MLK BREAKFAST There are surprisingly few events that bring many Berkeleyans together. That makes the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration breakfast all the more important. This year’s breakfast will be the eighth, dedicated as always to celebrating the life and work of King (theme for this year’s breakfast: “United Against Hate. Working for Economic Justice”). With the closure in 2018 of HS Lordships, the breakfast has a new home at the Berkeley Adult School. In addition to providing an opportunity for a truly diverse gathering of Berkeleyans to share a meal and conversation, the breakfast provides Next Generation awards to students in Berkeley schools. Monday, Jan. 21, 8 a.m., Berkeley Adult School, 1701 San Pablo Ave.
THE REVOLUTION OK. Close your laptop or your phone right now to make sure you have time to see The Revolution on Saturday night at The UC Theatre. Who, you might ask, are The Revolution? Wendy Melvoin, Lisa Coleman, Bobby Z, BrownMark and Dr. Fink are better known as the band behind Prince. With their merger of funk, rock ‘n’ roll, R&B, pop and psychedelia – and with Prince, who died three years ago – the band became one of the most successful music acts of all time. “The core, original members have decided to remain united and continue to honor and pay tribute to Prince in the best way possible: playing the music they helped create with him and with it, heal this new world they now find themselves in without the incomparable, iconic Prince.” Saturday, Jan. 19, 8 p.m., The UC Theatre, 2036 University Ave.
SOUND ART One of the pleasant surprises about the opening of the Downtown BART Plaza (other than ending the looooong agony of construction) was the sound art installation “Flow in Peace” by composer Chris Brown. On Friday evening the new installation, “The City, The Block, A Village Amongst Us” by composer Gregory Robinson (left) will be unveiled (here’s a brief preview). Following the soundscape premiere, Bicicletas por la Paz will be performing live on the stage. Friday, Jan. 18, 5-6 p.m., Downtown Berkeley BART Plaza.
LOUDON WAINWRIGHT III With a career spanning four decades, Loudon Wainwright III probably doesn’t need an introduction from Berkeleyside’s It List. He’ll be performing at the Freight & Salvage on Sunday evening. Here’s what The New York Times‘ Stephen Holden had to say: “Mr. Wainwright wrings more human truth out of his contradiction than any other songwriter of his generation.” Wainwright’s most recent album, “Years in the Making,” was released last fall and has what the Freight calls “a 42-song treasury of rare and unreleased Loudoniana.” When your name becomes a collective noun, you’re set. Sunday, Jan. 20, 7 p.m., Freight & Salvage, 2020 Addison St.
CAL BEARS GYMNASTICS Of course you were transfixed last weekend by the viral video of UCLA gymnast Katelyn Ohashi’s perfect 10 floor routine (didn’t see it? Go right now!). What you probably didn’t know is that the Cal women’s gymnastics team finished just a squeak behind UCLA in second place last weekend. There’s plenty of joy and amazing athleticism to be seen at the Haas Pavilion on Monday when 12th-ranked Cal takes on 24th-ranked Stanford in the Golden Bears’ home opener. (Not knowing anything about collegiate gymnastics, I appreciated this from Slate’s Rebecca Schumann: “Man, college gymnastics is fun. And I bet you’re wondering: If gymnastics can be this fun, why do most Olympic floor routines look like awkward misery?”). Monday, Jan. 21, 6 p.m., Haas Pavilion.
Don’t miss these other events covered on Berkeleyside:
Ambitious ‘Paradise Square’ dances into life at Berkeley Rep
Big Screen Berkeley: ‘Stan and Ollie’
Burning bright at the Freight with Martha Redbone’s Roots Project
