The Stranger

At some shows, the opening act perfectly complements the headliners; at others, they're a puzzling contrast. Tonight, Seattle's sweetly psychedelic, shoegazing pop rocker (and producer du jour) Erik Blood opens for a pair of smirking, sample-happy, copyright-flouting electronic pranksters, and the through-line is anyone's guess. The Bran Flakes make bouncy, brassy, bite-size party music out of kiddie cartoon themes, authoritarian voice-overs, and whatever music is at hand; the Evolution Control Committee prefer higher-profile sample sources—Public Enemy mashed into Herb Alpert, Dan Rather into AC/DC—put to more overtly political/satirical ends. It should all be a weird, good time. (Chop Suey, 1325 E Madison St, 324-8005. 9 pm, $10 adv/$12 DOS, 21+.) by Eric Grandy

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Curators William Powhida (the irascible Brooklyn artist) and Eric Trosko insist that this is a show, not an exhibition. The show asks: By what magic(k), by what disorganized religion, by what collective delusion, by what real transformation does a thing become a work of art? The artists included (a refreshing bunch of 16 from all over) are not referred to as artists; they're referred to as "operators." Among them are skeptics and believers both, "whose work acknowledges the gap between what is and what could be." Operators are standing by. (Platform Gallery, 114 Third Ave S, 323-2808. 11 am–5:30 pm, free. Opening reception Thurs July 1, 6–8 pm.) by Jen Graves

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This past March brought the sad news that, due to a $500,000 sponsorship shortfall, there would be no Fourth of July fireworks display over Lake Union. Within 48 hours, thanks to the generosity of Starbucks, Microsoft, and an untold number of Seattleites who simply couldn't imagine a fireworks-free Fourth, Seattle's one and only fireworks display was rescued. Tonight brings the glorious kaboom, rightfully hyped as "A Celebration For the People, By the People." Enjoy beer gardens, food stands, and, God willing, pristine sunshine till day fades and the sky explodes. (Gas Works Park, 2101 N Northlake Way, www.family4th.org. Noon–night, free.) by David Schmader

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Do you hear that sound? I know you do! Yeah, that sound—the one like a female vuvuzela mixed with the mournful, postapocalyptic whale song of the earth's last lonely leviathan? That's the sound of grown-up humans all across the globe bawling their fully grown eyeballs out over Toy Story 3. The setup this time: When Andy heads off for college, his idiot mom accidentally donates all his toys to a local day care. Hilarity, terrors, the melancholy of love and loss and growing up, and millions of adult-baby tears ensue. (See Movie Times: thestranger.com/film.) by Lindy West

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Chain & the Gang's latest dispatch from the front lines of their fugitive war on American-style "liberty" (freedom as a McDonald's menu) is a 7-inch record extolling the virtues of "Privilege" on the A-side and "Detroit Music" on the flip. The Detroit shout-out makes sense given bandleader Ian Svenonius's subversive take on Motown funk and soul and MC5 rawk over the years. "(I've Got) Privilege" similarly illustrates his intellectual style: It's glib, (self-)satirical, and equally, if contradictorily, grounded in both radical idealism and grim realpolitik. Oh, and he's a squealing demon onstage. With Golden Triangle and Turbo Fruits. (Crocodile, 2200 Second Ave, www.thecrocodile.com. 8 pm, $8, 21+.) by Eric Grandy

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There are two types of people in the world: Those who worship Freaks and Geeks and those who haven't seen it. Ten years after its aborted run on TV, Judd Apatow's high-school dramedy remains the gold standard of teenage angst, and tonight Central Cinema shows a handful of classic episodes on the big screen. (Central Cinema, 1411 21st Ave, www.central-cinema.com. 8 pm, free—reserve a seat by purchasing a $5 food-and-beverage voucher.) by David Schmader

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