Ben Folds Credit: Courtesy

Piano Man

Saturday 6

Remember feeling all the feels when alt-pop earworm “Brick” by Ben Folds Five came on the radio? Ah, the ’90s. Three decades later, front man Ben Folds brings that raw emotionality to listeners at Paramount Theatre in Rutland — sans band members. Expect familiar hits and deep cuts from his prolific canon, which includes eight studio albums and 22 singles.

Paws for Applause

Saturday 6
Credit: © Godfer | Dreamstime

Animals and their humans march for praise and prizes at the 76th annual Pet Parade down St. Johnsbury’s main drag. The “Best in Show-Biz” theme inspires costume ideas from six attention-grabbing groups, including Movie Stars (think four-legged icons of the silver screen) and Celebrity Companions (Paris Hilton and her many Chihuahuas come to mind).

Note Worthy

Wednesday 10
Greensky Bluegrass Credit: Courtesy

String sensations Greensky Bluegrass kick off another season of Ben & Jerry’s Concerts on the Green at Shelburne Museum. The Michigan quintet has mesmerized audiences and critics alike for more than two decades with a progressive sound self-described as “the acoustic stomp of a string band with the rule-breaking spirit of rock and roll.”

Court Jester

Friday 5 & Saturday 6
Michael Kosta Credit: Courtesy

Fun fact: Emmy Award-winning standup comic Michael Kosta — a frequent host of late-night television’s “The Daily Show” — was once a professional tennis player. Now the court-to-comedy cutup brings his playfully cocky yet self-deprecating “white bro” humor to the stage at Vermont Comedy Club in Burlington, reminding locals why he traded his racquet for a microphone.

It’s a Gas

Saturday 6
Floydian Trip Credit: Courtesy of Bill Shettle

Psychedelic soundscapes collide with a state-of-the-art laser light show when Pink Floyd tribute act Floydian Trip take over Chandler Center for the Arts in Randolph. Diehards delight in the outfit’s full-throttle retrospective tracing four decades of the legendary British rock band’s repertoire, from experimental sounds of the ’60s to explosive new heights in the ’90s.

I Chews You

Saturday 6
Credit: Courtesy

North Country Animal League’s annual Open House Party in Morristown promises a pawsitively precious afternoon of fur-filled activities. Guests tour the shelter to get a feel for its lifesaving operations; meet the adorable — and adoptable! — dogs and cats; and indulge in live music, local brews, and mouthwatering eats from Aladdin and Pearl Street Pizza. Bone appétit!

Fantastic Four

Closes Saturday 13
Detail from painting by James Rauchman
Credit: Courtesy

Personal histories intersect at Studio Place Arts’ introspective exhibit “Gayzing” in Barre. Artists Robert Perry, Joe John, James Rauchman and Larry Bowling — all gay men in their sixties and seventies — use diverse mediums and techniques to navigate complicated themes of sexuality, masculinity and aging in a heteronormative society.

Rebecca Driscoll joined Seven Days as calendar writer in 2024. She earned her bachelor of arts degree in art history and theater performance at Marymount Manhattan College and previously worked as senior coordinator for the Oscars’ library in Los Angeles.