Veterans Day and its themes of sacrifice and honor can feel like an abstraction, but these ideas will get very real on Friday night in Delray Beach with a free concert by The Resilient — a rock band made up of severely wounded U.S. combat soldiers.
The concert will takes place as part of a pre-Veterans Day tribute from 6 to 10 p.m. on Old School Square, in the heart of one of South Florida’s most lively downtown commercial corridors, which, of course, could not exist without soldiers doing what needs to be done.
The Resilient got their start more than a decade ago when singer Tim Donley and guitarist Nate Kalwicki were rehabilitating at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center from horrific injuries suffered in Afghanistan. They soon joined MusiCorps, a music program for wounded warriors, where they met musician and teaching artist Greg Loman, who continues to perform with The Resilient.
Through MusiCorps, they were introduced to Pink Floyd icon Roger Waters, joining him onstage for performances at Madison Square Garden, The Beacon Theatre and Constitution Hall. Through Waters, they met Juan “Dom” Dominguez, a decorated Marine and triple amputee who plays drums for The Resilient.
The Resilient’s set will offer originals and favorite rock covers, and their goal is to entertain, not dwell on the past. Their wounds do not define them, Donley says on the band’s website, TheResilientBand.com.
“Being wounded warriors … it’s a part of us. It’s something we did. It’s something we experienced. But it’s not our end all, be all. It’s not the limiting factor in who we are,” he says.
Gates open at 6 p.m. Friday, with guest act DNA performing until 7 p.m., followed by The Resilient. There will be food and beverage vendors on site. Visit DelrayOldSchoolSquare.com.
FRIDAY
Weekend laughs: Brooklyn-born wiseguy Chris Distefano’s steady climb to stardom reached a peak about six weeks ago when his show at Radio City Music Hall was a sellout. The comedian and podcaster will bring his tour to the Dania Improv in Dania Beach for shows at 7:30 and 10 p.m. Friday and 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday. Tickets cost $45+. Friday’s 7:30 p.m. show and Saturday’s 7 p.m. show are sold out. Visit DaniaImprov.com. … Comedian and actor George Lopez will be at a nearly sold out Hard Rock Live at 8 p.m. Friday, with space on the Couches available for $396+, and scattered singles for $56+. Visit MyHRL.com.
Juanes is coming: Global rock star (and part-time South Florida resident) Juanes is bringing the world tour supporting his critically praised album “Vida Cotidiana” to Hard Rock Live at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood on March 30. Tickets just went on sale, starting at $75+, at Ticketmaster.com. The album, which Rolling Stone called “his best, most soulful album yet,” is up for multiple awards (including Album of the Year, Best Rock Song for “Gris”) at the Latin Grammys, where Juanes is scheduled to perform during the Nov. 16 telecast. Visit Juanes.net.
Three for all: Featuring three performers who helped make the modern Miami sound a global thing, the Trilogy Tour will feature Pitbull, Enrique Iglesias and Ricky Martin in distinctive headlining sets from each artist at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Miami’s Kaseya Center. Tickets start at $135+. Visit KaseyaCenter.com.
Wharf turns 4: The Wharf Fort Lauderdale celebrates four years of partying on the New River with a weekend anniversary celebration through Sunday awash in cocktails, food and entertainment. RSVP at WharfFTL.com to get free mojitos each day until 9 p.m.
Around the Horn: In West Palm Beach, the Norton Museum of Art’s Friday-night Art After Dark series returns with a performance (7:30 to 9 p.m.) by the frisky French Horn Collective, led by Parisian multi-instrumentalist Vincent Raffard. The evening will include gallery tours, art workshops and an artist talk with Rachel Rossin, a self-taught programmer who works in painting, installations and virtual reality. Art After Dark admission is $10, or $5 for students. Parking is $5. Visit Norton.org.
Weekend soundtrack: Brett Staska and the Souvenirs, led by the Loxahatchee singer-songwriter and surfer, released a new album of “surfin’ country” music this week titled “County Line.” It’s available on Spotify, iTunes and other streaming platforms, and worth a listen. For updates on upcoming South Florida performances, visit .
The good old wave: English new wave band The Fixx, who probably had more hits than you may remember (“One Thing Leads to Another,” “Saved by Zero,” “Red Skies at Night,” “Stand or Fall”) play the Culture Room in Fort Lauderdale on Friday, with doors open at 7:30 p.m. General admission tickets cost $45+ at CultureRoom.net.
