Philadelphia events Jan. 25-Jan. 31

ROCK & MORE

Like a knife

Bryan Adams sings and strums his hits in an all-acoustic solo show that still carries a wallop. Merriam Theater, 250 S. Broad St., 8 p.m. Friday, $51.50-$81.50, 215-893-1999, kimmelcenter.org.

Presidential high jinks

Abe Lincoln may be the darling of the film awards season, but he's not the only president meant for showbiz. Plays and Players mounts "Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson," a funny rock-musical about our nation's seventh president (played by Joe Sabatino). Part comedy, part social commentary.

Plays and Players, 1714 Delancey Place, through Feb. 10, $25-$30, 800-595-4849, playsandplayers.org.

Brit chick

British pop rock chanteuse Ellie Goulding faces the music with a couple of local showcases - first a WXPN "Free at Noon" abbreviated set at World Cafe Live (tune in at 88.5 FM), then a full evening show for the paying fans.

Electric Factory, 7th and Willow streets, 8:30 p.m. Friday, $35, 215-627-1332, electricfactory.info.

Geat gals 'n' pals

Darlene Love, Freda Payne, Candi Stanton and Baby (Justine) Washington headline Jerry Blavat's "The Divas of All Time" showcase of R&B legends. Do guys qualify as divas, too? The Tymes, Blue Magic and The Soul Survivors share the big bill.

Kimmel Center, Verizon Hall, Broad and Spruce streets, 8 p.m. Saturday, $41-$100, 215-893-1999, kimmelcenter.org.

Bhangra funk ferocity

Just try to stay in your seats as Red Baraat rustles up its horn-blasted, percussion-pounding, dance-demanding brew of East Indian street music made even spicier with New Orleans flavors. Their "Shruggy Ji" album just dropped.

Zellerbach Theatre, Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, 3680 Walnut St., 8 p.m. Saturday, $20-$45, preshow chat with band leader/drummer Sunny Jain and David Dye at 7 p.m., along with free Indian food tastings. 215-898-3900, pennpresents.com.

New guy, old vein

Christopher Owens used to be all over the music map fronting the indie rock band Girls, but on his successful solo debut "Lysandre" he opted for a more vintage sound.

Union Transfer, 1024 Spring Garden St., 9 p.m. Saturday, $15 215-232-2100, utphilly.com.

Wild in the streets

Garland Jeffreys has been around as long as Bruce Springsteen and was once mentioned in the same breath, for his "street" sensibility and old school rock passion. Here he reprises his classic "Escape Artist" album in entirety.

Sellersville Theater, Main and Temple streets, 8 p.m. Saturday, $29.50, 215-257-5808, st94.com.

Local Yoakam

It doesn't get much hipper than Saturday's Dwight Yoakam gig at the Golden Nugget. The Kentucky native's sonic blueprint combines a honky-tonk sound with a lyrical approach that once inspired Vanity Fair to proclaim Yoakam strides the divide between rock's lust and country's lament.

Golden Nugget, Brigantine Boulevard and Huron Avenue, 9 p.m. Saturday, $55-$60, 800-736-1420, ticketmaster.com.

Nine lives

Cat Power (a/k/a Chan Marshall) has a rep as a hard-bitten and embittered indie rocker, though the recent release "Sun" finds her blunting the claws with a more contemporary (and commercial?) synth-laced sound.

Electric Factory, 7th and Willow streets, 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, $30, 215-627-1332, electricfactory.info.

CLASSICAL

Winter journey

Schubert's "Die Winterreise," 24 songs about a wanderer's lost love and harrowing travels, will be sung by four members of Lyric Fest.

Academy of Vocal Arts, 1920 Spruce St., 8 p.m. Friday, $25, 215-438-1702, lyricfest.org.

Emotional Everests

Wagner's "Siegfried Idyll" and Bruckner's Symphony No. 7 contrast the Philadelphia Orchestra's sonorities under the baton of Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce streets, 2 p.m. Friday, $20-$119, 215-893-1999, philorch.org.

Day-off delights

The Philadelphia Chamber Ensemble, all current or retired Philadelphia Orchestra members, plays a diverse program of works by Danzi, Bruch, Glazunov and Martinu.

Old Pine Street Church, 4th and Pine streets, 8 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Sunday, $25, 215-542-4890, pceconcerts.org.

Bass out front

Michael Stern guest-conducts the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia in Prokofiev, Wolf and Schubert, with the Philadelphia Orchestra's assistant principal bass Joseph Conyers soloing in the Bottesini Double Bass Concerto No. 2.

Perelman Theater at the Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce streets, 2:30 p.m. Sunday and 7:30 p.m. Monday, $24-$81, 215-545-5451, chamberorchestra.org.

Moonlight and dancing

Some famous Philadelphia Orchestra players - violinist David Kim, harpist Elizabeth Hainen and cellist Richard Harlow - perform and support dancers in duets from Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake."

Tenth Presbyterian Church, 17th and Spruce streets, 7:30 Wednesday, free, 215-735-7688, tenth.org.

Sonata summit

Violinist Jennifer Koh and pianist Shai Wosner perform Violin Sonatas by Janacek, Bartok (No. 1) and Brahms (Op. 108), plus three pieces by Gyorgy Kurtag.

Perelman Theater, Broad and Spruce streets, 8 p.m. Wednesday, $24, 215-569-8080, pcmsconcerts.org.

ON SCREENS

African master

Ethiopian-born filmmaker Haile Gerima hosts the local premiere of "Teza" at International House. "Teza," which means "morning dew" in Amharic, examines the displacement of an African intellectual who becomes a medical student in Germany, then returns to his homeland to find it in turmoil. "Teza" won the Special Jury Prize and Best Screenplay award at the 2008 Venice Film Festival. Saturday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., Gerima teaches a master class at Scribe Video Center, 4212 Chestnut St., 3rd floor, $15-$25, scribe.org.

International House, 3701 Chestnut St., 8 p.m. Friday, $5-$10, ihousephilly.org.

Back in the saddle

J.R. Ewing begins his last hurrah as TNT's "Dallas" reboot returns with a two-hour premiere. Larry Hagman, who played J.R. on and off since 1978, died last Nov. 23, but J.R. lives on for a few episodes.

"Dallas," 9 p.m. Monday, TNT.

- Compiled by Chuck Darrow, Tom Di Nardo, Ellen Gray, Valerie Russ and Jonathan Takiff