SANTA CRUZ

Nile leads metal-packed bill at the Catalyst

Nile was formed in Greenville, South Carolina, in 1993 and was touring with the likes of Obituary and Deicide before the release of the band’s first full-length album, “Amongst the Catacombs of Nephren-Ka,” in 1998. The band has been known to blend the speed and complexity of death metal with lyrics and music taking influence from Ancient Egypt and Near Eastern mysticism for a fairly unique sound in death metal. They released their 10th album, “The Underworld Awaits Us All,” in August for their first release on Napalm Records, which has also distributed albums by Monster Magnet, Cradle of Filth and As I Lay Dying.

Also headlining will be Six Feet Under, the Tampa band formed in 1993 by Chris Barnes of Cannibal Corpse. The band has released 14 studio albums and are the fourth best-selling death metal band of all time. Their latest, “Killing for Revenge,” was released in May and closes with a cover of Nazareth’s “Hair of the Dog.”

Rounding out the bill will be Australian technical death metal band Psycroptic and Chicago death metal band Embryonic Autopsy. The show is guaranteed to bring an evening of moshing and head banging.

The concert is 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Catalyst, 1101 Pacific Ave. Doors open at 5:30. General admission tickets are $35.31. For more information, go to CatalystClub.com.

World Ballet Company brings ‘Great Gatsby’ to the Civic

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic story of wealth and power in 1920s New York City will come to the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium stage Friday, courtesy of the World Ballet Company.

Based out of Los Angeles, the World Ballet Company assembles an all-star creative team to put a new spin on Fitzgerald’s timeless tale, including choreographer Ilya Zhivoy, costume design by Sonya Vartanyan and music by Anna Drubich who previously composed the score for the Oscar-winning documentary “Navalny.” World Ballet Company has also performed productions of “Swan Lake,” “The Nutcracker” and “Cinderella.” “The Great Gatsby” will bring audiences to the Roaring Twenties with glamorous costumes and a jazzy score.

The show is 7 p.m. Friday at the Civic, 307 Church St. Doors open at 6. Tickets range from $45 to $105 and can be purchased online at SantaCruzTickets.com.

Take the highway to Hell’s Belles at Moe’s Alley

With 50 years of performing under their belt, AC/DC has cultivated a large fanbase that attracts people from all walks of life, some of whom have taken it upon themselves to form a tribute act that brings all the hallmarks of an AC/DC concert to much smaller venues. Hell’s Belles will be performing at Moe’s Alley Saturday.

In the beginning, back in 2000, there was a group of women out of Seattle who bonded over their shared love of AC/DC. They declared “Let there be rock,” and there was rock in the form of their new band Hell’s Belles, who have toured extensively for more than 20 years, performing classic AC/DC songs such as “Back in Black,” “T.N.T.,” “You Shook Me All Night Long,” “Highway to Hell,” “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” and a whole lot more. They have won the adoration of their idols, including guitarist Angus Young who declared Hell’s Belles to be one of his favorite AC/DC tribute acts in 2003. Expect a night of wild stage antics, devil horns and anthemic choruses that will have the whole audience singing along. Opening will be Boulder Creek stoner metal band Heavy Blazer.

The concert is 9 p.m. Saturday at Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way. Doors open at 8. Tickets are $30 in advance and $35 the day of the show. This is a 21-and-older concert. For more information, go to MoesAlley.com.

FELTON

Jerry’s Middle Finger returns for two shows

Jerry’s Middle Finger — named for a wood-chopping accident in the Santa Cruz Mountains that resulted in singer and guitarist Jerry Garcia losing two-thirds of his middle finger when he was 4 — was formed in 2015, and got its start performing at venues throughout Los Angeles. They became so popular that they moved on to playing gigs throughout California as well as other western states such as Oregon, Washington, Arizona and Colorado. The band plays a mix of songs Garcia performed with both The Grateful Dead and the Jerry Garcia Band, and will do so over the course of two evenings.

The shows are 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Felton Music Hall, 6275 Highway 9. Doors open at 7. Tickets are $41.15 for advance general admission. These are 21-and-older concerts. For more information, go to FeltonMusicHall.com.

This week’s calendar was compiled by Nick Sestanovich.