Top 10 things to do in St. Louis this week: Jon Batiste, author Amy Tan and ’90s boy bands (2024)

FRIDAY

Cody Fry with SLSO

Is Cody Fry the first TikTok star to perform with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra? As far as we know, he is. The singer and composer will perform orchestral arrangements of his songs including “I Hear a Symphony,” “Underground” and his Grammy-nominated cover of the Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby.” The St. Louis Children’s Choirs will also join in on several numbers. By Daniel Durchholz

‘Ripcord’

What do you do when you have a roommate you can’t stand? Make a bet to see who gets to keep the room, of course! Marilyn and Abby are retirement home roomies who can’t stand each other in this funny yet poignant play at Stray Dog Theatre. By Rosalind Early

‘Woman in Mind (December Bee)’

After getting hit in the head with a garden rake, Susan starts having hallucinations. In them, her life is far better than what it is in reality. But then her dream world becomes a nightmare. By Rosalind Early

SATURDAY

Route 66 Festival

It’s a car-centric festival that celebrates America’s mother road. There will be lots of music, of course, and plenty of food. But there will also be a display of cars through the decades as well as a car show and, to cap it off, a classic car cruise. Plus a Kid Zone, petting zoo, roadside market and trolley tours. By Daniel Neman

‘Ladies R&B Kickback tour’ with Next, Ginuwine and more

Hey, Ladies (and Gents)! The Kickback tour featuring a roster of (all male) R&B hitmakers is coming to town. While the tour promises you can kick back with Next, Ginuwine, Lloyd, Bobby V, H-Town, Case, Day 26, J Holiday and Shai, we’re pretty sure you won’t have your feet up when Ginuwine hits you with “Pony” or Next rocks “Too Close.” By Rosalind Early

SUNDAY

‘Julius Caesar’

The struggle for political power and the quest for love are the subjects explored in George Frideric Handel’s 1724 opera “Julius Caesar.” Opera Theatre of St. Louis’ production stars Sarah Mesko as Julius Caesar and Emily Pogoreic as Cleopatra. Elkhanah Pulitzer, who grew up in St. Louis and started on the road to a career in opera with an OTSL internship, is the director. The conductor is OTSL Principal Conductor Daniela Candillari, who will do double duty; she will play the harpsichord and conduct from the keyboard. By Daniel Durchholz

Amy Tan

Amy Tan’s previous event at the Ethical Society was canceled, so tickets to it are now good for the rescheduled talk. There are also more tickets available at the 800-seat event space, where she’ll discuss her nonfiction book “The Backyard Bird Chronicles.” (For more about birds, see also the library’s free 7 p.m. June 11 event with Jennifer Ackerman, author of “What an Owl Knows.”)By Jane Henderson

WEDNESDAY

Blues, Bourbon & Beer

At this event blues are by local singer Laka and her band. The bourbon includes the Marriott hotel’s latest custom offering from Maker’s Mark, the 1917 Grand Reserve Statler Edition (The Statler ballroom, where the event will be held, was the lobby of the Statler Hotel, which opened in 1917.) and other bourbons. The beer is both domestic and foreign. A ticket includes one free drink, 20% off food and beverage orders and a dessert from the hotel bakery. By Daniel Neman

Jon Batiste ‘Uneasy Tour’

Former “Late Show” bandleader Jon Batiste took home lots of hardware from the 64th Grammy Awards, including album of the year for his 2021 release “We Are.” He also won an Oscar and Golden Globe for co-composing the score to the 2020 film “Soul.” In 2023, he released a new album, “World Radio.” Batiste is known for his ecstatic, uplifting live performances. Don’t miss this one. By Daniel Durchholz

THURSDAY

Joey Fatone and AJ McLean ‘A Legendary Night’

“Everybody, yeah yeah, rock your body, yeah yeah. Backstreet’s back, all right!” Well, kind of. Backstreet Boy AJ McLean is teaming up with *NSync star Joey Fatone for a “legendary night” of hits from the ‘90s and early aughts from each of their boy bands. If you hated saying “Bye Bye Bye” to *NSync and the Backstreet Boys, then “This I promise You”: Enjoy this “Larger than Life” concert. By Rosalind Early