Thirty years on, black metal has come to be about more than lo-fi recording, buzzsaw guitars, and hatred for Christianity. Even in its tumultuous infancy, reverence for and celebration of nature was an inspiration for many bands, tying in with their pagan leanings. Following close behind was a folk music influence, with or without the use of acoustic instruments. These influences caught on like a forest fire, and in 2023 are commonplace. In context, then, the show at the Raccoon Motel in Davenport on Saturday, February 25 is not quite as outlandish as it may appear on the surface.

A beloved, platinum-selling artist and Country Music Award winner whose accomplishments include numerous Billboard chart-topping singles and three New York Times bestselling books, Marie Osmond headlines a February 24 concert event at the Rhythm City Casino Resort Event Center, having already spent more than six decades in the entertainment business performing as a successful singer, television performer and talk-show host, dancer, actor, author, entrepreneur, and public speaker.

On February 25 and 26, a massively popular national touring event lands in the area when the CINCH World's Toughest Rodeo comes to Moline's Vibrant Arena at the MARK on February 25 and 26, treating patrons to entertainment from a number of favorite touring performers and, as always, exceptional feats of bull, saddle bronc, and bareback riding.

Designed for all ages interested in health, fitness, and athletic performance, the 2023 Quad City Fit Fest will be held at East Moline's Bend XPO on February 18 and 19, the eagerly anticipated event boasting more than 40 vendors, activities, demonstrations, a weight-lifting competition hosted by Richmond Elite Performance, a self-defense class led by UFC Hall of Famer Pat Miletich, and seminars with kickboxing phenomenon Don "The Dragon" Wilson and Dance It Out founder Billy Banks. Jr.

Screening at Davenport's Figge Art Museum on February 26 and lauded by Gripped magazine as "full of purpose and powerful storytelling," the 35-minute documentary Black Ice serves as the fifth presentation in River Action's annual QC Environmental Film Series, with Gripped adding that the work "brings together a group of amazing characters" and "helps to restore the belief in a better world.”

In a recent Vulture interview, Steven Soderbergh, director of 2012's original Magic Mike, stated that until he saw and adored the movie's London-stage-revue version in 2018, he found “no compelling reason to make a third film.” So now we have the Soderbergh-helmed Magic Mike's Last Dance … and this sequel feels like it still has no compelling reason to exist.

Even though saying that the venerable, ubiquitous Barefoot in the Park really holds up today is cliché, I'm saying it. And this production as a whole is fresh in every aspect – thus, unlike me, staying far away from the formulaic.

Touring in support of his 2022 album Frayed at Both Ends that hit the top-five on the Billboard charts, outlaw-county singer/songwriter Aaron Lewis headlines a February 10 concert at Bettendorf's Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center, treating fans to a repertoire that inspired Saving Country Music to rave, “Aaron's voice comes with a familiarity and richness of tone that endears itself to the songs he writes.”

A pair of award-winning, multi-platinum-selling rock outfits will share the stage at East Moline venue The Rust Belt on February 19 with the arrival of the national “Rock Resurrection Tour,” an eagerly anticipated event boasting the Grammy-nominated Wisconsin artists of Skillet and the Canadian alt-rockers of Theory of a Deadman.