If you are looking for a soundtrack to get you going on Labor Day Weekend, here’s a reminder that Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run” was released 50 years ago this week — and its vitality and eloquence are undiminished.
Set against a backdrop of Vietnam War fatigue, economic malaise and the then-shocking Watergate corruption scandal that toppled a president, “Born to Run” was a collection of short stories written by a guy who grew up lower middle-class and seemed to have lived them.
Cinematic songs such as “Thunder Road,” “Tenth Avenue Freeze-out,” “Jungleland,” “Meeting Across the River” and the under-appreciated “Night” were anthems for the marginalized, the lonely and the disillusioned. Springsteen’s protagonist got his hands dirty, drove hand-me-down cars on two-lanes that could take us anywhere — not in search of some toxic, self-imposed exile, but to find connection, to get the girl who would inspire “She’s the One.”
Here are some places to go and things to do to make connections, and maybe even get the girl, on this long holiday weekend.
THURSDAY
Think blink: Unbreakable pop-punk trio blink-182 will begin their North American Missionary Impossible 2025 Tour on Thursday, squeezing their arena-size sound into the intimate confines of Hard Rock Live in Hollywood. Along with hits such as “All the Small Things,” “What’s My Age Again?” and “The Rock Show,” the set will feature music from “One More Time,” the first studio album in more than a decade with trio Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLong and Travis Barker. Alkaline Trio, led by ex-blink vocalist Matt Skiba, and Beauty School Dropout will open the 7 p.m. show. Tickets are available, starting at $82.85, at MyHRL.com.
From left, blink-182’s Travis Barker, Tom DeLonge and Mark Hoppus will bring their Missionary Impossible Tour to Hard Rock Live in Hollywood. (Rory Kramer/Courtesy)
New Arjona concert: Tickets just went on sale for a fourth(!) show at Miami’s Kaseya Center by Guatemalan balladeer Ricardo Arjona on his Lo Que el Seco no Dijo Tour, the first tour since two spinal surgeries led the singer to contemplate retiring from live performances. The April 5 concert joins previous sellouts on April 2, April 3 and April 6, all of which will feature music from his album “Seco,” released in January. Visit Ticketmaster.com.
Parrothead paradise: Downtown West Palm Beach on Thursday will get a jump on Jimmy Buffett Day (Aug. 30) with Wastin’ Away on the Waterfront, a Clematis by Night tribute to the Bard of Duval Street, featuring music from Greg Pitts and Parrot Head Party. The waterfront fun will run from 6 to 9 p.m. on the Great Lawn and Centennial Square and include cheeseburgers, island bites, a margarita bar (including $20 margarita flights), plus limbo and trivia contests to win prizes. Admission is free. Visit Facebook.com/EventsWPB.
Drinking for good: Indianapolis 500 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay will be on hand as Big Dog Tackle hosts a happy hour on Thursday at Gulf Stream Brewing in Fort Lauderdale to kick off its 2025 Battle for Cancer Fishing Tournament. The 6 p.m. gathering will include raffles, drink discounts and food, plus the last chance for fishing teams to get the early-entry fee of $250 for the tournament, which takes place on Nov. 8. Pompano Beach-based Big Dog Tackle plans to send all proceeds to Gilda’s Club South Florida. Visit Facebook.com/BigDogTackle.
No clown’s mouth: This is opening weekend for Puttshack, the tech-infused, nightclub-meets-mini-golf experience in Dania Pointe, the sprawling retail and entertainment complex in Dania Beach. A 25,000-square-foot maze of challenging putting stations, Puttshack includes a full bar, large food menu, DJs and private suites (called The Challenge Hole) that offer 90-minute sessions of mini golf, unique game challenges and full-service food and beverages. Cost varies by time and day, but start at $14 for nine holes, $9 for age 12 and younger. Visit Puttshack.com.
Puttshack, which brings a nightclub vibe to miniature golf, opens at Dania Pointe in Dania Beach this week. (Dania Pointe/Courtesy)
Date night: Residents of Pembroke Pines now have another option for a chic dinner date with the opening this week of a new P.F. Chang’s at Pembroke Lakes Mall (11401 Pines Blvd.). The 5,000-square-foot Asian fusion bistro offers an elevated style of casual dining, with specialities including Black Pepper Chicken, Singapore Street Noodles, Chicken Lettuce Wraps and Mongolian Beef, along with sushi, a thoughtful cocktail menu and some worth-it desserts. Visit PFChangs.com.
