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The Big Ticket

Prince
The musical experience of a lifetime. Thursday, April 22, 8 p.m. Thompson Boling Arena. $65 and $49.50.

Lost in Yonkers
Neil Simon’s Pulitzer-winning comic drama. April 23, 24, 30 & May 1, 8 p.m. and April 25, May 2, 2 p.m. Erin Church, 200 Locket Road, Bearden Hill. $10 adults, $8 students/seniors. Call 588-5350 for info.

Ed Snodderly
Sugar Hill recording artist and East Tennessee treasure. Friday, April 23, 9 p.m. Laurel Theater. $8-$10.

Antiques Appraisal Fair
Experienced professionals appraise your treasure. Saturday, April 24, 8 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Knoxville Public Library. $5 per item, two items per person.

Strut Your Mutt & Bark in the Park
Annual event supporting Humane Society of the Tennessee Valley. Saturday, April 24, 10 a.m. Chilhowee Park. $3 general admission, $25 registration for strutters.

Amphigory’s Confessions
A thematic night of poetry, dance and music. Saturday, April 24, 9 p.m. Urban Bar & Corner Café. $2.

Lo Pro w/ Inspector 12 and The American Plague
Heavy modern rock. Wednesday, April 28, 7:30 p.m. Blue Cats. $5 for first 94 patrons, $7 at the door.

Dolor & Decadence
Photo exhibit by Knoxville resident Matt Howard. Wednesday, April 28 and Thursday, April 29, 5-9 p.m. Candy Factory, 6th floor. Free.

Jonny Lang
Jonny Lang makes me sick. At 22, Lang can rip, shred and tear on a guitar much better than most of his elder contemporaries. Yet another one of those nauseating prodigies, his bluesy brand of rock ’n’ roll approaches Stevie Ray Vaughn and Kenny Wayne Shepard, only one middle name shy to complete the trifecta. Lang is the headlining act in a new series of concerts being held to benefit the financially strapped Marble Springs Park. Alcohol will not be sold at the performance, but coolers sans glass are welcome. Upcoming shows will feature Buddy Guy, Jordan Knight, Jag Star and Better Than Ezra. Spend an evening on a lawn under the stars in quaint South Knoxville, and feel good about giving a local treasure a second chance. (Clint Casey)
Jonny Lang with the Chillbillies • Friday, April 23, 8 p.m. • Marble Springs Park • $26 • For tickets and more information, call 656-4444.

Scenes from an Execution
Artists and politicians have a historically contentious relationship. Artists want freedom and money. Politicians want to curb freedom and give money to people besides artists. OK, that’s not entirely fair, but it might get you in the right frame of mind for Howard Barker’s play Scenes from an Execution, being produced this weekend at UT’s Carousel Theater.
This contemporary British play is about Galactia, a female painter in the 17th century who desires to create a work of honesty in the face of the hypocritical civic art accepted by the government and populace. Written in the ’80s, the play probes the relationship between—and the responsibilities of—artists, citizens and the state. Barker called his own work “theatre of catastrophe,” a term that refers to his belief that theater shouldn’t apply to any one ideology or promote one single idea. Given that introduction, this production of Barker’s work, mostly by MFA students, is likely to incite both thought and action of an artistic and political nature. (Paige M. Travis)
Scenes from an Execution • April 23 & 24, 8 p.m. April 24 & 25, 2 p.m. • Carousel Theater • Free

Old Time Relijun
I love weird music: Captain Beefheart, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, Diamanda Galas, et. al. But the problem with weird music these days is it’s hard to make it without sounding contrived or derivative. You can tell when someone is trying to sound like Tom Waits. The most obvious reference for Old Time Relijun is Captain Beefheart (which has the lyrics include “gimme that ole time religion” on “Moonlight in Vermont,” from the classic—and much argued about—album Trout Mask Replica). Fortunately, for me even if Old Time Relijun is just trying to ape Beefheart and sound nutty, it doesn’t really matter because they get it all right. They sound genuinely weird. I’m not sure how I could explain the difference other than to say that their music sounds emotionally genuine. It’s a blues/rock-based sound that tends to drone on, with harsh discordant noises breaking all around. Close your eyes, and you can see the end. (Joe Tarr)
Old Time Relijun with Dark Inside the Sun • Thursday, April 22, 9 p.m. • The Pilot Light • $6