5/13 Thurs. Time of Your Life
Party like there's no school tomorrow. Start your evening off at the Spencer Student Party at the Spencer Museum of Art, 1301 Mississippi St. Enjoy free food, KJHK DJs, prizes and some crazy art from the museum's exhibit "The Painting Over the Sofa (That's Not Neccessarily a Painting)." Doors open at 6 p.m. and everything is free, free, free. Then, relive your high school glory days at Just Like Heaven: The Spring Prom. Technically, this event is just like Neon: It's at The Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire St., it starts at 9 p.m., DJs Cruz and Konsept will be mixing and the same, super 75-cent draws will be in full effect. But this, ladies and gents, is a formal event. Show off your best '80s suits and gowns and mingle with the big-haired beautiful people. Ladies get in free until 11 p.m. Depending on age and sex it'll cost you between $1 to $5 to attend.
5/14 Fri.
Shimomura Sunset
It's not a drink, it's a retirement party. Roger Shimomura, a Japanese-American artist who has taught at the University of Kansas for 35 years, is retiring. Instead of doing a small farewell with students and faculty, Shimomura is having a retirement party at Liberty Hall, 644 Massachusetts St., and it's free. The party starts at 8 p.m., is open to the public and is an all ages event. There will be various pieces of Shimomura's art on display to commemorate his time at the University. The night also features performances by former students, DJs, cake and champagne. To top it off, there will also be a cash bar. If music smooth as silk is more your style, then your best bet is to catch R&B/hip-hop goddess Mary J. Blige perform with soul-child Musiq at the Starlight Theatre, 4600 Starlight Rd. in Kansas City, Mo., starting at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $29.75 to $55.75 depending on your seating preference, but the cost more than guarantees being blown away by these two vocal powerhouses.
where it's at this week's happenings
5/15 Sat. Rocking Review
If you find yourself waking up early after all that stop day, er, studying head to Kansas City for the first-ever Burlesque Car Wash and Punk Rock Asphalt Junkyard Sale. Get your ride scrubbed by members of Rushin' Roulettes Burlesque Crew while you paw through the best yard sale this side of the Mississippi River. The sale starts at 7 a.m. and the car wash at 10 a.m. The fun takes place in the parking lot of the El Torreon Ballroom, 3101 Gillham Plaza, Kansas City, Mo. Then, get ready for finals by rocking out at Burcham Park, 2nd and Indiana Streets, at 1 p.m. as lawrencerock.com presents the Finals Week Festival. The festival will feature enough bands to distract you from studying, including local bands Kelpie, the Minus Story and This Building is Cursed, plus national touring bands such as Despite, Asschapel and Fork Knife Spoon. The festival costs $7 and the anti-violence coalition Food Not Bombs will provide munchies.
5/17 Mon.
(Fake) Bloody Hell!
The self-proclaimed Scumdogs of the Universe, GWAR, are invading their favorite Lawrence venue, the Granada, 1020 Massachusetts St., once again. As usual, everything will be covered in plastic to defend against the gallons of fake blood and other bodily fluids that will hit the crowd. Our advice: wear clothes that you can't sell to Arizona Trading Company, are too lazy to take to Goodwill but feel too bad to throw away — you will walk away as slimey as a newborn baby by the end of the night. The show starts at 8 p.m. and it's all-ages, which might a good thing — you can bring a younger sibling in case a virgin sacrifice is needed to appease the metal gods. Cost is $16 through Ticketmaster, or $17.50 through the Granada box office.
5/16 Sun.
The Great Outdoors
5/18 Tues. Fore!!!
For those of you who would die to get on The Apprentice and can't wait to buy your own Callaway clubs, indulge in some affluent fun with the NAIA National Men's Golf Tournament. Come and gather around the grassy knolls of the scenic Prairie Highlands Golf Course, 14695 S. Inverness St. in Olathe. It's completely free and you can watch 144 of the top golfers in America and Canada swing away their meaningless, upper-middle class existences. And by that we mean compete for a golfing prize. It probably includes cash of some sort and a big garish trophy. The morning wave starts at 8 a.m., so you'll have to get up early. But then again, you'll have to get used to it if you ever want to make something of yourself.
Weather.com says it'll be 75 degrees today, so get your nose out of the books and get outside. We recommend heading over to Sandstone Ampitheatre, 633 130th St., Bonner Springs, (only loosers call it Verizon Wireless) to bask in the sun and absorb the tunes of Blink 182 and Cypress Hill. Tickets are $32 and the show starts at 7:30 p.m. If you really think you need some extra study time before Monday, skip the show, but still take your books outside Our favorite sunny study spots: the Spooner Hall garden, corner of 14th Street and Jayhawk Boulevard; the 5th floor balcony of the Kansas Union; the gazeebo in South Park at 12th and Massachusetts Streets, and down by the riverside in Burcham Park, 2nd and Indiana Streets.
5/19 Wed.
Some Like it Hard
Get ready to rock out. The Kansas City Rock and Metal Fest is tonight starting at 7. Grab your favorite AC/DC shirt and some hairspray, then head on down to the Beaumont Club, 4050 Pennsylvania St., Kansas City, Mo., where the party begins. Five clubs and 30 bands will participate in this year's event. The concert is only $6, admitting you to see every band at America's Pub, 510 Westport Rd., Beaumont Club, Blayney's of Westport, 415 Westport Rd., The Hurricane, 4048 Broadway St., and Westport Coffee House. You must be 21 or older to enter, except at Beaumont Club and Westport Coffee House, 4010 Pennsylvania Ave. Rock on, dude!
5.13.04 Jayplay
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