For many, this weekend is about Super Bowl LVIII and where to watch it. A few South Florida bars will tell you, with some excitement, that there will be a DJ performing during commercial breaks and halftime. Which defeats the purpose for people who are not Mahomies and are more interested in Nooners than Niners (we are legion).
It’s all about the commercials for a lot of people, especially those who want to see the Lionel Messi-Dan Marino-Ted Lasso ad on the big screen. Your favorite bar may be showing football, but before you go, make sure they’re not missing the point.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in South Florida this weekend, interesting things are happening …
FRIDAY
Willie’s here: A national treasure with a face destined for the Mount Rushmore of 20th-century American music, Willie Nelson returns to South Florida for a performance at the Pompano Beach Amphitheater on Friday at 8 p.m. It’s a sellout, with resale tickets currently starting at about $100+ at .
Tennis, anyone? The Delray Beach Open brings its annual buzz to the city on Friday, the stop on the ATP Tour and ATP Champions Tour continuing through Feb. 18. It may surprise you to know that there is a certain crowd who are as interested in highballs as tennis balls, which means events such as Tacos, Tequila & Tennis and Game, Set, Pour are already sold out. With that in mind, organizers created a new event this year: Burgers, Bourbon and Brew takes place on Wednesday, Feb. 14, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tickets are still available and cost $95+ (VIP tickets, with early admission, cost $115+). For tickets to the matches and side events, visit .
Omakase nights: When Kapow Noodle Bar opened in its flashy new spot in Boca Raton’s Mizner Park about 18 months ago, one of the more prominent features was its attractive 8-seat sushi space — not so much a bar, but a sushi stage. It is now the setting for Kapow’s new omakase experience, led by chef Nicholas Corral, formerly of Michelin-starred Sushi by Scratch in Miami. For those intimidated by the haute pageantry of omakase, Kapow co-owner Vaughan Dugan feels you: “Presenting an omakase that is authentic yet approachable, we strip away the pretenses that often accompany fine dining. Our objective is to deliver an educational experience and artistry without breaking the bank.” These dinners take place Wednesday through Sunday with two seatings each night: an 8-course experience at 6 p.m. for $85, including a welcome sake; or a 12-course journey at 8 p.m. for $150, with three sake pairings. Visit .
Weekend laughs: Preacher Lawson (an audience favorite on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” a few years back) has multiple weekend performances scheduled at the Palm Beach Improv at the Kravis Center. Showtimes are 7 and 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets start at $32.50+ at . … Comedian Masood Boomgaard will perform as his alter ego, the de-motivaltional speaker Self-Help Singh, in the Broward Center’s Abdo New River Room on Friday at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $27+ at .
Bronx cheers: Writer and actor Chazz Palminteri brings his powerful autobiographical one-man show “A Bronx Tale” to the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach on Friday at 8 p.m. A few tickets remain, starting at $35+, at .
Smashburger dinner: Fort Lauderdale’s happily remote brewery LauderAle will host Battle of the Smashburgers at 6 p.m. Friday, a showdown between local favorite pop-ups Jay Rok’s and . For a $20 ticket, you get half a burger from each competitor, a LauderAle beer or seltzer, and a ballot to vote for your favorite. Great burgers, great beer, cool crowd — everyone’s a winner. Visit .
SATURDAY
Where the women are strong: Garrison Keillor brings tales of Lake Wobegon and life at 80 to the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach on Saturday at 8 p.m., a stop on a tour celebrating the 50th anniversary of his iconic radio staple “A Prairie Home Companion.” Tickets start at $39+ at .
Not clowning around: Florida Grand Opera’s new production of “I Pagliacci” is at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale after a wave of for performances last month at Miami’s Arsht Center. Much of the attention, of course, centers on title-role tenor Limmie Pulliam, a rising star who last season had debut performances at Carnegie Hall and The Metropolitan Opera. Pulliam has taken a circuitous route to prominence: The imposing singer has struggled with his weight and, after growing tired of being the target of body-shaming commentary in the industry, quit singing for more than a decade to work, among other things, as a security guard. An impromptu performance of the national anthem at an event he was staffing (the scheduled singer didn’t show) left Pulliam surprised at how his voice had matured and improved over the years. So he returned to the stage. FGO’s final performance of “I Pagliacci” is at the Broward Center at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Tickets start at $25 at .
Filipino feast: In downtown Fort Lauderdale, Flagler Village-adjacent Temple Street Eatery will celebrate the Year of the Dragon on Saturday night with a Filipino feast called Kamayan. A collaborative dinner with New York/Wynwood restaurant Jeepney, Kamayan is a traditional Filipino style of communal eating that translates to “by hand,” with food arranged on broad banana leaves. Diners can reserve their seating during one of two time windows beginning at 5:45 or 8:45 p.m. Price is $98 per person. Guests will receive a complimentary drink from Sapporo and another from Hey Hei. The evening also will include a lineup of vendors outside, where a lion dance show will take place between 7:30 and 8 p.m. For tickets and more information, visit .