Art party: The Coral Springs Museum of Art hosts the free Art@Night: Latin Night on Thursday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., with music from the Justin Miranda Quartet, complimentary light bites and a sangria special. There also will be a hands-on art activity inspired by Panamanian molas — colorful textile patterns traditionally made by indigenous communities. The museum is showing the exhibit, “Style Masters: The Birth of the Graffiti Movement,” organized by Miami’s Museum of Graffiti and curated by graffiti historian Alan Ket. Museum admission is free. Visit CoralSpringsMuseum.org.
FRIDAY
Lunch date: The bright and lovely South Bar & Kitchen in Pompano Beach has introduced a new lunch service in an interesting way: the $35 Lunch Special for Two. Available Tuesdays through Fridays from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., the (dine-in-only) deal allows two guests to enjoy a complete meal featuring a shared appetizer, individual entrees and a shared dessert. The lunch menu, a showcase for its signature Southern flavors, offers shareable appetizers such as Deviled Eggs, Fresh Baked Buttermilk Biscuits, Boudin Rolls, Pimento Cheese, Spoonbread and Blue Crab Beignets. Individual entree options include the Fresh Mahi Sandwich, South’s Chicken Sandwich (available classic or spicy) and the Southerner Salad (with pickled okra, heirloom cherry tomatoes, spiced hominy and pepperjack cheese). Dessert options are Warm Chocolate Brownie or Strawberry Shortcake Bread Pudding. Visit SouthPmp.com.
South Bar & Kitchen in Pompano Beach is now serving lunch, including the signature South’s Chicken Sandwich. (South Bar & Kitchen/Courtesy)
Rock of ages: Def Leppard will bring their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame sound to Hard Rock Live in Hollywood on Friday. Scattered tickets remain for the 8 p.m. show, with resale seats starting at about $175. Visit MyHRL.com.
Weekend movie: Savor Cinema in Fort Lauderdale on Friday will begin a series of screenings of “It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley,” acclaimed documentarian Amy Berg’s critically praised biopic of the revered singer who drowned in 1997 at age 30. In a rich and detailed review, Pitchfork’s Madison Bloom appreciates that Berg’s focus is properly on “the man, not the myth.” The film “has no interest in painting Buckley as a doomed, tragic figure, but as an artist who somehow foresaw his brief life — and devoured the world, while he could.” Weekend screenings will be at 8 p.m. Friday, 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets cost $12, or $10 for students and seniors. Visit FLIFF.com.
Serendipity now: Fort Lauderdale blues-rock guitarist and singer Joel DaSilva on Friday will bring music from his excellent new album, “Live at Revelry,” back to the kitschy restaurant and rumpus room where it was recorded, Revelry in downtown Pompano Beach. The personable DaSilva, joined by drummer Howard Goldberg and bassist A.J. Kelly, will go on at 8 p.m. It would not be a bad idea to get there early and do dinner at Revelry, where the food and cocktail menus are filled with serendipitous enticements. Visit RevelryFLA.com.
Friday laughs: Comedian, actor and podcaster Michael Yo comes to the Fort Lauderdale Improv in Dania Beach on Friday for shows at 7:30 and 10 p.m. As a onetime afternoon-drive host on South Florida radio station Y100 (WHYI-FM), Yo knows what he’s getting himself into. Tickets cost $27.90, or $37.90 for reserved VIP. Visit ImprovFTL.com.
Come on down! Iconic TV game show “The Price Is Right” is coming to South Florida to look for enthusiastic contestants to appear on the program. CBS Miami (WFOR-TV) and Toyota of Hollywood are collaborating on the casting call taking place on Friday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the dealership’s showroom. For information on how to participate and what you’ll need to bring, visit CBSNews.com/miami.
