Entertainment

Trust Us: Bill Maher, Public Enemy, USA Basketball and other stuff to know about this week

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Public Enemy leads the bill at the Art of Rap tour stop Downtown on Saturday.
Illustration: Jon Estrada
    • USA Basketball Showcase

      Before Durant officially joins the dark side, he joins Team USA at T-Mobile Arena.

      Before Durant officially joins the dark side, he joins Team USA at T-Mobile Arena.

      Watch the world’s best (and certainly best-paid) ballers take on Argentina as Carmelo Anthony, Jimmy Butler, Kyrie Irving and Kevin “Darth Vader” Durant gear up for the Summer Games. Also, Las Vegans get to see hoop stars at T-Mobile in our ongoing dream for an NBA team. July 22, 6 p.m., $40-$1,600. —Brock Radke

    • Paul Williams at South Point

      When Paul Williams joined Daft Punk onstage at the 2014 Grammys—to help accept an award for an album on which Williams was a guest vocalist and songwriter— it was a throwback moment for fans of an influential pop lyricist and composer who had permeated television and radio in the 1970s. July 22-23, 7:30 p.m., $25-$35. —Kristen Peterson

    • The Lique Album Release Party at Vinyl

      The Lique

      Rasar Amani is already one of the slickest frontmen in Las Vegas, so it’s fitting he’d play Gotham’s beloved, stealthy superhero in The Lique’s newly released video for “Batman.” It’s the first track off the jazz-based hip-hop crew’s upcoming album, Democracy Manifest, which drops Thursday with an event at Vinyl with Vegas all-stars Moksha, The Rockie Brown Band and Cameron Calloway.

      Manifest was a long time coming. In May, the Lique solicited fans for donations to fund the record (and a tour) through Indiegogo.com. “We named our album Democracy Manifest because it reflects the whole philosophy of our band: different people with different backgrounds coming together and creating something new, exciting and powerful,” reads its fundraising page. The quintet met its $5,000 goal earlier this month. The LP, and the show, will make people get up and groove. July 21, 7 p.m., $10-$20. —Leslie Ventura

    • Yes You Can't at El Cortez

      Tom Rubin of "Yes You Can't," which plays at the El Cortez.

      The self-help/motivation industry has spawned many satirical artistic endeavors, including stage productions. Las Vegas gets its own starting this Thursday, when comedian Tom Rubin heads up this 75-minute, one-man show as the World’s Leading Failure Expert. Why have your hopes raised earnestly by Tony Robbins when you can have them sunk hilariously by someone able to awaken the loser within? July 21-October 17, Thursday-Monday, 7:30 p.m., $40. —Mike Prevatt

    • Bill Maher at the Mirage

      If there was ever a time to watch HBO’s comedic firebrand skewer his right-wing targets, it’s during the Republican National Convention. With Donald Trump’s speech happening on the eve of the weekend, expect Maher to come out guns blazing. July 22 & 23, 10 p.m., $65-$87. —Mike Prevatt

    • Neighborhood Awards at Mandalay Bay

      Erykah Badu

      Soulful packages like this one don’t come through Vegas enough. The State Farm Neighborhood Awards weekend returns featuring a wide spread of events, including Keith Sweat and Charlie Wilson on Friday at the Events Center ($85) and a beach party at Mandalay’s lagoon-style pool with Jill Scott on Sunday ($100). The main event is the awards show itself, also at the Events Center, hosted by Steve Harvey with performances by The O’Jays, Erykah Badu and Maxwell (who just dropped his smooth, sexy, fifth studio album blackSUMMERS’night). July 23, 7 p.m., $118-$158. —Brock Radke

    • Art of Rap at Downtown Las Vegas Events Center

      Public Enemy leads the bill at the Art of Rap tour stop Downtown on Saturday.

      Public Enemy leads the bill at the Art of Rap tour stop Downtown on Saturday.

      A throwback hip-hop bill boasting the Sugarhill Gang (“Rapper’s Delight”), Kurtis Blow, former Furious Five MCs Grandmaster Melle Mel and Scorpio, Naughty by Nature, Queens duo Mobb Deep and EPMD (featuring MCs Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith and DJ Scratch) would be enough. But this NYC-area revue wouldn’t be complete without Long Island trailblazers Public Enemy. Chuck D has been a must-follow on social media as U.S. racial tensions reach a fever pitch, and hype man Flavor Flav is one of Las Vegas’ friendliest celeb residents. July 23, 7 p.m., $28-$88. —Mike Prevatt

    • Soul Kitchen at Vanguard Lounge and Techno Tuesday at Tacos & Beer

      You can apply the when-it-rains-it-pours principle to many Vegas things, including special events within the house and techno scene, as this week’s two-fer demonstrates. On Thursday at 10 p.m., the long-running Soulkitchen celebrates our nightlife roots with two DJs who separately came from Chicago and helped build Las Vegas’ underground scene in the 1990s: Speedy and Jose 2 Hype. Five days later, Techno Taco Tuesday marks its second anniversary at 9 p.m. with Barcelona duo Fur Coat plus residents Bad Beat, Lance Le Rok, Pedro Flores, Rob Fernandez and Eder More. July 21 & 26, free. —Mike Prevatt

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