Nathan Weinbender

Whether you’re on the hunt for some free gallery tours or a new painting to hang on your living room wall, every month’s First Friday festivities offer an embarrassment of riches for art fanatics. Here are a handful of this weekend’s events that are worth checking out.

The very title of Andrew Lippa’s musical “The Wild Party,” along with its Jazz Age setting, suggests a wicked, fizzy blast. But it’s closer to “The Great Gatsby” than, say, “Some Like It Hot”: It’s a tale of emotionally damaged people trying their damnedest to hurt one another.

Chonda Pierce is one of the best-selling comedians in the country, and she’s done it without the use four-letter words or blue material. She’s vocal about her Christian faith, and she’s been labeled the Queen of Clean.

Historical accounts differ about the first appearance of a vampire in cinema. Some say it was 1920 Russian film titled “Dracula,” though no copies are known to exist, and others credit a lost Hungarian feature from 1921 known as “Dracula’s Death.” But there’s no argument that the first truly significant cinematic vampire was Count Orlok, the skeleton-thin, rat-like creature from German director F.W. Murnau’s 1922 silent classic “Nosferatu.”

Halloween won’t fall on a weekend again until the year 2020, so you’d better make the most of it. After the kids are done trick or treating, put on your own costume and consider heading out to one (or more) of the dozens of parties happening in Spokane and Idaho.

Queensryche’s first self-titled album was also its 14th major release, but it represented a fresh start. The 2013 LP was the band’s first with lead singer Todd La Torre, and it hit the shelves following a legal battle with former frontman Geoff Tate, who was releasing his own material using the Queensryche name.

The Spokane Symphony program, titled “Scottish Fantasies,” features three pieces that were written by non-Scots yet cull from the rich musical traditions of Scotland.

Joan Armatrading is on the road a lot. In fact, she’s been traveling on her current tour since September of last year. The British singer-songwriter, who makes a stop in Spokane on Sunday, has been calling this her last major tour, but she wants to make something plain: She’s not retiring from music.

Civic has a bloody good time with ‘Evil Dead: The Musical’

The British singer-songwriter, who stops by the Knitting Factory on Friday, broke out as a solo artist after his post-hardcore band Million Dead split up in 2005. Turner’s current four-piece backing band, the Sleeping Souls, has featured the same lineup since ’08, and Turner points to the E Street Band as a model for the group’s chemistry.

Noah Guthrie was already a seasoned YouTuber when ‘Glee’ came calling.

Watching Sam Raimi’s bloody, sadistic 1981 shocker “The Evil Dead,” one of the last thoughts that would ever cross your mind is, “This could really use some show tunes.”

In year two, the Bartlett’s Bartfest gets ready to rock.

Flying Spiders remember their late founder, Som Jordon, with new full-length CD.

Flying Spiders remember their late founder, Som Jordon, with new full-length CD.

In year two, the Bartlett’s Bartfest gets ready to rock.

The compositions featured in the Spokane Symphony’s upcoming classics concert are meant to evoke the sights and sounds of America: The majesty of the Grand Canyon, the vibrancy of New York’s jazz scene, the timeless charms of George Gershwin’s American standard “Rhapsody in Blue.”

Seven songs into his Friday night set at the Spokane Arena, Neil Young abruptly stopped a rendition of the “Harvest” album opener “Out on the Weekend” because he realized he was holding the wrong guitar. The audience applauded in support – after all, how often does a rock legend halt a song mid-performance? – but Young had a message for the press.

Micah Nelson is the son of legendary country singer-songwriter Willie Nelson, and he was raised around great musicians. But he admits that he’s still somewhat star struck by Neil Young. Nelson and his brother Lukas are members of Promise of the Real, a California-based rock group that has served as Young’s backing band on his ongoing tour, which lands at the Spokane Arena on Friday.

Sheena Easton is best known for her ’80s pop radio hits, including “Strut,” “9 to 5 (Morning Train)” and “The Lover in Me,” as well as several successful collaborations with Prince. But when Easton comes to Spokane this weekend, she’s bringing along something a bit different.

Matt Braunger isn’t afraid of looking like a doofus. In fact, it’s part of his act. The stand-up comedian, who performs at the Bartlett on Sunday, knows that the worst thing a comic can be is too cool.

From routines about the absurdity of Ice-T on “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit” to a maddening Tom Jones listening marathon, comedian John Mulaney’s observational style is both acerbic and absurdist.

Friday’s openings: High-wire acts