Crazy for Marley: Grammy-nominated Locos por Juana, whose spirited fusion of reggae, funk, cumbia, salsa and rock has defined a certain kind of South Florida sound, will celebrate the musical legacy of Bob Marley and The Wailers during the 11th annual Locos Por Marley concert at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Miami Beach Bandshell. Tickets to the all-ages show cost $29.36 at .
Fish and Styx: The South Florida Seafood & Music Festival takes place at Mizner Park Amphitheater in Boca Raton on Saturday from noon to 9 p.m., with an array of food from top local restaurants and chefs. The music portion will come from three bands playing two sets each: Private Stock (‘80s and ‘90s rock hits), Smokin’ Renegade (Boston and Styx tribute) and Caribbean Chillers (Jimmy Buffet tribute). You’ll also find a variety of vendors, a petting zoo, a mobile cigar lounge, axe throwing, and a cornhole competition that supports the Boca Raton Firefighters and Paramedic Benevolent Fund. Visit .
Good and Dead: The good people at the Milagro Center in Delray Beach will host their third annual Goodstock Festival on Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m., featuring an array of craft vendors and live music from local Grateful Dead tribute Crazy Fingers. The band will be performing the Dead’s 1974 greatest-hits album “Skeletons from the Closet.” The event will take place at Oasis at Milagro Center, the center’s outdoor festival space at 340 SW Sixth Ave. Admission is free, but donations are appreciated. The nonprofit Milagro Center works to ensure the social and academic success of underserved local children. Visit .
Chili weather: The crazy temperatures are expected to warm up by the weekend, but anytime is a good time for the eighth annual Riverwalk Chili Cook Off, taking place from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday at Esplanade Park in downtown Fort Lauderdale. Top pros and amateurs will battle it out as you taste and vote for the best — the winner gets a slot and paid entry fee at the World Championship Chili Cook-off in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The event, which includes music, vendors and family activities, is free. Attendees can purchase sampling packs with voting chips to participate in judging. Visit .
Beach run: The third annual Tipsy Turtle 5K takes place at 7:30 a.m. Saturday at Hollywood’s oceanfront Charnow Park and benefits the NSU Sea Turtle Conservation Program. Registration for the time-chipped event costs $39.50 in advance and $45 on race day (beginning at 6:15 a.m.), and includes the T-shirt (attractive in years past), a custom finisher medal and age-group awards. Advance packet pickup is from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Friday at LauderAle Brewery in Fort Lauderdale, which will host a post-race brunch on Saturday beginning at 10 a.m. Visit .
Beer run: The Florida Brewery Running Series returns on Saturday with a 10 a.m. 5K at 26 Degree Brewing Co. in Pompano Beach, where you’ll also find live music, food trucks and local vendors. Registration costs $35+ and includes a craft beer and a collector’s pint glass (or swag item from the Brewery Running Series), with 10% of the proceeds going to local charities. A $50+ registration also gets the T-shirt. Other local breweries currently scheduled in the series include Hollywood Brewing (Feb. 24), Gulf Stream Brewing in Fort Lauderdale (March 23), Orchestrated Minds Brewing in Fort Lauderdale (Nov. 16) and Barrel of Monks Brewing in Boca Raton (Dec. 1). Visit .
Who loves ya? Garden District Taproom, the friendly self-pour bar in downtown West Palm Beach, will host the dog-friendly Fur-ever Valentine party on Saturday from 3 to 7 p.m. The gathering will include adoptable pups from (4-6 p.m.), a pop-market and the excellent handheld work of Jenny With the Pot (tacos) and Kenny’s Smash Burgers. Visit .
SUNDAY
Super sports bar: If you are looking for a Super Bowl watch party around downtown Fort Lauderdale on Sunday, we can recommend the new sports bar at the remodeled and reinvigorated Carlos & Pepe’s on 17th Street. The Mexican restaurant is a South Florida dining institution, but we call it a new bar because of what new co-owners Paula and Rich Ehmke with the renovation. The once dark and humdrum interior now bounces with a bright, airy, colorful energy. Especially the front of the house, where the indoor-outdoor bar is now ringed with large TVs inside and on the patio. And football is important to Rich Ehmke, a college kicker who had a tryout with the Chicago Bears and played several years of arena-league football. Carlos & Pepe’s Super Bowl watch party begins at 5:30 p.m. and will include a special: all you can eat and drink for $99. I was not a math major, but that would be a deal for most of the guys I know. For reservations (recommended) and information, visit .
Global sounds: The Grammy Awards added a new category this year, Best African Music Performance, because … it’s where music comes from. On Sunday at 5 p.m. Haitian-American jazz trumpeter Jean Caze will follow that history in a concert called West African Beats at the Miami Beach Bandshell. Caze, who has played with the likes of Herbie Hancock, Aretha Franklin, Roy Hargrove and Arturo Sandoval, will be joined by Latin Grammy nominee Martin Bejerano and others. The concert will be preceded at 4:30 p.m. by a talk with Caze, Caribbean and West African musicologist Marvin Butler and Haitian cultural leaders. Tickets cost $30.90 at .
Staff writer Ben Crandell can be reached at bcrandell@sunsentinel.com. Follow on and .
