Burrow Press Third Thursday: Florida Literature & Art Collaboration Reading Thursday, Aug. 15 7 p.m. The Gallery at Avalon Island, 39 S. Magnolia Ave. 407-913-1426 avalongallery.org free How many times have you stared at a piece of art and wondered about the story behind it? Maybe it’s just us, but aren’t you curious what caused Mona Lisa’s smile? Or what made the man gape so horrifically in Edvard Munch’s “The Scream”? Art has the ability to spawn art, and through these questions, a story develops and really brings a piece to life. The Gallery at Avalon Island is teaming up with Burrow Press and giving five writers the chance to bring the Florida Overtures, Undertones and Subplots collection to life (even more so than it already is) through short fictional narratives inspired by specific pieces. The works in the collection examine the state’s distinct idiosyncrasies, but with the help of Teege Braune, Hunter Choate, Rachel Kapitan, John King and David James Poissant (who placed second in our 2013 Best of Orlando awards for best local author), the art pieces will also be given a voice. Maybe you’re curious, maybe you’re not; but what we can tell you is that it is bound to be entertaining. – Kelly Chambers
Wolfgang Gartner Thursday, Aug. 15 10 p.m. Roxy Nightclub, 740 Bennett Road 407-898-4004 roxyorlando.com $25-$35
The Killers Friday, Aug. 16 8 p.m. Hard Rock Live, 6050 Universal Blvd. 407-351-5483 hardrock.com sold out Though swoonsome Brandon Flowers may have long exhausted the “Mr. Brightside” pansexual punchiness of the Killers’ 2004 debut, Hot Fuss – forgoing most of their original new-wave-isms for something akin to Springsteen’s Born to Run with extra bells on – the Killers’ sonic maturity certainly hasn’t lessened their draw. This sold-out performance comes on the heels of last year’s impressively landscaped Battle Born, a chest-pounding travelogue buoyed by collaborations from A-list producers Steve Lillywhite and Daniel Lanois, among others. Though we’d expect that most of the howl-along, arm-waving hysterics will be saved for the, gulp, classics like “Somebody Told Me” and “All These Things That I’ve Done.” If you can hold on, hold on. – Billy Manes
Bagpipes, BBQ and Waking Ned Divine Saturday, Aug. 17 4-11 p.m. Garden Theatre, 160 W. Plant St., Winter Garden 407-877-4736 gardentheatre.org $30 It’s still seven months until St. Patrick’s Day, but don’t let that stop you from celebrating Celtic heritage. Head to the Garden Theatre this weekend and get your fill of it. This year’s Bagpipes, BBQ and Waking Ned Divine event is the fifth annual fundraiser to benefit the New World Celts, Rosie O’Grady’s Highlanders Pipe Band and the Orlando Hurling Club. As the evening begins, allow yourself to be bewitched by the melodic music of Celtic band Hard to Port and then enchanted by the dancing of Rosie O’Grady’s Highlanders. Waking Ned Divine, a comedic film about a lottery winner who dies of shock and his fellow townsfolk who attempt to claim the money, will start promptly at 4 p.m., followed by a barbecue dinner catered by Bubbalou’s Bodacious BBQ. Even if you don’t get bolloxed, you’re sure to have a craic. – Kelly Chambers
A Passion for Collecting Saturday, Aug. 17 through Oct. 27 Orlando Museum of Art, 2416 N. Mills Ave. 407-896-4231 omart.org $8 More and more museums are cobbling together shows out of their own permanent collections, rather than booking high-dollar touring exhibitions – hey, we get it; everybody’s broke these days. With this show, though, the Orlando Museum of Art takes a sidestep into other people’s storage spaces. A Passion for Collecting, opening Saturday, brings to light more than 200 objects from private Central Florida collections of decorative articles that have inspired obsession in their owners. Those with tendencies toward hoarding should probably skip this one, as the museum promises the show will “sharpen visitors’ collector’s eye,” although these precious pieces are not the stuff of an A&E TV nightmare – we’re talking about mother-of-pearl Chinese screens, gilt-filigreed Japanese porcelain, Georgian silver, antique textiles and other prized items that won’t get your house condemned. – Jessica Bryce Young
