Philadelphia Fall Arts Preview 2013

In no particular order, the 25 can't-miss arts events this fall season.

The Hooters

9/21 | Ardmore Music Hall
Nearly three decades after opening one of the world’s biggest musical festivals ever (Live Aid, of course), the Philly band that brought us “All You Zombies” and “Day By Day” (such great tunes) opens the Main Line’s new live-music venue.

The Nutcracker

12/7-12/29 | Academy of Music
Not only will it put you in the holiday spirit when the time comes, but your attendance will also support the Pennsylvania Ballet, which counts on Nutcracker ticket sales for a huge portion of its budget. So it’s a win-win.

Gary Clark Jr.

10/19 | Borgata
The term “guitar god” hasn’t been used that much in recent years, but it’s been revived thanks to this Austin-based blues master, who lit it up at last year’s Made In America Festival and this year’s Roots Picnic. (Questlove is a huge fan.) In a word: fierce.

Bonnie Raitt

11/23 | Caesars
She got her first guitar at the age of eight and hasn’t stopped playing and creating since. Raitt recently took a hiatus from touring, but now she’s back and, at 63, still winning awards and accolades. She earned a 2013 Grammy—her 10th—for her latest, Slipstream.

Cock

10/17-11/10 | Studio X
Last season, always­daring Theatre Exile scored a hit with the bloody mania of The North Plan. Can they do it again with the Philadelphia premiere of British playwright Mike Bartlett’s Cock, a powerful and moving story about a gay man who falls in love with a woman?

Horror-thon

10/26-10/27 | International House
Local horror-movie curators Exhumed Films present 24 hours of the scariest, goriest and most bloodcurdling flicks on the planet, all in 16mm or 35mm film. You’ve been warned.