Weekend FLIFFing: Continuing through Nov. 16, the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival will screen two of the more intriguing films of the weekend at Savor Cinema on Friday, beginning at 8 p.m. with “Drugstore June,” which FLIFF president Gregory von Hausch calls “one of the funniest films of FLIFF38.”
The story follows a self-absorbed young woman (rising talent Esther Povitsky) who sets out to solve a robbery while struggling to get over her ex-boyfriend. The cast includes a parade of familiar faces, not the least of which is Boynton Beach’s Danielle Bregoli, the rapper better known as Bhad Bhabie. Also in the film are Beverly D’Angelo (“National Lampoon’s Vacation”), Patricia Williams (“The Ms. Pat Show”), Miranda Cosgrove (“iCarly”), Haley Joel Osment (“The Sixth Sense,” “The Kominsky Method”), Matt Walsh (“Veep”), Jackie Sandler (“You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah!”), comedians Bill Burr and Bobby Lee. Povitsky and director Nicholaus Goossen are expected to attend a post-screening party in the courtyard.
At 9:45 p.m. Friday at Savor Cinema, FLIFF will screen the Cannes Film Festival hit “Robot Dreams,” a “delightfully bittersweet animated wonder” (IndieWire) based on Sara Varon’s popular graphic novel about a dog, a robot and friendship.
Tickets to each film cost $13 in advance; $10 for seniors, military and students; $8 for members. Tickets sold at the door cost $15. Visit FLIFF.com.
SATURDAY
Country in Miami: If country music can work on the beach in Fort Lauderdale, why not Key Biscayne? The inaugural two-day Country Bay Music Festival will debut on Saturday and Sunday at Miami Marine Stadium with a strong lineup of big names and up-and-comers, among them Thomas Rhett, Sam Hunt, Lainey Wilson, Elle King, Chris Young, Lee Brice, Nate Smith, Hailey Whitters, Breland and more. The all-ages shows start at noon each day. Single-day general-admission passes cost $143.23, with two-day passes $249.99+. VIP Beach Club accommodations cost $799.99+ for two days and include an open bar, elevated food options, expedited entry, front stage access and more. Visit CountryBayMusicFestival.com.
Oakenfold in Delray: DJ-producer and global EDM icon Paul Oakenfold will perform at downtown Delray Beach nightclub Honey on Saturday night, beginning at 11:30 p.m. You may reasonably ask: How can that be?! His team says Oakenfold is in South Florida for another event “and wanted to perform at a small venue, so it’s one of the last-minute, once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for his South Florida fans.” Tickets cost $40+. Visit .
Night lights: The waterfront at the Pompano Beach Pier will be the setting for the city’s second annual Drone Show on Saturday, with 200 of the mechanical fireflies synchronized in patriotic Veterans Day performances at 7 and 9 p.m. (each show is 12 to 15 minutes long). The night begins with live entertainment at 5:30 p.m. Nearby parking at the Beach Parking Garage, Wells Fargo Lot and Beach Parking Lot will be $20 (cash only), with other lots and street parking at the holiday rate of $4 per hour. Free shuttles will run from Citi Centre (1955 N. Federal Highway) and Pompano Community Park (1660 NE 10th St.). Visit PompanoBeachFL.gov. … If you are looking to make it a date, Beach House Pompano probably offers the best seat in the house from its elevated patio overlooking the pier. Seating is first-come, first-served. So good luck with that. Visit .
Walking the walk: Plantation Walk wants to be on your list of to-do destinations in western Broward County, with more than a dozen restaurants and retail shops — including the only South Florida location of Ford’s Garage. The development (321 N. University Drive) will host its inaugural Veterans Day Car and Truck Show on Saturday beginning at noon, with dozens of distinctive rides lining the streets and live music throughout the day, including a performance by Lake Worth Beach indie-rocker Dominic Delaney (recommended). Admission and parking are free. Visit PlantationWalk.com.
Party on 38th: The fourth annual Beer-B-Q on 38th Avenue returns to Lauderhill on Saturday from 6 p.m. to midnight, with live music (led by neo-soul favorites Lyfe Jennings and Sunshine Anderson), food trucks, craft beer, full liquor bars, vendors, lawn games and more. Admission is free. VIP tickets are available for $55+. Visit LauderhillCRA-fl.gov.
Dogs and drinks: The 17th annual Riverwalk Mutts & Martinis returns to Esplanade Park in downtown Fort Lauderdale on Saturday from noon to 4 p.m., a dog-friendly event that includes pet-oriented vendors, animal rescues, entertainment and, of course, martinis. Admission is free, but the Tito’s-sponsored VIP, with martini samples and light bites, costs $35. Visit .
