Delivering a two-night mega-event that will also be broadcast on pay-per-view, the mixed-martial-arts spectacle Caged Aggression XLII: The Perfect Storm will take place at the Davenport RiverCenter on October 16 and 17, with more than two dozen supremely talented MMA greats facing off in the nightly battles.
Appearing in a special “Evenings at Butterworth” event, archivist, writer, and speaker Neil Dahlstrom will deliver a October 22 program at Moline's Butterworth center, the presenter and Quad Cities native's books including Tractor Wars: John Deere, Henry Ford, International Harvester, and The Birth of Modern Agriculture.
Chatting with Ballet Quad Cities' artistic director Courtney Lyon about the professional dance company's The Scarlet Letter, a world-premiere adaptation of Nathaniel Hawthorne's famed 1850 novel, I'm catching the choreographer early in the rehearsal process. How early? I wind up learning who'll be dancing the ballet's principal roles before the dancers do.
A regular at the world-famous Comedy Cellar in New York City admired for his playful personality, clever wit, and refreshingly PG-13 material, comedian Keith Alberstadt enjoys a two-night engagement at Rock Island's Bally's Quad Cities, the Aspen Laff Festival's executive director Gram Slaton praising the standup as "a genius" who performs "the toughest kind of humor to consistently pull off."
On October 24, Davenport's Putnam Museum & Science Center will host the eagerly awaited 2026 Quad Cities Archives Fair, allowing the public to experience Quad Cities history by visiting with regional cultural and historical organizations, learning about unique collections and services, listening to talks on historical topics, and discovering some of the area's hidden gems.
Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch raised some eyebrows after he attended a meeting in suburban River Forest to talk about the proposed O’Hare Flyer project, which would run express commuter trains back and forth from Downtown Chicago to O’Hare Airport. Speaker Welch told attendees he could prevent two state agency budgets from moving forward if he didn’t get what he wanted out of the project for towns in and around his district.
More than a year ago, the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget was projecting a $3.2 billion deficit for what is now the current fiscal year.
Last month, House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch told WGN Political Editor Tahman Bradley during an interview, “I’m going to apologize for making her feel uncomfortable.”
My associate Isabel Miller and I told subscribers earlier this month that Democrats for the Illinois House had been suddenly cut off from the Democratic Party of Illinois’ lucrative postage-discount program, which can save as much as one-third to half of campaign postage costs.
You may know that embattled Legislative Inspector General Michael McCuskey has agreed to resign his post by the end of September. But this sorry saga shouldn’t end there. The Legislative Ethics Commission should immediately launch an investigation into why so many women over the years have said they were mistreated, belittled, and dismissed by McCuskey. They could also ask McCuskey’s replacement to revisit the cases.
Are you looking for love? For marriage? Or just trying to get past your partner’s daily idiosyncrasies? You may well love I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, whether you attend solo or with a date.
Make no mistake: This is not a show with a lovely, happy ending. In fact, it’s an altogether dark look at humanity. And October is a perfect time for The Hunchback of Notre Dame, because it’s spooky and dark – ideal for setting the Halloween mood without explicitly being Halloweeny.
Boasting music direction by Martin Majkut and stage direction by Abbigail Coté, with Matthew Clarke serving as conductor, the acclaimed Hansel und Gretel enjoys an October 16 through 18 run at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts, this enchanting opera inspired by the Brothers Grimm fairy tale performed by gifted students at the University of Iowa School of Music.
With its source material named "the best American children's book of the past two hundred years" by the Children's Literature Association, the stage version of E.B. White's beloved Charlotte's Web enjoys an October 10 through 18 run in St. Ambrose University's Galvin Fine Arts Center.
From October 9 through 18, Rock Island's youth-theatre venue The Center for Living Arts (CFLA) will present Spring Awakening one final time, closing a chapter with this Tony-winning musical drama that has become part of the organization’s history.
Performing an eclectic series of pieces ranging from a Bach suite to works from the early 20th and 21st centuries, lauded cellist Philip Bergman enjoys a showcase concert at Davenport's Deanery School of Music on October 14, this artist the principal cellist with Orchestra Iowa and the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra and proud former student of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra's Hannah Holman.
Performing, in its entirety, the timeless recording that Q magazine named the 26th-greatest British album of all time, the touring artists of The Black Jacket Symphony return to Davenport's Capitol for their stage rendition of Led Zeppelin IV, this October 15 event treating fans to a stunning rock concert whose inspiration received the Grammy Hall of Fame Award and introduced to world to "Stairway to Heaven."
