Interspersing his humorous observations on life with twisted, inventive, bizarre songs sung and played in a variety of styles, the genre-defying entertainer Heywood Banks takes the stage at Davenport's Rhythm City Casino Resort Rhythm Room on October 12, his standup earning the artist first place in the Johnnie Walker Comedy Search Contest and his musical genres ranging from folk, to country to rock and beyond.

A 2022 Tony Award winner that Variety magazine praised as "filled with depth and relatable characters," author Dominique Morisseau's drama Skeleton Crew enjoys its Quad Cities premiere at Moline's Playcrafters Barn Theatre from October 6 through 15, the lauded work also praised by the New Yor Times as "a swift, well-crafted look at factory workers trapped in an economic 'dumpster fire," and by the New Yorker as a work "bristling and jumping and speeding forward with skillful talk."

Opening their eagerly anticipated 2023-24 Masterworks season with performances at Davenport's Adler Theatre on October 7 and Augustana College's Centennial Hall on October 8, the sublime musicians of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra welcome, for their concert event Masterworks I: From Conflict to Courage, Cuban-American cellist Dr. Tommy Mesa, the artist having inspired New York Concert Review to rave, "Mr. Mesa’s playing had a musical intensity that was commanding in every detail.”

With their album Passage hailed by SonicAbuse as "deeply evocative and perfectly executed," the women-led world-fusion ensemble ADAAWE opens Quad City Arts' 2023-24 Visiting Artists Series with an October 7 concert event in Augustana College's Centennial Hall, their previous engagements including a performance at the California World Music Festival, a concert is Los Angeles' Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, and a booking at the Alex Theater with Emmy nominee Jasmine Guy and Oscar nominee Angela Bassett.