SUNDAY
Swank Table is set: The annual Swank Table dinner series returns to the 8,500-square-foot pole barn at Swank Farm in Loxahatchee on Sunday, a beloved kickoff for South Florida’s fall foodie season. The remote, 20-acre working farm (known more formally as Swank Specialty Produce, located at 14311 North Road) will be the setting for 10 themed dinners through April 21, bringing nationally known chefs, local brewers and musicians together to support a local charity. The series-opening Fall Harvest Hoe Down, at 4 p.m. Sunday, has an elevated country theme, with a menu prepared by Nick Dellinger (chef de cuisine, Brick and Barrel, Jupiter), Clayton Carnes (owner/chef, Cholo Soy Cocina, West Palm Beach), Rodrigo Mezadri (executive chef, Hilton, West Palm Beach) and Anna Ross (owner/baker, Anna Bakes, Wellington). The brewer will be Prosperity Brewers in Boca Raton, with music by Philippe Harari and his All Star Country Band. Tickets cost $180, with a portion of the proceeds supporting Beachwood Integrative Equine Therapy. Visit SwankSpecialtyProduce.com.
Night-vision dinner: Members of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team, wearing night-vision goggles, will be your servers on Sunday night during the 15th annual Dining in the Dark fundraiser by the Florida Outreach Center for the Blind at the West Palm Beach Marriott. The three-course dinner, which runs from 4:30 to 8 p.m., includes entertainment, speakers, a silent auction and cash bar. Tickets cost $125, with tables for 10 going for $1,000. Visit FloridaOutreachCenter.org.
Yeehaw junction: Anniversary festivities at The Wharf Fort Lauderdale conclude on Sunday with another country-western party, called Saddle Up Sunday. Beginning at noon, the gathering will include country music, line dancing and a mechanical bull. RSVP at WharfFTL.com to get bottomless Ranch Water (until 5 p.m.) and a free cowboy hat (while supplies last). More courage for that mechanical bull will be offered in drink specials that include a free PBR with every shot of Fireball and $35 Ranch Water pitchers.
Sunday night live: Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening returns to Hard Rock Live at 7 p.m. Sunday with music from his old man’s band. Tickets start at $40+ at MyHRL.com. … SoCal reggae-rock groovers Iration and Cydeways will be joined by simpatico locals Artikal Sound System on Sunday at Revolution Live at the Backyard in Fort Lauderdale. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets start at $37.50+ at JoinTheRevolution.net.
Bye-bye, bye-bye, bye: In Fort Lauderdale’s Flagler Village, Rhythm & Vine Beer Garden’s girlie happy hour known as Daddy Chill returns on Sunday from 4 to 7 p.m. with rosé pong, pop-up shopping with local vendors, a throwback ’90s-2000s soundtrack (NSYNC, anyone?) and a complimentary ladies-only welcome drink from 4 to 5 p.m. Think of it as counter-programming for the NFL. However, with the Dolphins on a bye week, fellas may have more time to stop by to kill the buzz. Visit Rhythm-Vine.com.
LOOKING AHEAD
Double Pink: Rock-pop siren Pink has a unique double bill in South Florida on her Trustfall Tour, beginning with a 7:30 p.m. Tuesday show at Miami’s Kaseya Center. Scattered tickets are available, with Verified Resale prices floating at around $100+ at Ticketmaster.com. On Wednesday Pink will move up to Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise for a 7:30 p.m. concert. Remaining tickets start at $136+ at SeatGeek.com.
Country at Coco: Grammy-winning country singer and actor Dwight Yoakam performs The Stage at Coco, the outdoor entertainment venue at Seminole Casino Coconut Creek, at 8 p.m. Thursday. Tickets start at $60+ at SeminoleCoconutCreekCasino.com.
Nu Deco X Lucius: The latest inspired collaboration by the intrepid Nu Deco Ensemble will pair the orchestra with indie-pop band Lucius, featuring captivating vocalists Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig, on Nov. 18 at the lovely Miami Beach Bandshell. The rest of the program includes Fall III from “4: A Reimagined Vivaldi Four Seasons” by NDE co-founder Sam Hyken; Romanian Rhapsody No. 1 by George Enescu; and NDE’s Talking Heads Suite. Tickets for the 8 p.m. show, starting at $65, are scarce, of course. Visit Nu-Deco.org.
Staff writer Ben Crandell can be reached at . Follow on Instagram @BenCrandell and Twitter @BenCrandell.
