Praised by the Chicago Tribune for his “deep, contemporary blues” as well as his “razor-sharp guitar and compelling, forceful singing,” guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter Toronzo Cannon plays Davenport's Redstone Room on October 24, his signature blues and R&B stylings leading Mojo magazine to write, “He creates wide-screen modern arrangements for wry, thoughtful songs, molding an ensemble sound that's both tempestuous and scrupulously controlled.”

On October 11 and 12, an autumnal celebration of art will fill five venues in downtown Rock Island as MidCoast Fine Arts hosts Rock the Arts, with live music, demonstrations, and more taking place at the Quad City Arts Center, the NormaLeah Cancer Initiative, The Shoppes on 2nd, DeSoto Pottery Studio, and The ARTery/MidCoast Gallery West.

The winner of a staggering 10 Tony Awards that the New York Daily News deemed “vivid and smart” as it “brilliantly weaves plot, music, and dance together,” the stage sensation Billy Elliot: The Musical hoofs its way into Moline's Spotlight Theatre October 18 through 27, this joyous celebration of community and individuality leading Bloomberg News to rave that the show “really does have something for everyone – and that something is, gloriously, art.”

Drawings and photographs by a pair of gifted Midwestern artists will fill the Quad City Arts Center Gallery from October 18 through December 6, with the Rock Island venue housing the exhibits Sky Weave, featuring new works by Des Moines' Emily Newman, and The Set Table: Forks on the Left, Metaphors on the Right, boasting the talents of Muscatine-based photographer Randy Richmond.