SATURDAY
Jimmy jam: Saturday is Florida’s official Jimmy Buffett Day, and Delray Beach will celebrate the longtime South Florida resident with an evening of festivities on Old School Square, where Buffett all but declared an end to the pandemic in 2021 with one of his most memorable concerts. Taking place from 5 to 10 p.m., Party in Paradise will include sets from Cape Universal, Spred the Dub and headliners The Caribbean Chillers, along with a costume contest (hint-hint), limbo competition, coconut painting, games and a mother ocean of margaritas. Tickets are $20 (bring your own chair), or $5 for children age 12 and younger, and free for age 2 and younger. VIP seating and lounge access costs $60. Visit DowntownDelrayBeach.com/events.
Toast with the most: There are many reasons to consider weekend brunch at Timpano on Las Olas in downtown Fort Lauderdale, including the lovely seclusion of the patio and the Italian Crab Cakes. But there is really only one reason: the Molten Tiramisu French Toast, which marries espresso brioche, coffee cannoli cream and cocoa nibs under a dusting of sugar. Timpano serves brunch on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visit TimpanoLasOlas.com.
King of lovers rock: Jamaican reggae star Beres Hammond returns to the Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale for two concerts on Saturday and Sunday at 7:30 p.m., part of his Forever Giving Thanks Tour. The Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter known as “The Otis Redding of Reggae” turns 70 on Thursday. A limited number of tickets are available on Saturday, starting at $70.80. Seats are more plentiful for Sunday, starting at $47.20, at Ticketmaster.com.
Killing the truth: Veteran ska-punk band Against All Authority, spawn of South Florida, are on the road with a perfectly timed celebration of the 25th anniversary of album “24 Hour Roadside Resistance.” Catch their pulsating prophecies during an all-ages show on Saturday at Revolution Live in downtown Fort Lauderdale. Doors open at 7 p.m. for sets by special guests Catbite and Rehasher. Tickets are $41.50 at JoinTheRevolution.net.
SUNDAY
Going Gaga: Multihyphenate pop-culture star Lady Gaga will bring The Mayhem Ball Tour to the Kaseya Center in Miami on Labor Day Weekend, with 8 p.m. performances on Sunday and Monday, and a third on Wednesday. All three concerts are essentially sold out, with resale seats starting at a little more than $300. For updates, visit Ticketmaster.com.
Gut check: Girls Night Out: The Show, the touring version of the sexy Las Vegas production — a showcase for what male abdominal and oblique muscles can look like with proper care, which some women apparently find interesting — will come to West Palm Beach on Sunday for a “fully interactive” performance at country dance club Renegades. The show runs from 8 to 10:30 p.m. Basic admission will cost $19.95, with VIP and meet-and-greet options also available. Visit Facebook.com/renegadeswpb. For details on the show, visit Facebook.com/girlsnightouttheshow.
Market report: Barrel of Monks Brewing in Boca Raton will host the inaugural edition of an outdoor craft market called Crafts & Drafts on Sunday. Taking place from noon to 5 p.m., the afternoon will offer original pieces from local artists and makers, along with BoM’s popular Belgian-style beers and the prize-winning burgers and wings of Cheffrey Eats. Visit Facebook.com/barrelofmonks.
Roll call: The beautiful and historic open-air Miami Beach Bandshell will host its traditional Labor Day Roller Disco on Sunday at 5 p.m., with DJ music to groove to even if you’re not skating. Admission is free. Bring skates or rent some from All Skates Go to Heaven while they last. Food and beverages will be available for purchase. Visit MiamiBeachBandshell.com.
MONDAY
Still brunching: Who’s doing brunch on Monday? A lot of places, actually, including a few personal favorites in downtown Fort Lauderdale, such as The Foxy Brown (Facebook.com/thefoxybrown), Big City Tavern on Las Olas (Facebook.com/BigCityTavern) and Café Bastille, the hidden gem on the water (CafeBastilleDowntown.com). Probably worth checking to see if your favorite spot is doing Monday brunch.
Boogie night: Who knew that Crazy Uncle Mike’s in Boca Raton had country dancing? The brewery-bar-restaurant hosts Boot Scootin’ Boogie Country Night on Monday, free drinks for ladies at a hosted bar from 6 to 8 p.m., with free line-dance lessons led by the Southern Soul Dancers at 7 p.m., then country hits by DJ Gio Black beginning at 8 p.m. The night includes $4 craft pints and a $12 bacon cheeseburger special. Visit CrazyUncleMikes.com.
Staff writer Ben Crandell can be reached at bcrandell@sunsentinel.com. Follow on IG: @BenCrandell.
