concerts Pavement
Talk about pounding it: The Pitchfork headliner returns for a second gig in as many months. The group’s combination of slacker melodies, fuzzy guitars, and wobbly rhythms produced one of indie rock’s greatest records, 1992’s Slanted and Enchanted, but the band’s reunion 11 years after its breakup may be most significant in demonstrating that the alt-rock generation is officially old enough for nostalgia.
GO: Sep 13 at 7. $21.60-$49.80. Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park, Michigan and Randolph. ticketmaster.com

theatre Louis Slotin Sonata
Why did we name A Red Orchid the best theatre company in Chicago? See for yourself when the troupe—which just nabbed seven more Jeff nominations—opens its fall season with this premiere by Paul Mullin. The Los Alamos scientist Slotin’s millisecond slip of the fingers was as fleeting as a trill, but, like the main theme of a sonata, returns to haunt him. Here’s hoping the play does the same.
GO: Previews Sep 10-12; $15. Regular run continues through Oct 24; $25-$30. A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N Wells. aredorchidtheatre.org

theatre Detroit
When it comes to gauging sizzle in Lisa D’Amour’s blistering new dark comedy—wherein a quartet of boozy neighbors dance as their suburb burns—our bets are on the spitfire Laurie Metcalf. This is one desperate housewife who should bring the house down as it goes up in flames.
GO: Previews Sep 9-18; $20-$50. Regular run through Nov 7; $20-$73. Steppenwolf, 1650 N Halsted. steppenwolf.org

ALSO THIS WEEK: Hot on the heels of its Joyous Outdoor Event at Belmont Harbor, Redmoon Theater debuts yet another eye-popper, this time at the Museum of Contemporary Art. The Astronaut’s Birthday, featuring gigantic illustrations by the Marvel Comics regular Chris Burnham and narration by the artist-about-town Tony Fitzpatrick, runs Sep 9-26.

history Logan Square Preservation House and Garden Walk
Long before its current incarnation as hipster central, Logan Square—the northern terminus of Chicago’s “emerald necklace,” a turn-of-the-century boulevard district of grassy easements and imposing mansions—was home to two Masonic halls, a fraternal organization of Norwegians, and much of the city’s immigrant elite. Get a glimpse of that pre-skinny-jeans past on this ambling history lesson. Hey, you’ve got to pass the time somehow while you wait for a table at Lula.
GO: Sep 11 from 10 to 5. $12-$18. Historic Comfort Station, 2579 N Milwaukee on the square. logansquarepreservation.org

ALSO THIS WEEK: A short jaunt up Milwaukee, the Irving Park Historical Society Housewalk and Garden Tour, also on Sep 11, includes peeks inside six grand Victorian-era homes, exemplars of the onetime suburb’s ambitious past.

dance The Seldoms
If you haven’t seen Steelroots, the exhibition of gigantic steel sculptures by the artist Steve Tobin, visit the Morton Arboretum this weekend, when a standout local dance company debuts an unexpected pas de deux starring the artworks. The Seldoms habitually leave us mouths agape in awe, and we expect no less from the troupe’s latest piece, inspired by Tobin’s towering structures. Bonus: The performance is free with admission to the Arb.
GO: Sep 11-12, 18-19 at 3. Grounds open daily 7 to sunset. Free (kids under 2) to $11. Morton Arboretum, 4100 Rte 53, Lisle. mortonarb.org

ALSO THIS WEEK: Another local dance troupe spins through another local attraction: See The Dance Colective perform free at the McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum, Sep 10-11 at noon.