With the touring ensemble led by Jeff Bush, a gifted trombonist who has played alongside jazz masters Benny Golson, Jon Hendricks, Ahmad Jamal, and Vanessa Rubin, the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra performs a special October 17 concert at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts, the group's namesake beloved for standards such as "Opus One," "This Love of Mine," "Song of India," "I'll Never Smile Again,” and “Marie.”

Performing from the repertoire of a county icon who boasts two Grammy Awards, 17 American Music Awards (including "Artist of the '90s"), and the RIAA Award for being the U.S.'s best-selling solo-album artist of the century touring performer Shawn Gerhard brings The Ultimate Garth Brooks Tribute to Maquoketa's Ohnward Fine Arts Center on October 18, the concert event sure to include Brooks favorites such as "Friends in Low Places," "The Dance," and "The Thunder Rolls."

Performing such beloved classics as "Sweet Home Chicago," "Gimme Some Lovin'," "Everybody Needs Somebody," and Aretha Franklin's "Respect," the Chicago-based tribute artists of The Blooze Brothers bring their high-energy act to Mt. Carroll's Timber Lake Playhouse on October 18, delivering an explosive mix of Motown, classic rock, soul, and, of course, blues alongside Windy City great Kimberly "Hot Sauce" Johnson.

Quick-witted improvisation, audience participation, new games featuring musical direction by Bob Derkach, and loads of laughs will be enjoyed when Davenport's Adler Theatre hosts an October 22 evening with the nationally touring comedians of Whose Live Anyway? – the hilarious stage show inspired by TV's Whose Line Is It Anyway?, and a touring sensation boasting famed standup and improv comedians Ryan Stiles, Greg Proops, Joel Murray, and Jeff B. Davis.

Delivering a two-night mega-event that will also be broadcast on pay-per-view, the mixed-martial-arts spectacle Caged Aggression XL: The Big Show will take place at the Davenport RiverCenter October 17 and 18, with more than two dozen supremely talented MMA greats facing off in the nightly battles.

A journey to the back lot of an inventive theme park, where audiences will dwell in the shadow of the roller coaster and under the lights of the Ferris wheel, Cirque Mechanics' stage spectacular Tilt comes to Galesburg's Orpheum Theatre on October 23, inviting guests to meet the gifted, acrobatic carnies, characters, and operators that keep the thrills coming and the rides running.

With the virtual event taking place in the Bettendorf Public Library's Malmros Room on October 22, Quad Citians are invited to be among the first to hear from Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai about her astonishing new memoir, Finding My Way.

On October 21, Wicked fans can expect a magical virtual evening as Illinois Libraries Present and the Rock Island and Silvis Public Libraries host the film's breakout sensation in Beyond the Screen – A "Wicked" Conversation with Marissa Bode, an evening with the actor who made her feature-film debut as Nessarose in director Jon M. Chu's Academy Award-winning blockbuster.

Lauded by the New York Times as a "brutal satire about mythmaking" and by the Hollywood Reporter as "something for which to be truly thankful," author Larissa FastHorse's comedy The Thanksgiving Play makes its Quad Cities debut at Moline's Black Box Theatre October 17 through November 2, the show's 2023 New York rendition marking the first time that a female Native American playwright had a play produced on Broadway.

A special one-act version of the hilarious fairytale musical that won Great Britain's 2000 Olivier Award for Best Musical – and triumphed over such contenders as Mamma Mia! and The Lion King – the family entertainment Honk! Jr. will be staged by the young talents at Davenport Junior Theatre October 11 through 19 demonstrating why Broadway World said the show boasts “plenty for kids, parents, and grandparents to enjoy.”

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