi Moore, 1962; actor Leonardo DiCaprio, 1974.
Brink Lounge, 8 pm
Bagpipes don't appear often enough on Madison stages, so welcome the Canadian quintet for piper Craig Downnie alone. But don't necessarily expect endless choruses of "Bonnie Lassie" -- the group plays buoyant pop- and jam-inflected music, with liberal Celtic touches. With the Pints.
High Noon Saloon, 8 pm
The Duluth band aren't averse to slow tempos, but it's their breakneck bluegrass updates that bring together the holler and the mosh pit. With Ezra Furman & the Harpoons.
Annex, 9 pm
While the group's 1994 hip-hop-meets-acid-jazz masterpiece, Blowout Comb, featured contributions from about 50 other musicians, their most notable work over the past several years has arguably been as solo artists, especially in the case of Silkworm, whose transformation into King Britt has resulted in a dozen albums. However, it's the stage presence of Lady Bug Mecca, who's dropped out of the group and stepped up her solo career, that will probably be missed the most. With Butterfly & Doodlebug, dumate and Gary Knowledge.
Thursday 11.12
BIRTHDAY: Canadian rock singer-songwriter-guitarist-godfather of grunge Neil Young, 1945.
Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, 7 pm
The former National Endowment for the Arts boss speaks on "Arts, Inc.: Greed, Neglect and Our Cultural Rights" in this Arts Enterprise Forum event.
Overture Center's Capitol Theater, 7:30 pm
Santana and company bring the excitement of flamenco dancing to the concert stage (see preview).
Project Lodge, 7:30 pm
David Strackany -- a.k.a. Paleo -- made headlines by writing and recording a song every day while touring the country from April 16, 2006, to April 15, 2007. In the process, he became even more prolific by picking up a children's guitar that's small enough to play while driving. If the highway patrol doesn't catch him before Thursday, he'll showcase some of his tunes from the road, which range from folky indie rock to psych-laced pop. With Crane Your Swan Neck.
UW Memorial Union's Great Hall, 8 pm
For those interested in the eightfold path, the Danish Buddhist master gives an introductory lecture called "Buddhism in the Modern World."
Frequency, 9:30 pm
The amoeba-like art-punk of Cleveland's Mr. Gnome will create an ideal ecosystem for the release of a new CD by local rock-and-awe masters Hellipant. With Perverse Engineer and Poney.
