Submitted by Melissa Howsam — Correspondent
Monday's blah, but your week doesn't have to be. So, here are some hip haunts and choice events to hit up:
FOR THE LOVE OF ART: Didn’t you always kind of want to hold a paddle and yell amounts of money like you have Tourette’s? Here’s your chance. Except you’ll be using your program, imprinted with large number, as your bidding paddle. Close enough. So, for the love of money, er… art, and a little wining, dining and dancing, roll over to the Raleigh Marriott City Center for the 27th-annual auction and gala. There’s a silent auction, too; so you low-ballers can be discreet. Happy bidding. When: Feb. 5. 6 p.m. - 11 p.m. The live auction begins around 8:45 p.m. $85 each or $170 per couple and includes dinner, drink tickets for wine and beer and admission to the live and silent auction with cocktail seating for all guests. General admission does not include reserved table seating in the main ballroom. More info
APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION: Yeah, so Axl may sound like a drunk jungle monkey who just gargled a fifth of tequila – but somehow his music still makes you want to bow your legs and sway the infamous ‘snake dance’ like it’s 1987. So, while he may now be a tantrum-throwing trainwreck, his screechy legacy lives on. Good news for Appetite for Destruction GNR tribute band and hungry fans alike, as the aping music masterminds slash up the stage Friday at Lincoln Theatre, also featuring Know Your Enemy Rage Against the Machine Tribute. Stay tuned Saturday for Lincoln’s 10-year anniversary party featuring Far Too Jones with Runaway Cab/Lauren Nicole. When: Appetite for Destruction - Feb. 4, 9 p.m. $10 advance and $12 day of show. Lincoln’s 10-year Anniversary Party - Feb. 5, 7:45 p.m. $12 advance and $15 day of show. More info
MARDI GRAS MASQUERADE BALL & BANQUET: Fat Tuesday isn’t until March 8, but it’s never too early for gluttony. Or beads. Or debauchery. So, mask yourself in a little carnivale and bask in all things Big Easy, including a New Orleans inspired three-course meal, jazz, a costume contest and plenty of Mardi Gras flair. The best part? It’s for a good cause – so while you play like a sinner, you can still feel a little like a “New Orleans” saint. At The Parish Center of Cary. When: Feb 5. 7 p.m. to midnight. $30, advance sale only. Proceeds benefit the educational programs of Historic Interpretations, Inc. More info
SUPER BOWL XLII: So, the puck stopped here. Hockey greats came and went. But post-game can be a little depressing. So, hike your hockey hangover for some Superbowl Sunday shenanigans about town and belly up for some Bud Lights, beer-soaked wings and nachos. Nothing screams great American pastime like cheeseheads and terrible towels getting sloppy and squealing about some pigskin. And here, the only thing reminiscent of a goalie will be the person in your way of the bathroom. When: Feb. 6 on a television near you. Soak up some gridiron goodness with parties and specials at an array of area pubs - Raleigh: The Oxford, Carolina Ale House (North Raleigh), Michael Dean’s, Downtown Sports Bar and Grill, Woody’s City Market, Hi5, Raleighwood. Durham: Satisfaction, Tobacco Road. Chapel Hill: Carolina Brewery. Check triangle.com for updated event and pub listings.
ROBERT PLANT: No, you’re not having an acid flashback. But you may feel a sudden wave of nostalgia to a time of free love, lava lamps and lickable wallpaper. Bend your mind to a simpler time like when that yellow smiley-face didn’t immediately render price cuts at Wal-mart, and stage your own revival as psychedelic former-Zeppelin rockster Robert Plant trips through town and bends the boards at Memorial Auditorium with his “Band of Joy,” the name a nod to his pre-Zep psychedelic-blues project. Not to worry, his tour sets have included some Zeppelin hits, too. And lucky for you, bell bottoms are back. Bonus. When: Feb. 2, 8 p.m. $45-$65. More info
