Planet PicksTHURSDAY 12.26
Retro Savior Due to slumped attendance at Masquerade's '80s Night, Steve McClure (a.k.a. Monk) has stepped in to spin. The dreadlocked DJ is steadily revitalizing the retro night, a longstanding mainstay of Ybor clubbing, with an infusion of energy. The guy's been knocking out dancefloor soundtracks for more than a decade and his crossfader punishing sets are infamous. College students with ID and ladies get in free until 11 p.m. Otherwise, $5 covers sink or swim. Masquerade, 1503 E. Seventh Ave., Ybor City. 813-247-3319.
Two For New Year's Co-headliners Maryellen Hooper and Vinnie Favorito play New Year's weekend at the Improv. Named Best Female Stand-Up at the 12th annual American Comedy Awards, Hooper's facially expressive physical comedy focuses on the catastrophes of dating, personal grooming and home remodeling, etc. Favorito, winner of the 1998 San Francisco Comedy Competition, has appeared on The Late Show with Craig Kilborn and The Martin Short Show. Tickets for Dec. 26-29 cost $16-$20. Tickets for their New Year's Eve shows (at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.) cost $35-$100 (includes dinner and festivities). Improv Comedy Theater, 1600 E. Eighth Ave., Centro Ybor, Ybor City. 813-864-4000. FRIDAY 12.27
Beer, Jeer, Cheer The Tampa Bay Lightning takes on the Boston Bruins in an invariably tense match-up between Eastern Conference rivals. In seasons past, the games tended to be hard-fought Lightning losses, but the Bolts can now beat any team in the NHL. Be a good Bolthead and go drink some Bud, boo the Bostonians and root for the home team. Tickets cost $8-$130. The puck drops at 7:30 p.m. St. Pete Times Forum, 401 Channelside Drive, Tampa. 813-223-1000.
King of the Beach House According to Spin's 2002 Reader's Poll, DJ Skribble (Scott Ialacci) is this year's Best DJ, and if all you had to base your opinion on was hours of MTV then you might agree. He spins absolutely everything, from big house to hip-pop, but mostly lowest common denominator stuff. This wasn't always so, though. From 1988 to '92 he was a member of Young Black Teenagers ("Tap the Bottle") and toured with Public Enemy. He then spun for MCs like Biggie Smalls and Craig Macker what an un-MTV set by him would sound like. Doors open at 9 p.m. Cover TBA. Underground (formerly The Factory), 806 E. Whiting St., Tampa. 813-221-3582. SATURDAY 12.28
Hard Up Brothers The Warp Brothers, the two-year-old duo of DJs Oliver Goedicke and Jürgen Dohr, are German exports who spin uplifting hard house. The friendly pair's first single, "Phatt Bass," hit the No. 3 spot on the dance charts in Germany, with later singles charting well in the UK. Following a world tour and a summer session in Ibiza (where else?), the Warp Brothers produced their first LP Warp 10, soon to be released in North America. If you like your house music heavy, check 'em out. Cover costs $15. Twilight, 1507 E. Seventh Ave., Tampa 813-247-4225.
Trick Daddy Combining British guitar pop and arena rock energy, Cheap Trick saw its heyday in the late '70s and early '80s. The band's hits, however, litter classic rock airwaves, where guitarist Rick Neilsen's "I Want You to Want Me" will probably be in rotation for eternity. In support of their new release The Greatest Hits [Expanded], Cheap Trick plays Jannus Landing with openers Barely Pink, local tunesmiths very much inspired by Cheap Trick. Tickets cost $22, $25 at the door. The show starts at 8:30 p.m. Jannus Landing, 200 First Ave. N., St. Petersburg. 727-896-1244. SUNDAY 12.29
Goodnight Vienna Salute to Vienna, in the production's return to Ruth Eckerd Hall, features a new cast of 75 musicians, singers and dancers. The program showcases the best of Johann Strauss, including "The Blue Danube Waltz" and excerpts from the operetta Die Fledermaus. The principal singers are soprano Astrid Marie Lazar and tenor Zsolt Vadasz, both of whom have performed internationally in Die Fledermaus. The Sarasota Ballet performs the Viennese waltz as well contemporary choreography to the music of Strauss and his contemporaries. Tickets cost $39-$55. The show begins at 8 p.m. Ruth Eckerd Hall, 1111 McMullen-Booth Road, Clearwater. 727-791-7400.
Sunny Symphonies Eckerd College hosts its fifth annual Winter Sun Music Festival, a real treat for fans of classical music. Almost 100 musicians — top students, amateurs, faculty and independent professionals — come together to take master classes, rehearse and perform. The schedule includes a program of water theme cabaret songs sung by soprano Lisa Holsberg and mezzo soprano Anna Tonna; a performance by the DaPonte String Quartet; and as the festival's finale, an orchestra concert conducted by Paul Hostetter, music director of the Lyric Orchestra of New York. The festival runs through Jan. 2. For a complete schedule, visit www.eckerd.edu/wintersunfestival or call 727-864-8471. Tickets cost $5-$15 per concert. Eckerd College, 4200 54th Ave. S., St. Petersburg. 727-864-8297. TUESDAY 12.31
A Bluesy New Year's At 76, B.B. King still reigns over the blues. For more than half century he's picked riffs and sung hits as signature as Lucille, his custom Gibson guitars finished in ebony or cherry with gold hardware. A timeless mixture of traditional blues, jazz, swing and pop, his music has influenced generations of artists. And the dude is just everywhere, from The Simpsons to receiving honorary doctorates to averaging more than 250 concerts a year. New Year's Eve in St. Pete is just another stop on the road. Tickets cost $39.50-$65. The show starts at 9 p.m., leaving plenty of time to pop open some champagne afterwards. Mahaffey Theater, 400 First St. S., St. Petersburg. 727-892-5767. WEDNESDAY 1.1
Flaming Hot Tony Curtis stars in the stage production of Some Like It Hot, based on the 1959 movie in which he and Jack Lemmon played musicians indebted to the mob who disguise themselves in an all-female band. It's a clever, ribald plot that spoofs black-and-white gangster films and involves a fair amount of screwball sexual comedy. This time around, Curtis plays the multi-millionaire who tries to woo one of the two male musicians. The show begins at 8 p.m. Performances runs through Jan. 5. Tickets cost $40-$55. Ruth Eckerd Hall, 1111 McMullen-Booth Road, Clearwater. 727-791-7400.
This article appears in Dec 25-31, 2002.