It the end of summer and the start of autumn, all in a long holiday weekend, complete with the Dane Dances season closer, Badger Bash 2012, the Wisconsin football season opener, the Taste of Madison, Lights on the Lake, and LaborFest. The calendar also includes: the Wilhelm Tell Festival in New Glarus; the Majestique! vaudeville show; WWE Smackdown; the close of the Token Creek Chamber Music Festival and the annual Karp Family Concert; the Terrace Reggae Fest, Vinyl Richie's Birthday Bash, Recreational Rhythms, and Jolly Bob's 20th Anniversary Party; and, more live music from Jesse Marco, The Melismatics, Jucifer, The M Machine, Eternal Summers, and Kitty Pryde at the Memorial Union Bash.
Friday 8.31
NOTEWORTHY: Princess Diana dies in car crash, 1997.
Through Sept. 2, New Glarus
New Glarus works its Swiss angle with a pageant, alphorns and people dressed as Wilhelm Tell. Oh, and yodeling. Lots and lots of yodeling.
Monona Terrace rooftop, 5:30 pm
The free all-county parties have turned the Monona Terrace rooftop into a real scene throughout August. The last one of the season (waaah!) features Madisalsa, the Eddie Butts Band and DJ Vilas Park Sniper.
Segredo, 9 pm
Though he's just 22 years old, this precocious New Yorker has the resume of a DJ twice his age. In addition to spinning records at famous nightclubs such as London's Chinawhite and Miami's Liv, he's performed at parties hosted by Jay-Z and released a major-label single called "Daddy Cool." Photographer Kirill Was Here will snap pictures of the revelry all night long.
Frequency, 9 pm
This band's blend of hard rock, punk and power-pop is strangely addictive and surprisingly complex, much like Hollywood Exes, the VH1 show that's featured their song "Your Love Is a Poison." With Baristacide, Sexy Ester and Lucrezio.
Terrace at UW Memorial Union, 9:30 pm
Bask in the island sounds of Roots Collective and Kingtown Rockers on Friday, then return Saturday at 9:30 pm for sets by the dub-tastic Taki Allstars and the hip-hop crew dumate.
Saturday 9.1
NOTEWORTHY: Bobby Fischer wins World Chess Championship, 1972.
UW Union South, noon
Get your chicken dance in top form at this party featuring the UW marching band and a host of all-ages activities.
Capitol Square, 2-8 pm. Also Sunday, Sept. 2,11:30 am-7 pm
Dozens of area restaurants set up booths and sell samples small enough to lull you into thinking that you're not making a pig of yourself. And really, what's so bad about eating Thai, Irish, Tex-Mex, Italian, Indian and Jamaican food in one meal? You'll walk it all off in a couple of trips around the Square, right?
Camp Randall Stadium, 2:30 pm
Let the games begin. The Badgers begin a Rose Bowl-winning season (you heard it here first) against Northern Iowa. (See cover story.)
Token Creek Chamber Music Festival
4037 Highway 19 in DeForest, 8 pm. Also Sunday, Sept. 2, 4 pm
The annual festival is the brainchild of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Harbison and his wife, violinist Rose Mary Harbison, who use their DeForest barn as a stage. The fest wraps up with "Outside In: Music About Place," in which a chamber group conducted by John Harbison performs music inspired by the outdoors. Expect gems by Bach, Mozart and Harbison himself.
High Noon Saloon, 8 pm
Help the DJ of WORT's "Vinyl Resting Place" fete his 50th year on Earth with local post-punk purveyors Bes Monde and the Thin Lizzy tribute act Jailbreak. With White Trash Hot Rod.
Majestic Theatre, 8:30 pm
Acrobats, jugglers, magicians and burlesque dancers will raise some eyebrows and boggle some minds with a vaudeville-style variety show. Acts on deck include the St. Louis circus-arts troupe Beggar's Carnivale, the breathtaking bellydancers of Ashar Dance Company and the singing, shimmying coquettes of Peach Pies Caburlesque. If you're not entertained, it may be time to check your pulse.
Frequency, 9 pm
The husband-and-wife doom-metal duo tour the country so much that they claim to be nomads. See if the Frequency is big enough for their 10-foot-high speakers, which spew forth some of the heaviest, sludgiest songs you're likely to hear this fall. With Dick the Bruiser and Agony Forge.
The M Machine at Segredo Grand Reopening
Segredo, 9 pm
The M Machine will headline this celebration of Segredo's recent upgrades, which include a new sound system, fresh décor and bottle service for guests willing to spend a few extra bucks. In addition to building dance-floor tracks from dubstep and synth-pop, this San Francisco band caught Wired's attention by constructing a giant wall of flashing lights that's shaped like -- you guessed it -- the letter M.
Sunday 9.2
NOTEWORTHY: CBS Evening News becomes network television's first half-hour weeknight news broadcast, 1963.
Elvehjem Park Shelter, 2 pm
Enjoy more than five hours of music at this benefit for Agrace HospiceCare. The lineup includes 4th Coast (3:30 pm), the Scrubbers (4:40 pm), Clovis Mann (5:50 pm) and Roots Collective (7 pm). DJ $amroc will pump up the jams between bands.
Jolly Bob's 20th Anniversary Party
Jolly Bob's, 5 pm
Dancers can strut their stuff at the Willy Street eatery's anniversary party as Madisalsa performs salsa, merengue, bolero and bomba from three Latin American countries. With DJs Dock and Que lo Que.
Dane County Coliseum, 7 pm
Sheamus applies the Spinebuster to Randy Orton, while Dolph Ziggler executes a Spinning Crucifix Toss against Alberto Del Rio. The professional wrestling circus rolls into town to remind Olympics fans that sports need not be sportsmanlike.
Lake Mendota shoreline, Maple Bluff to UW Memorial Union, dusk
The annual event features a boat parade (7:45 pm) and fireworks (9:15 pm). Hint: The action is best viewed from Maple Bluff Beach, Tenney Park, James Madison Park, the Edgewater Hotel or the Union Terrace.
Frequency, 8 pm
This trio of Virginians bridge post-punk and dream-pop with spastic drumming and vocals that range from angelic sighs to demonic temper tantrums. Check out their sophomore release, Correct Behavior, at this show. With Bleeding Rainbow.
Kitty Pryde at Memorial Union Bash
UW Memorial Union, 9 pm
Named after a mutant girl in X-Men comic books, this hilarious gal rapper has bowled over the tastemakers at Vice, who called her "the much sharper, self-aware, suburban high school version of Kreayshawn." See how her blog-based rhymes translate onstage. With CRASHprez.
Monday 9.3
NOTEWORTHY: Frederick Douglass escapes from slavery, 1838.
Madison Labor Temple, noon-5:30 pm
Okay, so the recall election against Gov. Walker didn't work out too well. The annual Labor Day festival gives labor a chance to recharge, with music by the Westside Andy/Mel Ford Band and Paul Cebar Tomorrow Sound. There will also be food, kids' activities and, if we know our union members, lots of heated discussions about the strategy going forward.
Mills Hall in the UW Humanities Building, 7:30 pm
For the 36th year, Madison's first family of classical music kicks off a new season for the UW School of Music. The concert features three generations of Karps -- plus esteemed guest artists -- in works by Handel, Beethoven, Mendelssohn and John Harbison.
