While I’ve got some terrific shows to tell you about this week, I’m feeling sentimental and emotional, so please bear with me for a moment. It’s my U2 anniversary.

Every Dec. 2, I listen to U2 and think back to the most unforgettable (U2 pun most certainly intended) show I’ve ever been to: U2 at the Worcester Centrum on Dec. 2, 1984.

Back in those days, musicians weren’t entirely human to me, they were larger-than-life demigods and I was their biggest fan. Cynicism wasn’t in my vocabulary back then, and all that really mattered was the music.

Bands like U2 were everything to me, and sometimes I wish I could get back that feeling of unconditional love and posters-on-the-wall adoration. Maybe it never left me; it’s simply taken a different form. I encourage you to take a moment and think about some of your favorite shows.

Maybe none of us ever loses that pure, passionate, “I love this band or this song so much I can hardly stand it” feeling. Plato digs what I’m saying, so I’ll impart some of his wisdom: “Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.”

If ever, oh ever, there were a reason to venture to the newly reopened State Theatre, “The Wizard of Oz” is one. That’s right ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls; it’s 1930s Night at the State on Friday, with a screening of the 1939 Technicolor classic “The Wizard of Oz.”

But that’s not all. Get there at 5:30 p.m. for a performance by favorite local old-time music band Over a Cardboard Sea, which will be playing vaudeville tunes. Judy Garland, n?Frances Gumm, got her start in vaudeville, lest you forget.

You can also visit the old-timey photo booth and order a Shirley Temple at the bar. Now that’s a night of a different color, and it’ll only cost you five bucks. To Oz? To Oz! (See Page E13 for Avery Yale Kamila’s story on the yellow-brick-road bash.)

1930s Night at the State Theatre. Doors open at 5 p.m. Friday; screenings at 7 and 10 p.m. State Theatre, 609 Congress St., Portland. All ages. $5 tickets at Bull Moose locations.

Composer, guitarist and bandleader Howard Fishman used to play on the streets of New Orleans and the subway platforms of New York before stepping onto his first proper stage in 1999. He hasn’t stepped off much since then and has released several CDs that burrow into early jazz, folk, blues, classical, rock, pop, funk, country, New Orleans brass band and even gospel.

Just this year, he and his band have released three albums. Suffice to say, there will be no shortage of new material during his show. There’s also plenty to listen to online at www.howardfishman.com, because Fishman’s got clips from 50, yes 50, of his songs posted.

Howard Fishman. 8 p.m. Saturday. One Longfellow Square, State Street, Portland. All ages. $17 in advance; $20 at the door. 761-1757; www.longfellowsquare.com

Kimmy Welch Wilson is celebrating her 40th birthday with a bang. She’s throwing a fundraising event at Port City Music Hall for the Open Sky Fund, the charitable organization devoted to providing musical instruments and lessons to children in Maine. I know, isn’t that the bomb?

The night will have more layers than Prince William’s wedding cake, with music from eight bands, food and craft vendors, dancers, poets, comics, hula-hoopers and a V.J. I know you’re wondering who the bands are, so here you go: A Band Beyond Description, Elderberry Jam, The Beat Horizon, Oogie James & The Satin Kings, Ken Grimsley & Ladies, Jordan Kaulbach and Zig-Zag.

For an additional $10, you’ll be let in at 6 p.m. for a special performance by Gypsy Tailwind. And hey, big spenders, for $75, you can be a serious VIP, which includes a reception, dinner from Divided Sky Cafe, champagne, a free T-shirt, the Gypsy Tailwind set and VIP seating for the night.

Kimmy’s Odd Ball and FUNdraiser. 7 p.m. Saturday. Port City Music Hall, 504 Congress St., Portland. $20 general admission (add $10 donation for the Gypsy Tailwind performance); $75 VIP ticket includes a 5 p.m. reception.

Aimsel Ponti is a Portland freelance writer. Contact her at:

aimselponti@yahoo.com

 

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