Described by the Examiner as “a band unlike any other” and by Blurt magazine as “a hybrid of Idris Muhammad, George Clinton, Ohio Players, and Earth, Wind & Fire,” the tightly-wrapped funk, rock, and R&B musicians of Here Come the Mummies play East Moline venue The Rust Belt on October 16, their infectious grooves leading The Bob & Tom Show co-host Bob Kevoian to call one of their concerts “the most fun I've had in 20 years.”
Delivering a high-energy, fresh sound blending pop, rock, vaudeville jazz, and show tunes, their sets packed with original music, modern hits, and timeless classics, the Quad Cities musicians of Minus Six reunite for an October 16 concert at Davenport's Redstone Room at Common Chord, this upbeat, inclusive, and family-friendly concert boasting the return of lead singer and present Arizona resident Kevin Carton.
Having been inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame twice this decade – first as a member of New Grass Revival in 2020, and then as a solo artist in 2023 – Grammy-winning string player Sam Bush headlines an October 16 concert event at Maquoketa's Codfish Hollow Barn, the mandolin, fiddle, banjo, and guitar musician widely lauded as an originator of progressive bluegrass music.
I may have been disappointed in Other Mommy, but it's hardly an ignoble failure, and it was kind of thrilling to see several genre norms smartly upturned before the picture was a half-hour old.
Going to the cineplex or staying in and streaming this weekend? Every Thursday morning at 8:15 a.m. you can listen to Mike Schulz dish on recent movie releases & talk smack about Hollywood celebs on Planet 93.9 FM with the fabulous Dave & Darren in the Morning team of Dave Levora and Darren Pitra. The morning crew previews upcoming releases, too. Or you can check the Reader Web site and listen to their latest conversation by the warm glow of your electronic device. Never miss a pithy comment from these three scintillating pundits again
Thursday, October 8: Discussion of Digger (spoiler-free!) and Verity, previews of Angel & the Badman, The Social Reckoning, Other Mommy, and April X, and a big huzzah to Coyote vs. Acme, which initially looked like it wasn't going to recoup its $50-million purchase price and just surpassed $60 million. A true Hollywood Happy Ending.
In director Michael Showalter's adaptation of Colleen Hoover's Verity, the title figure is a fabulously wealthy celebrity who appears willing to go to psychotic extremes to get a little peace and quiet. Having now appeared in five films over the past six months, and with a new baby on the way, it's no wonder Anne Hathaway is so good in the role. She must relate to Verity Crawford like crazy.
Presented as a special event in the Quad Cities Latino Cinema Series, the beloved 1987 hit La Bamba will be shown at Davenport venue The Last Picture House on October 14, the film a celebration opf rock icon Ritchie Valens' artistry, and one that, according to Rotten Tomatoes' critical consensus, “distills its subject's creative energy and reflects his music's enduring appeal.”
Now playing at area theaters.
With the showcased photographs captured by class-of-2025 alumna Hannah Bauch, patrons of the University of Dubuque's Bisignano Aet Gallery are invited to explore the multifaceted identities of student athletes, and the many layers that exist beyond their roles in competition, in the exhibition Beyond the Game: A UD Athletic Homecoming, on display through October 30.
With the artists encouraging their audience to pause and find hidden details in their work., two Midwestern talents are showcasing pieces at the Quad City Arts International Airport Gallery through November 2, the Bowden & Shultz-Hetrick exhibit hosting abstract paintings by Peotone, Illinois' James Bowden and fused-glass art by Cedar Rapids' Barbara Shultz-Hetrick.
Presenting a fascinating display of sumi-e art, the traditional Japanese form of ink-was painting that uses black ink, water, and minimalist brush strokes to capture the inner spirit of natural subjects, Karen Kurka Jensen's Coming Home will be on display in Black Hawk College's ArtSpace Gallery through November 6, a closing reception and artist talk scheduled at the Moline gallery on November 5.
An arresting and thought-provoking group show featuring 38 pieces of art made by 27 Midwestern artists whose work explores the many forms our “monsters” can take, The Monster Under My Bed will be on display at Rock Island's Quad City Arts Center through December 4, this exhibition designed to demonstrate ways in which creativity can help us give shape to experiences that are difficult to put into words.
Timed to the 250th anniversary of the signing of the United States' Declaration of Independence, the Figge Art Museum exhibition Connie & Michael Roberts: Portrait of America will be on display in the Davenport venue's Lewis Gallery through January 3, this arresting collection of works inviting audiences to reflect on the individuals who helped shape our nation’s history.
You'll get both the current official narrative challenge and What's Happenin' in the Quad Cities.
(Did you know we publish a new Real Astrology and RCR Crossword every week?)
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