ArenaBowl XXVI Saturday, Aug. 17 1 p.m. Amway Center, 400 W. Church St. 407-440-7000 amwaycenter.com $10-$200 This is a tricky one, being as, at press time, we don’t know which teams are playing in the Arena Football League’s ArenaBowl championship game. But there’s one thing we do know – something that any person who’s attended an AFL game could tell you – fans don’t just watch for who’s playing, but also for the pure entertainment factor. (Think Guns N’ Roses anthems blaring throughout the arena and shiny new sports cars prancing around the field at each timeout.) It doesn’t matter (to some) if Florida’s own Jacksonville Sharks beat Philadelphia Soul in round two of the playoffs and head to the championship, because the AFL’s packed a full weekend of festivities, including a Celebrity Gala on Thursday night and a pre-game Fan Fest on Saturday morning. Oh, and we forgot to mention: KISS rocks Amway Center Friday night, complete with a live performance of the AFL’s theme song “Right Here, Right Now.” It might seem like sensation overload, but unless your favorite team is playing, it looks like arena football fans have nothin’ to lose this weekend. – Aimee Vitek
Kirk Franklin Presents Gospel Brunch Sunday, Aug. 18 with Paula Stevens & the Ambassadors of Praise 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. House of Blues, Downtown Disney West Side, Lake Buena Vista 407-934-2583 hob.com free-$40.50 Ask any group of ’90s nondenominational church kids about the extent of their gospel experience growing up, and chances are you’ll hear at least one embarrassing story about a youth group’s futile attempt to cover Kirk Franklin’s “Stomp” for a “very special” Sunday-morning service. These days, Franklin may not be stomping his way into the hearts of youth groups like he used to, but the gospel icon will definitely be making his presence known at a special appearance during the House of Blues Gospel Brunch, where he’ll perform alongside Paula Stevens & the Ambassadors of Praise as part of his new partnership with the 20-year-old music venue. It’s everything Sunday brunch should be: delicious food, excited families and great music, minus the less-than-enthused 15-year-olds attempting to re-create gospel gold. Hallelujah! – Katherine Ramirez Massey
Fat Night Monday, Aug. 19 with the Raymonds, Master Race Miller & the Jews, DJs Jeffery and Kristin “Machine Gun” Howard 9 p.m. Will’s Pub, 1042 N. Mills Ave. willspub.org $3 When we first heard local soul band Fat Night’s 2012 single “Things You Do,” we instantly were transported to the easy grooves that inspired vocally gifted men in the ’70s to dress in matching suits and sway in that gentle funky way that makes us want to YouTube old videos for hours on end. And now, after teasing us for a year with singles and a four-song EP, Fat Night is dropping their first full-length album, Smilin’, at a CD release party that’s sure to get the town bopping. At the agreeably kind price of $3 for admission, you’ll enjoy three far-out sets, including notable garage-rock bands the Raymonds (Eugene Snowden’s other-other-other project) and Master Race Miller & the Jews (featuring members of the Woolly Bushmen). We can’t guarantee that Fat Night will dress the part, but we expect their set to be as tight as those flashy suits. – Ashley Belanger
The Crush 8-Year Reunion Monday, Aug. 19 10 p.m. Backbooth, 37 W. Pine St. 407-999-2570 backbooth.com free-$3 We thought we’d seen the last of the Crush crew when the group of EDM DJs hosted the “Final Crush” dance party last summer at Backbooth. But when it comes to one of the longest-running and most successful weekly club events in our area, “It’s an institution,” says DJ Pauly Crush. So we are nothing but stoked for the one-night return of a nasty selection of former Crush DJs – Justin Scott, Kid Kublinski, Trick Folexxx and Pauly Crush – who’ll spin “unpretentious, accessible and fun” music together for the first time since parting ways last year. Pauly Crush promises to take it back to “the early days of indie dance” with the likes of the Strokes, Ladytron, Justice and Armand Van Helden. It might induce a bit of nostalgia for longtime dance faithfuls, or stir up some new EDM juju for the newbie scenesters. Either way, although we know we’ve said it before, this could be your last (or perhaps your first!) chance to see these notable Orlando DJs crush it. – Aimee Vitek
Kenan Thompson Tuesday, Aug. 20 8 p.m. University of Central Florida 407-823-2000 ucf.edu free for UCF students, $25 general admission Comedian as seen on SNL and Kenan & Kel.