THURSDAY, MAY 23
Presidio Twilight: The sixth season of the Thursday night summer event — billed as “the Bay Area’s largest community campfire” and featuring Off the Grid food trucks, live music, and new this year, lawn domes — opens. [5 to 9 p.m., Main Parade Ground, 103 Montgomery St., Presidio of S.F.]
Ripped: The premiere play by Rachel Bublitz is about a college freshman who tries to balance her affection for her high school boyfriend and a new crush, and her experience with an unwanted sexual encounter. [8 p.m., Z Below, 470 Florida St., S.F.]
Run River North: The Southern California indie folk rock trio of Asian American musicians — Alex Hwang, Daniel Chae and Sally Kang — recently evolved from a sextet. [9 p.m., Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., S.F.]
Next to Normal: Los Altos Stage Co. opens its production of the musical which takes an unflinching look at a suburban family struggling with the effects of mental illness. [8 p.m., Bus Barn Theater, 97 Hillview Ave., Los Altos]
Jill Biden: The professor and former Second Lady is on tour, talking about her memoir “Where The Light Enters.” [7 p.m., Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera]
JR: The Chronicles of San Francisco: French artist JR gives a talk about his new video mural revealing the diversity of San Francisco and inspired by Diego Rivera’s 20th century murals. [7 p.m., S.F. Museum of Modern Art, first floor, 151 Third St., S.F.]
Self, Made: Running through Sept. 2, the new interactive exhibit, which draws from biology, psychology, history, race, gender and feminist studies and pop culture, invites visitors to consider facets of their identity. [10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Exploratorium, Pier 15, S.F.]
Teen Daze: The ambient synth pop project of producer Jamison Isaak releases the album “Bioluminescence.” [8 p.m., Neck of the Woods, 406 Clement St., S.F.]
FRIDAY, MAY 24
NAV: “Bad Habits,” the new album by the Canadian rapper (aka Navraj Singh Goraya), signed to The Weeknd’s label, debuted at No.1 on Billboard’s top 200 chart. [9 p.m., Fillmore, 1805 Geary Blvd., S.F.]
Be in Grace: Devotional singer Jai Uttal, sound healers and musicians appear in the “mindful concert” and immersion honoring Vietnamese monk and peace activist Thich Nhat Hahn. [8 p.m., Grace Cathedral, 1100 California St., S.F.]
Against Me!: The Florida punk band headed by Laura Jane Grace is playing current music before preparing for fall engagements featuring classic catalog material.[ 8:30 p.m., August Hall, 420 Mason St., S.F.]
Kings: Shotgun Players stage the political satire by Sarah Burgess about a new member of U.S. Congress on a mission to do something about the corruption she encounters. [8 p.m., Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave., Berkeley]
Dragon Theatre Late Show: Mean Dave, Becca Henry, Jason Cole, Avery Harmon, Don Smith, Tyler Stannard, Jeen Yee and host Sedric Drake perform standup comedy. 10:30 p.m., 2120 Broadway, Redwood City]
Schola Cantorum Silicon Valley: Gregory Wait, the choral ensemble’s musical director for 30 years, leads his final concert before retirement, a free performance of Brahms’ “A German Requiem.” [8 p.m., Stanford Memorial Church, 450 Serra Mall, Stanford University]
Tempting Fate: Antic in a Drain opens a two-weekend run of the premiere by Ross Travis, described as a one-man “satirical sideshow entertainment reflecting the house of mirrors called climate change.” [8 p.m., Little Boxes Theatre, 1661 Tennessee St., Suite 2S, S.F.]
Molly Tuttle: The California-raised songwriter and string player, the 2017 International Bluegrass Association guitar player of the year winner, releases her debut LP, “When You’re Ready. [9 p.m., Independent, 628 Divisadero St., S.F.]
SATURDAY, MAY 25
Carnaval San Francisco: The 41st annual, free, two-day festival and grand parade (on Sunday) with international music, dance, arts and crafts and cuisine features a 3 p.m. headlining performance by Grammy-winning Los Tigres del Norte on the Harrison and 22nd Street stage on Saturday. [10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Harrison Street, between 16 and 24th streets, S.F.]
Stone Soul Concert: The first of KBLX’s 22nd two-day annual presentation features Maxwell, Ledisi, Eric Benet, Raheem Devaugn and Kindred The Family Stone. [Noon, Concord Pavilion, 2000 Kirker Pass Road, Concord]
Will Durst: The political comedian appears in “BoomeRaging: From LSD to OMG,” his tribute to the “joys, achievements, frustrations and looming doom of the Baby Boom generation.” [8 p.m., Tabard Theatre, 29 N. San Pedro St., San Jose]
Real Vocal String Quartet: “Culture Kin” is the new release by the internationally themed group — violinist Irene Sazer, fiddler Sumaia Jackson, cellist David Tangney and bassist Sam Shuhan – joined by collaborators Soo-Yeon Lyuh (haegum, traditional Korean violin), Fely Tchaco (vocals), Marta Roma (cello), Laura Inserra (hang drum), Mairtin de Cogain (vocals and bodhran) and Roberta Valente (pandeiro). [8 p.m., Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission St., S.F.[
Poetry reading: In “Even Still,” poets Grace Shuyi Liew and Vidhu Aggarwal “address what it means to survive, to heal from, and to make space for ourselves under violent regimes.” [7 p.m., Kearny Street Workshop, 1246 Folsom St., S.F. ]
Fremont Burger & Brew Fest: At the ticketed ($35) event, local breweries and eateries offer for their wares; local business booths, arts and crafters, entertainment and the Burger Throwdown cooking contest also are on the program. [11 a.m. to 5 p.m., 3300 Capitol Ave., Fremont]
