:quality(70)/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-tronc.s3.amazonaws.com/public/6JDMTLETMVDC7F62XMAYMYFGFM.jpg)
Preakness
There's this horse race, every year the biggest sporting event in Maryland — such a big deal that people turn it into an all-day celebration. The gates at Pimlico, 5201 Park Heights Ave., open at 8 a.m. May 19, and the fun won't stop until well after the last horse crosses the finish line. The all-day party that is InfieldFest features music from Post Malone, ODESZA, 21 Savage, Frank Walker and DJ Vice, as well as a celebratory atmosphere that is without equal. Tickets are $100-$155; the more expensive tickets include the all-you-can-drink MUG Club or the more exclusive MUG & Vine Lounge. For those happy to pass on InfieldFest, Preakness Day tickets run $40-$720; two-day packages, including admission to Friday's Black-Eyed Susan Stakes, run $220-$385. preakness.com.
:quality(70)/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-tronc.s3.amazonaws.com/public/WTXIJLXCS5GCHD3RFEZBBD7NSE.jpg)
Dierks Bentley
The country superstar brings his Mountain High Tour to Merriweather Post Pavilion, 10475 Little Patuxent Parkway in Columbia. Expect some offerings from his soon-to-be-released latest, "The Mountain." Also on the bill: Maryland's own Brothers Osborne, and LANCO. 7 p.m. May 18. $51-$249. merriweathermusic.com.
Young Playwrights Festival
Get introduced to 10-minute works from six budding Maryland playwrights. This year's theme: "Ball of Confusion." 6:30 p.m. May 18, with a repeating program of a film and two immersive theater pieces beginning at 5 p.m. at Baltimore Center Stage, 700 N. Calvert St. Free ($5 suggested donation), tickets required. centerstage.org.
Brown Bag Lecture Series: 'Breaking the Mason-Dixon Line: Maryland, the Mid-Atlantic, and Loyalty in the Civil War, 1861-1865'
Lord Baltimore fellow Charles Welsko talks about Maryland's place in the Union during the Civil War — although south of the Mason-Dixon line, it never seceded — and how residents of the Mid-Atlantic region showed their loyalties, both Union and Confederate. Noon May 15 at the Maryland Historical Society, 201 W. Monument St. Free. mdhs.org.
:quality(70)/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-tronc.s3.amazonaws.com/public/AD6G5ZLKXJFZXGJFO56Q6KEXOE.jpg)
Ta-Nehisi Coates, 'Afrofutures'
The Baltimore-born activist, essayist and writer of Marvel's "Black Panther" comic book series will talk about "alternative futures and new possibilities unapologetically rooted in black culture and technology." Includes live music, a cash bar, a comic book reading room and other activities. 6 p.m.-10 p.m. May 17 at the Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Place. Free. artbma.org.
:quality(70)/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-tronc.s3.amazonaws.com/public/JRPJA22RHZHVZDLTPKDCL2HBRI.jpg)
Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Across the Generations
Mary Hartnett, one of the Supreme Court justice's official biographers, and Debbie Levy, author of "I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark," discuss "the delights and challenges of writing about Justice Ginsburg." Should be fascinating. 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m. May 17 at the Jewish Museum of Maryland, 15 Lloyd St. Free. jewishmuseummd.org.
:quality(70)/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-tronc.s3.amazonaws.com/public/4IZH5LSSHFBDRBLPEX3WH75H7M.jpg)
BSO Pulse: Moon Taxi
The Nashville-based indie rockers join with the Baltimore Symphony Orcheatra for a genre-spanning evening of music and conversation. A pre-concert party, with music from SuperCity to go with drinks and food, starts at 6 p.m. May 17 at Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, 1212 Cathedral St., followed at 8:30 p.m. by the concert. $35-$55. bsomusic.org.
U.S. Army Field Band Chamber Concert: Music of Chick Corea
Weekend Watch
Not only is this a free concert, but for the second half, the audience is free to join in for a jam session. So cool. 7 p.m. May 17 at An die Musik, 409 N. Charles St. andiemusiklive.com.
Mother's Day concerts
If mom's into music, might we suggest Mother's Day Swing, with Duo Dolce and Jaime Webb putting some modern-day touches on tunes from the 1930s and 1940s? Noon May 13 at Cabaret at Germano's, 300 S. High St. $12. germanospiattini.com. If she's more into laughter, how about She's Not Kidding: A Mother's Day Comedy Showcase, featuring Meshelle (aka "The Indie Mom of Comedy") plus Robin Hazel, Olu Butterfly and host Pierre Bennu. 7 p.m. May 13 at the Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave. in Highlandtown. $12-$18. creativealliance.org.
:quality(70)/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-tronc.s3.amazonaws.com/public/OYZH66E26VEVBNV6DTGJINVHV4.jpg)
'Sunset Boulevard'
One of the great film noirs — heck, one of the greatest movies, period — stars silent-film superstar Gloria Swanson as a faded (and crazed) silent-era star thinking the public craves her comeback, when really no one (especially in Hollywood) cares. With William Holden as her reluctant boy toy and Erich von Stroheim as her imperious butler, Max. In theaters 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. May 13 and 16. fathomevents.com.