September 14
Branford Marsalis Quartet
The Smith Center
The jazz horn titan and his band join forces with another jazz master, vocalist Kurt Elling. Swing on, you guys! 7:30p, $29-$125, thesmithcenter.com
September 23
Oil, by Edward Burtynsky
Barrick Museum, UNLV
Some 50 large-scale photos examining the whole lifespan of oil: drilling, production, distribution, the uses it’s put to. (The Canadian artist took some of the photos in North Las Vegas.) Oil — it gets into everything. Through January 14. Free, unlv.edu/barrickmuseum
Painting by Edward Burtynsky; Photo courtesy UNLV Barrick Museum
September 16
Ray LaMontagne
Pearl Theatre at the Palms
His soulful tenor earns him comparisons to Otis Redding, but his delivery gets him likened to Eddie Vedder. If you don’t recognize LaMontagne’s name, there’s still a good chance you’ll recognize some of his songs, which get soundtracked in movies and TV shows all the time. 8p, $65-$92, palms.com
Photo courtesy the Pearl Theatre at the Palms
September 9, 10
Mas Americanos
Winchester Community Center
This English-Spanish play proceeds from a singular dramatic setup: Space aliens offer the U.S. abundant clean energy and all-healing medicine ... in exchange for 11 million humans. Amid this, a young DREAMer tries to determine her place in a changing world. Think maybe there’s a message here? 7p, $15, 702-455-7340
Photo courtesy Winchester Community Center
September 29
Spectacle of Violence
UNLV
Violence as entertainment, entertainment as violence: It’s a deep, rich subject this panel intends to plumb, and the Black Mountain Institute has gathered a great panel: gonzo writer William T. Vollman, (Rising Up and Rising Down: Some Thoughts on Violence, Freedom and Urgent Means), Jonathan Gottschall (The Professor in the Cage: Why Men Fight and Why We Like to Watch) and Kerry Howley (Thrown, about mixed martial arts). BAM, BAM, BAM! 7p, Si Redd Room at Thomas & Mack Center, free, blackmountaininstitute.com