Sweet stuff to do: Cadence Weapon, a Swift tribute and ESO Hollywood

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Cadence Weapon: The “I Wonder Why We Move Away” kid returns, here to celebrate the – dear lord! – 20th anniversary of his neck-breaker breakout Breaking Kayfabe, that second, once-obscure wrestling word now enacted ubiquitous by the theatrical populists raising fists in the air. 

We don’t call it Oliver Square any more due to historical monstrosities, but this was the opening track that smashed through the airwaves of CJSR and sister stations across the nation to get our own worker bee Rollie Pemberton III signed to a New York label and onward to various Poet Laureate and Polaris Prize Scout-sash badges. 

Recorded with invented sounds in his bedroom in a way unthinkably effort-filled by today’s “A.I. did my homework then ate the planet standards,” this album still has you twitching with raised arm hairs within the first 10 seconds, painting a tense and still true portrait of our city at the time. 

Arlo Maverick and Moto Music join what would surely be on my best concerts list if that hadn’t already been printed, so please don’t miss this orgy of swirling sonic excellence. No, really. 

Details: 7 p.m. Saturday at The Starlite Room (10030 102 St.), $31.08 at cadenceweapon.net 

Charity Eden: While I’d roll up my sleeves for a scrap and argue this was Sabrina Carpenter’s year as much as Taylor Swift’s (Travis Kelce engagement aside), here’s a sweet chance to embrace your inner Swifty either way! 

The Unofficial End of an Era Tour sees tribute performer, Eden, unleashing her high-energy, multiple-costume-change take on Swift’s epic 149-date tour which ended in Vancouver a year back. 

With a live band and of course flanked by dazzling dancers, Eden will even be doing songs from The Life of a Showgirl so go shriek at your parents to take you NOW! 

Details: 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium (11455 87 Ave.), $55.75 at jubileeauditorium.com 

Jody Shenkarek and Hot Kindlin’: The long tradition of Shenkarek playing the Christmas hangover pub concert at The Empress (R.I.P.) is back, now at Sue Kiernan’s new bar and brewery in said Brewery District. 

To the tunes of forlorn love and open invitations to come on over, share wide-eyed stories of the outrageous things your relatives not only believe in their Facebook-confused minds, but actually said out loud with impressionable children present before the music begins! 

This is one of the best slow-dance country bands in the province, so bring some physical money to drop into the passed-around cowboy hat, will you? 

Details: 4 p.m. Saturday Southbound Brewery (9943 69 Ave.), no charge 

Rental Family (2025): In case you need a break from fam, or want to show them to something sweet, single-name Hikari’s well-reviewed heart-warmer starring Brendan Fraser and Shōgun’s Takehiro Hira sees the former playing a struggling actor in Tokyo who starts working at a “rental family” agency, fulfilling various stand-in roles for total strangers. 

This international co-production deeply immersed in one of the world’s most stimulating countries made a number of year-end lists, so see it on the big screen and learn the true meaning of, uh, rental family! 

Details: 3:15 Sat., 6:45 Sun., 9:30 p.m Tues. at Metro Cinema (8712 109 St.), $14 adults, $11 students/seniors/kids 

Hollywood for the Holidays: Looking ahead to the last week of this nuts year, Lucas Waldin conducts this soundtrack train though the symphonic ages with ESO-played scores to everything from Sabrina to KPop Demon Hunters. 

Also on the checklist, a Star Trek suite, the OG Star Wars, The Little Mermaid, The Godfather, GoldenEye, Batman, Harry Potter and, of course Wicked, with help when needed from vocal dynamo Ariana Whitlow. 

Fun for all, feel free to sing along until you’re blue in the face! Oh, wait, The Smurfs and Avatar aren’t on there – never mind that blue part!

Details: 7:30 p.m. Mon./Tues., 2 p.m. Tues. at Winspear Centre (4 Sir Winston Whucrhill Sq.), $37 and up at winspearcentre.com 

fgriwkowsky@postmedia.com 

@fisheyefoto.bsky.social 

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