Lyle Lovett sets 3 Bay Area gigs

The cowboy crooner heading back to the Bay Area.

Lyle Lovett is bringing his Large Band to the Uptown Theatre Napa on Saturday (8 p.m.; tickets start at $111), the Mountain Winery in Saratoga on Sunday (7:30 p.m., tickets start at $67) and the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts in Santa Rosa on Wednesday (7:30 p.m., tickets start at $93.22).

Lovett got off to a fast start in his recording career, with his first two albums — the eponymous debut of 1986 and the 1987 follow-up “Pontiac” — delivering a flurry of Top 40 country hits. That bounty includes such fan favorites as “God Will,” “Why I Don’t Know,” “Give Back My Heart,” “She’s No Lady,” “I Loved You Yesterday” and — Lovett’s sole top 10 offering — “Cowboy Man.”

Even though he’d never reach those heights on the singles charts again, Lovett would keep right on racking up popular albums for years. Indeed, all of his late-’80s and ’90s albums — including “Joshua Judges Ruth,” “I Love Everybody” and, the best of the bunch, “The Road to Ensenada” — were certified gold.

Lovett is a fantastic songwriter, impactful vocalist and superb entertainer. Country music fans would be well served to catch him at one of these local shows.

Details: Visit lylelovett.com for links to buy tickets and more information.

— Jim Harrington, Staff

Make Music Day returns to San Jose

Have you ever heard an entire city break out into music? You’ll be able to on Saturday during San Jose’s Make Music Day, when 70-plus artists stage free performances in every nook and cranny of the urban fabric.

A local microcosm of national Make Music Day, which features more than a thousand cities worldwide staging free concerts, the San Jose event will see concerts at museums, public libraries, the CaliBunga Waterpark, breweries, restaurants and more. To give a taste, there’s a Dance of Peace at Terminal A of the San Jose Mineta International Airport and a teenage power-indie group at the Tech Interactive downtown. There’s a blues/folk singer who makes music videos for kids at the Educational Park library, an award-winning a cappella chorus of 50 women at the Cypress Center. And all of this is happening just in the first hour of the day-long event.

It’s both a smorgasbord for music lovers and a sonic treasure hunt through the city — plus a great way to explore San Jose and get those ever-important steps in. Try doing it while tap dancing.

Details: The free event takes place all day at various locations in San Jose; for details and a map of performances visit makemusicday.org/sanjose

— John Metcalfe, Staff

Classical picks: Requiem, ‘Garden of Memory’

The classical music scene offers the brilliance of the Verdi Requiem this week; “Garden of Memory” and the Interfaith Gospel Choir also deliver musical excellence. Here are performances music lovers won’t want to miss.

Stellar voices: The San Francisco Symphony returns to Verdi’s timeless Requiem this weekend. Conductor James Gaffigan leads two performances, featuring a stellar vocal lineup for this monumental work: soprano Rachel Willis-Sørensen, mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton, tenor Mario Chang, bass Morris Robinson, and the acclaimed SF Symphony Chorus. Three short works by Gordon Getty complete the program. Details: 7:30 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Sunday; Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco; $39-$89; sfsymphony.org.

“Garden of Memory”: It’s a music event like no other: the annual Garden of Memory at Oakland’s Chapel of the Chimes brings together a full lineup of artists to perform over a single day. This year’s standouts include Sarah Cahill, Beth Custer, Paul Dresher, and the Rova Saxophone Quartet. Tickets sell fast, but volunteering slots are also available. Details: 5-9 p.m. Saturday; Chapel of the Chimes, Oakland; gardenofmemory.com.

More great singing: The Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, now counting more than 150 members, makes a special appearance in Livermore on Saturday with a one-of-a-kind program of black gospel and spiritual music. Details: 8 p.m. Saturday, Bankhead Theatre, Livermore; $25-$35; livermorearts.org.

— Georgia Rowe, Correspondent

Take a sip of East Bay film

In Bay Area filmmaker Emily Abt’s character-driven “Thirsty,” an ambitious Alameda County public defender takes on a formidable, popular incumbent in the Oakland mayoral race and learns a lot about herself.

In the process, Audrey Allen (Jamie Neumann) ditches her job, becomes more estranged from her police officer husband (Sung Kang), reconnects with a handsome, very distracting ex (Tyler Lepley) who’s working on her campaign, and meets with the governor (Kyra Sedgwick) who well understands that there are not many true friends when it comes to politics, particularly when you’re a woman.

Add in a sister who’s in rehab, an opponent well-versed in vicious political infighting and the tug of family demands you have a very human story about characters who don’t always do the “right” and “noble” thing. In other words, it’s highly relatable. Abt gives audiences a lot to chew on in this Oakland-set drama that’s crammed with East Bay references and images, along with notable Bay Area political figures. But where Abt excels is her refusal to tell a traditional story. Her characters ring with messy authenticity in a city that takes its authenticity seriously.

Details: Not rated; 1 hour, 52 minutes; available to rent on various streaming platforms.

— Randy Myers, Correspondent

Back to 5 & Dime in world premiere

Ed Graczyk was known primarily as a writer of children’s plays when in 1976 he created “Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean,” based on his own experiences in small-town Texas and, as he once put it, “my own observations and frustrations with progress that ignores a past.”

The play revolves around the members of James Dean fan club (the title refers to the “Rebel Without a Cause” actor, not the country singer) who gather for a reunion at a small-town five-and-dime store. Through a blend of present action and flashbacks, we learn the stories and secrets of fan club members. Graczyk later adopted the play for the big screen, with Robert Altman directing a cast that included Sandy Dennis, Cher, Karen Black, and other A-Listers and was a modest commercial hit with mixed-to-generally favorable reviews. A restored version of the was released in 2011.

Now “5 & Dime” is returning to the stage, only as a musical. The world premiere of “Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, a New Musical,” features music by Dan Gillespie Sells and lyrics by Shakina, who also stars in the production. Directed by Giovanna Sardelli, “5 & Dime” is being presented by TheatreWorks Silicon Valley through July 13 at the Mountain View Center of the performing Arts.

Details: Tickets are $34-$115; ttheatreworks.org.

— Randy McMullen, Staff